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Christmas

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Original poster

Present opening in your house

114 replies

user375242 · 10/12/2022 18:23

How do you do it? Free for all? One by one? I am admittedly a total control freak in our house, and like to maintain some kind of order (in all other aspects of my life I am not an orderly person!) but it is only done in an attempt to maximize excitement. I found out last year that my older sibling does exactly the same with his family, despite us having different upbringings, which I thought was funny.

Everyone opens stockings on our bed, and during this time one of the adults will go downstairs and make tea/coffee to bring up and also turn on the christmas lights. Then we all go to the kitchen, and no-one can peek in the living room yet. We have a long drawn out breakfast of everyone's favourite breakfast foods, Santa pancakes, croissants, eggs Benedict etc along with Christmas music. Then it is on to the tree presents, the kids take it in turns to pick a present and open it or pass it on to who it's for, I deliberately don't use individual wrapping paper per person to add to the mystery.

If we have to visit family then I do speed it up a bit by passing them out myself a bit faster, or if someone wants to stop and play with something they can. I make sure I've put accessories that go with main presents right at the back of the tree so they aren't opened first.

Am I a total kill joy, or do others do this too? How does it work in your house? Separate piles, run down to the tree first thing? Breakfast after presents? I love planning these small things, and hearing how others do it, it gets me so excited.

OP posts:
Hopemax · 10/12/2022 18:28

I think your way sounds lovely, OP. We do similar except we tend to start presents and then break for breakfast. We have one DC and his presents outnumber ours greatly so he tends to do a few between each of ours.

HelenaJustina · 10/12/2022 18:29

Stockings in bed before breakfast, super early as we’ll be at 9am Mass. DC usually come and join us in our bedroom to show each other what they’ve got.

Presents under the tree, opened after Mass once I’ve done a tiny bit of lunch prep and opened fizz. Give out one at a time and the person who bought/chose it, gives it to the recipient.

We sometimes wait and do ones from extended family after tea (big family)

clareykb · 10/12/2022 18:32

We do stockings in the morning and don't do big family presents until after Lunch this is because FIL was a consultant at a childrens hospital and always went in with dh and his siblings Christmas morning and my family were involved in church music and always were playing in christmas morning services so although neither is still the case it just stuck!

TheGriffle · 10/12/2022 18:32

Stockings on our bed at whatever ungodly hour they wake up, then downstairs for presents. Everyone has their own pile and we take it in turns. Breakfast and a cup of tea is made inbetween opening.

MrsPear · 10/12/2022 18:33

The kids come charging in shouting he has been and plonk there sacks on us as we try and wake / sit up. Blurry eyed we go oh isn’t he clever and that’s great - Santa does the little stuff here think bath bombs, books and novelty socks. Then we battle to get up amongst paper and fight to the loo. After breakfast we all sit (we always have other here family too) and we slowly go through the presents - we tend to do one person at a time and open their gifts. So we open all aunty jeans then nanny etc I make a note for the children’s thank you cards.

MrsPear · 10/12/2022 18:35

Oh and the gifts from h’s side are left until new year as that’s there Christmas.

Honeybirds87 · 10/12/2022 19:35

We do stockings in bed first thing, then kids go to living room to see present from santa (one unwrapped present) then we have breakfast and the everyone opens their own pile. Mine DC are young but generally take their time and see what each other is getting. My dad and mum bring more presents in the evening

SushiGo · 10/12/2022 19:39

We're as relaxed as we can be and also still know who gave what and do thank yous.

It's all a bit unbearably too much pressure for our autistic child otherwise, everyone staring at you while you have to effusively thank the giver for something that maybe you don't really like.

Everyone opening things at paced out but still more or less at once means thank yous can still be given but without all the attention and pressure to say the right thing.

Hugasauras · 10/12/2022 19:42

We do similar to you, OP. One present is opened at a time. We spent Christmas elsewhere once and everyone was opening their piles at once and I found it really chaotic and rushed (that's the only child in me!).

escapingthecity · 10/12/2022 19:44

Stockings as soon as everyone wakes up. Then breakfast, church, back to prep for lunch. Maybe open a couple of presents then. But the bulk of presents are opened after the Queen's Speech. My dad/DH/FIL (depending on where we are) picks out presents and hands them to everyone so we take turns to open them. It can take a couple of days to open everything!

Boooooot · 10/12/2022 19:47

Stockings in our bed, down to open presents with a hot drink. Husband cooks breakfast while I tidy away rubbish and kids play with presents.

WeWereInParis · 10/12/2022 19:52

When we're with DH's family we open presents one by one and I hate it. I find it so stressful! Everyone staring at you while you open a present! I love to read so I get a lot of books, and it's hard to be effusive about a book, because you've not read it yet. So I always end up just being watched while I read the blurb, then say some version of "oh this looks good" which never sounds enthusiastic enough. I overthink it I know but I hate it.

I prefer my family's way which is a free for all but obviously you thank the person - it's just less pressure as no one is staring at you while you open something.

sunshineandrain82 · 10/12/2022 20:28

Stockings in bed.

In our house each child has their own paper, and Santa has a paper. (This is because 2 of our children have significant SEN, which the reasoning behind will be explained)

All are mixed under our tree though. While we are making breakfast it is the children's job to sort the presents into piles (so the 2 that are unable to read will be helped by 2 other siblings to work out there paper then can help) the other 2 siblings we tend to sort the ones from Santa and family.

We then let the children unwrap after breakfast

If our eldest is on her year with visiting other family for Christmas morning then then others will unwrap some in morning. Some in the afternoon with their sister.

BT11 · 10/12/2022 20:30

Your way sounds great!

I may copy this idea when my baby is big enough to understand the idea of Christmas 🎄

DilemmaDelilah · 10/12/2022 20:43

@escapingthecity we do the same as you, except that it's usually one of the children that passes the presents out. We don't have huge piles of presents, we have always done just one present per person (unless they actually go together), and we go round by age with either the oldest or the youngest going first. The main reason for doing it that way is so that a note can be made of who have what to whom, and proper thanks can be given. When I was a child we had to write thank you letters but nowadays a text or a phone call is sufficient.

escapingthecity · 10/12/2022 20:44

@DilemmaDelilah when the kids are older
I def like the idea of getting them to hand round presents. We are sticking to handwritten thank you cards though - at the moment we send photo postcards to older relatives from the children which they like receiving

Sagittarius25 · 10/12/2022 20:46

Just me and DH in our house (and the cats!) but our parents still do us a couple of 'stocking-type' bits so we do those in bed first. Then downstairs, pop the Buck's Fizz to open presents together, then onto breakfast of croissants after presents. (Still big kids at heart and presents come first 😂)

TheMildManneredMilitant · 10/12/2022 20:50

Wow this all sounds very civilised.

We check to see if the mince pie at the bottom of the stairs has gone, then into the living room where ours have separate piles of presents which they all just dive in simultaneously.

Bogglebrain · 10/12/2022 20:52

Stockings in bed then downstairs for breakfast. No one is allowed in living room till DH and I are ready.

presents have already been sorted into piles so everyone can open - but we do keep some order (and take a note of who bought what) while we take photos.

twoandcooplease · 10/12/2022 20:55

This is our first year setting a proper Christmas and I think I might take on board your itinerary op it sounds wonderful!
I bagsy dp makes the tea!

Original poster
user375242 · 10/12/2022 21:46

SushiGo · 10/12/2022 19:39

We're as relaxed as we can be and also still know who gave what and do thank yous.

It's all a bit unbearably too much pressure for our autistic child otherwise, everyone staring at you while you have to effusively thank the giver for something that maybe you don't really like.

Everyone opening things at paced out but still more or less at once means thank yous can still be given but without all the attention and pressure to say the right thing.

That's a very good point. One of mine is autistic and has always seemed totally fine with how we do it, but just tonight said they weren't sure how to react to presents or it they did it right and said she's been acting to a certain degree. I just thought she was REALLY excited at some presents but maybe it was all put on 🤦‍♀️. This year I might get her to give out the presents and then she can open her own when she's ready if she'd rather wait (I don't think she will be able to though 😂).

OP posts:
JaceLancs · 10/12/2022 21:52

DC are adults now
All presents are distributed so that each person has a small pile next to them - we then take it in turns to open until everyone runs out - obviously some people finish before others but there’s not usually a huge differential and we all enjoy seeing others open the gifts we have chosen

usernotfound0000 · 10/12/2022 21:57

There's no restraint in our house! Stockings opened on our bed, then we head down to check that Santa has been and each child dives in to opening their pile. They only have presents from us and Santa under the tree so no need to take note of who things are from and there's no turn taking! Maybe when they're older they might do that.

crosstalk · 10/12/2022 22:01

My DC got alarmed by rapacious openings of masses of presents from an early age when they were at family or friends.
So - Christmas stocking. Then presents after lunch/walk. Some are held over to Boxing Day if the givers are coming then.
It helped them appreciate gifts and admire them. Makes it a lot more peaceful.
Then thank you letters (or later, emails insta or text) with a wish for a good New Year.
Both DC continue this on.

carefulcalculator · 10/12/2022 22:02

We have no young children now, but still get up early, do stockings then all other presents first thing - usually 6am latest. We pass them out and only one present is opened at a time.

Then we have breakfast.