Do you have a present opening routine?

[ThePlantKiller]

Growing up, DSis and I would find our presents all set out, unwrapped, on the sofa so there wasn't much in the way of actual present opening when I was a kid and our parents would still be lying in bed long after we had started playing with our new toys.

For several years now DH and I have the kids bring their stockings into our room and we watch them look through them, before we all go downstairs together and everyone takes a turn opening a present. I'd say I much prefer this to my own experience growing up.

What does everyone else do, I'd love to hear what your traditions are (if you have any - a paper ripping frenzy is possibly a tradition of sorts too!)

We have a pile of presents under the tree, and we play a trivia game where you take it in turns to answer a question from a trivia book or game, if you get it right then you pick any present and whoever's it is opens it.
Sounds long winded but it makes the presents last all morning around breakfast etc and usually causes some spirited debates around the questions 😄

No. My MIL insists that the kids open her gifts to them when she’s there. It’s so awkward. They’re very little and not of an age where they graciously cover up their disappointment or disinterest in a present. So I have to jolly them along and make them profusely thank her. It’s really cringe and feels performative. In my family we just dump the gift bag on the table and say ‘presents there’ before jumping at the mince pies/twiglets/mulled wine. The kids just open as soon as they get downstairs while I watch with a coffee.

We wake our son up early so he can open presents, my husband then goes off to work usually for 8am. I go to family with my son and then we have meal around 4pm when husband arrives.

The joys of being married to a kitchen manager, think he's had 2 or 3 Christmas days off over last 20 years.

We put the presents into piles in front of the tree with their stocking in front of the pile and santa present (1 gift and stocking come from santa so different wrap). We come down, they open their stockings first and then presents but at the same time no turn taking necessary.

Although stockings at the end of our beds was one of my favourite Christmas traditions growing up, my stepdaughter felt uncomfortable about the idea of santa going into her room so once she moved in with us and we had her younger brothers we've done stockings downstairs. Which also lessens the risk of waking them up in the night and we get to see them open everything so I'm happy with our new tradition!

We've been we done stockings. Santa is very moral in our home and provides sharing presents like board games. Like hell is he getting credit for the good stuff!

Christmas music on the TV. We open a present each before breakfast, then have a very fancy breakfast of the bake your own pain au chocolat and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with hot chocolate (all favourites). Then we open the rest one by one, watching each one opened. I spin it out as much as possible. DH is The Present Distributor (taking over from my dead dad) and is responsible for making sure they're handed out evenly, ending with one each for the kids.

Wow, I sound so anal.

Everything is set up downstairs including stockings. Kids aren't allowed down until the Christmas tree lights are on. The big present for each child is next to their pile of presents which are wrapped in different coloured paper to help differentiate.

We watch them open all their presents obvs they do it at the same time as they are kids and can't wait lol. Then usually as an after thought it's oh we better do our presents lol which is usually a couple for each other that we've bought.

When the in laws come round everyone just starts opening presents all over the place and I hate it! I'd much rather give presents and watch them open them rather than everyone exchanging presents and the frenzy begins.

With my family it's a little less frenzied and we let the kids open theirs first then the adults which is a bit better.

Also stockings are always the last thing to open here. Seems to go against the tradition for most. For me it's like that's the little shitey presents so don't do them first lol.

Kids wake up. Stockings opened in our room normally although older one opened his in his own room last year due to not wanting to get up as early! All downstairs together and " Santa presents" opened by DC. Then breakfast. Then family gifts one by one from under the tree.

Kids wake up at 1am 🙄, then get sent back to bed because Santa hasn't been and is panicking having just finished wrapping presents!
Santa leaves stockings on our door handles. Kids wake up again, 7am and son goes to 'check' comes up to his sister's room with his stocking, I listen to them open them and be cute until I can't stand it anymore. We then go down to the lounge and the kids find and open their presents. We have breakfast and then I tell them to check the tree in the fun room, and they find their main present from me.

The kids bring their stockings in to open on our bed and begin their pre-breakfast of sweets, chocolates, and their satsumas. We usually chat for a bit and DCs show us what Santa has brought them.
Then we go downstairs and have an 'oooo' over the tree and presents, DCs settle down to watch a bit of TV and finish any remaining edible stocking fillers which DH and I get dinner prep underway. Then we crack open the bucks fizz and either have breakfast or (new to last year) start on the slow stream of appetizers. Tree presents are opened after breakfast around 11am. We all sit on the floor around the tree, the DCs fetch a present each and deliver them to the recipient, and the 2 gifts are opened before 2 more are fetched.
The stockings are old socks and don't hold big stuff, so I like the DCs to be able to have their gifts before we settle in to the bigger part of the cooking to keep them occupied. I try to keep the whole affair pretty chilled out.

It's always been a rampage in the mornings to open all the presents (kids mainly), I keep a few back for after dinner that they don't know about, I hated waiting until after dinner to open my Christmas presents as a kid, I'd been waiting 364 days already 🤣

I don’t get the whole Christmas morning, Santa has been but making kids wait for hours till after lunch or dinner to open gifts, that’s just cruel to me.

for us, she was younger, bring stocking through to open on our bed, then go downstairs and we would watch her open hers first and then my husband or I open ours next and then the other. Now we all wait till everyone up, but our daughter opens hers first. Then us.

That sounds very unchilled to me, in fact very regimented. They can’t open their gifts when they get up, need to wait, then have to hand two gifts out at a time, and wait till they are opened.

that’s as unchilled as it gets. Chilled is rushing downstairs, seeing the excitement and letting your kids open their gifts.

Stockings and santa presents laid out in a pile each downstairs (next to the fire where santa leaves them) DH and I unpackage and set up these before so they're ready to play with so there's no setting up etc. Big/main gift and stocking stuff aren't wrapped, other gifts are. Open these as soon as everyone gets up in the morning, we all come downstairs together (I get up early and walk the dog, get all the Christmas lights on etc then usually sitiing in bed with a cuppa waiting for kids to wake up.) After santa stuff we have a big buffet breakfast, chill for a bit then open gifts under the tree one at a time so i can take note who got what from who.

Stockings are opened in ds4 room, where me and dd1 co sleep with him 😅 Dp is sent to make tea and turn on tree lights. Ds usually sneaks off for a peek! Then we go to the living room and open gifts/have breakfast snacks etc. Presents last a few days here though often as the kids get engrossed by something special, and we don't push them to open things if they're playing with something new. They don't get loads to be clear, maybe 10-12 from us/santa (1 from him)/family all in, excluding a regular sized stocking.

Possibly things will be different this year with an almost 2yo causing carnage, but she'll probably be busy with her scuttlebug and Elsa doll and not be interested further. This is my experience from ds and much-wanted gifts anyway.

Me and dp open as and when throughout the day. He cooks, I herd children. We have less gifts than them naturally!

Everything is wrapped and in 1 big pile under the tree, except a bike (ds), scuttlebug (dd) and a joint wooden train set which will be set up on dds currently unused room by a tired dp on Christmas eve 😁

When they were little: stockings in their rooms which they would bring through and open on our bed. Tree presents after breakfast in a wrapping paper frenzy 😃

Now they are teens: stockings downstairs as they stay up far later than —me— Santa on Christmas Eve 😁 In the morning DH and I have a peaceful breakfast together and they emerge some time —very— late morning. Then we do presents together - still in a wrapping present frenzy 😁

I think we're applying 'chilled' to different aspects of the day - you're applying it to following a format/tradition (or not), I was applying it to the pace of the day.
It's not regimented at all, just calm, lazy and meandering. It happens quite naturally and isn't forced. The format is just our tradition and nobody is desperately waiting to open more gifts immediately upon coming downstairs, as DCs have plenty to occupy themselves with from the stockings. Part of the pleasure is the anticipation, and it's nice to extend the experience. We like seeing what each other have been given too, which can't happen if everyone is opening everything all at once.
Horses for course though: "Chilled is rushing downstairs" is a contradiction in my eyes and nothing like my definition of chilled either! Fast paced with everything open before the kettle has boiled would be an extremely quick way to reach overwhelm with my DCs, and I prefer not to start the day managing a meltdown!

DCs have sacks, not stockings, they leave them in front of the fireplace (when they were little it was too risky having them in their rooms for fear of being seen, plus dd was slightly freaked out at the thought of Santa coming into her bedroom while she slept).
Once everyone is up the dc open their presents while we drink tea and watch. We also put some easy bake cinnamon rolls in the oven so the house smells good 😊

DC sleep in our bedroom on Xmas Eve night like a sleepover (DM stays over and we don't have a spare room so she has Ds bed) so DC stockings are already in our bedroom when wake up. Stockings are the only thing that father Christmas brings in our house, all other presents are from us/family.
So they open their stockings in our bed, then into the living room all together, have quickish breakfast and play with stocking stuff, get a coffee/bucks fizz ready and then we open all other presents that are under the tree.
One persons job is to hand out the presents from the jumbled pile under the tree, and we open presents one at a time watching each other open rather than all opening at the same time, and we just take it in turns (cheating the order sometimes to make it seem more even if needed- for DC benefit)

When I was little: stocking opened in my room at silly o’clock, downstairs to compare with DSis a bit later. One big present from Santa (usually something to do!). Presents with a leisurely breakfast about 10. One at a time (never even occurred to me that this was joyless!) to great mutual appreciation. Only exception was if DSis and I had matching presents when we’d open at the same time.

Now: stockings are brought through to our bed and all four of us open them in turn to vast excitement. Downstairs, breakfast, chapel and drinks, home for some presents then lunch then possibly more presents (when small this went on until Boxing Day). On Boxing Day we all have a second stocking from DMum (who cannot resist buying everyone lots of little presents as well as the main one…usually consumables, so very welcome!).

Adults exchange gifts on Christmas Eve once kids are in bed with mulled wine and mince pies.

Kids bring their stockings into our bed to open. Then we all go downstairs and the kids presents are under the tree. They open them at the same time whilst we watch, then they take turns to open their Main gift one at a time.

They have presents from other relatives after Christmas dinner.

OP that actually made me feel really sad for you as a child. Why on earth would your parents unwrap your presents for you? And then they stayed in bed whilst you were playing 😢
DD14 always wants money so she has very little to open. DH & I sit down around mid morning & take it in turns to open our presents.

they most likely didnt unwrap them. They probably didnt wrap them in the first place.

We used to have a routine:

Very early they used to bring their stocking to our bed and open them with us and we encouraged them to snooze a little more with us - it didn't work in the early day but we tried to keep them upstairs until about 7ish.

Very quick breakfast - they usually had chocolate, we had a biscuit.

DD and I left for church at 8.45 as I always was head sidesman on Christmas morning and she had to get ready for choir.

Mass at 9.30, all the family came.

Home by 11.30 when we had presents champagne and smoked salmon triangles. DH doled out the present one at a time from under the tree. He opened his at 6.30pm - more of that later.

Lunch at 3pm

Tea, cake, and or more wine ready for 6.15pm. DS then had his birthday cards and presents and dh opened his Christmas presents.

They are grown up now and grandparents are fewer and the remaining are frail. It's sh1t.

Growing up we would do our stockings in our parents room and then go down open one tree present and then breakfast. The rest of the presents would spread throughout the day and sometimes would even be told to leave some until Boxing Day. I absolutely hated it as a child just wanted to open the presents.
In my house now I hang the stockings on the banister on the landing due to fear of them catching me, it also means until they’re awake enough to get out of bed then they don’t know if ‘Santa’ has been. We do stockings on my bed and then go downstairs and it’s pretty much a free for all. I do have to remind the older 2 to slow down because the younger 2 can’t keep up. All the presents are all mixed together under the tree so they have to hunt the ones with their name on. It’s absolutely chaos but I love it.