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AIBU?

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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:
Notwashingup · 12/12/2021 23:07

We’re not getting a visit from Santa this year. The kids are with their dad so the elf has been sneaking in Santa’s sleigh and bringing a present every day. In other years though, definitely filled a pillow case and opened everything. When we were kids we’d get a few extra presents on Boxing Day from relatives which was nice.

Keladrythesaviour · 12/12/2021 23:08

We had one gift on the end of our beds (to keep us busy unt a reasonable time!) And then opened all gifts before breakfast. But we take it in turn to open gifts, which I love. I hate seeing people just piling in. My cousin always had to wait until after dinner for presents, but I think as a child I'd be too excited about presents I wouldn't get to enjoy the rest of the day.

TreeLawney · 12/12/2021 23:10

Stockings first thing, and their 1 ‘Father Christmas’ gift.

Then breakfast & everyone gets dressed etc.

Then present opening - dc sort them all into piles and we do the go round & open 1 present each thing. I know some people hate that but it’s how we do it and is the right way 😂

Dc2 often skips goes as doesn’t like to open all at once / likes to spend time with a few gifts at a time. So he will open the rest later on through the day or into Boxing Day even. Dc1 likes to know everything she’s got as soon as possible.

Hallowbat · 12/12/2021 23:11

Stockings on my bed then straight downstairs for rest of presents

TulipsTwoLips · 12/12/2021 23:11

@DeepaBeesKit

Stockings first thing. Main stuff under the tree can be held off til after breakfast but no later imho!!
Same here. I liked it as a child. Meant we actually got to look at our stocking presents but didn't have to wait too long before the main ones
RaininSummer · 12/12/2021 23:11

When I was a child we opened stockings early morning and then all sat round after Christmas lunch/dinner around 3.30 to open tree presents. It was lovely like that and the stocking presents kept us kids occupied all morning. Did that with my own kids and still do it when adult kids and grandkids are here with me. It means there is fun stuff all day and nobody misses out by having to be in the kitchen cooking.

MyPatronusIsAPenguin · 12/12/2021 23:14

It's bad enough waiting for Christmas Day as a kid without then asking them to wait until after 3pm to open anything! Are they all in the room they're sat in as well?

We do stockings and Santa presents straight away at 5am then my family come round for lunch so they play with DSs with what they've already got. We do family presents after lunch and then we see DHs family on Boxing Day and my brothers family on 27th so it's spread over 3 days for them!

BonnesVacances · 12/12/2021 23:14

I can't imagine having everything opened by 8am! What do you do with the rest of the day?

We do stockings first thing, get dressed, have breakfast, put the turkey in the oven and then sit down together to open the presents from under the tree.

sbhydrogen · 12/12/2021 23:15

We do stockings and presents from Father Christmas in the morning, but after a slow start. My DDs are too young to know what's going on. On Boxing Day we exchange gifts between family members, because we are always all there... On Christmas Day my siblings are with their spouses and children.

RB68 · 12/12/2021 23:19

we do one christmas eve evening (used to be after Church when Granny was alive) then the rest after breakfast sorted and we are all sat down eating brekkie - usually croissant etc type of thing. DD is 16 now so its slightly different and will be interesting to see if she is up before her usual 1pm on a day off

RaininSummer · 12/12/2021 23:20

When I was a kid and mine were kids yes, the presents were under the tree in the room we had dinner in. In my house now they are in the living room rather than the dining room. Never been a problem as a child my sister and I were obviously eager to get the the opening present time and the clearing if dinner and making of Irish coffees seemed to take ages but we loved it and it took absolutely hours to open all the presents for our family of 5 plus guests. Lovely memories and I just don't think it would have been the same if people aka Mum, had been buggering off to the kitchen constantly and couldn't relax.

Thewiseoneincognito · 12/12/2021 23:22

Me niece opens hers from Santa (Dsis and BIL) in the morning then grandparents presents a little later on and then I take over a pile Santa left at ours for her in the afternoon. She definitely gets unwrapping fatigue so if she did everything all at once it would just be sensory overload.

Bigoldhag · 12/12/2021 23:22

We did stockings in bed, mainly to keep us from waking our parents too early!

Presents from Santa next, then took a break for breakfast before doing ‘tree’ presents which were gifts given by family in the run up.

It allowed us to leave parents to cook as we played.

Stroan · 12/12/2021 23:22

As kids, we opened them all at once after breakfast and after my Dad got in from the morning shift on the farm.

Now, we do stockings in our bed before going down for breakfast. Then we open presents at the kids pace - last year it took all day because they would get distracted and want to play with things. I'm fine with that, it's just us at home on Christmas Day so there's no pressure. But I wouldn't force them to spread it out, I'd have hated that as a kid!

MojoJojo71 · 12/12/2021 23:22

Everything at once before breakfast here

Then we go to my parents where all gifts from extended family are opened before lunch

Then DD goes to her dad’s house where she opens more presents before tea

DD’s Christmas Day is basically a cycle of gifts/meal/gifts/meal/gifts/meal

Largethighsbadeyes · 12/12/2021 23:24

Stocking as soon as we wake up which includes stocking fillers and some medium presents.

Then breakfast

Then we do under the tree which is main present to child from us and our presents to each other.

Extended family presents are spread out over rest of Xmas day/boxing day as we visit both sets of grandparents/uncles/aunties etc

RavingAnnie · 12/12/2021 23:25

We always broke my DS's up. He would open his stocking first thing, then breakfast, then a few more presents until he seemed to be getting present fatigue, then more after lunch. He could then play with what he had opened and kept the excitement going throughout the day ime. He never seemed to mind at all. He was also present giver, so he handed them out to everyone.

I wouldn't have saved any until Boxing Day though that seems a bit mean.

sofakingcool · 12/12/2021 23:25

Free for all in our house!

Usually they open stockings whilst we drag ourselves out of bed, then onto presents as soon as we are up

I am the biggest child though, usually awake early with excitement so it's DH they are waiting for HmmGrin

SmolCat · 12/12/2021 23:25

I don’t think prolonging it is awful at all! I think it keeps the excitement going longer. I love it.

"Tree" presents 1 a day until they go back to school
^ this is taking it too far though.

heymammy · 12/12/2021 23:26

For years now we've said to the dc not to wake the adults up until 7am so whoever wakes first wakes up the other two and they all open their stockings together in one of their rooms. It's actually really nice to hear them chattering away without me.

At 7am on the dot someone comes to gets me Grin

Yuledo · 12/12/2021 23:29

Growing up we had all opened our presents en masse with our cousins at 4am, had breakfast and sat twiddling our thumbs by 8am. Boxing Day, it was repeated as soon as we arrived at our other cousins, probably about 10am ish.

My kids used to naturally wake up about 6ish. They themselves chose to take it in turns opening things even when quite young, then the grown ups would open theirs. Then they’d get more presents about 5ish when we saw the other side of the family.

Thatsplentyjack · 12/12/2021 23:29

Everything in one go. It was bad enough having to wait the night out on Christmas eve! You said yourself you hated the wait. I don't see the point in waiting.

Kanaloa · 12/12/2021 23:29

@BonnesVacances

I can't imagine having everything opened by 8am! What do you do with the rest of the day?

We do stockings first thing, get dressed, have breakfast, put the turkey in the oven and then sit down together to open the presents from under the tree.

Play with their toys? Fill the day like we fill every other day? We don’t just wander around helplessly.

We open all our gifts in the morning. We don’t get too many because otherwise most of it doesn’t get played with anyway! I would have hated as a child to wait and drag the presents out all over the day, it just seems pointless.

heymammy · 12/12/2021 23:30

Didn't finish that post...Once I'm up it's a free for all, all gifts opened straight away then relatives come over around 11 with more gifts! At some point we eat breakfast amidst the mayhem and have showers etc.

That's the way I grew up so I suppose that's why we do it that way. Must be really hard for dc to wait but it's not wrong, just different.

lottiegarbanzo · 12/12/2021 23:30

Stockings on waking (to keep them busy). Tree presents with everyone together, one by one, usually after breakfast but can be later, or split.

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