Wrap as you go along or do it in big batches or on Christmas Eve?

[AlternativelyWired]

I like to wrap once the decorations are up, and preferably the tree, so after the 12th December. I like to get the presents out and look at them regularly and consider if I'm done or if I want to buy some more. I like wrapping and love looking at all the nicely wrapped presents once they are done. I'm autistic and don't like opening presents but love giving to others and seeing them unwrap them.

What paper are you using this year? I've yet to buy any.

We don't go all out at Christmas so haven't got a large amount to wrap. Dh and I do it together. All presents are bought and stashed in one place and are usually planned presents so we have an excel sheet to list presents and then change the colour to say it has been bought.

We put on some Christmas music, the DC are teens so know not to come in and we wrap at the dining room table. Never on Christmas eve usually 2 weekends before at the very least. I am done shopping by the end of November. Luckily both our families are very organised too so are the same.

I wrap nothing.

Why do people wrap Christmas presents?

I do in a big batch, under the tree, with mulled wine. Every year. Not Christmas Eve though. Done that once, too stressful

Wrap as I go and in batches.
Costco wrap paper is the best, huge rolls and really strong, sturdy sellotape and my label printer. Wrap a few and into the loft whilst the kids are at school. My goal to have it all done is the final of I'm a celeb.

@mathanxiety So there's an element of surprise when you open it?!

I wrap all in one but a few weeks before Christmas - now I have children I might have to wrap as I go along

I have a day off when the kids are at school, so do a big batch in the last week before they break up. I make up the stockings on Christmas eve and there's usually some last minute buys or bits I'd hid in the back of a cupboard and forgotten.

I do it in a big batch when I've finished buying everything. I put on xmas music or a movie and have some beers or gin x

We give out some presents sometimes even before Dec. They dont get opened early. So some have to be done early. In batches is our choice.
Christmas Eve. Never! No way.

Wrapping everything on Christmas Eve is another one of those things I've only ever heard about on MN.

Why on earth would you? Everything wrapped as it is bought and under the tree. Usually a few presents for family we are not seeing on the day and exchanging early with anyway so would need to be done earlier.

Wrap in batches from September onwards usually. I’ve not started this year I will start after half term. DCs presents are kept in the suitcases on top of their wardrobes, I love they have no idea 😆 I also keep a lot of presents in plain sight, one of my DDs main presents is besides the front door, has been for 2 weeks, she hasn’t even noticed, her sister asked what it was and both DH and I said some new office stuff for his office, she just shrugged. I also have 2 carrier bags full of gifts in my bedroom, they are just next to the wall with an old handbag sat on top so they don’t pop open.

Most things can be wrapped and put back in the suitcases, anything that can’t is left till Xmas eve, but there are usually only a few things left. It’s DHs job to to the last few bits.

In the past wrappings been done in between naps, nursery & school, this year I have all 3 DCs in school so it shouldn’t take too many batches. My biggest problem is I wrap and don’t label as I go along. Everything is colour coded and I randomly stick labels on things Xmas eve. It wasn’t an issue until one of my DDs decided she wanted to read the labels last year so where she got something from us, Santa bought her sister the same thing. Plus I think I really need to separate Santa’s paper from ours this year so I’m going to have to buy secret Santa paper and hide it separately to all my other paper, my DCs know where I keep the wrapping paper and use it when they want so I need to find a proper hiding place.

I'm usually wrapping after midnight mass on Christmas Eve

Tend to wrap un households over Christmas week. Christmas Eve isn't Christmas Eve unless I'm wrapping with a glass of baileys (fake aldi stuff), I only leave a handful of things to wrap and kids stockings to sort though.

Mid December when kids at school.

I keep a spreadsheet and wrap as I go.
I want to relax on Xmas Eve plus the reality is that I'm usually under the weather then so an early bed is what I'm after.

The kids' ones are all wrapped in one go on Christmas Eve, accompanied by Snowballs. Tis tradition. Also I need to double check what I've got and that it's roughly equal. I frequently end up removing stuff from the heap and saving it for birthdays or just for when they're older, since they get overwhelmed.

DH and other peoples are done as abc when.

Wrapping everything on Christmas Eve is another one of those things I've only ever heard about on MN

Really? It was very much the norm when I grew up. I suppose it was different then as children didn’t get as much as they do now.

@PaisleyP

Is the magical appearance of toys under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning not surprise enough?

I have the last week of in November, I go back to work on the 2nd December so this is when I'll do my wrapping. I'll spend the first day or two doing a good clean of the house, then I'll put the decorations up and take a trip to town to pick up a couple of last minute buys and soak up the Christmas atmosphere. Then I'll spend a couple of days at home wrapping surrounded by the decorations and Christmas music. I just buy for immediate family and I wrap 1 family members up at a time and then place them in a velvet initial sack under the tree. I haven't bought wrap yet, but I'm off to ikea tomorrow so if they have it in I'll buy it then. When adult dd was a child I wrapped as I bought, but I don't do that now she's grown up. We had dgds (6) presents on top of the wardrobe.

As soon as I have the port in I start wrapping. Port, Christmas film, wrapping. Everyone else banished.

@mathanxiety I wouldn't really know I think it's bizarre to be honest. Quite anti climatic.

I used to be a wrap on Christmas Eve person, but I’ve started wrapping as I go (or at least in a few small batches through December). Wrapping on Christmas Eve was a crazy thing for me to do. I am a procrastinator and by the time I actually got my child to bed, wasted some time and then got on with wrapping, stocking prep, cookies and carrot plate I would be heading to bed around 4am on a good Christmas. I just can’t do it anymore so wrap as I go.

I used to wrap as I went.

Then I started forgetting what I'd bought and sometimes, who I'd bought it for, or the label had fallen off or something, so now I set aside a day when no-one is here and do it all in one go.

I quite like wrapping 😁

I like to wrap during the week before Christmas. I used to do it on Christmas eve, but with 3 kids now it's too much, so when they're in school 2 weeks before Christmas I get everything out, put it in piles of who is getting what etc, make sure everything is even and keep some back for birthdays if needed. Then the last week of term, I start wrapping during the day with Christmas films on in the background, then on Christmas eve I do the last bits and pieces and stocking wrapping with carols and a glass or two of mulled wine. I'm using a variety of paper this year, no real theme, although I do like the kraft paper patterned ones and have a few rolls of those waiting! Half of the fun of the immediate run up to Christmas is the wrapping and sorting of the gifts for everyone. I would hate to do it this early as I would miss it!

I do much the same other than I may wrap before the real tree goes up.