Present opening in your house

[user375242]

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.

We get up and the kids run downstairs and rip the paper off the sitting room door. We all go in and open our presents. My kids would hate to wait around before opening but each to their own.

My children are young so still need help opening gifts, but in my house it's always been a free for all. Sometimes we might direct people to open their gifts in a particular order if one is an accessory to the main gift or something like that.

I think one difference is that we don't have gifts from family under the tree, so no need to keep tabs. Family gifts are opened when we see each person over the Christmas period, so they can be thanked on the spot.

Free for all.

Stockings in our bed (DS's are 4 and 6) then downstairs into living room. Father Christmas brings them two big (usually second hand) presents which are in separate paper at the front of the tree and they open one or both of them. Then we all have breakfast, usually croissants and a cup of tea, then open the rest with the boys handing out one at a time. Might try and make everyone get dressed after breakfast this year before mass present opening, but it's just us on Christmas Day this year so may just decide to slob in PJs all morning. Christmas dinner is at our normal dinnertime of 5.30 so nobody has to rush off to the kitchen to prep food in the morning. ILs and cousin coming boxing Day this year so probably do presents for/from them then so that'll spread it out a bit. I can't believe some children will wait until mid afternoon to start opening presents!!

As a child, we opened stockings when we woke up (my mum said it was so we didn't wake them up!) and presents under the tree were not opened until after lunch. My Ex H thought I was a total control freak because i didn't like the way his family (who came over on Xmas day) all opened their presents at the same time. I would much prefer to watch each person open what they have -I find it more fun than opening my own.

We open stockings in our bed, I make them open one at a time, that wastes about 45 minutes, then we venture to the kitchen. They are usually too excited to eat so breakfast gets pushed till after tree presents.
they usually open Santa’s presents at the same time. Presents from us and others get passed one at a time.

Pretty similar:

• stockings on our bed - no waking us up util 8am - then someone goes to make tea and we go through each sticking in turn - used to start with youngest but now random order.
• downstairs to do presents under the tree that miraculously multiplied over night. We go in turn selecting from under the tree and watch as each one is opened - tends to go DC1, DC2, adult, DC1, DC2, different adult
• break for breakfast, to put bird on, drink tea, play with presents opened so far
• carry on after break until all presents are done.

one parent notes who gave who what for the thank yous - we too are careful that accessories to presents are towards the back of the tree so the main thing is opened first. All presents under the tree are from who they are from. All presents in stocking are from Father Christmas and are little bits and bobs, chocolate, tangerine etc

We love our Christmas

When I was a kid we always had to wait until after the Queens speech, and if we dared to complain, an additional hour was added on for each complaint! I think one year it was 6pm before anything got opened! I used to dream of all being around the tree in the morning, opening things in our dressing gowns!

So obviously when I had DC that’s exactly what happened! They used to wake up with their stockings super early 3 or 4am sometimes. Then generally present opening would be around 8am. Then a nice leisurely breakfast. We’ve always taken turns, partly as it also makes it last longer than everyone just diving in.

No stockings in our house. I get woken up with a cuppa and then we open the presents one at a time so we can gasp and ooooh and aaaah over all of them. My brother stayed with us one year and his kids just ripped everything open in a matter of minutes. I think he thought we were control freaks/bonkers for taking it one present at a time.

We do:
Christmas Eve: Children leave Santa sack on their bedroom door handle and mince pie/booze by the front door as we don't have a fireplace.
Christmas morning: Children bring full sacks up to us and open their presents. Santa brings a few medium sized gifts like Lego sets, Barbies etc as well as one bigger item and some stocking filler type things. He also brings one thing we've seen on TV of which I have vocally disapproved. Then cooked breakfast and some playing/chocolate eating.

We go to my mum's for Christmas lunch along with my siblings and niblings and bring our family presents which have been waiting under our tree and add them to my mum's pile. After lunch, we hand out a present to each person from the tree collection and start unwrapping. One or two children will be designated hander-outers and will keep them coming. Eventually all the presents will be unwrapped and everyone says thank you and tries things on or starts opening toy packaging etc.

Then! We all make a big space on the floor and ensure small bits are out of the way before a mysterious extra parcel is given to each person, labelled "Love from Father Xmas" in my mum's handwriting. On a signal, everyone races to unwrap their present but - what a twist - there are many layers of newspaper and old plastic bags to get through first. We all disappear in a sea of debris and eventually emerge triumphant with a very small gift (E.g. novelty pen). The room is tidied and at least one lost earring/tiny Elsa is located.

Finally, everyone has a cup of tea and at least one adult has a little doze. Someone will say we had better get started on Christmas tea even though we are all still full from lunch. After tea, a new game is tried out.

Presents from family friends are usually opened on Boxing Day as otherwise it is just too much for the children to cope with in one day!

Our dc are pretty much grown up but we haven't changed how we do things. Stocking are in living room beside the tree so first they open their stockings, then all the presents under the tree which are just from us so no need to sort. Breakfast is usually just chocolate.

"I can't believe some children will wait until mid afternoon to start opening presents!"

Well that depends on what you tell them is normal, doesn't it? They've already waited days or weeks to get to their presents? They can wait a couple more hours if that's when you've told them is the time for present opening!

In our house it has always been the norm that stockings are for first thing in the morning, then it's Christmas lunch (with crackers specially chosen to entertain little ones for a while) and then..PRESENTS! It's the way we've always done it so it's absolutely normal for them. And keeps the fun of the day lasting an awful lot longer than if you snatched off all the wrappings of the most exciting gifts at breakfast.

I couldn't agree more!

Being watched whilst opening presents is excruciating to me and I hate even doing in front of my wonderful DH of 31 years.

Thank God we don't have that with my Il's.

I always feel lke a dog being given a bone who just wants to run away and chew on it in private

We are nowhere as civilised as most of the PP 😅

DC bring their stockings in to us, and they're opened upstairs. Then we go downstairs to see what Santa has brought. We've always said that all the presents are from Santa but we have to give him money. We don't really have any family to give the DC presents other than DM and we see her later on in the day and she gives them their present then so no need to worry about thank you notes.

Both the DC dive right in at the same time, there's definitely none of the whole taking it in turns. That does sound really lovely but definitely wouldn't work here, and neither would the waiting until after breakfast/later in the day. Both of mine are autistic and being the only one opening a gift with everyone watching would be excruciating. I don't know any autistic person who doesn't struggle with being watched opening gifts (I'm autistic too).

Waiting to open the presents would also be difficult - they both get really overstimulated from the excitement and when they were smaller, Christmas was utter hell because they couldn't cope with the build-up and anticipation. We actually have our own tradition in this house which is that they get Boxing Day boxes. Years ago my DM got them wooden red post boxes made with their name on. On Boxing Day, these arrive at some point filled with smaller gifts that they sit and unwrap.

Before anyone groans at yet another expansion of Christmas Day presents, it was taken out of the budget for Christmas Day and created deliberately so that the DC didn't get overloaded with too many things to open on Christmas Day. It really used to be a bastard of a day, but has gotten easier now they're older (just turned 13 yrs old). I didn't want to skimp on gifts but we found that too much was just awful so we spread their presents over the two days. I've sort of hinted that maybe they would like them just on Christmas Day now but they both adamantly like the Boxing Day box so I guess that's our tradition forever more now 😅

It's funny actually, I haven't stopped to think about past Christmases for a long time now, and it's crazy how absolutely terrible they used to be. By keeping everything very low-key and relaxed, we now manage to enjoy the day and have a really lovely time. it took me a few years to work out that doing things the traditional way just wouldn't work for us as a family.

Santa brings all the presents here (but parents send money ‘for the materials’). Sacks are left on the landing and we take them downstairs to open them where there’s a big shared item (this year a toy shop and theatre) wrapped next to the tree. Opening presents is just a free for all, they’re too excited but will usually stop throughout to open and play with things. All I control is the collection of wrapping paper to make sure presents don’t end up in it. DH will make a cup of tea whilst they open them.

After dinner is time for presents from any family members or friends that have given them before Christmas Day. There’s usually a few from my aunts and uncles and DHs friend. We will see both DHs and my family separately on Boxing Day and do presents with them then.

No really pattern everyone just opens them the way they want, I don't see need to have a way to do it

We all do it at the same time but is as far as the same thing goes

Stockings in bed (DC usually pile into our bed for this) and then presents from Santa in the morning. Family presents wait until after lunch.

This sounds lovely. In our household the children wake really early there's just no keeping them in bed so xmas starts very early which is annoying because it feels like the excitement is gone by 7am. This year we will be splitting the presents so some under the tree and others will be given after breakfast and lunch. Hopefully they will enjoy it more.

Stockings in bed and then rest of presents after lunch. From a farming family so I think that was the point at which my dad could relax having done the bulk of the work before the evenings tasks. Love the anticipation of waiting till after lunch and so does DD so have continued it fir my family. DS does the same.

Your way sounds lovely!
Growing up, we always had presents one by one! I can't imagine a free for all. We did much the same as you really - no looking in the living room until after breakfast. Breakfast was always drawn out for maximum anticipation!
For many years, my mum didn't put names on our presents. Instead she numbered them and kept a list so she knew who's was who's. It was exciting for us because we had no idea what to expect!
Present opening would take us hours :)

I definitely look forward to doing the same in my house. We only have one 18 month old so not quite there yet!

@user375242 no chance in our house! I'm not sure how on earth you do this, mine are absolutely ecstatic on Xmas Day and the youngest 2 are downstairs in a flash! My eldest is disabled and needs help but insists on getting stuck in as quickly as possible.

I honestly can't wrap my head around it any other way.

Maybe shen they're all adults they will sit quietly opening their gifts in stages! I think I will miss the wild frenzy on Christmas morning though.

Stockings in our bed at whatever early hour of the morning the kids wake up at, then tea/coffee and breakfast all together in bed whilst the kids watch a Christmas film and give us a chance to wake up a bit!

We then get dressed and head downstairs, start Christmas lunch prep if we're hosting (which we are this year) and the kids open a few more presents (the ones from us). We do it one by one so 1) it lasts longer and 2) I don't miss the look on their faces as they open something they really wanted! We save the presents from others until family arrived mid/late morning and usually there is enough for the kids to spread them out over before and after lunch especially as they stop to play with each present as they open it. Adults tend to wait until after lunch as we do secret Santa in our families for the adults so usually only 2/3 presents each to open.

We are similar to you @user375242 stockings in bed with coffee/hot chocolate. Then breakfast, get dressed if you want, then tree presents.

This year my eldest is 13 and likes to sleep but the younger 2 will wake at an ungodly hour. We've compromised by agreeing to let them watch TV in our bed until a reasonable hour and then we will start the above.

We also have an autistic dc, we are a big fan of lists in this family. And for him I stick exactly to it with no random surprises, even the stocking. That way he knows what to expect

Similar to you on that we all open stockings on our bed, Christmas music on the radio, during which time DH or I will make coffee. Then we go down for tree presents. DS is 4 but not yet at the year the paper of in a relentless marathon stage (took him 3 days and encouragement to open birthday presents recently) he likes to play with/read each one.. So when we've opened some and he's playing I'll start to make breakfast, DS likes to 'help ', DH will have a quick shower. We'll have breakfast and then resume presents, DS will get stuck playing again and I'll shower. If we're at home this will just continue until we go for a walk/people arrive and at some point we pull him away to shower and dress before that happens.
This year we're going to DBs so there will be a shorter timeline. He's likely to still have things to open boxing Day.

DC older teens now but we have always done stockings on our bed in the morning (was 6am, now more like 10am 😁)

We used to do presents after lunch around 4pm but this year they’ve asked to have lunch later about 5pm and we will do presents after midday champagne and snacks.

The one non negotiable is opening presents one at a time, so the recipient can thank and the giver can see the reaction. DHs family rip them all open at once which I find really rude and jarring.

Obvs takes ages my way but what else is there to do on Christmas Day?!