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Original poster

How do you present the presents?

64 replies

Stabbitha · 17/12/2019 18:52

We have all the kids this year! My kids and DPs will all be here on Christmas morning.

We can't decide how to do the gifts. When I was little me and my brother came downstairs to two separate piles of gifts on opposite sofas, with one type of wrapping paper for me and one for him.

I've always done it as one type of wrapping paper for each child but all the presents jumbled together under the tree.

DP wants all the presents wrapped in mixed wrap all jumbled under the tree and the chaos of having to read all the labels.

How do you do it?

OP posts:
nowaypose · 18/12/2019 01:15

My Mum always bought us far too much at Christmas, the whole living room used to be filled with crap and I reckon it used to take us an hour+ to open it all. She used to do what you initially said, I’d have one sofa and my brother had the other.

I just put them all under the tree and distribute them out after reading the tags.

HowDoYouLikeThoseSuedeApples · 18/12/2019 01:17

If you go for the chaos approach make sure you have sharpied an initial or number on the parcel in case of lost or removed tags.

Original poster
Stabbitha · 18/12/2019 11:10

Some really lovely traditions here. Loving reading them all.

The initial on the boxes in case of lost tags it's a great idea.

I hope everyone has a wonderful time 😀

OP posts:

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Events & celebrations
pinkyboots1 · 18/12/2019 12:07

All presents in same paper and will be in two very separate piles downstairs.. the stocking presents are in same paper and will be hung on the end of our bed. We're very relaxed about Christmas now the kids are almost 20 & 15

Damntheman · 18/12/2019 12:23

Mixed paper with labels and jumbled under the tree! We do it in 'rounds' starting with the youngest. They choose a gift for each person present to open and then we have another round with the next youngest. This way with breaks between rounds we can make it last all day! When we were kids we could make it last right through boxing day though.. not sure what changed.

FesteredFairy · 18/12/2019 12:37

When we were little there was a pillowcase left at the end of the bed for small "stocking fillers".
Larger presents were opened from 11:00 in the sitting-room and we arranged under the Christmas tree. All done and dusted by lunchtime at 13:00.
As we got older we just did presents under the tree. Very civilised when accompanied by a glass of champagne after church on Christmas morning!

MrsTumbletap · 18/12/2019 16:52

We seem to do ours differently.

Every present under our tree has the same paper, they all have sticker tags so they can't fall off.

Stocking is in the bedroom in special Santa paper to be opened before breakfast.

FuriousFlannels · 18/12/2019 16:59

Mixed wrapping used for all the gifts. Tags to say whose they are. Someone sits next to the tree and picks a pressie at random. That's passed to the recipient who opens it while everyone else waits. Once that present has been opened, suitably admired and thanks given (if the giver is in the room) we move onto the next present.

We stop along the way for cups of tea, wees, breakfast etc

BarbedBloom · 18/12/2019 17:33

Everyone in the house has their own wrapping paper. This is only because of the year when the cats were utter twats and somehow pulled all the labels off Angry

Bouledeneige · 18/12/2019 22:00

Presents under the tree are all wrapped similarly and labelled. I know where theirs are. But I like the process of sharing them out checking the labels. So I can give them to them personally.

When the extended family arrives they put theirs under the tree or they have them stacked in bags and we distribute them after lunch.

Lampan · 18/12/2019 22:06

I agree with your DP. Lots of different papers and all mixed up under the tree. Doling them out is part of the tradition!

Original poster
Stabbitha · 24/12/2019 18:33

UPDATE -

I'm mad. What was I thinking! It's absolute carnage here and it's not even Christmas day yet. 😆

OP posts:
MaudBaileysGreenTurban · 24/12/2019 23:12

Presents are in mixed paper with tags, under the tree. Nothing from under the tree is to be opened until after lunch, but stocking presents (always wrapped in tissue paper, different colour paper for each child) can be opened in the morning. The smallest child (of walking and talking age Grin) hands out the presents and they're opened one by one.

Years ago we also used to have 'lady presents' over lunch - a tradition from my maternal grandparents. My grandmother had this big papier-mache doll with a cardboard skirt that was hollow and there would be a present inside the skirt for each person at Christmas Day lunch. Just a little, daft thing like chocolates or a nice bar of soap or something related to a family in-joke. It sounds utterly bizarre now (!!) but it was a proper family tradition and I actually rather miss it.

starfishmummy · 25/12/2019 00:07

We get the butler to hand them round. Doesn't everyone??

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