To think not wrapping Christmas presents is thoroughly bizarre

[Bearbehind]

I’ve literally never heard of this before being on MN.

I genuinely don’t understand the concept of giving a gift and it not being in some sort of wrapping.

It seems so clinical not to do so

Christmas is not just for kids. I love wrapping presents and have a huge collection of wrapping paper. Metallic and glittery paper is not recyclable but some of the other stuff is. My mum always saved paper every year to reuse and I always save and reuse the bows.
This year I'm going to a workshop to make fabric bags to use (and reuse) for some presents.

Never had Santa presents wrapped up, everyone I know (in Ireland) never had them wrapped either (this Debate arises every year!). Obviously there are Irish people out there who had Santa presents wrapped I just don't know any.

My non-Irish dh did find it strange when I told him about how we did it when I was growing up. I hate wrapping anyway (and the cost and waste of the paper) so told my dh if he wanted Santa presents wrapped then he could crack on. We did this for a few years but each Xmas morning was so disheartening for me to watch. Dc would rip through the paper, look at toy, move it over and move onto the next until they got through them all. Repeat. Repeat. There was no savouring the moment and taking it all in. Past two years we've done it the other way and the look on dc's face when they come in and see their presents arranged around the sofa is amazing. My dh is now a convert!

My dc gets to unwrap presents from us and family so definitely doesn't miss out on unwrapping.

Each to their own though, whatever makes Xmas day special for you and your family.

It’s not recyclable with sellotape on it. I’m wrapping less and less and reusing packaging from things like e comm deliveries to do it. It has to happen, using unrecyclable wrapping paper is a nonsense.

Nope, Santa never wrapped presents here either when I was growing up or for my dc.
Nor did Santa leave anything - stockings / presents in bedrooms, always by the fireplace.

There is nothing more magical than peeping in the door early in the morning and seeing a PILE of colourful things all laid out, your eyes don't know where to look first as you try to take it all in at once!

All other presents, from family and friends are wrapped and under the tree with tags on them. They get opened after the Santa presents are looked at.

Parents don't buy children presents in our world either - Santa brings all the toys to the house.

Stocking presents not wrapped and soft tot always poking out top. Most presents wrapped for dd with exception of a few gifts that are set up and ready to go. This year I am doing 3 hampers though so they will be unwrapped

Another convert to eco wrapping here. I don't see why I should be cutting down on plastic for 364 days of the year to go for unrecyclable plastic Christmas paper for one day. You can do potato printing on brown paper or newspaper and use reuseable ribbon. Love the idea of special bags.

The other thing about wrapping for me is that wanting your tree to look a certain way for one day encapsulates the sort of meaningless we need to turn our backs on as a world. Spending time with people, caring, buying lasting presents that are wanted matters, what you wrap them in or whether they are wrapped doesn’t (to me).

I am traveling for Christmas and so I'm getting presents delivered where I'm going and will have limited time for wrapping. I was thinking of using lots of sacks like the ones amazon use when things are gift wrapped or like the Santa sacks you can buy. Then I can reuse them every year, I'll just say I sent them back to Santa. Has anyone seen any good deals on that kind of thing? Actually maybe I'll start my own thread to ask that!

That only person I know who had santy presents wrapped as a child has english parents. He now wraps for his kids. When I was growing up Santy stuff was not wrapped. Same for my kids.

This sums up our family perfectly. I live in Ireland, am English, and always wrap Santa presents. DH is Irish and never had wrapped presents as a child. His siblings never wrap for their children.

Unfortunately, this led to my youngest DS finding out about Santa on Christmas Eve, when his brothers and cousins were discussing why Santa wraps for some children & not others. Poor DS put two & two together and was very upset.

I genuinely don’t understand the concept of giving a gift and it not being in some sort of wrapping.

Did you type that with a straight face?

The other thing about wrapping for me is that wanting your tree to look a certain way for one day encapsulates the sort of meaningless we need to turn our backs on as a world

I don’t wrap for that reason.

My mum didn't wrap presents. I didn't get a stocking either.

She just piled up the presents unwrapped and said"there are your presents".

To be honest it has scarred me for life! I have a real 'thing' about presents which is unhealthy and really upsets me every Christmas. I see gifts as expressions of how much people value me and if I get a crap present I feel rejected. I KNOW this is stupid and wrong of me.

All I wanted was a stocking like a normal child.

Oh my god, I hadn't read the thread! It's an Irish thing! My mum's parents were Irish.

Even most shops wrap Christmas presents for you, not sure why the concept of wrapped gift being the norm for many poster is being laughed at...

The other thing about wrapping for me is that wanting your tree to look a certain way for one day encapsulates the sort of meaningless we need to turn our backs on as a world

I am not sure how wrapping your presents and having a show-tree are remotely linked?!

I absolutely hate wrapping with a passion but would find it very odd not to wrap things.
Luckily DH enjoys wrapping - strange man!

My mum just gives me presents in a random plastic bag - but this is only since I've been an adult. I do find it a bit sad... I don't know why! I would never give a gift without wrapping - it just seems careless.

I grew up with our presents being laid out on a chair each, no wrapping. I never even thought about it. You still had to go through them one by one to discover what they were.
Having said that, apart from the odd bike or two, I wrapped my kids presents growing up, but I think that was more because I love wrapping presents!

"I would find it pretty shit to receive an unwrapped present, if the giver can't even be arsed to wrap it, they shouldn't bother giving it in the first place. Just odd."

Christ almighty people on MN are so weird about presents sometimes.

Santa never wrapped our gifts (Irish descent: mum was one of 10 so her mum wouldn’t have had the time)!

I hate wrapping. It’s a waste of time and boring wifework which women get stuck doing.

DH disagrees and wraps some stuff; I use gift bags

DH does the vast majority of our wrapping. Fell into the habit when I was 9 months pregnant one Christmas and couldn’t see over my belly , and he enjoyed it so carried on!

SlightlyStaleCocoPops
what's weird? It's true - if DH pops in a shop and brings me back something it's not the same at all as him giving me a wrapped present - even if someone else wrapped it.

All my kids have only ever received wrapped presents for their birthdays, it's not such a weird concept. Everybody else seems to wrap theirs too, and I've never seen a photo of a friend's christmas with unwrapped gifts 🤷

Agree with the OP. Though I think you could wrap it in re-used paper, and please no glitter.

Irish here too and Santa's presents definitely not wrapped. They're often big and NO WAY am I wrapping bicycles!! Presents from family are wrapped. I'd have hated as a kid to come down the stairs and just seen wrapped things...that first glimpses of all these glorious toys together just for me are great memories.

so what do you do when you buy a gift already wrapped? You unwrap it for Christmas?

You don't wrap birthday presents either then? So when your kids go to a party, they all hand unwrapped gifts?

Why not, it's just that when you are not used to it, it does sound weird.