Present Opening Etiquette

aliasojo

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

Just out of interest, do your children go to a church school? (this @ aliasojo).

It's really just the gifts/conspicuous consumption thing that I think it's destructive to spread out for too long, particularly because it must make it very difficult for parents who would rather not get their kids hyped up too early.

Mine don't/didn't. Just your average run of the mill LEA school.

Agree with the sentiment btw...just think it's difficult to put into practice.

Starwinky

Hi in my family we all go back to our parents house and have xmas exactly the same as we always have!

We all have an area in the living room for our presents and open them one at a time - with 10 people this year it's going to take a while!!! Last year i think we were doing it until 1pm!! We have breaks etc and always have breakfast before opening any presents. The parents and guests often have less presents so towards the end miss a go so everyone has one last present at the same time.

It works for us and I can't imagine anything different

elliefink

NEgirl wrote: »

We have 4 boys so i couldnt imagine them sitting waiting after a whole month of build up to take turns opening presents.
We get up and all sit at the top of the stairs waiting for daddy to check if Santa has been. He tells us yes and has set up the camera etc and we all go downstairs to the seperate piles of presents waiting on the sofas/floor etc.
The boys then sit amongst their pressies opening them one after another while me and dh watch them with our coffee and camera - the looks on their faces is worth far more than any present is so i dont need to see each reaction to what they have received - they yell and run to give us a hug and a kiss every few minutes with loads of THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOUs all the while The get practical pressies too, smellies etc and i would hate to think they had to show suprise and be all 'wow thank you so much just what i wanted' just because we are sitting taking turns and watching them before the next one opens theirs - i know that probably doesnt happen but its a thought that crossed my mind.
We are happy with the complete randomness of our Christmas day, all the pressies are open by around 9 am, we have breakfast, the kids play all day and we all just chill and eat when its ready etc...... bliss

You've summed up our perfect Christmas Morning, well, perfectly! This is exactly how our Christmas present opening was done as I was growing up, and DH and I are doing the same in our own home.

Thank you!

Claire_Bear

At my mam's house we go downstairs and all the presents from my parents are in piles around the room according to who they're for. All the presents from us siblings and other family members are underneath the tree. So the person nearest the tree will hand out these ones to who they're for, and we'll add them to the pile. Once all the tree presents have been handed out we'll start opening at the same time, but we do it quite slowly, ask each other what we got, or stop to watch someone opening a particularly interesting-looking gift. I like seeing the look on people's faces when they're opening presents from me as I spend a long time picking something I think they'll love I have to say though, I'm glad we don't all watch each other opening one present at a time, or watch one person opening all of their presents at once, I don't like all the attention on me when I'm opening gifts, I get embarassed for some reason! So I think our way works really well

gilligansyle

We have no small children in our family now, so that makes a difference. When children were small, they were allowed to open the stocking whenever they wanted to, as it was only full of junk. That kept them quiet until everybody else was up.

We always went to mum and dad's and now we go to my sisters but the same thing applies. They have already opened their presents to each other when we get there. Everyone is gathered together and all presents are dished out until everyone has a pile, and then starting with the youngest they are opened, usually to instructions of 'open that one first'. That way you get to thank everyone and ooh and aah quite happily for hours!
It's taken my sister 25 years to get to this stage, when she first met her husband his family used to agree an amount to spend on each other, then would go out and buy themselves something for that value and give it to the person to wrap. She was horrified at this as we always made a big thing about the opening of each present and the fact that they should be surprises - she remembers vividly aged 11 searching the house and finding her presents. Mum knew she had done it, so on Christmas morning they weren't under the tree she never did that again!

My son may be an adult and most of my nephews are over 18 now too, but we still have stockings with silly stuff in, and jokey cheap presents.

DianneB

It's a free for all in our house, I do insist that we wait till everyone is up and dressed and that I have got a cup of coffee then the presents get passed round and opened en masse. Couldn't bear to sit round and make a ritual of it!! My youngest is 14 now so our getting up time is quite civilized. My two oldest sons and their wives and babies will be here this christmas so I expect we shall be starting some new traditions!!

Bargain_Rzl

gilligansyle wrote: »

My son may be an adult and most of my nephews are over 18 now too, but we still have stockings with silly stuff in, and jokey cheap presents.

When my sister and brother were still living at home/going back to Mum's for Christmas, we started doing a stocking for Mum after all the years of her doing ours My sister used to organise it as I used to spend Christmas elsewhere (comes of being a church singer - am tied to London until Christmas morning is over) and join them later in the week - but we would each contribute say £10 towards it.

These days we don't get to do it any more as none of us are at Mum's for overnight on Christmas Eve.

jenagain

Reading this thread has got me all excited!

When I lived with my parents we were always allowed to open one of our Father Christmas presents as soon as we woke up (even at 3am!) As I got older I worked out that I could open the end of each present and re-stick it when I'd chosen the one I wanted to play with the most

Then when we could finally get up we'd race downstairs and would take it in turns to open presents from each other. Then we'd have ham (cooked late on Christmas eve - I love that smell!) and biscuits and cheese for breakfast before getting dressed and going to my Grandparents house in time for lunch. All of my aunties, uncles and cousins would be there and we'd have each chosen a couple of presents to take round to show our cousins and play before lunch.

After lunch we all went through into the living room and the kids hand out the presents going round the room in order, there is and always has been so many shouts of 'slow down I can't see what they are opening' etc but it wouldn't be the same without it! All wrapping paper is thrown across the room behind one of the sofas to clear up on boxing day.

When my son was born and I moved out we would get up, open our presents and then go to my parents, my DH would go to his parents for lunch while I went to my Grandparents as usual. Then he'd come round for the evening. When our daughter was born we found we just didn't have time to go to my parents house first so would head straight to Grandparents and have a little bit of time away from everyone else just with my parents and sisters to open our presents from each other. My DH has started staying for lunch too :j

Now our children our a little bit older (2 & 4) I'm really looking forward to our morning at home, I think I'll get the children to take it in turns opening, and we've carried on the ham for breakfast tradition! Me and DH wont have much, if anything, for each other but I really don't care. As long the kids are happy and excited thats all that matters right?!

At my Grandma's house this year there will be 20 of us,all ages, so present opening might take most of the night :rotfl:

papworth

I have 2 boys aged 7 and 9. We have always done things in the following way even when the children were small: There is a 'no earlier than' wake up time and if they wake up before this, they have to go back to bed. I tell them this time the night before so they know it is pointless waking up at some ungodly hour and they usually sleep through. This is usually 6:30 or 7am
They come into our bed and open stockings.
We get dressed and have breakfast.
My parents arrive (about 10am)
The children give out the presents until everyone has a pile of their own presents.
We take it in turns to open them with those having more presents ie the children having 'extra turns'
I love to see people get a present they love and I also need to know who has given what to the boys for thank you letters so I do write a list at the same time.
What I have noticed over the years is that the children enjoy the attention they get when it is their turn to open a present as well as getting pleasure from the present itself.

aliasojo

papworth, that seems the most 'balanced' way to do things out of all the posts I've read. Best of both worlds really, kids get to diffuse some of their excitment and impatience by getting to open their stockings and they also get to speed the present opening up (for them) by getting extra turns etc whilst avoiding a complete free for all.

Bit late in the day now, but I kinda wished we'd done that, lol.