Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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:
purser25 · 06/12/2022 19:20

I think when we were little my parents would carefully open the end of the presents from relations so they could note down what we had so they could thank them. When we got older all the presents were written down so we could write thank you letters. I still make a note of what I have had. Not so much now. My 97 year old mother still likes to make a note except that she keeps on miss laying the book. We don’t always open everything at once because it can get overwhelming for her. There are no children, as a child some presents were held back for Boxing Day. We always visited my Grandma on Christmas afternoon she often got us slippers. They were kept warm in the fireplace always with some chocolate coins or parcels tucked into the toes.

Livpool · 06/12/2022 19:30

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.

We do this - it calms DS down a bit!

Tayegete · 06/12/2022 19:38

We always take turns although DH and I have much less so have to eke them out - 1 present to every 3 or 4 of the kids. To be fair it works better now they are teens when they were little it was hard to hold them back.

mam0918 · 06/12/2022 19:41

Also Ill add on top of how we do the wrapped gifts (each have a turn in the circle) the order goes:

  1. tree gifts from us to the kids in the morning (first thing)
  2. sofa gifts (unwraped gifts delivered by santa so they just play with everything)
  3. dinner (crackers etc...)
  4. santa sacks (gifts from santa)
  5. stockings (just a tradition of sweets and little things)
  6. bed

We usually do gifts from family (who have sent gifts) either on the night or more often on boxing day.

It spreads it out and helps us keep control.

LillethCrane · 06/12/2022 19:51

DC bring their stockings onto our bed and they open them as we have a cup of tea. We don’t open tree presents until after dinner is eaten and all cleaning up done. Then we sit in a circle and one child has the job of handing out all the gifts. At that point, we each take it in turns to open a gift whilst everyone else watches and oohs and aahs! It makes the day feel longer rather than having it all over by breakfast.

Natsku · 06/12/2022 19:55

We take turns so we can all see what each other got. Did the same when I was growing up except my mum also wrote clues on the gift tags and we would try to guess first and everyone else would join in guessing (or shout it's a Brussel sprout, which was a "thing" in our family)

HyggeandTea · 06/12/2022 20:07

I love Christmas. Not many gifts to open these days, so the (older) kids have a stocking with fun things from toysforapound, then one main present and a couple of small gifts from family which they can open after breakfast.

The dog and cat open theirs at the same time!

I buy something silly but fun for Boxing Day for everyone and use them as a table present with dinner.

I hope our Christmas gets bigger again (as in the amount of people) - lost a lot of people over the last few years, but in 10 years there will be a different dynamic again. I still love Christmas.

allboysherebutme · 06/12/2022 22:34

We have some in the morning big main presents and then family walk ect, dinner, then more present opening. X

lightisnotwhite · 06/12/2022 22:49

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.

Ha! I am friends with a very “popular” ( posh) family that were lovely and got so many presents they used to cover under the tree and literally went half down the living room! Goodness knows how they opened them all before lunch.
however a very lovely thank you card or personal email was always received so it didn’t feel wasted giving them something.

GreyGreyGrey · 06/12/2022 23:01

After an early Christmas, when I found myself cooking Christmas dinner with no shower and hadn’t even brushed my teeth- I put my foot down.

Every Christmas after that the children were allowed to have their stockings and run downstairs to see if Santa left any unwrapped presents but that was it. DH and I would stumble downstairs and enjoy their excited faces. Then it was a stop. While DC enjoyed their stockings, DH and I went and showered. Then we cooked a full breakfast (protein to make it to an early dinner with all the trimmings!)

After clearing up breakfast, we would sit down and open presents, one at a time. I’d be there with a pad snd pencil taking notes for the Thank you cards.

This may sound strict, but it draws out the excitement of the day, and it kept me from having a meltdown by the evening.

ITSSSSCHRISTMASSS · 06/12/2022 23:03

It’s a free for all in our house too. I position myself so I can see them come in the room with my phone recording, DH is behind them. I usually record for about a min but DH keeps recording, eventually putting his phone somewhere he can capture as much as possible. DH is really good at capturing things I miss. At some point that night I will watch both videos capturing the best shots.

My oldest is getting good at waiting to open hers, she likes to wait to see if we are watching her.

forevercooking · 07/12/2022 00:05

Question for those who open stockings on the bed. Where are those stockings before they're opened? By the fireplace? On the door? On the end of the bed?
Do they start off on the fireplace and once filled move to the bedroom? Or do the kids run down and get them from the fireplace?

ADifferentKindofChristmas · 07/12/2022 00:14

DepIndoChridmadWidMe · 06/12/2022 18:47

Oh God, I'd hate an audience when opening presents. I'd rather not get anything.

At last!

I have found my people!Xmas Grin

PuttingDownRoots · 07/12/2022 00:23

forevercooking · 07/12/2022 00:05

Question for those who open stockings on the bed. Where are those stockings before they're opened? By the fireplace? On the door? On the end of the bed?
Do they start off on the fireplace and once filled move to the bedroom? Or do the kids run down and get them from the fireplace?

Hung on bedroom door handles, then left on end of bed when filled.

MrsSkylerWhite · 07/12/2022 00:27

Stockings on our bed then downstairs for one each from under the tree. Then, showers, clean pj’s for the day, breakfast and then the rest of the presents.

VivienneDelacroix · 07/12/2022 00:35

One of us sits by the tree and hands a present to one person at a time - as in "This one's for Granny from Uncle George" - pass to Granny who opens it, then move to the next present. If the children have the same present (eg all have a watch) then we give them the presents at the same time so they all get an equal surprise. This year they all have exactly the same except for one present each from an uncle, so it's going to be very coordinated! (Having said that - they only have three presents each, so it's hardly a stress!)

AlwaysLatte · 07/12/2022 00:49

We've always opened them one at a time so we can watch each other open them. It's what we did as a child, I thought everyone did.

AlwaysLatte · 07/12/2022 00:50

(Stockings opened in bedrooms).

AlwaysLatte · 07/12/2022 00:53

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.
We do this (although the 'picker', usually one of the children volunteers, will pick a different one if it's the same person as before).

Ragingoverlife · 07/12/2022 01:08

1 present and stocking. Then the rest after Christmas lunch x

Ragingoverlife · 07/12/2022 01:08

1 present and stocking. Then the rest after Christmas lunch x

WeDontNeedToTalkAboutJamie · 07/12/2022 01:25

DC come and get in my bed to open stockings (which aren't wrapped).
Downstairs to put croissants in the oven, then one presents each, opened in turns, wash dress, breakfast etc. That could be in any order depending on what time we got up.

Church.
Home, finish opening presents fro me, unless they have loads, they don't usually. I think they have 3 each this year.

Then at mums presents are opened slowly throughout the day, taking it in turn so we all see what others have.

Presents are jumbled up under the tree, no 'piles' and when the dc were small they had the same number of presents as each other as it would have been obvious if they hadn't.

Adultchildofelderlyparents · 07/12/2022 01:29

I would hate to open presents with everyone watching me, how awkward, and probably boring for those waiting.
Also couldn't be bothered with one at a time or saving for throughout the day.
We always opened presents in the morning. Father Christmas presents were a free for all as soon as woke up. Family presents after breakfast.
Presents have never been the only/main feature of our family Christmases so we wouldn't want to be opening them all day.

rotree · 07/12/2022 01:33

Presents from us/Father Christmas: they open in a mad frenzy- it's unorganised chaos!

Presents from family members. They open one by one so I can quickly jot down who bought what so they can say thank you.

Rules are for every other day! I couldn't imagine having to go one by one in a circle!! Presents are opened in the morning so I can then crack on with the Christmas dinner in peace Grin

mathanxiety · 07/12/2022 03:41

I never wrapped anything.

That way the DCs could pounce on whatever they liked best and there was no pile of waste paper to get rid of. Obv no hours spent wrapping either, which was a big plus with five DCs.