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Christmas

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Original poster

Putting ALL the gifts under the tree

108 replies

BercowsFestiveFlamingo · 18/12/2024 21:31

Except actual stockings (not pillowcases or sacks but things shaped like a long sock stocking).

Do you do it if you have dc?

Mine have a stocking each and then gifts have always gone in sacks except for those from FC which go under the tree when he delivers them. Presents are generally not seen until Christmas morning except for those my mum brings with her that other family have given in advance. She gets a stocking and sack from us here and tells me off every Christmas for spoiling her 😁

The sacks always look great and exciting but sometimes I wonder what it would be like if everything was put under the tree and the dc and mum came down to the oft quoted huge pile on Christmas morning. Would it be chaos with everyone trying to read tags and pass gifts to who they are for? I'd have to actually use tags for a start instead of just putting one tag on the sack to say whose it is.

We aren't ones for change at all but I do wonder if it would be nice to see.

How do you do it in your family if you have dc young or old?

OP posts:
Londoneye20 · 18/12/2024 21:33

Never heard of Christmas sacks tbh

TeddyBeans · 18/12/2024 21:35

All the presents go under the tree. It looks so pretty all stocked up! Our Santa presents go in sacks rather than stockings as the kids are young and the toys are generally large so we have a bit of both

AnneLovesGilbert · 18/12/2024 21:35

Everything under the tree bar stockings hanging oh the mantle here. Never done sacks, what’s the thinking behind them? Different paper for each child so it’s not confusing. Mine are very young so it’s not chaos.

2025willbemytime · 18/12/2024 21:37

I bought a sack years ago and it's still in my Christmas bag. I much prefer the presents all under the tree, with name tags. One child dishes them out. The children have their stockings and they are left in the lounge. One year I put them in their rooms and really missed watching them open them so never again.

Lollypop701 · 18/12/2024 21:46

We use sacks for ours and put them under tree once kids are asleep… they are much too old now but the sacks were from Santa so delivered on Christmas Eve… family presents go under tree. They like digging in to the sack.

We don’t have many family presents, we tend to see family and open presents with them and I have heard too many stories of burglaries and we hide the sacks so I think maybe I have issues 🙈 but it works for us!

DarkAndTwisties · 18/12/2024 21:57

We put all the presents under the tree after DC have gone to bed on Christmas Eve, apart from their stocking which goes on their bed.

NoStrawsLeft · 18/12/2024 21:59

Presents under the tree except stockings. Get handed out to everyone in a pile, then opened one at a time.

Original poster
BercowsFestiveFlamingo · 18/12/2024 22:01

We did pillowcases when they were very young and then got them sacks in the next sale one year when the DDs were about 4 and 2. Ds came along and had a sack from the start. They are placed by the tree. Mum's is put where she sits on the sofa and the dc sit on the floor next to the tree to open.

OP posts:
EveryDayisFriday · 18/12/2024 22:01

All under the tree with labels. I have a great Dymo thermal label maker which produces labels in seconds. The kids get the gifts and distribute them to the recipient, they love digging around for one for Dad because he hasn't had one in a while.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 18/12/2024 22:01

All presents go under the tree other than the sack here. The stockings aren't filled, they're for decorative purposes only.

Norugratsatall · 18/12/2024 22:02

My children are adults now but they used to have a sack each from FC which was at the end of their beds when they woke up. Then one or two presents from family under the tree. As they got older, the sacks were dropped and all gifts were under the tree. Never really done stockings.

anon168231245630 · 18/12/2024 22:02

Everything from us goes under the tree a couple of weeks before Christmas. Santa fills the stockings and leaves presents from him in a sack.

anonny55 · 18/12/2024 22:03

NoStrawsLeft · 18/12/2024 21:59

Presents under the tree except stockings. Get handed out to everyone in a pile, then opened one at a time.

Same here

Elphamouche · 18/12/2024 22:06

Presents for/from wider family and friends go under the tree.

DD’s presents are in a pile on the floor, mine is on one sofa and DH’s on another. When DD is bigger, she will get a sofa and DH and I will share.

Stockings go on the sofa too

Microgal · 18/12/2024 22:09

Mine put a teddy belonging to each of them on the couch/floor space they would like their gifts to be and then that’s where they go…with said teddy on top ☺️

AutoP1lot · 18/12/2024 22:13

Everything is under the tree already. The DC have always been good at leaving them alone until the big day.

The only exception is that the DC leave personalised sacks (about pillow case sized) at the end of their beds when they go to bed on Christmas Eve, which Santa fills.

ExquisiteDecorations · 18/12/2024 22:15

We don’t have space under the tree as it’s on a small table wedged into a corner alcove and hanging over the fireplace and sofa. A few gifts from wider family etc go under there but that’s all. So stockings go on beds, but everything else gets wrapped on Christmas Eve then arranged in piles in front of the fireplace before we go to bed (DCs are adults but we have always done it this way except we used to wrap when they were out of the house). Now we all take turns in one room on Christmas Eve, which is much easier as you don’t have to stash them all away again. We use gift bags so it doesn’t take long. Then in the morning we take turns to unwrap one thing each.

natwalesrug · 18/12/2024 22:20

When my children were little,Presents from Santa in stockings left outside bedroom doors. Main presents under tree after children asleep.
Now they are adults ,it’s just presents under the tree as they are delivered/ wrapped.

Bippityboppitybooo · 18/12/2024 22:31

Like pp, everything under the tree except stockings (actual sock shaped ones) for the littles and the odd voucher/cash in envelope gift, which goes on the tree. All after bedtime on Xmas eve as mine are still little and would lose their minds if they were visible earlier! I use mismatched paper too (except for stockings, each child has their own to prevent mix ups), I love all colours and patterns. I can see how sacks would be more efficient/require less labels, but it's not for me. I am a fan of personalised name stickers instead of hand written tags though to speed up wrapping and labelling.

jannier · 18/12/2024 22:38

You don't have to let them tear into every present it was always the norm to have a stocking to wake up to that kept you amused until after lunch with maybe an odd present every now and then to give the chance to appreciate each one.

Aparecium · 18/12/2024 22:47

We always heap parents under the tree. The pile gradually grows over the week leading up to CD, as does the anticipation. Everyone's gifts are all jumbled together. Part of the fun of CD is taking turns delivering presents to everyone in the room. We don't bother with tags, just write initials on the wrappers.

Stockings are upstairs on the bedposts - placed there by Father Christmas, of course.

longtompot · 18/12/2024 22:50

When mine were younger, and in fact until only a couple of years ago, all the presents would go under the tree on Christmas morning before they get up (or when much younger when I went to bed), and the stockings would go on their bedroom door handle. Now, as they are all over 25, the presents go under the tree as and when I wrap them. They never had sacks.

Hayley1256 · 18/12/2024 22:58

Mine all go under the tree and are wrapped in a different wrapping paper for each person, presents from Santa go in a sack that DD8 has had since she was little. The stockings get hung on Xmas eve and are also filled by Santa but the gifts in there aren't wrapped. The elves bring advent calandars and Xmas pj's on the 1st Decemeber plus various other thing throughout the month (Xmas jumper, craft activities etc), they finish by bringing her an Xmas eve box that she's wakes up too

TheChosenTwo · 18/12/2024 23:05

Dc are now 13, 19 and 20 and we’ve always put presents under the tree as and when they’re wrapped - it’s nice to see them under there and I always think it looks a bit stark without presents!
christmad day comes, stockings (pillowcases they all decorated when they were small) are left by the fireplace now, used to be on beds but the magic is over in terms of Father Christmas now so I can just do them when I’m ready for bed.
in the morning they come down first thing and do stockings then we have breakfast and come back for presents. One of the dc takes the role of handing them out and at some point someone starts opening and then it’s a free for all. Lovely chaos.
the one at a time present opening doesn’t appeal to any of us, it’s uncomfortable and I hate people watching me open presents anyway 😂 it’s a bit cringey and awful having to make the right faces of appreciation 🫣
We do watch others opening but it’s very informal and relaxed.

Grinchinlaws · 18/12/2024 23:10

We do stockings on bedroom door handle, with different wrapping paper for each child.

They then know which wrapping paper to look for under the tree. We don’t use sacks, just pile the presents up. It isn’t chaos - but only 2 kids aged 6 and 4 so maybe it will be when they are older?!