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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To take DC's Christmas presents out of their packaging?

47 replies

PatheticParrot · 22/12/2019 19:03

DH says fighting with packaging, wrestling with hard-to-assemble toys, searching for the right sized screwdriver and so on are an important part of a traditional family Christmas morning, and will teach DC patience and perseverance. He also says the gifts won't 'feel new' if they're out of their packaging.

I think it makes more sense to unpack/ assemble/ put batteries in/ charge up now, pre-wrapping, so that when they open a present on Christmas morning they can just crack on and play with it. I would also note that after the opening DH will be buggering off to work, so he won't actually have to do any of the aforementioned faffing. I'll be left dealing with the inevitable tears when I build one child's thing before the other, or can't actually clip the crucial part on...

Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
Lulualla · 22/12/2019 19:06

I assemble things before, and if they fit back in their box then I put them back in. If they dont then I dont. Last year, my son got the rustbucket truck and there was a ton of assembly to do plus putting in all the stickers. Once assembled, it folded back down into a truck and fit back in the box so was good!

But for smaller things like action figures, I just leave those packaged and cut them out in the morning

MustardScreams · 22/12/2019 19:07

I do this with DD’s presents. Makes no difference to her, but my life is infinitely easier!

MrsEnglishh · 22/12/2019 19:08

I'd hate it if someone did this to my things, and would have hated it even as a young child. Part of having something new is unpacking it and opening it.

Blacksackunderthetreesfreeze · 22/12/2019 19:09

I don’t do this, but I admire your style

Lulualla · 22/12/2019 19:09

Not for most children it isn't. The just want the toy! They dont want to sit here whilst you fight the bloody plastic packaging to wrestle the toy free.

ANiceLuxury · 22/12/2019 19:09

I do this every year. Everything is taken out of packaging, batteries put in and then the actual toy is wrapped.

Dd has asked for a lot of our generation stuff and it was a nuisance to unpack!!! I’m so glad I’ve done it all before Christmas

Oysterbabe · 22/12/2019 19:10

Mine are 2 and 4 so I assemble and put batteries in before wrapping. If they were older I'd be more inclined to let them do the unboxing, some kids like that.

Bunnybigears · 22/12/2019 19:10

It depends on their ages, I think I I did this with mine until they were about 7. Some toys are ridiculously time consuming to assemble. The kids got to play with them straight away and the adults didnt spend all morning assembling stuff, win win.

AltheaVestr1t · 22/12/2019 19:10

Depends how old they are really. I did this when DC were very small but stopped when they were four or five.

WorraLiberty · 22/12/2019 19:10

YANBU because he has to go to work and leave you to it.

I'd get at least a couple done before Xmas morning.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 22/12/2019 19:10

Depend... A kitchen, a bike, an inflatable t rex... More fun assembled.

Playmobil... Depends on set and age

Lego HANDS OFF.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 22/12/2019 19:11

Any toys with that stupid packaging they are SCREWED into... Definitely take out the screws!

Tinty · 22/12/2019 19:12

Do it, one year when DS was three we got him 3 brand new toys that we had to put together and they all required batteries, NONE of them worked! We learnt that lesson and checked everything after that. 🤣

user1493413286 · 22/12/2019 19:13

I do this; I think it’s much nicer for kids to be able to play with toys straight away and I don’t want to spend my day wrestling with packaging and putting things together

Lulualla · 22/12/2019 19:13

Well obviously you dont build lego. It's a construction toy. The whole point of lego as a toy is for building. If you build it for them then where is their fun? I've got my kid a "build your own robotic arm". I'm not gonna build it for him!

We're talking about things which come wrapped up in plastic and need batteries or adult assembly.

HolyMilkBoobiesBatman · 22/12/2019 19:13

I can see both sides. Our gifts were always given packaged but I can see the appeal of assembling in advance, not least because some things like Barbies you need a degree in engineer just to get the bloody thing out of the box!
Could you assemble some things but leave others in packaging so you both get your way but the children have something to keep them entertained with whilst you assemble others?

I saw someone share on Facebook a ‘Christmas Day Box’ which was A shoebox kitted out with screwdrivers of various sizes, scissors and batteries so everything is to hand on the day.

Original poster
PatheticParrot · 22/12/2019 19:13

They're 2 and 5. The 2-year-old has all the patience and self-restraint of a starving labrador faced with an unguarded tray of snacks, and the 5-year-old has some fine motor issues so will be hopeless at opening any boxes or putting anything together himself..

I think I'm going to go with my plan Xmas Grin.

OP posts:
limpingparrot · 22/12/2019 19:14

In the very specific case of my 3 year old absolutely not, as he gets a lot of pleasure assembling things even if takes forever.

Butterymuffin · 22/12/2019 19:15

after the opening DH will be buggering off to work, so he won't actually have todoany of the aforementioned faffing

Your choice then and I back your plan!

Aragog · 22/12/2019 19:16

We used to do a mix.

Father Christmas's gift was always unwrapped and set up ready to play with.

Some presents which were a lot of faff to assemble and add stickers etc - like the big Barbie house she got one year - was assembled and rebooted (using a different box if necessary. Some were left intact. Meant she had things to use immediately - we knew which ones were most likely, and things to still be sorted.

Always have a small tool selection and battery collection at hand ready too!

gamerchick · 22/12/2019 19:16

If he's not even going to be there to do this tradition then he doesn't get an opinion on it really does he? Do it your way.

Lulualla · 22/12/2019 19:19

Also, your children can learn to be patient for the other 364 days of the year. You dont need to use christmas day as an education in patience. Its christmas and they arent children for long; let them enjoy it.

HoneysuckIejasmine · 22/12/2019 19:19

Yeah we remove all the ties, plastic screws etc, add batteries if required then put back in the box.

I remember my Dad, bleary-eyed, trying to build a Barbie carriage and an Action Man Jeep at the same time, v early one Christmas. Nope!

halcyondays · 22/12/2019 19:20

Larger items such as a dolls’ house that take a long time to assemble are done on Christmas Eve and appear in the living room unwrapped.

Anything smaller is wrapped in its packaging and opened, unravelled batteries on Christmas Day.

So it depends what it is.

WeirdPookah · 22/12/2019 19:28

We have done this sometimes, assembled a pram, unwrapped the doll, clothes - which all had at least 4 plastic tags holding them down, which took over half an hour to achieve!

So yes, go ahead and demolish the million stupid little bits of plastic and let the children actually play.