Do you put your Christmas presents under the tree once they are wrapped?

[Christmasagain123]

This was always the tradition in my house growing up, presents were placed under the tree until Christmas Day.

Dh said you shouldn’t because if the house got broken into, they’d know where to find the presents.

I can’t get that thought out of my head now.

Do you?

When we were kids the presents were put under the tree on Christmas Eve and I did the same with my children. Now we put them under the tree as they’re wrapped. There is usually someone at home but I know what you mean about burglars x

I'm with your DH. You're far more likely to be burgled around Xmas time and even more so if your gifts are on show. You can look through my windows and see the tree so no presents will be there until Xmas eve night.

Everything except for stockings and gifts from Santa will go under the tree once:

1. I’ve started wrapping
2. the tree is up. That includes gifts for friends and family that I will see in the run up to Christmas. It’s not visible from the street so I don’t think it increases the chance of us being burgled, and I need the space back tbh!

No, DS has ADHD and last year we had chocolate calendars and they were all eaten by the 2nd.
He's better with the Lego one we got this year but even so, not risking it.

In our house the stocking presents were from Father Christmas and the presents under the tree were from us.
We used to put the under-tree presents out on Christmas Eve (so no time available for peeling) when they children were at home.

But now my kids are adults they all go under the tree when they’re wrapped.

If people broke into our house to steal the wrapped presents they will be sorely disappointed. There's no PS5s, cards stuffed with cash or designer gear, currently there is 7 presents under the tree totaling £51.90 worth of stuff with little to no resell value.

No one needs a squishmallow, lipstick set, laser pegs, colour your own cushion, bedding set and lambo aftershave that badly.

Honestly there is so much stuff in houses that would be far more valuable than a random lottery of wrapped presents under the tree. Imagine risking your freedom and what you stole was they 'joy' of unwrapping a hand knitted daisy cardigan from aunty Mable, a pair of M&S slippers, A wax burner and babylis and hardy gift set... big score lol.

Most thefts are opportunistic, they will grab stuff near doors or open windows that takes 2 seconds to snatch and thats easy to grab in one hand usually wallets, phones/watches/jewellery, handbags, loose change and keys etc...

When I was growing up all the gifts arrived on Xmas eve night ready for the morning and stockings were on beds. I did the same with my children but now everyone is grown up I put things under the tree through December ready for Xmas day.

Agreed. And I doubt most people would be putting the jig value stuff out anyway until Christmas Eve night

No we put ours out on Christmas Eve

Got 2 primary school kids and 2 high school kids
Never did the whole Santa thing with them, presents always went under the tree and still do now

Only DS's birthday presents are hidden once wrapped (27th)

Absolutely not.

My kid has only just learned to open presents and is now unable to encounter one without ripping the paper off, they’d all be open by Christmas morning.

He’ll come downstairs to them on Christmas Day!

No, because of my eldest being severely disabled and prone to destroying things and having a bunch of cats we have never put gifts under the tree. They stay in gift bags according to households in the hallway cupboard until we give them out.

I always remember my Mum putting gifts for other people (mostly my Grandparents and cousins) or anything we got given from other people under the tree and my ex did the same until we had kids

Mine have always been hidden around the house then put under either last thing at night (when kids were in bed before me) or first thing in the morning now they are adults. My parents did the same - only Father Christmas brought presents on Christmas Day but those from our grandparents, aunts and uncles were clearly separated.

This is beyond naive.

Burglars don't sit and unwrap the bloody things 😂

You might know it's not worth stealing. Most of what they nick under the tree isn't with stealing. But if one in twenty things is a £400 ghd hair tool or latest tech, then it is. So they take the lot. And whatever else is worth taking from around your house.

Standard house with nothing under the tree Vs standard house with Christmas presents as well? Which one do you think they'll go for? It's like the little cherry on top to decide which house they target.

I put my tree up the last weekend of November/first weekend of December. I need to have 90% of my presents wrapped by then so they can go straight under the tree. I always thought my tree looked horrible without presents. My brother has one of those wicker skirt things around the bottom of his tree and that actually looks really nice

I don't put my presents under the tree....I wouldn't trust my boy dog not to cock his leg on them!

At the moment I have presents under the tree that I am gifting to other people, the week before Christmas I will deliver the gifts and they will be replaced with gifts that are gifted to us. Main gifts for the dc will go under the tree Xmas Eve, they are adults now so no FC, though we still do stockings.
when the dc were little all presents would go under the tree Xmas Eve night so they wake up to presents under the tree (from family/friends) and a few gifts from me and Father Christmas.

I put out the gifts for extended family ie outside of household then I give my daughter a sack in her bedroom during the night for her to bring in and open in bed that's usually got her smaller gifts in.. then anything big goes under the tree after shes fallen asleep and we go down and open them whilst eating breakfast and watching a cartoon.

If I was getting burgled the Christmas presents would be the least of my worries! I’d definitely have more smaller/valuable items just out in the open like tech or jewellery. So put the presents out, can’t be living in case of potential burglars. (Who would probably ransack your house and find hidden presents anyway!)

Turn the cartoon off and give attention to the present opening.

So, having spoken to this reformed burglar, what were the main things you'd change to make your house a less tempting target? And if it was on Christmas Eve that they targeted houses anyway, is there anything that would have helped?

I'd ruin Christmas for myself if I didn't go to bed til gone 1am because I'd be knackered. But I also don't want to be burgled and tend to figure that the key with burglary is to just be a harder target than your next door neighbours!

I used to before children admittedly was never that much and its nice to not have to hide them in cupboards. If I tried that now they would be opened in 3 seconds 😂 toddler in the house.

In fairness it's not actually on whilst we open gifts just at some point that morning the snowman or father Christmas etc will go on for a bit usually whilst I'm clearing the mess up ready for the next mess to be created.

No, it's a surprise. Gifts from work and friends go there, our gifts are a secret

Ours will be.

I have to bribe my kid into staying downstairs long enough to open his gifts by putting Toy Story on, so be it!