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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to wonder if people really wait until Christmas Day?

162 replies

Supermagicsmile · 18/12/2016 15:22

We have sent some Christmas presents that have arrived with family. Only very little things, nothing grant or expensive. Received a text to say "they're under the tree, can't wait to open them on Christmas Day" and I wondered if people ever actually wait till Christmas Day?! worried they'll be really disappointed as it's just a shower gel and lip balm set for the girls and chocolates for their parents. Would prefer if they opened now so didn't get excited about what was inside!

OP posts:

Hollimum · 19/12/2016 20:07

My MIL (who suffers with Bipolar disorder) spent ages making my daughter a hand made and embroidered unicorn (especially) for xmas, then randomly gave it to her yesterday unwrapped and said 'oh this is a pre-xmas present'

Gowgirl · 19/12/2016 20:10

I wish I could but amazon delivered it in box clearly marked with what is! I'm gutted as it is amazing and something I've always wanted!!!! So we will pretend dh opened the door and I will be thrilled and suprised on the day! I cant wait...

missm0use · 19/12/2016 20:54

OH won't let us open any Christmas presents before Christmas. Wouldn't let DD open her present at the village Christmas party yesterday when Santa gave it to her and almost every other kid had opened theirs. Was very hard explaining to her that she had to wait and no one else did.

ilongforlustre · 19/12/2016 21:08

I find this fascinating. Today I have read lots of threads where people were talking about the presents they had received... or lack thereof. I thought I had experienced some sort of time slip.

We always wait until Christmas day... I don't put any presents under the tree until late Christmas eve either. I'm letting DH's secret Santa gift go but it feels weird.

Oh... bit if the DC's have visited Santa then they open those... its only right! Gosh I have lots of Christmas rules!

swelchphr · 19/12/2016 21:37

Whether it's birthdays or Christmas, we wait. My IL are all far away and so mail presents. That sounds like a text I'd send to politely let the sender know they have arrived and when we'all be opening them.

schmack · 19/12/2016 21:40

we put everything under the tree too, even the gift they get from the teacher at school (book) and the kids homes made gifts to us from school. Seems normal to me (i do sometimes peek at the kids gifts from family to make sure we don't duplicate etc)

Fran1311 · 19/12/2016 22:08

I am 72 and this is first Xmas without family coming. I have put all my presents under the tree. No one would know if I opened them as they arrived but they are Christmas presents and I will open them on 25th. By the way two of my friends and I are having our Xmas dinner in a nice pub. Looking forward to it.

MommaGee · 19/12/2016 22:38

I'd only open them early if it was a specific celebration like i get together with my school friends, we do secret santa, we open them there to see each others presents (we're mid 30's...)

I assume that's what user148 means not they randomly pick a day to have their own christmas...

OP and the other early openers, what makes you feel that it isn't worth waiting? genuinely curious. exclude the buyer being there wanting to see - if its throug the post of the PP's Nan's present to her DH - is it too exciting to wait?

MommaGee · 19/12/2016 22:41

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen uh huh he does, he and Santa make them special!!

mumindoghouse · 19/12/2016 22:50

Oh yes wait till Christmas Day.

bonbonours · 19/12/2016 23:06

We hardly get anything by post so what we do get goes under the tree. But little presents from kids I teach, or from school friends/brownies etc would get opened when given.

throwingpebbles · 19/12/2016 23:10

We generally wait. Unless we hav

throwingpebbles · 19/12/2016 23:11

Have got together for a pre Christmas gathering and are exchanging gifts.

Just pondering opening some this year before we go away for Christmas though, as not sure we can fit them all plus the kids in the car!!

DeleteOrDecay · 19/12/2016 23:14

Of course people wait until Christmas Day, why wouldn't you?

We open cards before Christmas but that's it. Although I recently received a card with money inside that I wasn't expecting and now I feel guilty that I didn't wait until Christmas Day to open it!

DierdrePewtey · 19/12/2016 23:15

I thought it was illegal to open presents before Christmas Day? Max sentence 6 months imprisonment.

BeastofChristmasIsland · 19/12/2016 23:17

I would always wait, unless it's a work Secret Santa or something when they get opened then and there. On our first Christmas as a couple DP and I didn't see each from the 22nd-28th, I left his presents with him before I went but he wouldn't open them until I got back.

DeleteOrDecay · 19/12/2016 23:18

My only exception are gifts from when dc visit Santa. They are allowed to open those right away if they wish saves trying to reason with them about having to wait.

ragdoll700 · 19/12/2016 23:41

We do family gifts on Christmas eve, Christmas day is reserved for Santa.

TheProblemOfSusan · 19/12/2016 23:46

We almost always wait till Actual Christmas Day. There are a couple of exceptions, though -

anytime people are opening gifts as a Thing together - so Secret Santa, Work Presents, friends all meeting up just before the day, etc. In which case it's Off to wait.
When it's something gigantic or otherwise hard to transport. We're only bough a car this year and generally do Christmas at alternate parental houses, so if e.g. DH's parents have bough everyone a pile and we had to travel to my DP's on the train, we'd open before and make a careful list so we could say thank you on the day.

But this year we have the BLISS of car transportation so EVERY BLOODY THING is going in the boot and we've got GIANT THINGS (within reason) for people cause we can sling it all in the car now, and we've not opened anything early.

PrimalLass · 19/12/2016 23:47

I opened things from my Brownies (because I needed chocolate) and from a colleague. Everything else goes under the tree.

Shiraznowplease · 20/12/2016 08:02

We let dc open presents from their cousins (as does my sil) on Xmas eve as we are all together then but won't see each other Xmas day. This has been a tradition since the oldest was 2 and I love it! The children all get to play with their toys together and eat Xmas cake and grown ups have mulled wine and it really sets me in a Xmas mood 😀

rockcake · 20/12/2016 08:24

What Marjoriesimpson said says it all...

ilovechocolate07 · 20/12/2016 14:21

Yes.

lynney88 · 21/12/2016 13:17

Just wondering what the reason there is to call it "a Winter celebration"?

Is it religious?
Do you work through Christmas?
Want to be different?

I'm just curious.

Butkin1 · 21/12/2016 14:08

We're pretty hardline when it comes to opening everything on Christmas Day but we did make an exception for DD and her "secret santa" presents from school friends which they all opened in front of each other (less than a fiver..).

We did make one mistake though. I got a hamper from clients and just left it in the box (near the radiator) planning to open on Christmas Day. Luckily DW had the sense to wonder if there were any perishables in it so we've just opened it and there is a side of smoked salmon - d'oh !!

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