Main xmas present when to open which one

mr_knight

Interesting thread. I have no children but I used to have big sack of pressies all from Santa. Mum and dad didn't get me anything nor did I ever wonder who paid for it. Under the tree were all the pressies from family etc.

Hubbies family are so differnt and Santa was simply the delivery person.

mummyroysof3

my kids have stockings in their rooms to bring into ours to open, then they can open in whatever order they want when we get downstairs, everything is from santa but they know we buy it then wrap and send to santa cos it helps him then he brings them at christmas, they are 5, 3 and 18 months. they get the presents from us on christmas morning then mil and fil come later with pressies from them, gran and grandad and sil then on boxing day my mum comes with presents from her and the relatives in devon, my dad pops in at some point then we have auntie and cousins the day after,

my kids sound really spoilt lol but i tell everyone not to buy loads and they dont listen, i spend about a week looking for homes for evything and we look like a toy shop

code-a-holic

Maybe we are strange - but as far as my kids know - they get nothing from mum and dad! Everything under the tree on Christmas Morning is from Father Christmas. My 4 children are between 1 and 8. This is how I knew things as a child, and only recently I discovered most families don't do this!
We haven't had a situation where there was a need to call things a main prezzie. We stick to big, expensive items on birthdays.

~~Diane~~

code-a-holic wrote: »

Maybe we are strange - but as far as my kids know - they get nothing from mum and dad! Everything under the tree on Christmas Morning is from Father Christmas. My 4 children are between 1 and 8. This is how I knew things as a child, and only recently I discovered most families don't do this!
We haven't had a situation where there was a need to call things a main prezzie. We stick to big, expensive items on birthdays.

Same with me, everything goes under the tree on Christmas Eve, I never say thats of me or thats off Santa, as far as he knows it's all off Santa, except the present he gets off his brother, I don't tell him which is a main pressie either, he's happy with whatever he gets apart from the year he got a leccy toothbrush :rotfl:

themull1

My kids get nothing from me, its all from Santa, as it was when i was little. the kids have their stockings alongside their main presents downstairs, and open them all the minute they get up. We don't do strockings upstairs because we didnt have stockings upstairs.! i think if some things are from mam and dad it takes the magic away.

themull1

Apart from presents off family, the kids know which ones are given by my brother as he hands them over, the kids would hate to wait until after lunch to open presents,that's what christmas morning is for!! there's not as much excitement as getting up early and opening them, although because our day is so hectic, me and husband don't open our presents until christmas day night when the kids have gone to bed, so we get a bit of me time.

yummymummy1987_2

We just put everything in a pile, the children (2 and 6) know santa brings presents but ds1 never asked who bought what. Its a mixture of mummy,daddy and nana! His other family do give him presents sepratly but tbh he prob thinks they are from santa and them 2 iyswkim.
My mum and dad did the same, it was never we bought this etc.

aardvaak

I get nothing either - if nobody bought any presents the perhap this over expensive, over the top time of the year might just cease and shops would just sell 'normal' day to day goods, stop trying to make a fast buck at everyones expense and people might remember what christmas is.

bravobeastie

I used to hide EVERY present, put them out christmas eve and put them all from santa. However I soon realised how much hard work and hiding space that took so while they were still too young to catch on, I changed the routine so that the stocking and 1 present (which is the main present that they will have nagged us for) will be the one from Santa under the tree and the rest are from us, friends and family.

Simplified things an awful lot for me

roger_ramjet

we don't do the main present thing - we're very much in the "poundland" christmas mode! So we keep spending to a minimum and is done for laughs rather than buying something the recipent "wants". It is more to see who has bought the most outrageous gift - and for the lowest money!! My brother, big Dr Who fan will be getting lots of freebies from magazines etc! We spend a little bit more on the kids, but not much - birthday's are for spoiling, christmas is for fun and family.

As to when they get opened, my parents instigated a no opening until after the washing up after the christmas dinner is done! Great way to motivate kids to do some washing up! And it has stuck. We then open presents, one at a time - means the whole gift opening experience can last 3-4 hours! Presents opened in no particular order, and some of things we've had in the past - so many laughs.

I know that this all may seem "odd", but it is the way we have been doing it for the last 30 years, and I don't see any reason to change what is a winning formula.