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Christmas

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Original poster

Present organisation

22 replies

Moro93 · 13/10/2022 06:42

Sacks, stockings, under the tree and so on... Where do you place your presents every year?

I remember having presents under the tree as a kid, but sometimes they were also on a couch/armchair, occasionally a few in a sack. Stockings were decoration only.

We usually put gifts under the tree, then the usual stocking fillers in the stocking.
I'm considering a small sack this year (pillowcase size or slightly larger) but don't know if this is pointless when we already do stockings.

So, which way are your presents layed out and what would you put in a sack vs. stocking?

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 13/10/2022 06:57

Stockings outside bedroom, opened in pur bed. I use a different paper per person so stuff doesn't get mixed up

When kids were little, there was a separate pile per person, near where they would sit. Now they are older just mixed up under the tree, and DDs find one to give each person in turn. (More turns for them as they still get spoiled rotten by grandparents. No sacks from us/santa... but MIL uses a large gift bag per person (but thats her organisation method, she has about 30 lined up in her attic to go to various people in December!)

psuedocream3 · 13/10/2022 10:22

stockings at the end of the bed, presents under the tree.

SnowJamz · 13/10/2022 10:50

We have stockings hung up on the fireplace for stocking fillers. Then sacks which have 3 presents in that are from Santa (chosen from their Christmas lists).

And presents from us to the DC and from
other people are put under the tree.

iknowwhatyoudid · 13/10/2022 11:01

We do stockings at the end of their beds. Which are then opened on our bed first thing in the morning. They then have 2 presents left from Father Christmas by the television cabinet. Then all other presents are under the tree and they each take turns in handing them out.

mamatoTails · 13/10/2022 12:21

We have 5 DC and they each have a large sack.

Also a stocking each.

All placed under the tree.

CamdenLurker · 13/10/2022 12:36

I have four teenagers but we've always had the same kind of arrangement, stockings are left at the end of the bed, they can open these whenever they wake up, dd2 was always an early riser and would open hers in the early hours, funnily enough even though she's 15 and she knows who fills the stockings she always comes into our room and shows everything in detail "look what I got" lol

We also have sacks with each of the DC initials on, they have these are left on the sofas and contain 5 gifts each (could be anything from a mobile phone to a lynx set) and gifts from everyone else, grandparents or friends, will be under the tree.

MissyB1 · 13/10/2022 12:42

Ds is 13 but it’s always been a Stocking outside the bedroom door. Then a Sack under the tree. Dh and my presents are just placed under the tree, all the presents are put out on Christmas Eve.

snugglyblanket · 13/10/2022 12:52

Stockings are decorations until Christmas Eve, then the DC take them upstairs for Santa to fill & leave by their doors (used to be end of the bed when DD was little but DS doesn't want Santa in his room so now leaves his stocking by the door).
Gifts are on the sofa for DC. We put gifts for others under the tree as we buy & wrap, ready to give out when we see people. I like to see gifts under the tree in the run up to Christmas. I think as DC get older, and presents get fewer, they'll probably go under the tree.

AriettyHomily · 13/10/2022 12:55

Stockings at end of bed, taken from the fireplace, presents under the tree

Bobbins2022 · 13/10/2022 14:39

Stocking and one gift (something like slippers) on the end of their bed. These are opened in our bed.

Sack from Santa in front of the fireplace, along with any big present.

Presents from us and each other under the tree. We don't really have presents from other people under the tree. We open them when we see them.

One small present at the table to be used as a distraction while we get dinner served up.

This makes it sound like ridiculous amounts but it's fairly average I think. Just not in one big pile! I do it this way so we can spread the opening out a bit and so not everything is from Santa.

Blessedbethefruitz · 13/10/2022 14:55

Stockings (from santa) in rooms (but mine will be almost 4 and almost 1), everything else under the tree (including 1 big santa gift). I usually put them under the tree in the run up to xmas (except santa of course), but this year I don't trust the almost 4 year old to not sneak a peek. And I'm not sure where the tree will be, depends on baby mobility. We had it behind a table for ds first Christmas lol.

Fiddledeedeeee · 13/10/2022 16:51

We do stockings in bedrooms and if there’s a large FC present that will be in the bedroom too (all unwrapped). Everything else is wrapped under the tree.

Original poster
Moro93 · 13/10/2022 21:44

We also put our stockings in the bedroom like most people and open then upstairs.

Usually we put the wrapped gifts under the tree and lay a few things out on the sofa like selection boxes, boxes of Christmas Friends, a new fleece blanket (kids love them) and then we'd put any clothing items bought into a gift bag. I'm thinking about putting these items into a small sack this year instead as they'd get enjoyment digging through it. I may also add in any books that I buy rather than wrap them.

OP posts:
reluctantbrit · 14/10/2022 12:46

Stocking at the fireplace

Presents are all under the tree, Santa's are in a different paper to what DD gets from us (she is 15 but we still know that Santa brings presents, don't we?)

All presents are mixed up, there are the ones from me to DH, DH to me, us to DD, Santa, presents from grandparents and DD brings down what she gives us as well.

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 14/10/2022 13:51

Stockings in their bedrooms from santa. Sack of gifts from us next to the tree.

Sprogonthetyne · 14/10/2022 13:57

Santa leves a small pile of presents for each child, and a stocking of sweets and little bits at the top of the pile (very light sleepers, so not on bed). Presents that over people have given us in the run up to Christmas go under the tree. Presents we are giving out get put in the car the night before.

thaegumathteth · 14/10/2022 14:04

Stockings left downstairs and filled. Open those when we come down and then have breakfast.

Presents from us / family and friends under tree and opened together after breakfast.

We do presents from Santa and presents from us though, I know some people do all Santa.

SBAM · 14/10/2022 14:05

Stockings on the fireplace (laid on the hearth once filled, as I have a fear of the kids pulling the heavy cast iron stocking hangers down onto someone’s head/toe). Present from Father Christmas is left unwrapped next to the stocking. These can be opened/played with first thing.
Presents from family members all go under the tree, and we open these a little later. I try and get the kids to open a couple then go play, then come back to it so it’s not one big frenzy.

mam0918 · 14/10/2022 19:23

As a kid PJs & annual on bed on xmas eve... xmas day gift where on the sofa... stocking just decoration (no sacks).

Now as and adult we do it all:

  • St nick gifts in shoes (6th)
  • xmas eve box (xmas eve)
  • wrapped gifts under tree
  • unwrapped gifts out ready to play with
  • stocking fillers in stocking (hanging on living room doors)
  • santa sacks on chairs
mam0918 · 14/10/2022 19:28

I should say we view it as:

  • gift in boot from st. nick
  • wrapped gifts under tree from family
  • unwraped big gifts DELIVERED and SET UP by Santa/elves (not from santa, its like a mailing service we send money/gift and santa stores them for us)
  • sack gift from santa (only classical, cheap toys)
  • stockings just tradition in memory of St. nick
TwinsAndTiramisu · 14/10/2022 19:39

Everyone's stockings will be upstairs with small gifts, maybe 5 or so each, to be opened as we wake, in bed all together (probably excluding teen DS who will arise at a much more reasonable hour than toddler DTwins, and will open his in peace then join the noise downstairs) everything else is under tree in living room, or if too large, will be somewhere near the tree.

Sacks I found a bit useless to be honest. With young DC their pressies tend to be bulky, bikes, fisherprice stuff, and we take everything out of the box and wrap it in a ready to go state, so DTwins aren't jumping about waiting for things to be unscrewed, assembled and batteries inserted. This mean't a sack would only fit one thing and the rest would just end up under the tree anyway.

Sacks now have their use on 1st Dec. It's just a nice way of spreading things out, especially as DTs have a Christmas birthday. On Dec 1st, everyone wakes to their sack, with their advent, christmas pjs, so they get worn for all of December, not just Christmas Eve, their Christmas jumper (ours are years old now, but they still go in) and some form of Christmas craft, like paper chains to make. It's all stuff we have anyway, but just starts the month off with it all together, and it's just a bit more special waking up to it all together, rather than me randomly handing things out throughout the month.

Original poster
Moro93 · 14/10/2022 21:40

@TwinsAndTiramisu I quite like the idea of doing the sacks on December 1st. I could include the things you said such as advent calendar, pyjamas, jumper and then maybe an annual or something. Oh actually, I could put in a new tree decoration. I usually like getting these every year but putting it in the stocking feels like a waste. I don't do a Christmas Eve box but that's a bit late as well. Maybe a gingerbread house or Christmas cards for them to write...

I'm getting carried away now! Thanks for the inspiration.

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