When to open under tree presents

[LiquoriceAllsorts2]

Just interested in what others do, do you open presents before or after breakfast?

Used to be before breakfast. Kids older now so tends to be after breakfast now

When small, before. I think it’s cruel to make them wait. DH said, as a child, they used to have to go to mass, eat and wash up before he got his presents. His dad was a control freak.

After everyone has breakfasted and dressed. Enough to be playing with in stockings in the meantime.

We have always opened ours after Christmas dinner, so late afternoon. We did get stockings in the morning at the end of the bed from Santa though. Same for my DD.

As soon as they wake up! We don't really distinguish between stocking and under the tree presents. Opening early means that wrapping/boxes etc can be sorted before dinner.

Stockings in bed. Breakfast. One present (used to be a new outfit when they were small). Church. Then presents slowly throughout the day.

Stocking in bed.
Then out of the house for a bit. Church if we are with my parents. A walk if its just us. Then tree presents followed by lunch.

We are still in the 'as soon as they wake' camp but I'm sure it'll not be too long before DH and I are up first!

It takes us until evening, sometimes Boxing Day. I’m fascinated to see how other families’ present opening happens.

Kids have a couple before breakfast and their stocking (but that doesn’t take long as it’s just a few bits unwrapped).

Then we all stop for lunch etc and carry on later.

After breakfast and after any other relatives who are coming over have arrived. The point of the stocking is to keep small people entertained until then, so it's no great deprivation to wait. And then opening presents takes all day (sometimes into subsequent days!). We've never done the mad flurry of everyone ripping everything open all at once thing.

We do stockings in our bed as soon as they get up - agreed wake up time usually around 6 /6.30am! Then downstairs to the tree where there’s usually a big present or two from Santa that won’t fit in stockings for each child - Santa uses different wrapping paper so they’re easily identified amongst all the other presents. We open the rest after Christmas lunch generally with family there too and take it in turns to open a present so everyone can see what everyone else got and their reactions to presents they’ve given them. Takes ages but we love it and kids happy playing with Santa stuff in the morning.

Stockings when you wake up, then everyone gets dressed & has breakfast before under tree presents. All done before church.

I can't imagine it taking all day, we only have a handful of presents each under the tree & we all open one each at the same time, so for example, everyone opens the present they got from granny, then the present From uncle Bob etc...

I like it all cleared up wrapping paper wise before lunch & then lots of time in the afternoon to actually enjoy the gifts.

Stockings and their one big Santa present before breakfast.

Then breakfast and get dressed etc and then under the tree presents.

I think it's better to spread the excitement out a little.

If I had very young children and a lot of presents I'd maybe even save some for after dinner.

After lunch and the King's Speech in my family. After church in DH's family, and they open them throughout the day, not in one mad rush.
Both families do stockings first thing and that keeps the kids happy for ages. There's never been an expectation that they'd run down and open everything as soon as they wake up, so they look forward to us all doing it today.
To say that's cruel is bonkers

Everything rather early in the morning
they may be banned from going downstairs before 7am this year.

I know lots of families (usually with continental connections) that open on Christmas Eve.

Stockings when they wake up in our bed.
Breakfast.
Presents.

They never minded waiting... think they like their food too much!

Its also what they are used to... we did it like that as toddlers so it was their normal.

When my sons were children it was a 5am frenzy 😁. But they're in their 20s now and we don't have a set time or routine. Last year we had coffee and then opened them while the croissants were in the oven. It's very relaxed which I love.

When I was a child, my mum had a strict rule that present opening could only begin once dinner was in the oven and she was ready to sit down and take part. We had our stockings first thing, so had plenty to be getting on with, I really remember that sense of excited anticipation being a big part of Christmas Day for me, and I'm glad that we weren't allowed to rip into them first thing. Now that I'm a mum I'm also glad that my usually laid back but also extremely hard working mum put her foot down on Christmas Day so that she was properly involved rather than being stuck in the kitchen all day!