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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Please tell me how you organise the opening of presents on Christmas Day....

95 replies

PinkPaeonies · 03/12/2017 10:36

Every year we have the same fiasco. The whole extended family - about a dozen of us - gather around the Christmas tree for the grand ceremony of present opening, some time between breakfast and lunch, and usually after a few too many bucks fizzes have been consumed. It starts off ok. I will find and distribute 1 present from the mountain to each family member, we all open them at once and lots of thanks and hugs and kisses ensue.... then, as I try to continue the good work, everyone gets impatient and it all descends into carnage, with everyone delving in at once. Paper flying everywhere and I can't keep up with it all. By the end I am exhausted and not sure who has given me what and also whether others realise what I have given them! There has to be a better way.... please share!!

OP posts:

sweetsomethings · 03/12/2017 13:25

Pink I let my kids open their presents as soon as they go downstairs it doesn't ruin anything . Personally it's much much more magical this way

TeenTimesTwo · 03/12/2017 13:29

We've never done 'he's been' as FC only did stockings. They are left downstairs in the conservatory and DH brought them up when he goes to bed if they have filled up. DD1 was not happy with strange man coming into her bedroom.

I don't think we are strict , more structured. It helps us enjoy the presents rather than be overwhelmed, and everyone not to get too stressed.

thegreylady · 03/12/2017 13:32

We always have a pile for each person under the tree. Stockings opened in bed then breakfast then gather round for opening presents. We take it in turn youngest first and oldest hands out presents this used to be my mum but no longer. It will probably be dh this year.
The handler out usually has a nice little pile to open at the end 😃

Colabottle10 · 03/12/2017 13:32

Stockings in bed first.

Get up, walk dogs, do horses. Back for breakfast.

We then open a couple of presents each.

Lunch, horses and dogs again, then we do the rest of the presents in the evening.

ItMustBeBedtimeSurely · 03/12/2017 13:36

We take turns opening presents. The children are in charge (they're way stricter than I would be over everyone getting presents in order! ). It's nice and relaxed but definitely not a free for all.

We do stocking before breakfast and tree presents after. The kids have always been fine with this, but I guess it's what they're used to. I think we all enjoy the anticipation of waiting a bit.

Arrowfanatic · 03/12/2017 14:29

Kids wake up at some God awful early hour (they're 8,6 and 5) and we open stockings in our bed. Stockings are usually just a small token gift, some chocolate, and a couple of blind bags. Then I go downstairs to check Santa has been and the kids come down. I will find a gift for each person and they open in unison. That keeps on until all the gifts are done.

Afterallalways · 03/12/2017 14:34

@theonlylivingboy jeez hit a nerve did I!? Open your presents in July for all I care, I couldn't give a shit

My opinion is just that, mine, on a discussion about how you do presents in your family. Maybe don't read these kinds of threads if you're going to take things so personal.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 03/12/2017 14:39

Open your presents in July for all I care, I couldn't give a shit

And yet you're commenting on a thread about when people open their presents. Because you don't give a shit. Okay.

And yes, your bitchy judging of what other people choose to do did hit a nerve. Your point being?

Afterallalways · 03/12/2017 14:44

No I think you'll find the thread was started about how you as a family do presents so me commenting doesn't mean I give a shit about how others do it

I really don't care enough if other people choose to make their children wait until after lunch, I don't because in my opinion that would take away some of the joy, for me and my family not you and yours.

Also if you're that insecure in your choices that you get so offended by a post from an internet random you can always change them and do things differently btw.

MyDcAreMarvel · 03/12/2017 14:44

"Can't be doing with the whole delayed gratification, is it a middle class thing?"

But surely your dc don't open all their presents before breakfast?
Our open stockings in bed, then two gifts from the Santa sack before breakfast.
Then the rest of Santa gifts after church.
Then tree presents from relatives for adults and children after lunch. A dc will hand everyone a gift every 30 mins or so, we all open a present at the same time.
After supper the dc open a present from mum and from dad .
I would hate a mad scramble to open everything at once.

AlexanderHamilton · 03/12/2017 14:49

Marvel - when I was a child me & my brother opened all our presents before breakfast. We then had a cooked brunch & Xmas dinner was about 3pm.

We would do the same now if it wasn't for dd needing to eat something so we grab a quick bowl of cereal/toast before starting the main lot.

eurochick · 03/12/2017 14:51

Marvel, I've never heard of anyone else doing "tree presents". We did it growing up. But didn't do stockings.

TittyGolightly · 03/12/2017 14:54

But surely your dc don't open all their presents before breakfast?

We don’t have breakfast.

Nor are there enough presents for all the steps you listed! Sounds bonkers to me!

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 03/12/2017 14:57

Also if you're that insecure in your choices that you get so offended by a post from an internet random you can always change them and do things differently btw.

Not offended by your post, just wondering why you had to introduce such a bitchy note which - however much you now try to dress it up in a fake "each to their own" way - was judging how others do things.

AlexanderHamilton · 03/12/2017 14:57

My parents had BIG families so I had 8 sets of aunties & uncles to open presents from, plus grandparents & 2 sets of great aunties. All before breakfast!

TheBlueMeaniesAreComing · 03/12/2017 15:06

We set our alarms for 8am. Have a cup of tea and waken ourselves up. After we’ve made our tea we fix the wrapping paper that’s over the living room doorway back in place ( I always have loads of left over paper so we use scraps and off cuts and make like a patchwork with tape. Stops the kids sneaking into the living room if they have woken up before us, that hasn’t happened yet but it will eventually 🤣). We get bored waiting for the kids to wake up and we go in and wake them. We go downstairs and the kids burst threw the paper that’s over the doorway and see that Santa has been. Then we hand out the presents to each child as they are ready for them.
I kind of hope this year we don’t have to wake them up but they come in at their normal wake up time 🤣

MyDcAreMarvel · 03/12/2017 15:11

TittyGolightly
I have four sisters, dh has four sisters, we have seven dc , therefore a lot of presents.

Afterallalways · 03/12/2017 15:17

Well you blatently are offended to reply in the manner you did.

You must find life very difficult if each time somebody does something in a different way to you or disagrees with your view you take it as a personal insult and as a judgement of you.

It was a thread asking on how you do presents, I explained how we do it and why. Really don't see what's bitchy about that but there we go.

Afterallalways · 03/12/2017 15:24

Oh and I'm not trying to dress anything up or be fake either, I did state imo. I'm comfortable with what I posted the same as I'm comfortable with how we open presents which is why I don't take offence at those who open them in the afternoon.

Anyway I can't decide if you're incredibly sensitive or just enjoy being faux offended so I'll leave you to enjoy whichever it is.

borntobequiet · 03/12/2017 15:26

I found it helped to:

Give fewer presents - children only on Christmas Day
Not drink Buck's Fizz early in the day

And we had our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, with some small presents for adults after that.

eitak22 · 03/12/2017 15:29

Growing up it was stocking around 7am on parents bed where they would exchange pressies to each other. Then downstairs for breakfast followed by a couple of tree presents. The watch a bit of telly, few more tree presents then lunch followed by rest of tree presents and chilling out playing/watching a christmas film.

I always loved spreading out the suprise/presents throughout the day and made me appreciate what people gave me. My Dh had stocking, church, lunch then chritmas pressies.

Not too sure what we'll do post kids.

goose1964 · 03/12/2017 15:30

Someone usually the smallest, gets a present from under a tree, they then open it, and then the next one s given out. When the kids were small it could take most of the morning. Now there's usually only three of us it doesn't take much time at all

blibblibs · 03/12/2017 15:32

DC wake whenever and we check Santa has been. They have a pile each, usually about 6 presents and a stocking. That gets opened first while coffee is made and the adults try to wake up. Then it's breakfast and after that and a bit of a tidy up tree presents are opened. DC hand them out and once everyone has their little pile we open them together. Works for us and means it's not completely crazy, just crazy enough 🎅

GreenTulips · 03/12/2017 15:35

Kids open theirs first - in piles all together

Then grown ups when they've finished - they have to wait and watch

Mrscog · 03/12/2017 15:36

First thing - stockings (which contain all good presents not just bits and bobs like some people talk abot) and dh and I exchange.

All other presents (gps, Aunty etc)done in the afternoon after lunch around 5pm.

I also discourage people from dropping gifts before Christmas if we’re seeing people between Christmas and new year so kids generally get presents after chrustmas too - it’s good for them to wait!

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