How does your family open Christmas gifts?

[peggyfromwastate]

I bet this has been covered but in my quick search I didn't see it....

I need ideas.

We have 5 kids and they have a lot of gifts. We have stocking with minimal gifts, santa gifts, gift exchange gifts (siblings buy for 1 sibling and exchange) and then the gifts from me. (Dh never knows what anyone gets lol.)

We usually do pretty well at the start if Christmas with the Santa gifts, then we will do stockings (this is the first year for stockings so we shall see), then the sibling gifts so that they are special and not mixed in with the mayhem. We can usually take turns in this part.

Then We take a break, mostly to torture the kids. After a while the kids need to stay in a room and dh and I will put out all the gifts, then record them coming down to see the tree and gifts. At this point we lose total control. They just rip into it. Some of them sort the gifts and find their own. Some of them rip open their gifts so fast and move to the next... But it's such chaos and exhausting. I would love to "take turns" but they don't have even numbers of gifts-- even amount of spending (+\- $10). The big kids have fewer gifts than the littles...

How do you do it? I'm brainstorming here...

[SuzySunshine]

We take turns whether we're doing Christmas here (2 kids, 2 adults) and ILs (2 kids, 6 adults) or my family's (8 adults, 6 kids) we take turns. When you are out of gifts, you're out of gifts we just keep going around the circle. Even the little kids can wait their turn because they're also interested in what everyone else gets.

[Pollyanna]

We are all about the mayhem, lol. The last thing I want to do on Christmas is to direct the kids on how to open gifts. Our kids wake us about 4:30am, then we send them back upstairs until 5:30-6:00. You can hear them sitting on each others beds and talking (very sweet). Then we film everyone coming out to the tree and the madness begins. All gifts are from Santa. Once gifts are opened everyone talks and shares what they received. Then a little later the stockings are poured out and toys are played with. After breakfast the kids exchange gifts.

It's not organized and we make a huge mess but it's tons of fun for all the gang

[SoonerTexan]

We always took turns. DHs family doesn't and it drives me nuts. I think it sucks for the person who gave the gift (especially my MIL) not to be able to see them open it.

This year we will probably stagger Ns throughout the day. She can't handle them all at once

[Thirteen]

The rules in 13's childhood home:
1) No one wakes up mom and dad until at least 6:30am.
2) Stockings may be pilfered upon waking, but presents remain untouched.
3) First one up makes the coffee/presses the on button.
4) Children are to help make breakfast - usually pancakes, bacon and eggs, or some such spread. Mom occasionally would pre-make a breakfast casserole and we would heat the oven/pop it in.
5) Everyone has Christmas jammies, and wears said jammies on Christmas morning.
6) Someone distributes all gifts by name to their intended receiver. All gifts are opened one at a time, and people take turns opening.
There's a black trash bag, to prevent the living room from looking like a hurricane of wrapping paper.

(These became "law" through years of trial and error - 4am mornings, missing bottoms, hypoglycemic children, and uncaffeinated adults).


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[SoonerTexan]

We're adding mimosas to our tradition. Worked great 2 years ago. Ill make toddler poinsettias for N and I this year

[JDAZ11]

The rules in 13's childhood home:
1) No one wakes up mom and dad until at least 6:30am.
2) Stockings may be pilfered upon waking, but presents remain untouched.
3) First one up makes the coffee/presses the on button.
4) Children are to help make breakfast - usually pancakes, bacon and eggs, or some such spread. Mom occasionally would pre-make a breakfast casserole and we would heat the oven/pop it in.
5) Everyone has Christmas jammies, and wears said jammies on Christmas morning.
6) Someone distributes all gifts by name to their intended receiver. All gifts are opened one at a time, and people take turns opening.
There's a black trash bag, to prevent the living room from looking like a hurricane of wrapping paper.

(These became "law" through years of trial and error - 4am mornings, missing bottoms, hypoglycemic children, and uncaffeinated adults).


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This is like exactly my families Christmas. Although there aren't any little ones right now - so no way would anyone get up at 6:30 (except me, because I just get up early). My mom also has a freaking absurd party on Christmas Eve these days - it's only like 45 or 50 people, but it totally goes until like 2am.

Our breakfast is a little different. We always have williams Sonoma scones while opening gifts (first one up usually makes those - which doesn't take a whole lot of effort!). The. After gifts we have eggs etc.

Oh I love Christmas! All this crap with DH's family has made me such a grinch this year, but I really really love Christmas.

[Sheherezade]

We also follow the thirteen plan! . But I, totally adding in ST's mimosas. My heirs will thank me if that becomes part of the new rules.....

Angie


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[Pollyanna]

We always took turns. DHs family doesn't and it drives me nuts. I think it sucks for the person who gave the gift (especially my MIL) not to be able to see them open it.
e

You'd be surprised how much enjoyment you get from the pure simple joy of everyone opening gifts together. Plus you then get to talk to each kid about all their gifts. I'd only feel bad if it bothers your mil.

[peggyfromwastate]

I always intend to take turns opening gifts... I think it sounds good in principle, but it has always just been mayhem no matter what. Maybe I need to just embrace the mayhem!!!

[HouseofWool]

Hmmm, if I had a spouse, I'd do mimosas as well. But, drinking that early just looks pathetic as a single parent.

[Pollyanna]

I always intend to take turns opening gifts... I think it sounds good in principle, but it has always just been mayhem no matter what. Maybe I need to just embrace the mayhem!!!

I say do what feels natural to your family. We've tried the one by one thing and please shoot me now, lol. But I have a dear friend and they do it that way and open gifts all day.

Go with the flow of your family and enjoy!!

[Vanquisher]

The rules in Vanquisher's home:

1) No one wakes up mom and dad until the pre designated time, usually 7:00. Everyone must be in their rooms and not leave their rooms until Mom and dad come retrieve them.

2) Stockings (from Mom and Dad) are the first things opened, and we take turns. Everybody gets stockings, including adult house guests like Grandma and Grandpa (though, thankfully not this year).

3) We make a decision about breakfast. Do we pause for food or hot chocolate or just a goodie from the stocking? If we make breakfast, everybody pitches in.

4) The kids have Christmas jammies, and wear said jammies on Christmas morning. They will have received them per Christmas Eve tradition.

5) Dad has the video camera charged and ready. Scissors, black giant trash bags, and batteries are at the ready.

6) Mom, with help from Dad, tries desperately to remember what she just wrapped and passes out the gifts in a specific order for the best surprises saved for last. Gifts are opened one at a time, slowly, so that everyone gets to see. Most of the time the girl gets to open 2 or 3 until the boy gets to open his one. Then, we'll throw in one for Mom
And Dad from time to time.

It's a slow, thoughtful
Process at our house, but each small gift is appreciated before moving on to the big gifts. Thank you's are said. The best is capturing gasps or true blissful happiness on your kids faces.

Last year, I told Alexia she was getting a scrub brush for Christmas. She fought me on it. No, I'm not!!

That morning, I grabbed a kitchen scrub brush, and I put it in a gift bag. I let her open it first. We got such a priceless reaction! Shock, dismay, disbelief, scanning the presents for others that might contain cleaning things. Surely not all. It was funny! And, hey, I'm a woman of my word.

We have a pretty controlled, leisurely open. I like it.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I'll write more later, but each person in my parents' house has their presents NUMBERED and my mom has the master list. The list includes notes like "Open before A opens #8". There are also sometimes 4a, b, c. It's mind-numbing...


Wife of a PGY-4 Orthopod

[SoonerTexan]

I hate the chaos. Hate it hate it. And it sucks when you chose something carefully for someone and totally missed their reaction. I guess growing up the boys could care less but the girls were always into the one by one.

I don't think my MIL cares. I guess she might have been up at the freakin crack of dawn when the little girls opened theirs. Each kid just opens their gifts alone when they each get up, not all together. I don't try and change their traditions, but the last time we were there for Christmas it just felt weird. I like watching everyone else open up their stuff as much as I like opening my own.