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

[Seasonschaaaange]

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?

[Paddingtonthebear]

DD has her presents from Father Christmas arranged by the fireplace. There are other presents under the tree from family etc but TBH 99% of them are for DD so it’s a bit pointless mixing everything up, there are only a couple of presents under the tree for me and DH and they are the ones we buy each other. We don’t really do family presents for adults, just kids.

If you have lots of children and adults get lots of presents
too then I can see the benefit of mixing them all up.

[Hidihihidiho]

My mum always does separated piles. Always been that way since we were kids. Back then it was just the three of us... so mainly piles for me and my brother, then we become a step family and the piles where everywhere.... I then asked for all
Presents to just go under the tree... not sure how old I was.... and that’s how we do it now. All presents handed out from under the tree xx

[RoganJosh]

We started separating them into piles when we had three children under four. I really didn’t think they’d sit while I hand them out one by one.
We do get to see their faces, we don’t open adult presents first thing and we just look as they’re opening each one. Or say, ‘hold on’ to them sometimes.
It’s not quite as nice but it’s easier to manage. I can also make sure the really good ones are last for each child a bit more easier.

[trilbydoll]

Mixed piles at both sets of grandparents but the dc were both given big Santa sacks a couple of years ago so I tend to fill those up. They're only 4 and 2 so last year they couldn't recognise their names anyway and I think dd1 would have ended up opening everything!

I do different paper for Santa, obviously, he wouldn't have the same paper as us

[kuniloofdooksa]

I dislike set piles too but that's how it always has been and always must be at PiL house. At my parents and in our own home we go with the chaotic pile and lucky dup approach but we go along with the way that the hosts prefer things generally.

[Groovee]

Whatever works for you. Our kids get them in sacks we bought years ago while DH and I get ours under the tree c

[Caulk]

Mixed pile under the tree, with a name written on sometimes in sharpie Never occurred to me to sort them.

[Taffeta]

I have such fond memories as a child of going under the tree after a late lunch, and with my sister dividing up each person’s presents onto a section of sofa or chair for them to open. One at a time, in turns do everyone can see.

Our DC do the same now. DHs family just open all theirs at the same time and it’s horrid. You can’t see multiple people’s reactions to your well thought out gift.

[FlowerPotMum]

My living room is tiny, the tree is by the door... So we put separate piles on the sofa. I've even taken a picture before! It's not clinical,it's not grabby. We take it in turns to open, I always hide a few presents until later ( once memorably two bikes in the kitchen!).
The kids open one by one with me pointing and giving hints on best to last. DH and I are always handed our presents by the kids. I just scribble names on.. We buy all the presents in the house. They get sent to Santa and he delivers them ( behaviour pending!).
Not long now

[eitak22]

We used to have them mixed up growing up and open a few presents throughout the day so it lasted longer and meant i as a child wasn't overwhelmed and could remember who bought me what.

Think im doing that when we have kids too :)

[Sparklingbells]

We do a mixture of both- santa presents in separate piles on sofas, gifts off relatives under the tree handed out 1 by 1

[Etymology23]

Stockings always by the fireplace, arrive on xmas eve of course. All other presents are mixed up and labelled (usually in sharpie) under the tree and are given out so we do one "round" of presents at a time, but not just one person opening at a time.

[Tuttytoffee]

We've always had separate piles. It's the way my mum done it when growing up. But last year I was too tired to sort them into piles and left them all under the tree and told myself I'd sort them in the morning before the DC woke. They got up extra early so I never got the chance and instead my DD2 handed the presents out to people. It was so much more fun and we really enjoyed it. I'll always do it that way from now on. Also as they get older you feel a bit tight when one has less than the other as their gifts are more expensive, silly really as mine completely understand this but you have not need to worry this way as they are all mixed together. Can't wait for Christmas this year

[HotelEuphoria]

Always done separate piles and had separate pillow cases as a child. I can't see how mixing them up is better. It's The consistency that forms a tradition and invokes happy memories.

Our separate piles in the same places every year sprinkled with Santas gold coins, a lit fire and candles is our home's tradition.

[Butteredparsn1ps]

Santa leaves the DC presents in piles by the fire and gets on with eating his snack and enjoying his tot of “juice” whilst nibbles his treats.

They’re both messy buggers tbh, every Christmas morning there are crumbs and footprints left in the fireplace.

DS is 22 and hoping to move into his own place soon. Sob.

[GlowWine]

We've always done the mixed pile approach. So even when they were small, the kids were used to 'waiting' their turn and sharing their siblings excitement. It also allows us to keep tabs on who sent what (lots of distant relatives sending small gifts from afar) to make sure correct thank you letters can be sent. Labelling is no major effort, I use stickers or tags with just the name written.

[GlowWine]

Hotel I love the gold coin idea! Shame mine are nearly teens now...

[stargirl1701]

All mixed up here. We open one at a time too.

[dementedma]

All under the tree here and handed out one by one. I dont understand the Santa present thing whIch I have only seen here on MN. Here, Santa delivers all the presents but as the dc got older they just came to realise that the gifts were from different people,just delivered by Santa.
If you dont like writing gift tags, choose a different colour of paper for each dc.

[Theseaweed]

Piles here but that's probably because there are no adult presents to give out! We don't really give them to adults now we have children.
It's funny though that we all tend to do as our parents did. My husband is happy for me to carry on my family traditions.

[PurpleBurtle]

We have always had a mixed pile, never even considered seperating them all into individual piles, and I don't think I would. We each take it in turns to open/admire presents, after all alot of time and money has gone into them, the children usually go through the pile to find a present for the right person, which they seem to enjoy. If the kids had a pile each not only would they be comparing their piles but opening would be over so quickly and its the main event of the day for them. I put their stockings in their bedrooms and we all sit on my bed while they open whats in them first thing, then we have breakfast before they can start opening the presents under the tree.

[krustykittens]

One thing we never do, which everyone else seems to, is wrap the presents from Santa! In our family, the Santa present is always left out unwrapped and you could play with that and the contents of your stocking when you woke up (normally at 5pm) and then adults would get up and all presents would be opened and THEN breakfast. There would be riots if everyone had to wait until after dinner!

[YellowMakesMeSmile]

We do piles from us for the chidren and adults as they wouldn't fit under the tree. Tree presents are from friends and family and are mixed up and I hand them out.

[MaisyPops]

krustykittens
Stockings are from santa and usually only have small things like chocolate, a CD, pyjamas etc.
Tree presents are for everything else.

I don't like the idea of tree presents coming from 'santa' because some families do loads and others not so much and i don't like the idea that santa likes some children more than others.

[MrsHathaway]

We used to do one big pile under the tree. For the DC before they could read we'd add different colour bows or stickers e.g. DC1 looks for red bows and DC2 green; or DC1 reindeer labels and DC2 Christmas tree labels.

Now we have cats and a non-compliant DC3. The presents can't be left under the tree as they would be shredded by morning. We tried piles last year and the DC liked it. I didn't particularly but hmm.

The problems with "select one at a time in tutn and watch politely" come when someone has run out and someone else still has some left. Piles help you manage that earlier on so little children don't lose interest and introverts aren't the centre of attention for longer than they want to be. Counting presents helps with that too, however artificial it seems to some. Usually it only requires a little judicial planning on what to wrap where e.g. wrap headphones separately from mp3 player and separately again from music voucher.