AIBU - Christmas opening present time

[myhandsareverycold]

We are a blended family. 20 year old step daughter home from university. We normally (11 + 2 x13) get up around 7:30am, open stockings then do main Father Christmas stuff around 10. We have our children every second Christmas, this one bring ours. This year eldest is working Christmas Day and wants stockings and main presents opened before she leaves for work at 7:30. I had proposed to do stockings at 7am then the rest around 12 when she gets back. Dad is not at all happy and feels we should fit in with working daughter. Ive offered to reimburse her wages for Christmas Day so we can have a relaxed day but she is being so honerable and doesn't want to let anyone down. Am I being dreadfully unreasonable. Any other solutions that you lovely people can see?

We watch the Queen's speech.
Stockings before she goes to work, presents once she is back.
(We take all day over presents.)

Eldest and 11 year old go to their mum's at 4pm so that's why he feels my idea doesn't work. I'm going to work with it. When the day actually comes I can't see everything up, ready to open at 7am and I doubt if everything will be opened by then anyway.

We will make it work. Thank you for all your replies. Really interesting to hear what everyone does (and the impression of princess type behaviour!)

So the eldest will have presents at her mums at 4pm? So 2 of these children will open their gifts earlier than usual, because they know they have more ''gift excitement'' to come later in the day. Where as your children do not? I do see why you took the thought you did now!

I think your idea is the perfect solution OP. I agree, the littler ones shouldn't have their day over at 7.30am that's just sad! Do the stockings at 7, she can wait for the mains at noon. There's no way it'll take four hours to open all the tree presents so there'll be plenty of time for that when she gets home!

@ApplesinmyPocket - exactly!

I agree with your suggestion OP. Its 2 extra hours of waiting, not a big deal!

Eldest and 11 year old go to their mum's at 4pm so that's why he feels my idea doesn't work

Why? They'll still have at least three hours to open presents.

I can't for the life of me fathom how she or her dad could have a problem with your suggestion - surely it's basically the highest level of compromise and being accommodating to wait for her to finish work? What's the issue? It's your kids who are being "put upon" waiting to open theirs just so she can be there, I really cannot work out why she would be the one with an issue with this.

You're not going to have time to do it before 7:30 unless you all get up really early, which seems unnecessary.

Also, when I was a 20 year old girl it was usually late morning before we got around to opening any presents anyhow, by the time everyone had showered and got "glammed up". The days of waking up at the crack of dawn to open presents in our pyjamas had long gone, and we were perfectly willing to wait a few hours.

20? Seriously?

I'd say the wishes of younger kids take priority over the wishes of an adult! Do stockings and perhaps a main pressure at 7, then the rest at 12. Not too long to wait!

It is so interesting to see who the day goes in everyone’s household.
As I said earlier, we wait. I think because we always started the day at home, so had stockings there. Then we went to my grans house for Christmas dinner, so opened all our big, family presents there. We’d get there about an hour before lunch so the adults would all be preparing dinner and part of opening presents is everyone being there and not having to rush off to anything else.
Now, we stay the whole day with my parents but have kept the same tradition. Stockings when you are up. Christmas dinner. Presents after.
My kids don’t mind waiting because they have already opened some presents. Opening them after lunch means everyone can relax because all the jobs have been done.
There are usually At least 14 of us for Christmas Dinner so it’s a big deal!

Definitely stockings before work then main presents when she gets back. She's around for all the present openings and everyone can have fun with their stocking presents while she's out at work.

With our family, we used to open stockings, breakfast, then off to Church. Presents are/were late afternoon, after Christmas dinner. The timing has shifted forward slightly due to things like Dr Who and the post-dinner clear up not taking as long (dishwasher). It wouldn't feel right for me to open all my gifts in the morning .

It’s perfectly fine to wait until 12pm.

It seems she’s only working a few hours anyway, it’s hardly like she’s going to be missing the full day because she’s doing an actual full day of work

@ Pfefferkuchen I’m 41, what has that got to do with anything?

Ffs - she’s 20! An adult, yet she wants the children to fit their present opening around her?

Why is there a time for opening presents and stockings?

Why don’t they open them when they wake up or indeed when they want too otherwise its way too controlling telling someone when they can or can’t open there presents especially as she an adult.

Stockings at 7, main presents at 12. That's just the obvious route. She's being included for all of them, it's silly for everyone to be up at 6 drinking sherry just to suit her schedule.

Aren’t all self respecting 20 year olds dealing with hangovers on Christmas morning?

Times have changed!

When I used to work Christmas Day at that age I’d just open on my own (in front of people) when I got back. They’d just show me what they’d got.

Love all these “she’s an adult she can wait” cries! Surely if she’s an adult she can chose when she wants to open her presents?

I use to work Christmas Day every year for 10 years when living at home. We changed our day so we opened presents when I got home.
I said to my family to go ahead and open theirs, which they did the first two years as my brother was only young, and I was fine with that.
I think your proposal is perfectly fair. And it's nice to have it to look forward to at work!

Love all these “she’s an adult she can wait” cries! Surely if she’s an adult she can chose when she wants to open her presents?

She can. But she can't rearrange the whole family day to suit her.

Dd is being selfish to expect this.
Open stockings then wait for her to come home and open the rest.