How do you open presents on Christmas?

[monkeypuzzlemaceplayce]

Is it complete chaos where everybody opens their presents all at once? Do you do stockings first or afterwards?

For us, we do stockings first and then have a nice breakfast and then sit down for presents. We then have each person open their gift one at a time and go round the family in order. It makes it last longer and it's much less chaos and less stress for me! But my friend thought that sounded too organised and rather boring

It's funny how you just get used to things. When my mum remarried, we spent that first Christmas all together as blended family. They are an 'everyone open at once' family and we are a 'one at a time' family, and my mum and I exchanged horrified looks as they all just started opening presents en masse, stuff everywhere I found it totally overwhelming and then it was over in 15 mins and it all felt a bit flat. But I guess it's just what you're used to, personalities, etc. as they obviously enjoyed it like that!

When our children were young, instead of stockings, we used to make Christmas Houses, which we saw on Blue Peter once. It was part of our run-up to Christmas activities. Cover a cardboard box (I used to bring home photocopier paper boxes for them to use) with crepe paper, cut out windows and doors from cardboard to paint and stick on, make a roof and cover it with some kind of white material to resemble snow etc . Surprising how creative they got. Anyway, they had those in their bedrooms, filled with low-value gifts and they were allowed to open those as soon as they woke up.

Then daddy would go downstairs "to check if he's been yet" (but really to get in position with the camera 😃) and they were then allowed a free for all to open their Santa gifts (usually two or three each)

Then it was breakfast, followed by a presents from mummy and daddy. Then a break to play with what they'd just opened, and later in the afternoon, they'd have the rest of the presents that were under the tree.

Now they're all adults, so we have a civilised morning, then when my daughter and granddaughter arrive, granddaughter is in charge of giving out the presents. Presents are opened at the same time, but I hold back as I like to watch them open theirs. It doesn't mean however that I end up with everyone watching me open mine, which I hate, but it's of my own making, so suck it up buttercup 😅

Stockings opened first which are downstairs.

Then dcs open their presents at the same time, dp and I do ours once dcs are finished. Apart from lockdown they only have presents from us to open do no need to keep an eye on who they are from. Extended family presents are opened when we see them.

Then bacon rolls come out.....

We open all at once. We’ve got a big family so we’d be there until Boxing Day if we took turns, and the lunch won’t cook itself!

Adults exchange gifts on Christmas Eve when kids in bed. Christmas Day stockings opened in bed, then downstairs. The kids have their presents in named sacks and open together. Only gifts done one at a time are the main presents.

I don't know anyone who doesn't just go downstairs and start opening presents!

We do do stockings in our bed, but that's just a stalling tactic to get an extra 15 mins in bed.

Everyone down stairs at god knows what time, then find your pile and on you go. Same way we did at as children.

I couldn't be doing the whole one each and everyone watches you open your gifts. It would make me really uncomfortable.

Teens bring stockings to our room and open one each side of bed.

They then throw stuff at each other up and down the stairs for an hour whilst we have a Bailey's coffee and make toast/put meat in the oven.

We give them their "build this" to keep them occupied first. They usually open another couple of presents. Then we play, chat, listen to music, prep dinner.

They then open the rest of the presents in dribs and drabs and usually have some left Boxing Day.

It's not a rush down rip open. They did that one year, when very young. Were a bit overwhelmed what to play with first so went and got old toys out, grandparents were crestfallen, everyone was clearly blaming us the parents, although it was the grandparents who pushed to open everything at once (think it was a battle who bought the favourite present). So we just stopped that. Never done it since, kids now teens and totally prefer it in a calm, one here and there way.

But we've never committed to the full on Santa hit. We have always kept the Christmas crazy under control.

I like opening presents one by one. It lasts longer and feels more sociable, rather than a brief frenzy and then it's all over!

Same here plus stocking on waking up DS only.

We did stockings and one under the tree present at breakfast time and the rest when we got back from church. It meant lunch was always pretty late. I say 'did' because DD is 25 now!

Just my 75 yo husband and me.
We run out of bed, stumble over each other, rip at the wrapping paper and fight over the Christmas cards and the last mince pie. 😂😜
We get up, me first, later on we have a cuppa and open our cards, then husband unwraps his surprise present.
I usually get them all through the year and don't need anything unexpected.

I find that if they're all opened at once people tend to ignore the gift tags. I prefer it one at a time with someone reading the gift tag out loud then handing it to the recipient & we all watch. Does take longer of course but so what? We have all morning & I think it makes it more special

Grew up with always having stocking, dinner then presents. Waiting for presents while adults washed up, drank, laughed and took their time was torture 😀. When I married my husband believed making kids wait all day was some form of child abuse so we started with opening presents on and off through the morning after stockings. Now we take it leisurely, opening all through the day and eat late afternoon. Works well and we do open one at a time. Each to their own.

Christmas eve boxes here, no stockings.

On the day it's just dive in. It's not too chaotic as it's just 3 of us.

We just don't have that many gifts. We don't tend to give between adults so it's just the kids' gifts and then tokens from the kids to the adults. Each adult will probably open maybe three things, so you just look at the tag and say "ooh, this is from Nana, thanks for the chocolates Nana!", and it's all good. But aside from the kids the presents aren't a big part of the day for us, so we're onto getting ready for visitors etc. No time to make a big thing of present opening!

No one ever takes their own present from under the tree though, they're always handed over.

Tends to be a Christmas Eve present, a small stocking (nuts, chocolate and tangerines, book, soap) for children for early morning. Then presents after lunch to and from whatever family group we're with. Boxing Day for the next family session. Adults are responsible for making sure under 10s know who has given what so they can be thanked with a card or texted picture in due course if they're not around to thank. Each to their own, but this has worked fine and relatively calmly for us and continues with our DC and theirs.

This is exactly what we do. I can't cope with the all open at once chaos! I like to see people's reactions to their gifts and my kids who are old enough to buy their own presents for us now love it too!

DS is 15 now and such a sweetheart, for the last few years he’s insisted that DH, I and the dog open our presents first before he opens his 🥰. Since he got a weekend job last year, he’s bought us really nice presents (and spent too much I feel tbh but it’s his choice) and he gets really excited about giving them to us. I suggest we take turns but he’s adamant. We open presents first thing and then have breakfast, get dressed and take the dog out.

When he was little he would open his Santa presents first thing then we’d open presents under the tree after breakfast. It’s never been a frenzy but it’s not super strict either.

One year we stayed at friends’ for Christmas and the kids got up at 5am, ripped the paper off everything, threw it aside and moved onto the next thing. I didn’t like that at all!

Stockings are hung on the door (I am ALWAYS awake before the kids, but I set an alarm for 6am to swap the empty ones with the filled ones just incase!). My children are older now but doing this saved the 4am wake ups, they knew Santa hasn’t been if the stockings aren’t filled.

I also go down and put the Christmas lights on, make a coffee and take it back to bed to wait for them. Once they’re awake and stockings opened, it’s downstairs and they both open their gifts together. I don’t make them take in turns, they’ve always been really interested in what each other has so they tend to stop and watch the other one open a gift and do it in turns anyway.

There is only me to buy for them, we see my parents later in the day and they open their gifts from them then.

I’ll be stealing a PP idea of a glass of fizz while watching them open their gifts this year!

One at time, and each of us takes a turn to distribute a round of presents to everyone else. My parents started the idea with me when I was a child, I think to encourage me to learn how to share, and it's become a tradition ever since. My own children are happy to do the same.

Only once have we done presents in turn, everyone watching each other’s reactions. Hated it. Felt I had to be overly positive etc, very fake and self conscious. Not relaxing.

stocking taking it in turns - then breakfast - then tree presents - the presents from family after xmas lunch

We open a few bits on Christmas Eve as that's my DH's Christmas Day. We have bubbles and a lovely buffet too. Then on Christmas morning we open our remaining presents in turn and everyone focuses then on what the gift is and who it's from. If it's a toy or game we might have a go an and then move on to the next present when we're ready.

Kids get to open their Santa sacks straight away, then breakfast and then presents one at a time.

I do get that this can be a bit boring when there are too many presents under the tree and you're going one by one.