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Original poster

To ask if anyone else's parents did this?

360 replies

Storm4star · 04/12/2018 12:10

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?

OP posts:
WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 04/12/2018 18:15

Always first thing when I was growing up. My dad had to go check Santa had been first, but I think that was mostly so he could have a fag and put the kettle on for my mum (70s here too).

We now do presents first thing here too - but nothing can be opened from under the tree until I have a cup of tea in my hand! Breakfast is after present opening (or we might take a break in the middle of it's taking a while and we're all hungry).

NewMinouMinou · 04/12/2018 18:20

Babdoc that’s just awful.
I really hope you and your sister have had lovely Christmasses since and that this year’s is happy as well.

TheWiseWomansFear · 04/12/2018 18:28

Had to stay in bed until 8am then pressies straight away

DaedricLordSlayer · 04/12/2018 18:57

we had pillowcases at the bottom of the bed, which we dragged through to our parents bed at what ever time we woke 3am sometimes! then we'd go back to bed and depending on the time either sleep or play with our toys for a few hours and eat chocolate.

we'd get up officially around 8am, mum and dad insisted we have breakfast, then we opened the presents around the tree, unless we had family arriving later, then we'd open mum and dad's presents to us and the rest when guests came so sometimes after lunch.

I spend Christmas with a boyfriend once and it seemed such a joyless experience. No present opening until after lunch, one person had to open one present with everyone watching, then next person and the next and next until back at the beginning. Then everyone opened one at the same time, and repeat. It took For.Ever.

GreenTeacup · 04/12/2018 19:00

My DH’s parent would not allow presents until they had done grave visits. DH didn’t know one set of GP as they died before he was born but they still took him to both graveyards at opposite ends of London before they could go home to open presents.

DH says it used to put a real downer on Christmas Day. They did the same for all other significant days too.

We are now NC.

UbiquitousDust · 04/12/2018 19:06

Stockings first thing. One or two presents then church. One or two presents when we got back. Family presents after lunch. Anything left would be spread out over the next few days.

ShinyMe · 04/12/2018 19:11

We did stockings whenever we woke up, then presents after breakfast once everyone was dressed and all the washing up done and everything tidied up.

Moominfan · 04/12/2018 19:21

My ex's family wouldn't him and his sister open presents until evening. Church in the morning, lunch, dinner. Then finally presents. I thought it was mean and didn't see any need

jay55 · 04/12/2018 19:26

We had stockings before church and had to wait until after lunch for the rest, lunch was usually around 3.

Blobbyweeble · 04/12/2018 19:30

Stockings in bed then our one big present at the breakfast table. Then church, lunch washing up, the Queen on the radio (didn’t have a tv) and then all the rest of the presents. I don’t think it was mean at all, I’ve got really happy memories of Christmas.

NotCitrus · 04/12/2018 20:47

I'd open my stocking when I woke, and when I was very little there would be an unwrapped big toy under the tree, and when older, enough books in the stocking to keep me happy until after lunch.

Though what usually happened and we do with our kids is once the contents of stockings was exhausted, let them open one present that is a toy or game or similar to occupy them until lunch. Sometimes another.

Then a walk after lunch and then settle down with tea, pudding, cake and start to unwrap. If the kids just want to play then we don't force them to keep unwrapping - ILs tend to go for quantity.
They seem happy.

My ILs would have lunch and then bring sacks of presents for everyone to the table, with lots of booze. With enough alcohol, the bonkers presents were even more fun! Maybe when dc are older...

PermanentlyFrizzyHairBall · 04/12/2018 20:50

Stockings in bed then cups of tea/bucks fizz something to eat and on to the presents under the tree.

I did know one posh family who waited until after the queen's speech - I remember being horrified at the thought of it as a child.

Wonkypalmtree · 04/12/2018 21:31

My ex’s family did the queens speech before presents, found it miserable. Then we had to sit there in silence and watch tv.

Original poster
Storm4star · 04/12/2018 22:11

I did know one posh family who waited until after the queen's speech

We definitely weren’t posh Grin

OP posts:
dancinfeet · 04/12/2018 22:37

I opened stocking in morning but it was given that I would take it into my parents' room and sit on their bed to open it, and that it was unacceptable to wake them up before 7.30 / 8am am on xmas morning. I spent many a childhood at 6am taking presents out of my stocking, squishing them and trying to guess what they might be then putting them all back in whilst watching the clock move oh so slowly round to half past seven!
After opening my stocking we would get up, but not until mum had gone downstairs and switched on all the fairy lights so that the front room looked magical. We would then have breakfast and get dressed before we opened the presents under the tree. Just before or just after lunch my much older brothers & sister wold arrive with their partners and children and there would be more exchanging of presents and an afternoon of the adults watching TV (whilst getting merry) and the children all playing together with their new toys. Sometimes in the evening my parents would have other relatives / friends / neighbours over for a buffet tea, so we would sometimes end up exchanging presents with them at tea time too.

I was allowed a cinzano and lemonade (with a cherry in) with my Christmas dinner from about age 7 or 8, and a small tot of Baileys at supper time before bed (possibly a ploy to make me fall asleep??)!

I have kept two traditions for my own children, opening their stockings sat on my bed, (less particular about the getting up time than my parents, but it's never been earlier than 6am - now they are teenagers I find I am usually awake and waiting for them!) and also that I come down first and put on the fairy lights before they come downstairs to see the presents under the tree, just like my mum used to do. We open our presents before breakfast as well as after though and sometimes during, I'm less strict than my parents used to be.

Sadly when my parents died our extended family fell apart, so my children have only known Christmas to be the three of us - I do miss the big family Christmas of my childhood with the endless flow of guests (though how my mum did it all I have no idea) and ten or twelve people round the table for Christmas dinner.

Wheresmrlion · 04/12/2018 23:18

Stockings opened downstairs early doors. Not allowed to wake parents before 6 I think it was. Then had to wait until grandparents had arrived and settled in with tea before we could open the main under the tree presents, probably around 10.

One present at a time sorry giver could see the receiver open it.

It was a pretty good system actually and one we loosely replicate. After queens speech is awful, nearly the whole day wasted when you could have been playing with your new toys and the adults could have got some peace! Seems very controlling.

Menarefrommarsitwouldseem · 04/12/2018 23:49

When I was a child we would take the stockings downstairs with us after my dad had been down to check he had been. He used to signal he had been by blasting Christmas music.
And we would open them all at once with selection boxes and bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

With my DC. Stockings on our beds as long as it's not still night! Youngest DC tried to get up last year at 2.30 am!
Then downstairs and a free for all. In our house there's the presents from Santa, us, friends and DH side of the family,
Breakfast is done after.

We Then chill in our pjs for a while and head over to my parents for Christmas dinner. Where Santa has also stopped at and delivered gifts there along with presents from my parents and my side of the family.
It's an all day event and I love it.

PipGoesPop · 05/12/2018 00:15

Your dad was mean. Not for makung you wait til after the Queen's speech but for adding on half an hour if you asked. I mean come on! It's Christmas day. Really horrid.

My dad was a bit of a difficult one but Christmas day was the one day of the year that we could guarantee that he was not grumpy.

Presents opened as soon as we woke up in my house (70s kid)

justanotherprolapse · 05/12/2018 00:19

Gosh I was allowed to open my presents when we got back from midnight mass!!!! I went to midnight mass from about 7 by the way - have lots of memories of dosing off in the church but being ridiculously excited that we could open presents when we got home!!!!

justanotherprolapse · 05/12/2018 00:20

Thecatsthecats yes that was my childhood too!!!

Purpleartichoke · 05/12/2018 00:21

Not allowing presents in the morning (barring having a parent who has to work) is just mean. The excitement of Christmas morning is unparalleled.

GunpowderGelatine · 05/12/2018 00:34

I honestly think making kids wait until late afternoon to open presents that are just sitting there is a form of torture.

I used to go out with someone whose family did this (I was an adult so obviously wasn't bothered about waiting on the one Christmas I spent there), they'd have the presents in piles according to the recipient and we took it in turns to open each present one at a time while everyone else stared while you did itConfused it was very odd

recklessruby · 05/12/2018 00:43

We had our stocking presents in the morning with plenty of chocolate too but the big under the tree presents were opened after Xmas lunch and the queens speech (70s kid too).
With My own dc it was stockings in the morning and presents under the tree after lunch then more presents at GP s house and Xmas dinner there.
Lovely memories.
This year ds and I will be waiting for dd to finish work first before present unwrapping as she works in mental health and has to do a few hours Xmas day

Lonely200144 · 05/12/2018 02:28

90s here !
Me and my sister would always sleep in the same room Xmas eve ( despite having our own ) she would always wake up first after keeping me up half the night haha
We would wake nan up with a cup of tea which she would drink v v slowly. She would then get up and cook breakfast normally sausage / bacon / egg sandwiches.
Then we open all presents.
We opened together one at a time. No rushing ahead.

DaedricLordSlayer · 05/12/2018 05:46

GunpowderGelatine sounds like my ex boyfriend Grin

Just to add, if we had a present from on someone there with us, we'd shout out the label so they could watch us unwrap it.

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