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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Opening presents - free for all or one at a time?

51 replies

ChloeHandbag · 21/12/2009 21:38

Ever since I've been a Mum, I've insisted that we open each present one by one rather than everyone opening their presents all together. Ie. pass present from under tree, wait for person to open it, then pass next present.

I like to see who got what and their reactions, dh rolls his eyes everytime I tell them suggest we do it this way so I wonder what other people do?

OP posts:

blametheparents · 21/12/2009 21:41

We do it like that, but still pretty speedy!

SleighGirl · 21/12/2009 21:43

Well 3 of the dc have an opening fest then the other one opens them very very very slowly and careful studying each one etc

The others then get upset that she still has presents to unwrap long after them......

BellaBear · 21/12/2009 21:44

take turns, so you can see what everyone got and ooh and ahh over them one by one

ZZZenAgain · 21/12/2009 21:44

we just do it any old how, everyone opens what they want when they want from their pile.

LuckySalem · 21/12/2009 21:45

We do that but quite fast.

DP wants to implement his mums way of opening presents which was that you werent allowed to open them till after your dinner and ONLY if you ate it all!
They left anyone who hadn't finished at the table while the rest opened their presents. I've told DP NO!!!!!!

We do it early!

SazzlesOnASled · 21/12/2009 21:46

One at a time here and appreciate who has given the gift and have some time to play with it. We sometimes split before dinner and after so gifts all day

Awassailinglookingforanswers · 21/12/2009 21:49

one by one - what we did as children - and what my children do as well.

We usually do one (carefully selected by me) before church then the rest afterwards.

I like to take photos as well as they're opening so all at once wouldn't make me happy

I Father Chritmas piles all the presents up under tree (including any extras that people have given us in person before hand, ones from school friends etc) in a very specific order - and leaves a magic list so that they get handed out in turn as well so DS1 doesn't open 3, then DS3 2, then me one, DH one and poor DS2 sat there waiting for his first one

SE13Mummy · 21/12/2009 23:23

We take it in turns to select a present for each person from under the tree so if it was 'my turn' I'd choose one for me, DH, DD1, DD2 and any additionals. We'd unwrap at the same time then ask what we'd been given/from whom etc. before someone else takes a turn to do the choosing/handing out.

pigleychez · 21/12/2009 23:34

As kids my sister and I would be the present fairies, wearing tutus and wands made by mum. We would hand out the presents from under the tree to the right person and then all sit together opening them one at a time.

mumeeee · 21/12/2009 23:35

Dh has always been in charge of the present giving in our house. The girls each take turns to open a present. DH and I kep ours until the girls have opened all thiers,then we take it in turns to open them so that the girls can see what we've got. Don't know what will happen this year though. DD1 is maried now and will be here with her DH and my parents will also be here.

Original poster

ChloeHandbag · 22/12/2009 20:02

Ahh interesting, I'm not so controlling then.

Now what about making a list of who gave what - do you all do that too?

OP posts:

MrsMattie · 22/12/2009 22:24

One at a time. Otherwise it just becomes a bun fight.

LilyBolero · 22/12/2009 22:29

We do all presents in the afternoon, including stockings, and do 'rounds' of presents. So everyone opens a present, then we all play a game, then another present etc. THe rounds don't always work, but it doesn't seem to matter if everyone doesn't have a present.

Flame · 22/12/2009 22:31

Everyone gets handed ONE present, open them, ooh and ahh at each others, then move onto the next one.

DH used to wake before his parents and open the lot before they woke I'm not having that, I bought the things, I want to see them opened.

bb99 · 22/12/2009 22:35

ONE at a time and you have to try and guess first. FIL takes quite a long time to do this (he likes the limelight...) so some Xmases we have even had pressies left over for boxing day . We start after lunch/in the afternoon.

BUT the kids do get a free for all with their stockings, as long as they wait until we're up (and I do hide the sellotape, as I have fond memories of re-wrapping several of my presents in the early hours of the morning - bad child that I was ) so they can get some of it out of their systems.

I like the present fairy idea - I think ds may have to be a present postman this year...

VicarInaTinselTuTu · 22/12/2009 23:00

oh bloody hell....its christmas! its meant to be fun! free for all here! DH insists....and he is right. my xmases at home were regimented and followed a strict one at a time policy - and it was fucking joyless.

let rip! have fun! it beats my childhood xmases i can tell you that!

paisleyleaf · 22/12/2009 23:02

Free for all with the stocking presents in the morning. but actually DD(5) surprises me in that she does look and admire them each before moving on to the next.
Then one at a time with the gifts under the tree from family/friends which we open after dinner.
I do make a note of who got what for thankyou notes.

maxybrown · 22/12/2009 23:06

hmmmm, free for all I think. I guess if there is a lot of you it is nice to see what everyone got, but agree let rip!! I HATE the waiting until after dinner thing. When I was with my ex ( we had no DC's) we had some friends who we went to for Christmas day and we had to take all of our presents with us to be openend after dinner - almost killed us!!! Her theory in that was she was cooking so couldn't do it in the morning, but tbh think she had issues!

As children we all had a pillowcase on the landing and used to pile in on mum and dads bed..lovely.......sigh

trace2 · 22/12/2009 23:16

free for all as ds admires every one , dd 2 would not wait but i do hide for after dinner for each child] me dh only open after the kids opened theres

SlartyBartFast · 22/12/2009 23:18

i want to do one at a time this year,first time at home for aaages, i want to see people's reactions.

MrsMorgan · 22/12/2009 23:18

My 3 dc open theirs all at the same time and then later on when my mum gets here I open mine and she does hers.

themildmanneredjanitor · 22/12/2009 23:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 23/12/2009 06:27

DD generally tends to open everybody elsesfor them. What a helpful little girl she is.

IsItMeOrSanta · 23/12/2009 08:47

My family (4 dcs) always did "Everyone gets handed ONE present, open them, ooh and ahh at each others, then move onto the next one."

DH's family (2 dcs) always did "open each present one by one rather than everyone opening their presents all together".

I know which way is the right way .

goingtohaveagoodnightssleep · 23/12/2009 08:52

Free for all here!

DP's parents open one by one very slowly and the children get really bored!

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