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Christmas

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Original poster

Anyone else not put christmas presents in seperate piles for xmas morning?

117 replies

Seasonschaaaange · 28/10/2017 23:45

We put all presents under the tree all mixed up, including adult presents. Our kids then look at the labels and pass the presents out. I grew up with my mum doing the same and always thought it was the normal way of doing things till I became an adult with facebook. Now I see it is far more common for presents to be put in seperate piles and placed on the sofa etc. I love the way we do it and can't imagine changing it. Just wondering if there is anyone else who does the same?

OP posts:
Izzy24 · 28/10/2017 23:46

Yep!

MaisyPops · 28/10/2017 23:46

All mixed under the tree and then people take it in turns to find and open them.

Set piles feels a bit 'gimmie ghe presents' ans ruins the magic a bit

MyDcAreMarvel · 28/10/2017 23:47

I do the same as you, dc hand them out. I thought everyone did.

IAmALionTamer · 28/10/2017 23:48

I agree with you, it was the same for me growing up and I'll replicate that with my DC (they're too young to "get" Christmas just yet)

Orangebird69 · 28/10/2017 23:48

We've always just put them all under the tree and the smallest/most excited person gets to hand them out. Piles per person just looks a bit grabby and horrible to me.

Original poster
Seasonschaaaange · 28/10/2017 23:49

Good to know I'm not alone. Feel like everyone I know as adults puts gifts in different piles....then they worry about one child having a bigger pile than the other. No problems with that if they are all mixed in.

OP posts:
GreenTulips · 28/10/2017 23:50

Sorry but my kids sort them into piles in Christmas Eve having been sorted several times over

Does it really matter?

greencybermummy · 28/10/2017 23:50

Yes we do just as you do. So odd when I first heard about this "piles" thing and then to see the "sofa" thing on fb was even odder. It's part of Christmas for us to hand out the present from under the tree. I hope my children will carry on the tradition too.

notangelinajolie · 28/10/2017 23:51

My mum used to do piles on the settee - I prefer to mix everything up. Besides - Santa would never ever have time for all that neat and tidyness - best throw it all together under the tree and let the kids sort it out on Christmas morning. Where is the fun when when everything is in neat piles?

Chimchar · 28/10/2017 23:51

We do the same.

My mum sat next to the tree and dished out presents... then everyone watched that one person open their present. I do the same now.

StrumpersPlunkett · 28/10/2017 23:53

We mix them as well.
One person opens one gift at a time. Makes all the fun last longer 😁

RaininSummer · 28/10/2017 23:59

Yea, all under the tree wherever we are having dinner. After dinner we have a nominated Santa and he!per elf to give out one present at a time and we all watch whilst they are opened. Takes hours.

Original poster
Seasonschaaaange · 29/10/2017 00:03

Yeh ours takes ages too. I love it...hate it to be over too fast.

It doesn't really matter GreenTulips....I'm just being nosy Wink

OP posts:
bunbunny · 29/10/2017 00:05

All mixed up under the tree for us too and that's because it's how my mum did it for dais and me when we were little.

Most presents are put under the tree by us after the dc have gone to bed. If friends or family have given us presents before Christmas Day they go under the tree in advance (looks Christmassy and reduces risk of me putting them away somewhere and not finding them until Easter Grin so keeps them neat and tidy.

Only present that isn't in the general pile under the tree is the one that Santa brings the dc (sometimes a big thing to share, sometimes one thing each) that is wrapped in its own special paper (that I have to remember to hide from dc!) and is usually a bit to the side, often next to the sherry, mince pie and carrot plate/glass. It also tends to be their big/main present so is an easy way to make sure it gets left to the end or opened at the start as required!

GrockleBocs · 29/10/2017 00:12

One pile for sorting here. The dc go through the pile and deliver them to the recipients. I used to do it as a child and I enjoyed it. Somehow underlines that giving is fun.

aliphil · 29/10/2017 00:16

Mixed up under the tree.

In one of the Chalet School books they go to someone's house where everyone's presents are put on individual tables. Who has that many coffee tables?!

rainbowduck · 29/10/2017 00:18

We do piles from Santa.

Family presents under the tree.

Open Santa presents first. Family presents after lunch. (My husband thinks this is torture!)

zen1 · 29/10/2017 00:23

When we were little (70s / 80s), Santa always delivered the presents to our room - we had none under the tree. We each hung a sock / pair of tights and a pillowcase at the end of our beds and in the morning, they’d be filled. For my kids, we have always hung a stocking in their room and a bag / sack for each of them downstairs. I don’t think it matters really. In laws have presents under the tree and that is fun too.

LilQueenie · 29/10/2017 00:28

Yes but the majority are DD's so its a waiting game to wade through them to find anything else anyway.

StepAwayFromCake · 29/10/2017 00:28

Same as you, all under the tree.

We tried the presents in heaps feeding frenzy one year and it was an utter disaster.

We s-l-o-w everything down as much as possible. Everyone takes a turn choosing and distributing a round of presents. We then open them one at a time, admire each other's gift, try them on, play with them etc, before the next person chooses and distributes another round of gifts. And so on. Lazily relaxed, appreciate and fun.

BananaSandwichesEveryDay · 29/10/2017 00:28

When dcs were small, all Santa presents were under the tree, each dcs wrapped in one paper design. 'our presents (usually things they needed rather than wanted) we're placed in two small piles, wrapped in lots of different papers. Also, a small stocking from Santa on their beds, wrapped to match the presents under the tree. Now, all presents except stockings under the tree and handed out one by one.

WigglySquid · 29/10/2017 00:51

We put our presents under the tree then share them out just before we open them. It’s never occurred to us to do anything else!

The one thing we’ve changed from what my family used to do is that people can freely open their presents once they are distributed. My siblings and I used to find it so joyless and uncomfortable when we were forced to open presents one at a time while everybody stared at the one doing the opening.

Stockings are hung up by the fireplace and filled by Santa overnight. These are opened first thing in the morning when everyone wakes up.

mywayalltheway · 29/10/2017 01:25

We put everything under/around the tree but roughly in separate piles then DC hand them out, wouldn’t be the same not having everything under/around the tree.

SilverdaleGlen · 29/10/2017 01:45

We do separate piles and always have but I'm intrigued by the mixed pile thing.

I have three small DC won't they just fight and get impatient?

QueenInTheNorth26 · 29/10/2017 01:51

It takes a very long time to do presents in our house. I sit by the tree and give out whatever present I pick up first. I have 4 dc and if I did the piles I wouldn't be able to see everyone's face when they open their presents!.

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