Why the bloody rush???

[ginmakesitallok]

Following on from all the "how does santa bring presents?" threads! DMIL comes up to ours on Christmas morning to see kids opening presents - fine and dandy. Only they (DPs family) have this weird thing about the youngest getting to open ALL their presents first, then next youngest etc etc. It just leads to the youngest(s) being hounded to opne presents as quick as possible. DD2 will have just opened one present, want to look at it but is told to "Open the next one!!". There's also a mad rush to get everything out of boxes, batteries in etc etc when kids would be happy to open one thing and play with it and then open others later. I HATE IT!!!! How do I stop it this year? And is it normal??

[JaxTellerIsMyFriend]

This is when I THANK my lucky stars for having non interfering inlaws.

We take turns at opening presents - that way we get to see who gave what to whom and the DC can have a good play/look at what they have.

[scotlass]

I'm so with you on this one

It's my mother that's the problem though. Firstly what time will you be up, umm dunno when the kids can't be held upstairs anymore probably - oh no she wants the time down to the second. Then its, here this is from granny as she thrust her present into DDs face before she got to drink in the glorious sight of wrapped presents and whether rudolph had eaten his carrot. Then she's zooming through the present opening so I haven't got a clue who bought what and have to do vague generic thank you notes.

So now I say we'll see you at lunch

[ginmakesitallok]

MIL generally makes a very good and understanding boss, and given that she looks after my children then I do compromise a bit.

[mrsmplus3]

oh my goodness, you are such a good women. I cant believe you let her be the boss!! you mustn't mind it too much though, otherwise you just wouldn't have it. i couldnt but each to their own. enjoy!

[ginmakesitallok]

Oh and of course have to get 40 odd years of "youngest going first" deprogrammed from dp

[ginmakesitallok]

lol mrsmplus3- you are right of course, but in our family MIL is boss! I might just subvert the whole present opening thing by rushing in and opening one of my presents first!

Last Christmas MIL actually woke us all at 6 by ringing on doorbell as she thought we'd already be up..... Thinks this year we might just "forget" to invite her up in the morning.

[mrsmplus3]

it always amazes me how a mum, a dad and 2 or 3 children ignore their own preferences on how to do things for the sake of 1 person - the mother in law!!??
why is that? you can be loving and respectful to a mil/granny without having to change everything to suit her. that just makes her out to be a needy child and all the others to be pathetic people pleasers. that bugs the life out of me.
ive been there though, nipped it in the bud, compromised a little and now everything's great!
plus, that would drive my kids crazy - waiting....and waiting....and waiting. wheres the fun in that?
we burst into the livingroom around 7am and enjoy the most exciting hour of the year, just the 5 of us. then a few hours later, the rest of the family arrive and thats great too.
please dont do it this year, it sounds rubbish for your kids. sorry.

[mumeeee]

Now are children are all grown up we all take turns.

[mumeeee]

Just tell them you do it differently. We have Christmas day just ad our family. When our DD's were younger DH would hand out the Presents to each child in turn. Starting from the youngest. When they got a present they would open it then the next child opened theirs and so on. Mine and DH's presents were put to one side and we opened them when our DD's had opened all of theirs.

[rushofbloodtothefeet]

That does sound mad

Suggest everyone opens a present in turn. This method only falls down if there is an inequitable number of presents between kids - you can remedy this by evening it up with some small, cheap, for-the-fun of it presents.

[drinkystinkyyuletidegubbins]

Take it in turns - one child gets to open one each (youngest, next one etc.) and the adults too - will make it less of a rush...

[AMumInScotland]

You tell them that you do it differently! They can have any weird rules they like, but it's your house and your children, and you say politely "No, both children can open them at the same time" or "No, here we take turns" or however you want to approach it.