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Christmas

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Original poster

How do you open presents on Christmas morning?

121 replies

pinkfluffybunny · 06/12/2022 10:19

We have 4 children. Christmas morning is a blur of wrapping paper and excitement and joy.

However, I obviously miss some of my children opening special presents which I know they will love and their reactions to them, as I am watching others opening theirs.

I had a thought of one child opening their presents, and then the next child, but that wouldn't be much fun for my other children who would no doubt be itching to open their own presents.

How do you all do it? Do I just have to accept that I will miss some children's reactions, and be content with knowing they will love whatever they receive? After all, it's not about me.....

OP posts:
MsChatterbox · 06/12/2022 10:22

Growing up in my dad's we used to open a present every hour which I actually enjoyed doing it allowed time to appreciate each gift, in my mums house each sibling took a turn to open a gift. That's the one I've ended up adopting in our household and they enjoy seeing what each other got.

DreamingofItaly2023 · 06/12/2022 10:22

We have always gone in a circle, one person opening at a time but just one present them on to the next. DH did the same growing up so we have continued it. Opening takes a while but it is lovely to watch others open their gifts.

Transferwaiting · 06/12/2022 10:23

We do stockings in our bedroom all together and then presents downstairs afterwards. They're a bit older now so it's slightly more controlled. They have around 5 each downstairs (also 5 DC) so I generally can tell if they're opening an exciting one. Never felt like I've missed anything anyway.

mumonthehill · 06/12/2022 10:23

Stockings free for all and then we take turns. We do not have loads of presents under the tree just a main present or two so it works quite well.

Seaweedandsalt · 06/12/2022 10:25

Growing up I used to sit in between Mum and Dad in bed and open presents. Mum would go down and make a tray of tea and put the capon in the oven on a very low heat and then bring the tray up and we'd open presents and drink tea. Later on when we had a dog she loved having presents to open and it brought us loads of joy watching her sat on the bed too taking her turn for present opening.
Then we'd get dressed and Dad and I would go down the yard to muck out the horse, it used to be 'our thing'. Treasured memories.

I really miss being able to do this, I left home in 2016 a year before Dad passed away. Now my partner and I open presents together and Mum then comes round for Xmas Day Lunch and tea.

lunathestral · 06/12/2022 10:25

In our house we have an order we open presents in.
Stockings first then a bit of open this one next then this one etc but there's only 3 of us so it's easy

Mainly came about because one year my step son got a couple of switch controllers & a game for Christmas but hadn't opened the console yet

Nurseryprobs · 06/12/2022 10:26

Presents are mixed up under tree, one person is in charge they pick a present at random each time and whoever it's labelled to opens it and so on. Sometimes means someone gets 3 gifts in a row but that's part of the fun, not knowing who's coming next.

pjparty · 06/12/2022 10:28

DreamingofItaly2023 · 06/12/2022 10:22

We have always gone in a circle, one person opening at a time but just one present them on to the next. DH did the same growing up so we have continued it. Opening takes a while but it is lovely to watch others open their gifts.

This is what we do as well, and we break for breakfast

MillyMollyManky · 06/12/2022 10:30

We do ours in the afternooon, one present at a time so you can see what everyone has received. We try to take turns but in a rough way as we don't all receive the same number of gifts.

Original poster
pinkfluffybunny · 06/12/2022 10:45

Thanks everyone, some good ideas.

I like the idea of going round in a circle.

We have never put our presents under the tree as we have under floor heating and worry about spoiling things if they get too hot. They are put in piles on the couches.

Does anyone set up a video camera and record it all? That might be an idea to capture everyone's reactions.

OP posts:
EspeciallyD · 06/12/2022 11:02

We don't put them under the tree as there isn't enough space (it's on a coffee table wedged in a corner) but put them out in a pile for each person on Christmas Eve. Then we take it in turns to open one each, whoever is nearest each pile passes a present from it to the recipient. It takes a while, we break for breakfast too, it also allows me to take a few photos and make a note of who has received what from outside the immediate family.

MayISuggestSomeThickCutSteakChipsToGoWithThat · 06/12/2022 11:14

We always took it in turns. It was to see why the other person got plus it made it feel like it lasted longer as well. I remember my first Xmas with my exH and ex in-laws theirs was just a free for all. Even then I couldn't just rip into my presents at the same time as everyone else. To me it just feels too impersonal especially when someone's taken the time to choose you present.

SirenSays · 06/12/2022 11:19

We take it in turns and go slowly actually looking at each item so we have things to open all day. I love it this way.
My DHs family run downstairs at 5am and rush to open everything in 10 minutes, Christmas feels like it's over before breakfast is even cooked.

pecanpie24 · 06/12/2022 11:19

Always open up presents one by one, so everyone can appreciate what they have.

Hairgician · 06/12/2022 11:32

dc presents are put out in their separate piles. We let them open them once everyone is up. Usually at stupid oclock as the eldest wont wait so wakes the others up🙄. Usually a free for all but the younger ones tend to want to get out whatever it is to use, then after 30secs its onto next one. So my living room ends up in total chaos that i cant look at without getting palpitations 🤣🤣
Myself and dp leave our presents til after they go to bed and sit with a glass of wine in peace to open.

maddy68 · 06/12/2022 11:32

Take it in turns to open presents

PuttingDownRoots · 06/12/2022 11:36

DDs take turns. With DH and I opening ours every few turns.

DDs et utterly spoilt by family so we spread it out over the day.

Stockings are in our bed first thing though, and DDs open things at the same time.

Lcb123 · 06/12/2022 11:37

I think going in a circle one at a time is nice - and prelongs it a bit, otherwise the present opening must be over very fast! Then you also have time to note presents and who gave them, for thank yous.

SantasFlaws · 06/12/2022 11:42

We always take it in turns. Not a strict order, but a vague attempt to even it out.
Each person opens their present while everyone watches.
In bumper years, we take quite a few breaks for coffee, breakfast etc.

PinkPink1 · 06/12/2022 11:49

As children, we just opened our presents in the morning and then our parents opened theirs afterwards whilst we were playing. There were 2 of us though so very different to 4. As teens, we just all opened our presents at the same time. We said thank you and showed our excitement. I always find it awkward opening my presents whilst everyone watches, but this can’t be avoided at my birthday. I can’t imagine being a child and told to wait for my sibling to finish opening theirs.

caringcarer · 06/12/2022 11:59

We have a hot drink and breakfast first. In a circle starting with youngest and go around one at a time for stocking gifts. Big gift from us to children and children to us and each other under tree opened after lunch and up until now Queen's speach. This year Kings's speach. My children are grown up now but we have always done this from when they were tiny and sometimes when they were small they would want to stop to play with a toy or read a book so sometimes remainder of stocking got left until Boxing day.

BooksAndHooks · 06/12/2022 11:59

The kids sit with their smaller under the tree and open all together and me and DH watch.

We clear the paper etc away and then the kids open their main present one at a time so we can watch properly.

midnight90 · 06/12/2022 11:59

Growing up we passed all the presents out to the correct person, so we all had our own pile and then one by one we watched each other open the presents. I still do this now with my husband and this year will be the same even though we have a 7-month-old she will be 'helping' in her own little way even though she won't understand haha.

Ihavedogs · 06/12/2022 12:07

Take it in turns here taking into account some folks have more presents than others. Best to avoid someone having opened their smaller amount and them then having to wait for everyone else to open theirs. It doesn’t seem quite so bad if someone opens a couple in a row before moving on to the next person. However we don’t have a large household.

wednesday32 · 06/12/2022 12:09

we would take turns so my mum would pick a present for my sister to open, once my sister opened her gift she would then pick a gift for me or my dad, then that person picks the gift for my mum, and it would go round like that. If there was a gift that was joint, or two similar for me and my sister then we would be given them at the same time to open.