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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Christmas presents all in one go

202 replies

LibrariesGiveUsPower · 12/12/2021 21:49

Debate between my DH and myself as to whether there’s a norm.

As kids we opened stockings as soon as we woke up - all nice bits and pieces but no main gifts. We were then allowed to open one gift from parents after breakfast. Then we had to wait until after lunch, which meant after the queen’s speech, for anything else. Then some gifts were saved for Boxing Day. It was horrible waiting when younger.

DH’s family opened everything all at once before or after breakfast.

I like it spread out (but more main gifts in the morning so DC can play), DH thinks all at once. I never before considered there was a different way.

What do you do?
YANBU- spread through the day
YABU- open all at once

OP posts:
Redwinestillfine · 12/12/2021 21:58

We spread it out but open more in the morning so stockings and main presents before breakfast, then ones from the relatives we phone (so they can thank them), then a few more, then save a few for after Christmas lunch tbh they get overwhelmed and it's not uncommon to have some left until boxing day.

Twinkle1989 · 12/12/2021 21:58

@SmellyOldOwls

5am present opening frenzy followed by a selection box for breakfast and collapse by 8am. It's tradition Xmas Grin
Literally this ^ or maybe earlier 😂 I wouldn't want it any other way! I felt sorry for the kids who didn't get this when we were growing up actually
mrsed1987 · 12/12/2021 21:59

We have an almost 3 year old so who knows what will happen this year but last year we opened stockings then presents were done throughout the morning..i suspect the same this year but maybe slightly quicker opening 😂

honeybeesknees · 12/12/2021 22:00

We spread ours out all throughout the day. Always did as a child too. DH opened all his at once as a child and says he prefers them spread out, as it’s something to look forward to.

WeatherwaxLives · 12/12/2021 22:02

We had stockings hung on our beds, and would take them into DPs bed to open as soon as we woke up, then we would open all presents under the tree while we ate breakfast as a kind of floor picnic. I think when we were little we did all kids presents first, then adults presents after. But when we were a bit bigger and could read the tags we picked up presents at random from under the tree and opened them / handed them to the right person to open in no particular order.

yikesanotherbooboo · 12/12/2021 22:03

We did the same as you. Stockings at dawn and the wrapped presents after lunch.

MargaretThursday · 12/12/2021 22:06

We do: (If home)
Stockings first thing
Present from each other after lunch
Presents from others on Boxing Day
"Tree" presents 1 a day until they go back to school

(If away)
1 present first thing
Presents from people we're with but not immediate family after lunch
The day after we get home, stockings first thing
Presents from immediate family after lunch
Next day presents from anyone else
"Tree" presents 1 a day until they go back to school

We like it this way as it spreads out. Dh's family had opened them all by about 8am and then were bad-tempered because it was "all over"

bimbodoc · 12/12/2021 22:06

We spread presents out over Xmas and Boxing day and have a couple per hour, its our particular way and it works well for us. The mass frenzy of all at once holds no appeal.

StruggleStreet · 12/12/2021 22:06

In general I think open them all at once in the morning, although for young children better to spread them out so they don’t get too overwhelmed. My toddler will have some in the morning, some in the afternoon at PILs and then a few more on Boxing Day at my parents. We gave them all at once last year and it was all too much!

StampOnTheGround · 12/12/2021 22:07

All at once before breakfast

Littlereen · 12/12/2021 22:08

Spread out throughout the day and love it that way - I love to prolong the excitement! My children are 2 and 4 so it can be overwhelming so works for them too. As children we had stockings when we woke in parents bed, then a few later on (we did church and visited some family in the morning) and it wasn’t unusual to have some still on Boxing Day. I’ll happily leave presents for me as long as I can to prolong the excitement. The thought of the kids ripping it all to shreds and me not keeping
Up with who has given what gets me into an anxious sweat 🤣

OnlyHereForTheClothes · 12/12/2021 22:08

We open all the santa and parents presents at once. We don't open extended family presents till later. This was what I did as a kid as well.

SallyLovesCheese · 12/12/2021 22:09

We always did stockings whenever we woke, then main presents after lunch.

But now I'm at my own home in the morning with my own family, we have presents under our tree and also under my parents' tree. We go to theirs for lunch, so we'll probably do our tree mid-morning and then go for lunch and do their presents after lunch.

As a child I never found it terrible waiting. It was nice to have a bit of time with each set of presents, rather than just one big pile.

steff13 · 12/12/2021 22:10

My kids are allowed to get their stockings when they first wake up. They have to let us sleep until six, then we get up, put breakfast in the oven, and they get to open gifts then.

You said it was awful having to wait, so you want your kids to look back and think Christmas morning was "awful?"

Santahatesbraisedcabbage · 12/12/2021 22:12

We open stockings about 7/7.30
Then a cooked breakfast.
Then presents about 10.
Then coffee and crepes about 11

Then lunch meant to be 2 but usually 2.30!!

deathofastrawberry · 12/12/2021 22:12

All at once and then they can play with what they want when they want. Also they'll get presents from other family members so would have that to look forward to anyway. I remember being so excited as a child to open my stocking presents in my parents' bed and then go straight downstairs after to open all my tree presents. Then more from other family members later that day or on Boxing Day. No point spreading them out, kids will just end up bored waiting to open them and won't enjoy the day as much.

KilmordenCastle · 12/12/2021 22:14

Stockings in bed. Then we head downstairs and I tell the dc's to give me 2 mins to pour some milk out for them and bucks fizz out for us and then it's straight into opening everything. I usually do some crumpets or croissants or something to nibble on while we're opening.

When I was young my dp's made us wait for ages to let them wake up properly, have a coffee, check the news bla bla and I remember that I hated having to wait for the adults to do all their adult stuff before we could open anything. So now I let my dcs open their presents ASAP. I get really annoyed with DH if he takes too long to get out of bed, usually saying "don't you remember what it was like to be a child, don't make them wait" 😂

changenametopost · 12/12/2021 22:16

We have sticking gifts that DCs open as soon as they wake up

Then we go round in turns opening gift at at time after Xmas breakfast
That way you can take photos and WhatsApp them to the giver to say thanks And nothing gets muddled up
It takes about an hour
We save a few gifts for the afternoon

You can open them all at once but it's bedlam and no one knows who has gifted what then. We are pretty speedy at it as I have Xmas dinner prep to get on with ... and kids wanna play with gifts they have

It doesn't work if you have over 12+ gifts each in which case think that's too much and you have to divide it up more

ChocolateRiver · 12/12/2021 22:16

We spread ours out but there aren’t really any set times. Everything is opened by the time have Christmas dinner (usually around 3pm). This ended up happening naturally because the children played with things then I needed to go and do jobs/cook so it just ended up that way.

Rockbird · 12/12/2021 22:17

All our/Santa presents are opened as soon as DH and I are installed on the sofa with tea to watch. Then a few more at my parents' later in the day and in laws presents on Boxing Day. I couldn't make them wait, they're too excited.

Chocolatewheatos · 12/12/2021 22:18

Stockings with a cuppa in bed. Then rest of presents, then brekkie. Then later in the day its presents from in laws, then boxing day with my family and presents then. So presents get spread out enough as it is.

BellaTheDarkOverlord · 12/12/2021 22:18

@jayalfredprufrock we had pillowcases too when younger Smile we used to put them on bottom of our beds when we went to sleep Xmas Eve. Woke up to feel the full cases and hea the sound of the crinkling of the paper. Was so exciting. Never ever done stockings. My brother and I used to get up so excited to see the presents. We'd go downstairs and watch TV until mum and dad got up about 7ish. Then we'd all drag our pillowcases downstairs to open gifts.

We have ummed and ahhed about it this year whether to do pillow cases for dd6 as we have all presents under tree after she falls asleep Xmas Eve and wakes up to all under tree. They all get opened as soon as I've made me and dh a coffee Grin

sunflowerroses · 12/12/2021 22:21

Stockings in our bed before breakfast.

Everyone gets dressed and we have a nice breakfast before opening most of the rest of the presents (opened one at a time so it does take a while, and we have canapés and champagne halfway through, love this part of the day!). We hold a few back for the evening too which aren't put around the tree until later in the day.

EveningOverRooftops · 12/12/2021 22:21

Dc has breakfast first then opens presents. Mostly to stop them only eating a fuck ton of chocolate for breakfast.

I sometimes hide some and do a treasure hunt for them to keep DC busy. Sometimes I don’t.

Wilkolampshade · 12/12/2021 22:22

Stockings in bed. Big pressies after breakfast and when bulk of lunch pep done accompanied by sausage rolls and fizz.

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