To ask if anyone else's parents did this?

[Storm4star]

All the Christmas threads have got me thinking! I grew up in the 70's and obviously parenting was different then so I'm wondering if it's that or if my dad was just mean! (He was mean in general so it wouldn't be surprising!). Basically, he would never let us open our presents on Christmas day until after the Queen's speech (which I believe was on about 3pm). If we asked in the meantime then half an hour would be added on to this time, for every time we asked. I honestly used to dream of being like other families and sit round the tree in our dressing gowns in the morning and opening gifts then. Needless to say with my own children, we've always opened presents first thing! So I'm curious if anyone else was subject to these kinds of rules?

My father was from a country that exchanged presents on Christmas Eve evening. Until I was about ten we had stockings in the morning then presents were not opened until early evening. I remember the wait used to kill me though it did keep up the excitement for the whole of the day.

My parents then changed it to opening presents on Christmas Eve and stockings on Christmas morning. Technically there was still the whole day wait but it didn’t feel so hard as the presents were put under the tree only an hour or so before opening.

Presents when you get up but my kids never got that early.

My grandparents did this with my mum, no presents until after queens speech! And my partners parents didn’t let him open presents until later either!

In our house it was presents first thing, and my mum liked her sleep so we were allowed to do stockings without waking her and then when we did wake her we were usually told to come back in 30mina until it was an acceptable time to wake up. (To be fair the waking often started at 5am with my younger brothers!)

OP. Did he feed you gruel and make you wear hair shirts as well?

Christmas stockings early morning, in our rooms, always with a torch and a book to keep us quiet. Church, Christmas lunch, and after three (and the Queen's Speech... with my dad taking the piss throughout) time for present opening.

Stockings as soon as we woke up but presents from everyone else not until after lunch.
My mum would usually make sure we had enough in our stockings to keep us amused

We used to get up in the middle of the night to get our presents, they were never wrapped. We would generally be happy but sometimes disappointed as we didn’t have much money. Then off back to bed until morning when my dad would go to the pub until lunchtime then come home and all hell would break loose because my mother would be pissed off at him. Standard issue Christmas with a drunk for a father.
My own kids Christmases are special!

P.S, your dad sounds quite authoritarian

Any time after 05.00am was the norm. If kids could be more tired and slept a bit later then it was bliss all round. However the joy seen and experienced by children first thing on Christmas morning can never be recaptured. No matter what age you are,
Believe in Santa, Elves, Flying Sleighs and Reindeer, Santa and Mrs Claus having a house and workshop at the North Pole.
Then believe in Goblins, Fairies at the bottom of the garden, gnomes, Jack Frost, Angels on your shoulder, Fairy Godmothers and most of all remember that the greatest gift of all- is being truly loved.

Ours were opened first thing - no choice really, as soon as they were done, we were bundled into a car and driven on a round-Britain tour of various relatives, not to return until 2nd Jan. It was horrible as a small child having to leave all my new things behind for over a week. I refuse to do it to DD.