To wrap or not to wrap?

[Limpshade]

If you are required to, ahem, assist Father Christmas with his stocking fillers*, do you wrap them up or leave them unwrapped?

I grew up in a wrapped household but it seems like a bit of a waste of paper to me, especially since my suspected-ASD 3yo does not appreciate surprises (although my 1yo loves tearing it off!)

So, to wrap or not to wrap?

*not a euphemism

Bold fail, sorry

I think unwrapping is a huge part of the fun, so I wrap everything.

This year I'm committed to using recyclable paper though.

We wrap stocking fillers. Finding the stocking full of presents and unwrapping then in bed was always my favourite part of Christmas when I was a child

I'm doing a combination of drawstring bags and recyclable paper this year

I've always wrapped. Using tissue paper this year and paper tape.

Combination. Most wrapped though- just twisted in tissue paper, or stuck with cool stickers.

Bit of both in the stocking. Some wrapped some left!

Stocking fillers are never wrapped in this house.
As a child, I loved waking up early and peeping in my stocking. Wrapping each item would ruin that for me.

I usually wrap in tissue paper but found out this year that cant be recycled. Brown paper seems like but effort for such small presents so I think I wont bother this year

No wrapping here - we have a sack full of gifts downstairs & stocking upstairs.

Dh came from a wrapped house but when we had the discussion I said i was happy if he wanted everything wrapped as long as he did all the dc wrapping FOREVER....he soon changed his mind!

Children with ASD quite often don't like surprises or wrapping paper.
If you wanted to you could maybe put their things unwrapped in a Christmas bag (as some of them like to take things out of bags and put them back in)
Other child wrap parcels if that is what they like.
Simples.
Have a good Christmas

Thanks @notthemum I hadn't thought of a bag!

I don't wrap stocking fillers and I only wrap square ish gifts.

I do think that wrapping paper and cards are an unnecessary excess at the cost of the environment, but we are creatures of habit.

I always wrapped the stocking fillers as it took DS much longer to work his way through his stash and kept him occupied for longer! He has ASD but coped with it well as even though he wasn't big on surprises in other aspects of life he accepted it at Christmas. We also didn't allow the main presents until everyone was dressed and had breakfast so unwrapping stocking presents seemed to satisfy him and not object to having to wait for main gifts.

Haha, you are welcome. I spent many years working with both children and Adults with varying degrees of ASD . Every year we would decorate the schools, homes, wards with loads of lights, trees, decorations and it wasn't until my DD who has an autistic four year old sent me an amazing text all about Christmas from an autistic childs point of view that I suddenly realised that it could be the wrong thing and they didn't like it as change can be very unsettling. It was all stuff I knew but just hadn't given a thought to at Christmas.
😊

Wrapped. Everything.
Or how is it a present if you can't open it imo?

I’ve never had wrapped presents in stockings growing up, to me that feels strange 😀 the stocking is the wrapping. However, our stockings, and my children’s now, are fairly small so only hold little bits anyway. You have to dig down to find what’s in there like the little car at the bottom say. It never ruined the excitement of the stocking having unwrapped presents!

@Winterdaysarehere it will feel weird not to wrap them as that's what I grew up with, but last year DD was 2 and just refused to look at any of it, but when I gave her a peek at what was inside she was ecstatic! Just didn't like not knowing what was in there. But I don't want her little sister (who is still way too young to understand any of it anyway) to miss out on the fun, so I was interested to know if I choose not to wrap them, whether my kids are in plentiful company! It looks like it's quite split at the moment

Just wondering what tradition to create - it's going to be very confusing for the kids in the future if DD2's stocking fillers are wrapped but DD1s aren't! Big presents will always be wrapped 👍🏻

For me there's something magical in the noise of paper wrapped gifts inside a stocking, you know, as you handle the whole thing.

I use tissue paper (didn't know that it couldn't be recycled) but don't use sellotape so it gets used year after year after year. 3 kids, 3 different colours.

Stocking presents are unwrapped. Others are wrapped in brown paper with ribbon which will be reused. They look fab if I say so myself

I never wrap stocking presents. My son loves seeing what’s poking out the top!

@Bluewavescrashing they look awesome! I've just been and bought a huge roll of brown paper from our local stationers to do some of the presents. I'm going to get a wax seal thingy too and maybe some festive stamps.

Yes I wrap all stocking presents no matter how small. It is much more fun!

Thank you @BercowsPoliticalPumpkin they did take longer than normal to wrap (no sellotape) but I'm pleased with them!

This thread has revealed the real divide in the UK