When would you do presents?

[MissMuffetsTuffet]

I live abroad with DH and our two kids (5 and 8). We always fly home to spend Christmas with my family, so we have early Christmas with MIL usually the weekend before we leave. I can't/don't want to take our presents for the kids home to my parents house due to luggage space restrictions.

Would you give our presents for the kids at the same time as MIL gives hers? Even if potentially what I've got the kids would be more interesting/exciting? Or choose the weekend before MIL's?

Or am I overthinking it?

If you're having a mini Xmas with MIL then I'd do all presents then. Stretching Xmas presents over two weeks or longer seems a bit ridiculous.

I’d give the presents when you get back. We do stretch Christmas out not quite to the traditional 12 days but they do get presents spread out over the whole Christmas period. They love it and seem to enjoy what they get more

We usually come back at the beginning of January, so that seems a bit long to wait!

When do you normally do them if you do this every year? What has changed that you need to change what you do this time?

Lots of countries do presents on 6 January! You absolutely can wait. Especially if you have done others before.

I was wondering this too. If you always fly to your parents and presumably don't do presents with MIL then I would do what you always do.

Although I have to say it seems a little unfair that you fly every year to spend it with you family and MIL never gets to see you all over Christmas.

Last year we did them at MIL's. Before that, we didn't really get them any big presents as they were young and they get so much at Christmas, we just focused on taking them to fun events, etc.

This year, I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I think I've done pretty well with the presents and the kids are going to be so excited. I would feel bad if they weren't bothered about MIL's presents and only wanted to play with what we've got them.

@Luxio "Although I have to say it seems a little unfair that you fly every year to spend it with you family and MIL never gets to see you all over Christmas."

MIL is not a big Christmas person anyway. I have a big family so spending it with them and including the kids in that is important to me, especially as we live abroad so only get to see everyone a couple of times a year.

What you are describing is normal for most families, so I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem.

Children opening all of the presents on one day is quite common, and most (reasonable) relatives expect that obviously the child is going to be much more excited by the massive present than their smaller gift. It isn't disappointing, it is just normal. Of course when I give gifts to my younger family I hope they will look happy and be thankful, but I'd never expect them to be more into that than what ever big thing their parents (or Santa) has gotten them.

A quick chat with your mother-in-law, and I'm sure she would say the same thing.

If you really did want to be generous and help them appreciate the mother-in-law's presents more, just do those either earlier or later. If you do them first, of course they will be extra excited for the first presents of Christmas... and equally if you do them later on, you will have kids who have finished all of the excitement of opening their presents but "wait" look, there is still a few more things under the tree etc.

Sounds like your kids are going to want to play with their presents from you because you've made them sound really great. So maybe you should give them when you get home and then the kids don't have to open them then leave them behind for a while