Xmas day morning - AIBU here?

[HennyPenny42]

Staying at my parents’ house for Christmas with dp and dd (3), my sister is also here.
Sat around on Xmas Eve chatting about the order of the day tomorrow. I assume my dd will wake early (6ish) and I’m happy for her to have her stocking when she wakes up. I said ‘oh, she’ll probably have everyone up as she’ll be excited and want to show you all what she’s got’. Just got a groan from df, and pointed silence from dm and dsis said ‘she can show me stuff but I’m not getting up’. So if they have their way it’ll be me and dp getting up with dd to do stocking and them emerging 2/3 hours later.
AIBU to think that this is slightly mean spirited on Christmas Day?
They would never dream of letting us having a lie in by taking dd in the morning normally (obviously wouldn’t want that in Xmas day as I want to be there!) and refuse to get up before 8 when we come to stay, even if we’re up for ages before then. My dp’s mum would be so excited to get up with us and dd on Christmas morning and open her stocking. Am I making a bit deal out of nothing? I just feel a bit disappointed by my family but maybe I need to accept that other people just aren’t going to be as interested/excited about my kid as I would like! What would your Xmas morning routine be with your wider family?

Surely she will have presents to open later, maybe under the tree, with the rest of the family and is only opening her stocking when she wakes?

There's no need for everyone to get up at the crack of dawn and you are unreasonable to expect it, They will have your daughter with them all day and presumably the next day.

I’d be making a small child cry on Christmas morning if they tried waking me up at 6am. I’m not a morning person - I like to get up at 10ish. I don’t consider it “missing out on the magic” if someone else’s kid opens presents without me gawking at them. Christmas isn’t “all about the children” either is it?

I'm starting to think 99% of threads are made by ai bots as the op never returns! It's like 'ooh throw a grenade in get some race and froth and never return'

Apparently the first Christmas after I was aware and mobile my parents saw Father Christmas leave my presents at about 2.00am on Christmas morning, just before they were heading to bed.

Next Christmas when I sent him my list of 'I would love to have something from this list please' letter up our chimney (beginning of the 1960s), my parents told me - many years later - that they asked him if he could make us one of the last stops on his journey around the world, and he very kindly agreed - thinking about it now, they were being rather 'cheeky fuckers' to ask him to change his routine just for them!

Anyway, I assume (my New Year resolution for 2025, must be to stop making an ass out of you and me - I do it far too frequently) that if anyone is reading this, that they have realised that I woke up just after the white haired and bearded big man, in the red suit, had left me my presents that first year, and that my poor exhausted parents, didn't get to sleep for another couple of hours, after watching me open my presents, and then helping me play with them. Again, some years later, I learned that my poor, but also brilliant Mum, had to be up again at 6.00am to prepare the 20lb turkey, and put it in the oven...

My grandparents didn't stay over with us on Christmas Eve, so were never there to watch me open my presents. But I doubt that they would have anyway, as looking back we had a much more formal relationship than my parents had with my children, and that I have with my adorable Grandchildren. I do find your parents attitude a bit strange in this day and age @HennyPenny42, unless they are infirm in any way?

I find that any real joy in my life doesn't happen so much now that I am a disabled pensioner, with several comorbidities. My main joyous moments usually happen when with, or seeing photos and videos of, my dearest Grandchildren - I am grinning here in bed just because I am thinking of them 🥰 As others have said, it is your parents loss if they don't share in that most magical of times, please don't let it mar your beautiful family unit's enjoyment 🎄

She will just be opening the stocking at 6am. Not all the presents! Would you really expect a grandparent to get up at 6am to watch a 3 year old open a stocking?

OP YABU because the stocking is there to entertain and amuse small kids until it's a socially acceptable time to get up. Your job as parents is to engage with that bit and try to keep them a bit quiet until 8am at the very earliest! You cannot surely think it is ok to let her wake the rest of the adults up at 6am nor expect them to get up then??

Why do kids need to open all their presents at 8am? Isn't the point of the stocking to keep them topped up on present opening until a reasonable hour?

I’ve woken up (and still am ) enough with my kid. No chance of waking up for anybody’s kid if I don’t have to!

Personally, I'd use this info to decide where I'd want to be waking up on Christmas morning, whilst DD is in the young-fun years.

It's only a few years they have that super-early morning excitement, don't waste it waiting around for others. Stay with the family that will get stuck in and enjoy the excitement! :) Maybe your family will be better for a boxing day or Christmas PM visit?

Only parents need to get up! Your dd can show everyone else her gifts at 8am. YABU here.

Getting up at 6am Christmas morning is a parents job. It comes with small children territory. Nobody without toddlers needs to be up at 6am tomorrow. I say this as a parents of a 15 & 13yr old.

Absolutely!

mine tended to get up around 4 am!
ha ha
often vomiting with excitement

its times like this that I remember there are two types of parents in the world, those that are horrified by this and those that permit it.

Frankly I’m pleased to be one of the former.

I get so excited, I'm the one who drags my DD (5) out of bed at 6 😂😂😂😂. She's naturally a late riser. Gets up at 10 in the holidays 😳😂

Good lord you want everyone to at 6?! That's your job as the parent.

6am is hard enough if you have young kids!! Sorry op but although I’d do it for you I totally get it- they don’t want to be falling asleep by the afternoon!!

Stocking opening on Christmas morning, make it a tradition to open in your bed. Little one can get excited unwrapping and playing, you can snuggle down and enjoy their excitement. Everyone else gets some more sleep, especially if it’s very early.

None of you are wrong for your expectation but an early morning is draining especially if you’re not used to it and have a full day to entertain with a house full.

So unless the entire household dances to a 3 year old's tune and gets up at 6am op should boycott Christmas Day with them entirely?
Gosh, I hope we're not related...I've done the ridiculously early starts when my own DC were young. Now I like to enjoy my precious annual leave with a slightly longer lie in than 6am.

When you are at someone's house you go with their flow. I was up at 9am and I wouldn't want anyone else was up before me, I'm The host. Things run to my s schedule. Bacon sandwiches, coffee, presents at 10.30 and even the teens need to be up. It's a fair compromise. I have compromised and we will be eating at three rather than 6pm.

Oh god everyone expected to get up at 6am ,what a palaver. Its a true saying that your kids are only interesting to you.

if they have their way it’ll be me and dp getting up with dd to do stocking and them emerging 2/3 hours later.

That's what we used to do.

Kids would bring their stockings into our bed & we would ooh & ahh over everything😂

I think that's a bit unreasonable. If they want to get up at 6 more power to them, but they don't need to drag everyone else up. You can't expect them to wait in their room until 10am or whenever. I wouldn't mind someone getting up before me as long as they didn't insist I got up at that time.

Everyone gets up together. X

I think you are being unreasonable. It’s nice if your family want to get up and watch your child open her presents, but it’s completely understandable that 6am is too early for them. I know you’re excited, this is the first Christmas she probably understands what’s happening, but that’s for you, her parents to enjoy. Other people simply won’t care as much, no.

Meanwhile, I have a 19 nearly 20 year old and I’m trying to get him up. We need to be at my mums for dinner, but he’s resisting an ‘early morning’ at 11am! You have this to come.

"if they have their way it’ll be me and dp getting up with dd to do stocking and them emerging 2/3 hours later."

What is wrong with that? The whole day stretches ahead to have family jollies. They don't have a small child, you do.

I hope you made sure your daughter didn't disturb anyone else with her getting up early. She could open her stocking in bed with you.

If I had to get up at 6am I'd be knackered and uncommunicative, like a zombie.