Along the same topic...

So, after we talked about the 'present hunting' as kids...we talked about what our parents used to do for us at this time of year.
My parents used to wrap things the night before. They would get a bottle of wine or better yet- wine coolers(!), which was something as my father was raised in a T-totaler household.
But they would have a little party while we tried to get/stay asleep as they wrapped all the gifts.
DW parents, never wrapped anything that Santa left...ever.

Seems that we, as a family, fall somewhere in the middle. We wrap lots of stuff, although somethings haven't been. As far as any special traditions while doing so...not really. If either of us has much to drink, we fall asleep...that could be dangerous with scissors and tape.

What about you and yours?

Re: Along the same topic...

I don't remember my dad participating at all - not his thing. My mom used to take over the dining room with wrapping. One year she told me that Santa had asked if he could drop my presents by early and if she wouldn't mind wrapping them. I remember the year I realized her handwriting was the same as Santas ... I think that's the year she pulled out the "help out" excuse.

Re: Along the same topic...



Some years we buy different wrapping paper for the presents from Santa. For any big or bulky items, we don't wrap. The kids were really impressed last year that Santa had time to assemble the foosball table.

The year before that, the kids were at a friends house while I was in labor with TenE, wrapping presents to distract myself. I'm not sure what we did with the Santa presents? Put them back in the attic?

Boy, I better get shakin' for this year.

[poky]

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The only things from "Santa" in our house was all the stuff in the stockings (there was usually quite a bit of little things). Big stuff was always from my parents. We still do stockings, but now everyone gets some little things to put in them, and we wrap them ahead (in scraps of pre-used paper or tissue) and then lay them out last thing Christmas eve night. I think DHs family did most of their opening Christmas eve (is that a German thing?). I should ask how the Santa and stocking things worked with that.

[alison]

Re: Along the same topic...

So, after we talked about the 'present hunting' as kids...we talked about what our parents used to do for us at this time of year.

We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve (a tradition on my mom's side, b/c her dad used to tell her "that's the way the Germans do it, and Santa's from there"). I think the real reason my family adopted this tradition is so that the adults can sleep in. There's something really nice about opening presents when it's dark outside and it's just tree candles (real ones in Germany! ) that light up the room.

Santa used to come by at night to fill our stockings. I remember I got a Game Boy one year, and was thinking "what the hell? How does Santa make Gameboys up there?"

I also once found the paper that Santa would use- that was pretty awesome!

Remember this Game Boy?

[SuzySunshine]

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My family's tradition was that we went to Christmas Eve mass and then came home and opened gifts. When we got up the next morning there would be unwrapped gifts under the tree from Santa.

I'm not sure when mom wrapped our regular gifts, I guess in the evenings after we went to bed.

[DCJenn]

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My mother took over the guest room and NO ONE was allowed in under penalty of all kinds of bad things. It was understood that she wrapped presents in there. Once we were adults we can come in to wrap our own gifts but ONLY if given permission first. Even my dad is forced to wrap his gifts for her in his office or get the fancy paper from the store.

The presents from Santa were always in different paper. I don't recall any unwrappable gifts. Heck, my dad even put a ginormous bow on the car that he gave my mom for her 50th birthday.

One thing that we still do is save last years cards in w/ the wrapping paper and we make gift tags out the them. (mom- what a recycler- way before it was cool) It started as an activity to keep my brother and I busy. Stack o' cards, scissors and a hole punch and you're in business.

This year I'm going to buy a roll of brown paper and Nikolai is going to color it for me and that's what I'll use for presents to people from us. I'll head to K-mart down the street from my parent's house when we get in to buy the Santa paper. Although my mother could basically open her own wrapping paper store.

Jenn

[Auspicious]

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On Christmas Eve there would still be nothing under the tree--barren. At night we kids would put our paltry presents for each other and our parents under there and then be shuffled off to bed. In the middle of the night we would inevitably wake up (my older brother would often shake me awake stage-whispering, "SANTA CAME!!") and go out to the living room aaaaand . . . *big dramatic reveal*: dark house lit only by the Christmas tree lights, illuminating suddenly piles of wrapped presents arranged under the tree. Definitely my go-to Christmas memory, the sight of that tree in the dark. We would stare in awe and wonder for a few minutes, and then had to go back to bed. Usually I would get up to go look two or three times before dawn, dozing in between.

Even when I was in college, I wouldn't "let" my mom put any presents under the tree before Christmas--blasphemy!--even though she was tired of having to store them elsewhere.

Stockings were hung on the back of the front door, and also went from empty to full overnight. First order of business was a picture of the three of us sitting in front of the tree with our stockings .

The year my younger brother got a bike my parents didn't wrap it. He was so excited that (indulged youngest child) we all got up to open gifts at 4 am that year. Usually we had to wait until 7 or dawn or something--my older bro usually negotiated the time with my parents on Christmas eve and then would tell me in the morning when it was okay to finally wake up mom and dad.

I think my mom wrapped presents in the basement after we were in bed. They had our names written directly on the paper in block letters in black permanent marker. I don't remember if any presents were marked as being from mom and dad--I'll have to ask my mom. I think we just kind of didn't question getting little or nothing from my parents for christmas--like the presents were Santa's job, and all the other Christmas stuff (decorations, baking, parties, church, etc.) was the parents' job.

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We opened our gifts on Christmas morning, but we got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. I remember my parents not letting my brother and I go see what Santa had left until they were up and in the living room so they could see our faces when we layed eyes on the take (they would get up at Odark30, whenever we did, but we had to wake them first before plunging in.) They didn't wrap the Santa gifts - just left them out near the tree. Sometimes we got notes with clues as to where special gifts were left so we had to race around scavenger-hunt style.

Now, I wrap the Santa gifts in special paper that is only used for Santa gifts after polling the kids to see which way they like better. Overwhelmingly, they prefer for Santa to wrap the stuff he leaves. I kept the tradition of not letting the kids peek on Christmas morning until I'm in place with my camera. They know on Christmas morning to come wake me (and dh if he's not on call) before going downstairs. My excuse for this rule is that I have to make sure that Santa has cleared out before they go in.

Sadly, my older two - who are 10 and 11 - don't believe anymore. I do still have a 4 year old who is slightly scared of Santa, but does believe.

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Heck, my dad even put a ginormous bow on the car that he gave my mom for her 50th birthday.

so he's the person that has actually done this! i always watch those Lexus commercials and think "who on earth actually buys a car as a gift??"

One thing that we still do is save last years cards in w/ the wrapping paper and we make gift tags out the them. (mom- what a recycler- way before it was cool) It started as an activity to keep my brother and I busy. Stack o' cards, scissors and a hole punch and you're in business.

Cool. My mom used to use the leftover wallpaper scraps to cover my school books. Kinda off topic, but it's what came to mind.

This year I'm going to buy a roll of brown paper and Nikolai is going to color it for me and that's what I'll use for presents to people from us.

Jenn

I was going to have the boys do the same with the brown paper grocery bags I've got, but just turned them in to my produce delivery lady so she can re-use them.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Along the same topic...

Heck, my dad even put a ginormous bow on the car that he gave my mom for her 50th birthday.

so he's the person that has actually done this! i always watch those Lexus commercials and think "who on earth actually buys a car as a gift??"

I've told DH that I want a car with a bow someday - I LOVE those commercials.

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I've told DH that I want a car with a bow someday - I LOVE those commercials.

Every time dh sees those commercials he says "I'VE never gotten a Lexus for Christmas." in his bummed little-kid voice. I just shake my head and say "That's right buddy".

[DCJenn]

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It was her 50th birthday (January 4th) and he had given her an Exercycle. Seriously, the man is such a con.

So- she has a mediocre birthday and it's sleeting and she's pissed and it's a Monday and she got stuck in traffic.

My dad had the video set up in the garage and you can hear her cursing as she got outof the car to open up the garage door. "dammit, it's my birthday and he can't even open the garage door...mutter....mutter." and she flings up the door and backed into the garage was a shiny (new to them) Saab convertible with "Nifty 50" as her new license plates.

She was FLOORED.

Jenn

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Nice move Dad-of-Jenn!!!

[Thirteen]

Re: Along the same topic...

DCJenn,

That's what I do I'll do butcher paper, and draw little things on it, then tie it up with twine or a burlap yarn bow.
It makes me feel Southern all the way out here in CA.

---
My mom recycles wrapping paper, too. That's why we always opened our presents "carefully"