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.

The ones that are here are wrapped, this is actually quite organized of me, I usually do it in December! But I got some awesome wrapping paper (double sided Christmas Kraft paper 25m - Amazon - £10.99) that I really wanted to use! 😂

I will get them out and arrange them under the tree while the kids are in bed at least once when the tree is up. Dunno why, it just gets me all excited! 😂😂

I don’t have children, so not a huge amount to wrap. Buy gifts for approx. 17 people inc. my parents, husband & mother-in-law. Have not started wrapping yet, holding off a little this year, as sometimes I feel I wrap too early. Will not be wrapping everything Christmas Eve though as some presents for a few family members, & friends we give before Christmas Day.

My Mum & Dad never wrapped our Christmas presents (have one brother), use to leave mine on the sofa, & brother’s gifts on two armchairs pushed together. Big items like bikes, doll houses, Lego Castle etc. were in the middle of the room. I never questioned why they were not wrapped. Stocking items were not wrapped either. Don’t know if it’s more a modern thing for all children’s gifts from Santa/parents to be wrapped (I was born 1971, & brother 1975).

I only buy and wrap a few now, perhaps 6-8 but even then I do them 1 or 2 at a time as I have Rheumatoid arthritis. Even without arthritis the thought of spending Christmas Eve wrapping loads of presents makes me shudder. And what if you are ill? Or someone else is? Any unexpected event and you have a big problem. It’s rather risky.

I wrap as I go and put them under the tree.

I used to always wrap Christmas Eve but last year wrapped earlier end it was a game changer!!! So much less stress on Christmas Eve!

Errm so that it’s a surprise. Odd question 🤷🏻‍♀️🤔 or do you put yours in gift bags?

I know people are generally looking at more environmentally friendly ways to present gifts but covering them is the norm so that it’s a surprise.

Wrap everything the day my tree goes up ……usually 1st or 2nd December….. my DD and GDs decorate the tree then when they’ve gone home, me and DP wrap and put presents under the tree

We didnt have wrapped gifts growing up... I LOVED walking into a magical toyland with everything out, set up ready to play with. It was like the xmas films I saw as a kid that took place in toy shops or santas workshops (never wrapped).

I started wrapping some for my oldest as gifts from 'me' (not delivered by santa) and honestly he LOVED the wrapped gifts, its now become the biggest event of the day for everyone, sitting around opening all the wrapped presents one at a time.

I dont wrap everything, its about 50/50 and the big stuff etc... is still out ready to go for visual effect (and honestly who can be arsed to wrap a bike, wooden kitchen or a wendy house lol).

As someone who does BOTH approachs they both have their own unique magic (visual wow factor and ease = unwrapped... suprise and anticipation = wrapped) and I personally think doing both like we do is the way to go lol.

Not neccaserily the 'norm' lots of people dont wrap gifts, same way lots of people dont do xmas eve boxes and lots dont do stockings... nothing is the 'norm' with xmas as we all do it so personally.

Are you northern?

I have noticed it tends to be some areas of north england and scotland that had unwrapped 'sofa/chair' gift layout... I was born in the 80s in the north and grew up that way too as did many I know (a scottish forum I was on said it was common in many of their childhoods too where as all my southern friends looked at me like I had two heads when it came up lol).

I have a dedicated wrapping day end of Nov or early December! I save a lot of annual leave for the end of the year so I always take one day to myself when DH is at work to watch Xmas films, drink Baileys and wrap everything! I always write the tags first and make sure I have easily accessible sellotape so it goes smoothly and I don't end up covered in tape!

I do each person's gifts one by one. I also light my Xmas candles and have the tree lights on while doing it. I love it!

@Mam0918,

Yes I am from the North West, live in South Wirral/Cheshire (postcode changed from LL to CH) years ago.

None of my school friends said about their presents being wrapped. Did wonder whether it was a cost thing as well, wrapping paper was probably more expensive, nowadays paper is mass produced & relatively cheap.

Surely unwrapping is half the fun for kids .

I'm wanting ti start wrap but it's too early for me yet.

I got the wrapping paper yesterday for DDs.
No dinosaurs this year though... apparently she's too old for dinosaur wrapping paper at 9yo.

As soon as my DS' birthday is gone in mid November it's full on Christmas. I wrap in batches. I make sure to wrap all the kids stuff while they are at school and I have 'special' Santa paper in two kinds, one for each of my DCs. I don't label Santa presents as it's obvious whose presents are whose as no one else gets that paper because those presents come from the North Pole of course! The rest of the presents I wrap in stages. The thing I always put off doing is writing Christmas cards - but that's a different thread!

I have bought two Christmas presents now and both are wrapped. Can’t stand the idea of wrapping more than one at a time but I do have arthritis so that does effect my feelings on wrapping. I am having to be a bit easier on myself about neatness now too. I used to get my corners perfect etc. Not that DD & DH are fussed.

My best friend and I actually schedule 'wrapping' days in Dec.

We go to my house one day, put music and kettle on and spend the whole day wrapping all my families gifts and doing fancy ribbons/bows etc.

The next week we'll go to her house and do the same.

It's made all the wrapping etc fun, because we do it together and have a laugh, so it's become a 'tradition' for us.

Inspired to start my batches, I did a load for all 3 DC today, and now all wrapped, their piles look miserly! Have to keep reminding myself that this is indeed plenty, and this has been a deliberate choice to avoid them just unwrapping and being overwhelmed by too many things. Keep forgetting they've got stockings as well. Their presents just all look so small, but I suppose I've still got maybe another couple of things to get each for them, and that will bring it to about 7 presents each, one large, 6 smaller, and then their stockings.

We like a wrapping session on (about) the 20th. Christmas music, a nice drink or two to smooth the path and buckle down to it. Helps that the DC are now huge teenagers with no illusions🤞🤣

Don't be fooled! Size isn't everything you know! The older they get the smaller the presents I find. Don't get the itch - send firm 😋

I've never made a pile of presents. Mine get one big present, one smaller one and a stocking with about 6 things in. You've done plenty!

For the first year ever I’m super organised and I’ve wrapped everything already, been watching a Christmas film/programme on my days off and wrapping while the kids are at school.
Learnt the hard way that doing it all on Christmas Eve was too stressful for me (and took bloody hours!).

Oh I will stand firm!!

I think it's because DTwins are toddlers, I think their stuff looks little, as they have no large baby type toy this year. A little camera each, a sticker book, a crown/tiara, one some mixing spoons, another some diecast cars....and all of it fits inside a shoebox! Elder DS has got 3 books and some aftershave. Everything is so slim or diddy! I think you just anticipate 3 childrens gifts to take up more room than 3 shoe boxes

Every year, I get the twitch, and every year, the 3-4 "emergency buys" are not needed.

Also, can I ask, what do people do if they have a large present that needs to be set up, but you'd like to hide it/have some form of wrapping? DD has a little Sylvanian House (thanks FB for sale!) and it's going to be all set up - do I leave this simply unwrapped, or just loosely tuck a sheet of paper around it? Large wrapped box upside down that she can just lift off?

leave it out... the impact of walking in and seeing it ready to go is better than unwrapping.

We only wrap half the gifts the big ones are left out ready to play with, like this year theres no way Im faffing on trying to wrap a rocking horse thats as big as my kid and even if wrapped it would be pretty obvious from the shape lol.