How to get christmas morning on our own?

[Ginmakesitallok]

Every christmas morning Mil comes to our house to see the kids opening their presents ( she lives 5 minutes from us).

Obviously we never know in advance what time kids will be up so either
A) they are up early, we call her and we have to wait until she arrives
Or
B) she arrives early and sits waiting in the car until we're up

One year she actually woke us all at 6.30 ringing doorbell because it was cold.

She makes the whole gift opening really stressful - wanting kids to take presents out of boxes, making sure all the wrapping paper is tidied up as we go, telling them what to open, meaning I have to get drested etc

How do I tell her to stay at home? Dp won't - he thinks it would upset her.
I don't mind her coming up christmas morning - I just don't think it should revolve round her??

Could you call her up and say: “join us for a Christmas breakfast this year. Come for 9am”

Do other grandparents come over later? Asknher to come with them as you just want it to be you and dcs this year.

Oh sod that. dp needs to be setting some serious boundaries. My parents come across on Christmas morning if they can, my dad is a prison officer and normally works Christmas Day so will pop along if he can. This year he doesn't start til midday so they'll be over at some point before he's on duty. They'd NEVER expect us to wait til they come to get things going, we have 3 excited dc who want to open their presents. Can she not just bring across her presents at an agreed time and then get to see them open those ones? Then at least they'll still be excited to see her and she'll get to see their excitement too. Is she lonely? If you have space an alternative might be to invite her to sleep over so she's properly involved? Only if you're happy with that of course.

Tell her this year kids aren't allowed to open anything before nine

Or just have her stay the night before

Just don't ring her until you're ready for her to arrive?

Or, unplug phone, turn off mobilesand leave curtains pulled on and ignore the knock at the door!

No way is she staying over!! Christ she'd have us all in bed for 8pm!

I like the idea of just saying that we'll see her at 9, and that we'll kept her presents until then.

If we don't ring her she'll come up early anyway and sit in the car

If it’ll cause so much upset by telling the truth! I’d go for an arrangement.

Come over at 9. We are having breakfast then and would love you to join us.

Don’t mention gift opening - then if you’ve done it before that you’ve not broken a promise. If it’s later then you aren’t up at crack of dawn and she gets to see it anyway.

I think say come over at 9 is a good compromise.
My kids have stockings with little gifts wrapped inside. They find them at the end of their bed then come into our bedroom yo open. It gives us time to get the heat on (if it's earlier than set) and to have a cuppa in bed whilst we wake up properly and the kids are happy. It's also a good way to stall them opening main gifts downstairs.

Perhaps something like this might help?