Why do people wait until Christmas Eve night to do the wrapping?

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So many people talk about having to get excited kids to sleep so they can do the wrapping.

Why leave it til then?

I leave mine late. Doesn’t mean any of my gifts are thoughtless. I think of them in advance, I just buy them late.

My friend does it Xmas eve so the kids can't find them she also picks up labyes that day

And yes, I know leaving it until December payday is bad organisation and poor money management. They’re my weaknesses. Luckily I never claimed to be perfect, and I have many other positive attributes!

Ugh we used to do this until the Christmas eve when the kids were hyper and just would not go to sleep and DH and I were up past 3am wrapping with a horrendous flu.

Never. Again.

@Rainbowshit

Ugh we used to do this until the Christmas eve when the kids were hyper and just would not go to sleep and DH and I were up past 3am wrapping with a horrendous flu.

Never. Again.

Oh and we also ran out of sellotape. Now I try to be wrapped bar the odd one or two at least a week in advance so i can sit and relax watching films on xmas eve.

It would stress me out waiting until Christmas eve as I like spending Christmas eve finishing off the deserts for Christmas Day, relaxing with DH and any family who are staying, and then going to bed at a sensible time before DC wake us at the crack of dawn.

I tend to have done most of my wrapping with a few days to go.

Reading this thread makes me feel overly organized.

I start my list of ideas in about August.

Start buying in September and tick off and adjust list accordingly. 2 DC who both have same number of presents (not same amount of £ spent).

Stockings come from Father Christmas. Presents under tree are from family.
I wrap in brown paper with different colour ribbon depending on the person, and put under tree from mid December (I love seeing a tree with presents under it).

We don't buy huge amounts of presents and Ive always made sure we have enough places to hide them, wrapped or not. It really helps that my DC don't go looking for presents.

Usually I wrap over several days in December when DH takes DC to the park. For the first time this year I actually started wrapping in October.

I don't forget what Ive got cos its all on a list.

The only thing we've ever had to build was a kitchen - that was the least enjoyable Christmas eve ever.

Of course every family is different. I have 2 very bad sleepers and I am not taking the risk of them waking by wrapping when they're in bed.

I'm not particularly organised, but I like to have gifts wrapped at least a week in advance. My DC don't sleep well Christmas eve, just trying to get the gifts out is stressful enough with little heads popping out of bedroom doors every 10 minutes 'did I hear a noise?! Is it morning? CAN I GET UP NOW'

I'll have to keep everything hidden this year because the toddler will be all over anything left under the tree... learned a valuable lesson from last years advent calendar massacre.

I have a spreadsheet with budgets and ideas and update when I've actually bought things then usually set aside an evening or afternoon to wrap everything.

@Embroidery - to be fair you could say that those that have the money for so many presents they don't have space to store them should check their privilege. I live in a tiny little house with no spare room. But I can't afford many gifts so they go in my wardrobe.

I love doing it on Xmas eve.
I get my little pack of screwdrivers and put all the batteries in and/or assemble the toys too so they end up back in their box but ready to go on Xmas morning.

DH and I sit with a bottle of prosecco, all the wrapping paper and Sellotape.
I've got a terrible memory so it's way easier so I can remember what's in everything.

A wrapped present would not survive in my house too. It'll either get ripped accidentally or DS would see it and it'd be game over

I used to when kids were small and in bed early. Then as they got older it became a nightmare and I ended up finishing at 2am one time (and muddled a present and put it in the wrong stocking). Now I usually do batches during the day when they are at school because they are up too late for me to do at night. Anything left to wrap after the end of term has to be done surreptitiously behind a closed door.
I have different coloured paper for each child to avoid confusion once gifts are wrapped.

@InvincibleInvisibility

Reading this thread makes me feel overly organized.

I start my list of ideas in about August.

Start buying in September and tick off and adjust list accordingly. 2 DC who both have same number of presents (not same amount of £ spent).

Stockings come from Father Christmas. Presents under tree are from family.
I wrap in brown paper with different colour ribbon depending on the person, and put under tree from mid December (I love seeing a tree with presents under it).

We don't buy huge amounts of presents and Ive always made sure we have enough places to hide them, wrapped or not. It really helps that my DC don't go looking for presents.

Usually I wrap over several days in December when DH takes DC to the park. For the first time this year I actually started wrapping in October.

I don't forget what Ive got cos its all on a list.

The only thing we've ever had to build was a kitchen - that was the least enjoyable Christmas eve ever.

Of course every family is different. I have 2 very bad sleepers and I am not taking the risk of them waking by wrapping when they're in bed.

My list is a bit more involved, names, total amount to spend, presents listed, and cost, and ticked off when wrapped. Takes a couple of minutes to update when you've bought something and makes life much easier. The same for Christmas cards and food, and I have these going back 20 years. I don't forget anyone or anything, and it save so much time

I like to get it all done early then I just kick back and enjoy December with nothing to do but eat, drink and be merry. Its great. Wrapped a few more today. Nearly finished

@ThePoisonousMushroom

I leave mine late. Doesn’t mean any of my gifts are thoughtless. I think of them in advance, I just buy them late.

So does my husband and half of them are sold out at the last minute... hense ending up with crap to replace the 'thoughtful' things he didn't bother to get.

It actually winds me up more than if he didn't bother because know you WERE going to get something lovely but got something crap instead because he didn't put the proper effort into sourcing it is a kick in the teeth.

He always spends a fortune too as he put zero effort into researching good prices so expensive crap at the last minute.

I'm curious as to where you live that on the 11th hour (after months over every organised person buying) among the throng and the panic of the disorganised folk your shops still have a full stock of the good stuff not just leftover expensive not as good crap.

@MajesticallyAwkward

I'm not particularly organised, but I like to have gifts wrapped at least a week in advance. My DC don't sleep well Christmas eve, just trying to get the gifts out is stressful enough with little heads popping out of bedroom doors every 10 minutes 'did I hear a noise?! Is it morning? CAN I GET UP NOW'

I'll have to keep everything hidden this year because the toddler will be all over anything left under the tree... learned a valuable lesson from last years advent calendar massacre.

I have a spreadsheet with budgets and ideas and update when I've actually bought things then usually set aside an evening or afternoon to wrap everything.

Spreadsheets are the only logical way to do Xmas unless you only do one or two gifts per person.

I have 3 kids so would be lost without a good spreadsheet to keep track.

Just the one present for each child from Father Christmas is wrapped and placed under the tree. Comes from the year we had to assemble a dolls house after DD had gone to bed and then wrap it...

I haven’t even start d shopping for Xmas yet. The hardest is for DH. He never needs anything.

Any lists for meaningful pressies, anyone?

This thread has kicked my bum into gear a bit, and I think I'm going to start wrapping this week -- mainly because it's made me remember how awful Christmas Eve is if you're already tired, then are trying to wrap everything at midnight with DC faffing around not going to sleep.

Much as I love the idea of wrapping in front of a cosy fire and Midnight Mass on TV with a glass of something nice in hand, the last few years post-DD have been a stressful scramble to get it done and I've not enjoyed it at all.

Maybe when DD is older I can go back to my ideal wrapping moment. But for now I think maybe I'm going to start wrapping and sorting as much as possible before the start of December. It's not like I'll be left with no Christmassy things to do in December, with an 8 y o on the case!

Don't tell anyone but I wrapped a few up the other day while I was listening to a zoom presentation.

I've wrapped about 70% of my presents, but I do save DH & DD's presents to do nearer to Christmas, so I can wrap in front of the fire with the Christmas Tunes on.

@elQuintoConyo

Does no one pay a teenager to wrap for them? Slip me a tenner and I'd do it for you.

We use fabric bags, so it's piss easy to wrap and store as we go along. Not that I've started wrapping anything yet, that'll start in late December. It's all currently hanging in the utility room in a big Mr Tickle bag

I did a lot of my parents' and brother's gift wrapping in my tweens/teens, didn't get given a gratuity for it never mind £10 a time...

‘Pay a teenager’?

I’ve never paid my children to do anything. It’s a slippery slope IMO.

I did a lot of my parents' and brother's gift wrapping in my tweens/teens, didn't get given a gratuity for it never mind £10 a time...

My brother paid me to do his! I drove a hard bargain.

Because I have so many gift bags to reuse that it takes about gluten minutes.

I've tried all different ways. When I was with my ex we would shop Xmas eve and wrap in the evening while getting drunk. It was always a stress. Now I'm a lone parent I stay my mums Xmas eve to boxing day as I'm a nurse and need the childcare. I shop from October and used to have to transport 3 kids presents in secret to my mums Xmas eve all wrapped! Nightmare!

This year I'm taking all presents unwrapped to my Mums as I buy them as she has more hiding space then me. Last presents will get to hers by the first of December and we're going to spend some afternoons in December wrapping between us. Think it will work much better. I feel much more organised already. Main presents are bought and I'm well on my way with stocking fillers!