What are your present traditions?

[Neversleepingever]

Growing up, we opened all our presents in one go first thing on Christmas morning. It was always a manic, exciting chaos. But then once it was over. It was a bit of a comedown. Almost a bit sad because it was all over after all the anticipation - The come down after a big high.

Now im grown up, This is the first year I think my DS will have more of a concept of Christmas. He'll be 3 in March and I'd like to start some Xmas traditions and would love if you would share yours.

Maybe a present on Xmas Eve? Open all in Xmas morning but save one for boxing day to keep the excitement going? A hidden present in the tree you find only when taking the decs down?

I’d like to do the same so just watching!

I always save a present to give in the evening because I also feel the comedown haha

Things we do, some of these have developed over time.

We open most presents first thing in the morning but we have a 'table present' for just before we eat. When the boys were small this was one I'd saved for their pile rather than an extra but now they are older we do a secret Santa amongst whoever we have for Christmas Dinner and set a price limit.

I also saved a couple of presents to one side as we see DSS on Boxing Day so they could all open a couple of things together.

Finally, the boys get a present on New Years Day. This is a tradition from when I was small as one year my Mum forgot about a couple of presents she'd hidden away and found them in between Christmas and New Year and has continued from there. It's a nice closure to the season.

Taking turns. Is he able to read names on labels (as in recognising his name, Mummy, Daddy or your first names) to help give people their presents?

When young we also had the rule of them being able to stop to play with something if they wanted.

Oh I love the New Year’s Day gift idea. I’ve just been told off by my DH for buying too much for DS so being able to call them new year gifts will excuse some of the excess!

Stockings first thing. About 7 am. Breakfast, cooked and crepes about 830 am.
Presents in the front room about 10 am.
Posh coffees and biscuits before starting lunch!
Lunch about 2 pm.

Growing up our presents were spread over the day; stockings in bed and then big present then the rest spaced out which is what I have started with my DD.

Stockings which are opened before breakfast. Tree presents after the Queen’s Speech. The excitement is nicely spread out and it gives the kids a nice burst of energy to occupy themselves after lunch.

Stocking/sack/Father Christmas/big presents in the morning first thing for us. Then presents from under the tree (eg from other family members and friends plus a few extra from parents) in the afternoon (late afternoon) after lunch. Spreads it out nicely!

Stockings in our bedroom from about 7am. Everything else is left until after church, drinks with friends and walk. One big present opened before late lunch. The rest afterwards. Always done it that way. I have a strong dislike of grabbing and opening in a hyped up mess without much gratitude or joy.

We used to do Christmas Eve sacks, with craft bits and pjs, but as dc have got older it’s evolved to nice hot chocolate and a family board game. Last year we had a bake off gingerbread house competition. I’m going to get the kits this year.

Last year I hurt my back so didn’t manage to bring down all the presents to put under the tree on Christmas Eve, I done a few then thought fuck it.

Everyone had a few to open first thing. We bought more down in batches throughout the day. I thought they spent more time looking at the gifts rather than rushing to unwrap the next. I’m absolutely doing it again this year.

Also last year all 3 had their main gift as an activity voucher which was handed over at the dinner table. We haven’t used 1 yet due to Covid so I won’t be buying them this year but it worked well.

Stockings and presents on Xmas morning. I usually leave one or two back for the afternoon. Boxing day evening I do a little package with hot water bottles and favourite snacks and bits, just to make it a bit exciting

Xmas eve they have a box of goodies but not toys. This year I'm planning a December craft bag instead with their advent calendars in and pjs. This will be given to them at the start of December instead.

At the start of the Christmas holidays I'm going to give them a bag with their plate, cup, bowl some Christmas gingerbread and some sweets in. May add something to do if they've run out of Activities.

We have stockings and Santa gift as soon as they wake up then go in to see what's under the Christmas tree. We don't put any family or friends gifts out for them and these will get given to them over the Christmas period. Also their sibling gift to each other is given later on Christmas Day or Boxing Day morning. We then like to have presents when we see family so the kids all exchange gifts.

I may let them have their siblings gifts on Xmas eve, depending on how the day goes and what we have going on. This year is a little different as I wanted to give them Christmas craft to do over the month as we won't be doing the usual trips out. Also we may have gifts here if we don't see family and I will give them out after Christmas Day too.

Gifts from santa and stockings first thing in the morning. All other gifts after breakfast and getting changed etc.

Our routine from my childhood, which we still follow today

Stockings first thing in the morning, and then after breakfast we go to church - leaving my mum to cook the Christmas lunch
After church and before lunch play with contents of stockings.
Have Christmas lunch, including a glass of something bubbly for anyone 15+
Everyone then helps do the washing up or tidy up. Once all washing up is done and every adult has a cuppa we go into the lounge.
Adults sit on chairs, kids on the floor!!
We then go round taking it in turns to open one present at a time, with everyone watching etc and making sure to write down what & who from for the thankyou letters.

Stopping for teabreaks and to play with toys encouraged as that way 1/2 dozen presents each lasts the whole afternoon to open.

Once all presents opened it is usually tea time, this is always a cold buffet spread followed by homemade Christmas cake.

When really little if we got overwhelmed with the number of presents on Christmas day, my parents would put some away to open boxing day instead.

Stockings in bed, two presents from Sanras sack before breakfast then church then the rest of Santa’s sack. After lunch tree presents from relatives one every 30 minutes or so handed out my a child. When everyone has a present in their hand we all open together. Then after supper the children get a present each from me (mum) and one each from dad. The presents last the entire day.
My children find it bizarre that the other children at church have already opened all their presents.

I forgot xmas eve pyjamas delivered wrapped by the elf after baths on Xmas eve.

One gift from Santa and stockings left outside their room (they're now teenagers, so chances are I'll be asleep before them, hence now just left outside their rooms!).

Then a nice breakfast, showing what they've had already. After breakfast, all gather in the living room, gifts handed out. My Dad always watches what everyone else is doing and is the last to open his gifts, so all eyes are on him at the end!!). I'm trying to maintain a list of who's given what for thank you cards later. A tidy up. Growing up, presents that weren't being used immediately were popped back under the tree, although DH piles them all up and takes them to respective bedrooms (I prefer them under the tree!).

Oh, and I always have new PJs as a gift on Xmas Eve for everyone to sleep in, means potentially nice photos on Xmas morning too!

We open cards Xmas eve, we save them up and put them by the front door when we go to bed, so when the kiddies come down in the morning they find them. We open family presents Xmas day, then any from friends, extended family, and any other gifts Boxing Day. We've done this for years and the kids seem to enjoy the extended version!

Stockings first thing (but the dc have to get me and dp so we can see them opening them).
Presents under the tree get opened a few at a time throughout the day.

Stockings when they wake up (it never occurred to me to be present for this past the age of about 2). Wrapped presents after lunch.

When I was little we did stockings first thing, then wrapped presents once we were dressed and downstairs, before going out to church. After my grandmother's stroke when I was 14 we stopped going to her house for lunch and the rest of the day, so we instigated the Present Giving one at a time after lunch (the youngest of us was 9 at the time). Carried on doing that throughout early adulthood and into presence of babies and small children, so by the time we stopped visiting relatives on Christmas Day both sons (6 and nearly 3) were used to the idea. Okay, have just realised how ridiculous that sounds. The 6yo was used to the idea

Growing up it was always Christmas sack at 6am in our bedrooms, downstairs for 7 and I would hand the presents out to everyone one by one. At the minute DS is a bad sleeper so I am not sure this year! When DS eventually sleeps properly I would like to do the same, Christmas sack in his bedroom then downstairs to open presents together! Even now as an adult I couldn't imagine waiting any longer than 8am to open presents!!!

We have stockings when they wake up, then the presents from us/FC. We go to my mums for breakfast and open the presents from her and her husband. Then back home and presents from MIL (who usually stays with us over Christmas).

The rest of the day is spent eating, playing with their presets and movies.

We don’t exchange anymore gifts but DD1’s birthday is the 28/12 so we switch to birthday mode.

Like teenmum, stockings first thing in the morning then breakfast, church, lunch (might be a light lunch not 'the Christmas meal') and then the 'present ceremony' (we've always called it the 'ceremony' ), with one person giving out the gifts, we call it 'being Father Christmas' although all gifts are clearly labelled with who they are from, and everyone watching to see what everyone gets ... and making our lists for thank you letters of course! That's what I did growing up and now that I mostly host Christmas it's still what we do.
It's one of those things that is so individual to each family though, it can be difficult when your DH/DO has very different traditions. We've always done it 'my way' in my 33 years of marriage .

Growing up we would have stocking presents in our parents room as soon as we woke up, then after that we’d head downstairs and open all the under the tree presents.

Our nan would come over late morning and would bring her presents and those off our uncle so that spread it out a bit for us.

The same thing happened when my DC were young, there’d often be a family member we’d see later on on Christmas Day who’d give their gifts then.

Now my DC are older presents aren’t as big or plentiful so I’m thinking of maybe getting an extra little present to have after lunch to spread out the joy a bit.

Once, and only once, my mum relented to endless moaning and let us pick a present from under the tree to open on Christmas Eve to keep us occupied. We all picked presents containing really odd things that we couldn't actually use/play with right then (mine was a small ornamental sign for the garden that said 'seeds' - I wasn't about to jog out and crack through the frost to plant some on December 24th).

...so, if you want to spread out the presents, curate them a bit so you get a good mix.