Consoles on Christmas day

[MrsSnape]

This year my kids main present is an xbox 360 to share. Now you just know that once they open that and its games they're going to want to be on it all day.

So, do I:

let them have an hour on it straight away but then make them come off? (will possibly cause tantrums)

Tell them they can't go on it until after tea (will NOT go down well!)

just let them go on for as long as they want..it's christmas! (great for them but bit boring for me!)

option 3 definitely

and don't be bored, JOIN IN

Don't GIVE it to them until after tea. Give other pressies in the morning and then TA DAH! special big surprise in the afternoon.

I think you should give it to them and once they've opened it say "right, you can play it for ONE hour now but when the pinger goes off it goes away and we're going to do xyz" xyz being something nice and something you can all do together. Then you prob need to agree general rules for it for the future.

We have the odd hour allowed but ds isn't allowed to play PS2/xbox/Wii whenever he likes, it's rationed to a few hours a week.

Also, does anyone know if it takes hours to set up a Wii? I don't want my DH to lose his rag on Xmas morning trying to put it together!

they won't let me, I always "do it wrong" pmsl

we got Forza 2 free with it so I might just kick their arses at that so they beg me to turn it off

good idea about not giving it to them until later.

"I don't want my DH to lose his rag on Xmas morning trying to put it together! "

sorry but that really made me laugh, I can just picture it

Wii should be plug and play. DH is going to have this problem with me on Christmas Day

Message withdrawn

Last year I got mine nintendo DS's BUT I forgot to give them to them.
I kid you not!! I wanted them to open all their pressies (nothing special books, pj's pens etc) and things from relatives first so put the DS's in a drawer! At about 4 o'clock I thought something was missing from their piles then I remembered them!! got hem out and let them play until bedtime. (nice quiet evening for us )
TBH I could have gotten away with never given them as they were quite happy with their piles and were playing nicely anyway!

Stockings first thing. Let them get all the benefit of the smaller gifts otherwise the Wii could overshadow them. Then, if you are planning on a walk etc, go out as once the consoles are out, much harder to drag dcs out of the house in a good mood. Then back for meal/main presents in whatever order suits you. That's how I'd play it, anyway.