To do Christmas presents this way?

[McNuggetsAndMcFlurries]

This year will be our first christmas as a family (we will have an almost 4 month old) and I'm hoping to be able to follow a similar sort of routine every year. Our parents both live close by so the current plan is to go to mine in the morning and then to his for lunch.

What I'm wanting is to open stockings in the morning before we leave the house and then be back by 4:30pm and let our little one open his presents then. He'll be opening presents (well we'll be opening them this year I suppose 🙈🤣) at both of his grandparents houses and I want him to open ours after all of that so there's no rush and we can enjoy that time with him without worrying about going places/having food ect.

What do you think? Would this work as an ongoing thing or will it be mean to make him wait as he gets older? 🤔

It will work this year, also next. You haven’t got a cats in hell chance after that.

At 4 months old don't sweat it. They won't know what is happening. Going forwards it depends if father Christmas is bringing the gifts or not really.

Kids get so excited about presents they lie awake all night and get up stupidly early. I remember being a kid and getting up at 4am because I was so excited. Didn’t you? Imo once he’s old enough to know what’s going on it’ll be mean to make him wait.

Good God, why do you want to spend your day rushing around cramming in visits? Do one lot on Christmas Eve, the other lot on Boxing Day and enjoy Christmas Day yourselves.

We've always done something like this in my family. Most presents saved til after lunch, even though we usually spent the day at home. Morning is spent playing with presents from stockings, and helping get lunch ready. I think the day would feel really flat if all the presents had been opened first thing.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

Good God, why do you want to spend your day rushing around cramming in visits? Do one lot on Christmas Eve, the other lot on Boxing Day and enjoy Christmas Day yourselves.

I don't but it's important to my boyfriend to see his mum on christmas and I don't think it would be very fair to just see one set of grandparents 🤷‍♀️

We have always split the gift opening between morning and afternoon with Santa presents opened first thing. And family gifts later.
Occasionally there’s a small bit of a grumble but they’ve accepted it as the norm.

There’s huge anticipation about the Santa gifts because it’s something they’ve asked for and there’s been a huge build up. So honestly I think it would be cruel to make them wait and the rush and excitement is so much fun for us too.

The other gifts are from other family members and the dc don’t have particular expectations so they’re more of an extra iyswim. And one of the reasons we wait is so guests arriving for lunch have the pleasure of being part of the gift exchange. It’s as much about giving as receiving in the afternoon.

We do this. Stockings and Santa present morning. Of stuff late afternoon which is most of it. Kids never bothered.

Just go with the flow each year. What you do this year doesn't make it compulsory for next year.

I don't but it's important to my boyfriend to see his mum on christmas and I don't think it would be very fair to just see one set of grandparents

Stand your ground now or this will be your EVERY Christmas from now on. BF can see his Mum by himself, or take little one there while you put your feet up for a while... x

@CeeceeBloomingdale

It will work this year, also next. You haven’t got a cats in hell chance after that.

Ha ha this!!!

Why do you need to plan all future Christmases? Things will change, child's needs will change. Other family members plans and health will change. Take one year at a time.

We did ours after lunch as children. I quite enjoyed saving them so that there was more excitement throughout the day. And if he's opening presents at both sets of grandparents' houses and a stocking in the morning, he's hardly been deprived.

Nothing wrong with waiting. We've always done stockings in the morning, a token table present at lunch, and main present opening after the meal.

It makes for a more structured day with something to look forward to.

Agree with PP, it will make no difference this year or next, but what you do this year doesn't have to set a precedent.

Most people open kids presents first thing and then don't leave the house until lunchtime.

This is what we've always done - stockings in the morning, then presents after lunch, and it worked just fine, even when the boys were little. The stocking presents kept them amused and happy for the morning, and they never complained about waiting until the afternoon for the rest of the presents.

I think it spreads out the fun and excitement, and that is a good thing - when I was a teenager, we went to some friends for Christmas, and they opened all the presents first thing, so we fell in with their way of doing things - and I found that the rest of the day went a bit flat after that.

I wouldn’t worry about thinking about what will or won’t work next year or for the years after. Your plan sounds fine for this year (you’re right, you’ll be opening them and he won’t be fussed) so do that. As he gets older (and if you have another child), you might decide you don’t want to be travelling around on Christmas Day and he’d rather be home - no need to say you’re sorting a permanent routine now.

If you set it up now as your family tradition, shouldn't be a problem. As kids, we used to do stockings in the morning, big Christmas dinner at lunchtime, then the washing up, then the main presents. We also used to go and visit at the hospital where my dad worked late afternoon (some patients there didn't get any visitors, so they really appreciated having visitors).