Present opening Etiquette!!

[Jemimafuckinpuddleduck]

I love hearing about people’s Christmas traditions, plans and ways, plus we are going to have rethink ours as have the in-laws visiting this year (whole other thread in itself!!) so I thought I would ask how your present opening works?

Do you get dressed beforehand , let the kids crack on while you prep dinner, drag it out throughout the day? Are your kids done in 10 minutes flat or like us have little surprises and mystery parcels under the tree?

We start by building the suspense with DH going down stairs and makig sure the Prosecco is in the fridge checking “he’s been”, Christmas tree light are on, candles are lit and carols are playing, my folks used to do the exact same for me and I’m sure it still feels like the same eternity!! 😬

Stockings are done with a glass of fizz in hand, fresh orange for the girls, even though I know exactly what’s inside, I love watching them open everything, stockings are a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped and again remember the feeling well of putting the hand in and not knowing what you were going to get.

More fizz poured and onto Santa piles/sacks and this is where I’m worried with how it’s going to go down with MIL Our 3 girls take it in turns of opening a present each, we have done this for a good few years now and it’s worked really well as everybody gets to see what everyone else is getting it also drags out what for us is always a really thoughtful and costly process of picking lovely gifts, I would hate to go back to that part being over and done with in 2 minutes flat. In-laws think all kids should be a whirl wind of wrapping paper and excitement getting stuck in but hopefully she will just look on and say nothing!!

Break for breakfast, party dresses on for the girls, bath for me to get a break and hopefully use some lovely new bubble bath and then regroup for family presents with some nibbles and more fizz...

Lastly we always hold back one present for the girls each for the table, sometimes it’s a forgotten Santa one, sometimes it’s from us but it has over the years evolved to be one of their main presents, this year the big 2 are getting fitbits and youngest a Disney Garmin tracker.

We have a rule when grandparents are involved that not every Lego set, Barbie box or paint pallet has to be opened on the day, the little 2 will get a few LOL dolls and I’m sure there will be no holding them back with them but other than that I tend to stick to a one present opened rule! This year there is definitely a reduced amount of toys so hopefully I won’t find that part as stressful!

Love to hear how everyone else’s day works?

In the Slattern household:-

When kids wake up they bring their stockings onto our bed and we all open our own whilst ohhing and ahhhing.

The grandparents, who live nearby, arrive for breakfast in the dining room about 9ish. Bucksfizz is enjoyed. The doors between the dining room and living room are glass so the kids can see the parcels Santa has delivered. Once breakfast is finished ........

Kids descend on living room in Christmas paper frenzy - Santa’s pressies only. After which Grandparents go home for a couple of hours.

Kids play with Santa pressies.

Grandparents arrive back, much drinking of Prosecco by the females and general faffing with Dolly the turkey and roast potatoes. Meanwhile family presents are opened.

Sometime during afternoon, in a Prosecco induced haze Grandmother and myself produce a Christmas dinner.

Everyone, except kids, fall asleep.

Grandparents stagger home. We play with stuff and watch tv.

Bed.

When we were kids, we had to wait for DF to come in (farmer!) so DM would bring us breakfast in bed and then we’d go downstairs to open presents in PJs. It would take a while as we’d do it slowly and sometimes one at a time, we really knew how to drag it out!

As we got older, breakfast changed to bacon rolls in the kitchen but we always waited and took our time. It was nice to actually see the reactions to gifts you had bought. We ate Christmas dinner at night (after all the farm work was done!) so present opening filled a long day.

I went to DHs parents only once for Christmas. They each grabbed their pile
of presents and opened them in various different rooms. Utterly bizarre and I got lots of comments for taking my time. No-one thanked anyone for their gifts and I hated every minute.

Now we have our own DD and have to merge traditions. So we do stocking in bed, then downstairs for fancy breakfast. Then we let DD into the living room to see all the presents. She’s only 3 so it normally takes a while to get through them all, last year we took a few breaks and opened the last presents in the evening. But we definitely do it all together as a family and take our time!

We used to get up and open our presents. We just had to make sure mum and dad had a cup of tea first!

Your Christmas routine sounds lovely, Jemima! I think I might have to steal a few ideas for when our little one is old enough to appreciate it!

Here it's stockings first opened in the playroom which is where we hang them up. We are mostly dressed but only because my dm and the PiL stay Christmas Eve. Everyone gets a stocking although the adults are much smaller (apart from mine because dm still fills the one she made for my first Christmas). Then we have bacon sandwiches, sherry, tea/coffee and chocolate in the kitchen.

After breakfast everyone heads to the sitting room and the main tree for present opening. We take it in turns to open (and to make a note of who bought what for thank you letters). It can take a while and a lot of alcohol.

We have food, play with the presents, board games etc.

This will be the first year without my df so trying to make sure there are lots of distractions going on.

Stockings and all other presents are in the lounge. We have glass doors too but santa covers them in wrapping paper so no-one can see. Usually I wake up about 5 and did in studios excitement until I can wait no more and need to loudly use the toilet to get everyone else up! Every year dds sleep late on Christmas and no other day of the year!! Then we all have breakfast, shower and dressed. Then we go and check if he has been. He always has! Dds open santa and sticking presents one at a time. And play with so it takes ages. Then we are out at grandparents next door or my family for lunch, this year I'm doing it at mine and family are coming to us for the first time. At some point tree presents start getting opened. And family usually descend bringing more presents. It's lovely. I couldn't stand a free for all opening session. I'm too obsessed about bits getting lost. One year all santa presents were numbered and the girls picked a number out of a jar and opened that present. Might do that again this year, was ace

As a kid we had presents in the afternoon after Christmas lunch was eaten and cleared away. One person handed out the presents and they were opened one at a time.

Everybody (adults included) gets a stocking on the bed, opened in bed in the morning.

Get dressed, go downstairs, have breakfast.

Then we start the rounds of present opening - one present per person, open, see what it is, comment, then the next person gets one to open, and so on. Occasionally we'll pause between rounds for a brew or warm sausage rolls, or (me!) sorting out the next step of lunch and not at all having a wee drink in the kitchen

By the time we eat, all the adults have opened their presents. DS is about a third of the way through his, and that's enough for him, he gets easily overwhelmed.

DS then gets to open more presents on Boxing Day and sometimes we even go into a third day of opening!

Stockings first thing.

Secret Santa (between the 4 kids) around 11.30am

Lunch at 2

Presents after lunch.

We always stay at home , dm comes over at 4 for sherry, cake and doctor who.

My parents had a tradition of opening one present on Xmas Eve and I used to do the same after coming home to them! DP, now DH didn't like that!
Stockings in the bedrooms, breakfast, other presents with me trying to take a note of who gave what!
We've been married 15 years and have only ever had one at home as a family, so don't know about proper traditions yet!

cropcirclesinthefields same! Helps that dinner is at 2pm

In the Witches household we do similar to you OP.

Similar to you Op. ILs are likely to arrive mid morning with gifts where my side prefer things to be under the tree, delivered by Santa!

I like opening things in turns so it spreads it out and everybody sees what everybody else has.

Here:

Nobody is allowed in our room before 8am. Me and DP have a tradition of having sex on Christmas Eve as it was the first time we slept together over 15 years ago now and as there is 5 kids we don’t usually get to bed before 2/3am. Me and DP also exchange gifts from each other on Christmas Eve night once the kids are in bed and the presents are out with a bottle of wine.

Everyone comes in our room to open stockings- champagne for older ones (DD1 is very excited because we have agreed she can have a glass this year) and orange juice for the younger ones.

Downstairs for breakfast, nobody allowed in front room until everyone has eaten. Into the front room and everyone takes turns opening a present (youngest first). This includes presents from extended family/friends if they haven’t already been opened before the day. Once the presents are gone from under the tree that’s that as far as we are concerned and don’t like to drag it out- a) to stop the kids being overexcited and b) becauses it’s DS birthday on Boxing Day, mine on the 27th and DD3s on the 30th.

We don’t usually have family around for Christmas- hated it as a kid and did it once with DHs family and never again!

We have never properly done stockings & we now live in a house without a fireplace 😞 so if we do have them this year, we’ll have to improvise. I didn’t have one as a child. DB & I had pillowcases out on the landing but DH & I put all the presents round the tree & the 3 of us open them first thing, taking turns. DH always has a (good natured) moan that he gets the fewest gifts! After presents we have brekkie then DH & I crack on with dinner ( we will have done all the veg Christmas Eve). The tv might be on or a carols/Christmas tunes cd.
DF & DM usually arrive about 12, then DD opens her present from them & they open their gifts from us. We aim to eat at 1 but it’s always nearer 2. Only DF drinks & he brings a bottle of red. We watch the Queens Speech at 3 if we’ve finished eating or on the I Player later if not then a lovely chilled afternoon playing with DD’s new toys & games. Last year we got some crackers with a wind up Santa game which was hilarious. DF & DM go home around 5 or 6 then we watch tv & DD might have a bit of tea. DH & I eat again around 9 which is probably one of my fav Christmas meals. He has posh cheeses & crackers, I have a cold turkey/stuffing/breadsauce sandwich & maybe cold roast veg on the side. Heaven! There are chocs on the go all day & sometimes we have cake but don’t always make or buy one as none of us are big fruitcake fans.

Kids usually get up around 6am-7am and find their stocking that they hung in the lounge now full on their beds. They bring them in to our room and open them on our bed.

Then I'll we'll go brush our teeth and put dressing gowns on of wanted.

Santa has a big hole in his pockets as every year he leaves a trial of chocolate coins leading from the bedrooms to the lounge so we'll go downstairs collecting as we go and the kids will shove them in their stockings.

I'll then go in the lounge to make sure he's been switch on the lights and tree lights and make sure a cat hasn't vomited one of my favourite Xmas traditions and then film the kids as they come in and see the pile of gifts.

At this point I always hope to go and make a cuppa before gift opening starts but DH is too impatient to get going when I was a kid we had to have tea and brekkie before opening and I remember the excitement of staring at the gifts whilst eating.

Anyway, DH or I will hand gifts out. One to each person which we then open in unison. I then attempt to keep the kids piles separate as they're opened and put wrapping in the recycling bags.

Finally it's chocolate for brekkie. Kids will play, family will come over. Then it's just a whirlwind of booze and food.

Stockings at crack of dawn, on our bed in PJs, obviously. Wasn’t aware there was any other way 😄

Presents after the Queen, love the decorum of that. Stockings give loads to do in the morning, then lunch, which finishes just in time for the Queen. Then a nice amount of anticipation has built up for the presents. Youngest capable person doles out the presents but I will do away with that tradition - I was the youngest for a good 20 years and it meant I never got to open my presents until everyone else had!!!

We never had stockings by the fireplace, always at end of our bed or on doorknob.

Father hristmas brings stocking and one item that the kids requested in their letter to Santa (eldest DC is 3 so this hasn’t actually ever happened yet 😄). All other presents are from whoever gave. Some people say all presents come from Santa, but 1) I want the credit for buying awesome presents and 2) how do thank you letters work if FC brought all the presents??

Can you buy MIL her own stocking full of little gifts so she can join them?

Loving all these...

Bendy I hated the though of Santa coming into my room when I was little so stockings were always left downstairs beside our sacks and none of your bespoke, personalised white company nonsense always one of my dads kilt socks involving race between me and my sisters as too who could find the biggest and a clean pillowcase

Loving the chocolate coins down to the presents (we might use skittles as that what we leave for the elves)

May do a little stocking for GP’s however it’s more about the control aspect, she hates not being in charge! I’m quite passive about most things but Christmas traditions mean a lot to me and I’d be really upset if she passed judgment or tried to take over.

OP I like your way. The only thing I would think about is saying Grandmas present is Special and the DC can all open them at the same time on the count of 3. Then your MIL gets the wrapping paper flurry bit of Christmas and would hopefully then not criticise the rest, ie you both respect each other's way?

Ds (9) has his stocking and presents from Santa first thing then we have breakfast and then presents under the tree. We just have presents for each other under the tree really as presents to/ from other people will be given in person and opened then. I try to make sure the 3 of us have an evenish number of presents but ds is having a MacBook this year so he’ll only get that and a laptop case from ‘us’.

We’ll probably nip to my sister’s and do presents to/ from her and my nieces and my parents there.

We do it after dinner. Kids hand out their gifts first usually. Then other family members hand their gifts out. We open as we each recurve a present. Obviously we try to keep gifts to a minimum, one or two per person to avoid it dragging out.

Ooh some fab ideas here I might use. I recreate what I did as a kid, like most seem to. Kids come to our bed for stockings. One of us will go downstairs and make tea/coffee and put the tree lights on. I'll definitely light candles this year now too good call. Takes a while for all three kids to go through their stocking. Then it's downstairs for breakfast. They can peek at the tree but no opening until breakfast is done. We draw this out, make pancakes, frozen pastries, play music, kids play with their stocking toys. Only when this is all done and washed up do we go for tree presents. Then we all take turns to open presents. If we are going through them too fast we have a break; often go for a walk in the park. If we are going to family in the afternoon we will keep opening. I'd hate for all the opening to be over as soon as we get up.

All adults here but 3 of our 5 DD's come home for Christmas from all over the country. Stockings opened in the morning all together in the sitting room with Bucks Fizz and chocolate biscuits for breakfast consumed at the same time as the stocking opening. Then we all get dressed up and go out for Christmas dinner along with other family members including the other 2 DD's and partners and various grandchildren. After a lovely lunch we all go home and the main present opening around the tree begins. As there are so many of us this takes a good couple of hours and is the best family time of all! Great fun - really look forward to it and am grateful every year that we get to spend it like this.Not lost on us that others are not so lucky.