Wrapped or unwrapped?

[#1 Mickey Fan]

Presents from Santa in my house growing up were always unwrapped, assembled, and ready to play with. My sister and I always got to play with our Santa toys while Mom and Dad made breakfast and read the newspaper.
After breakfast, we were then allowed to open our wrapped gifts from family.

That system worked well until we got a little older, and then all our presents were wrapped and under the tree a week or so before Christmas. But...my Mom and Dad got tired of us shaking all of our presents and figuring out what everything was before the big day. So...my dad stopped putting names on the gifts and instead simply put numbers on them. Not knowing which presents are for you makes shaking them a lot less fun. He had a master list that he would bring out on Christmas morning and my sister and I would have a great time searching for our presents.

Even now that we're grown, we still do the number coding, although the code has advanced over time and now includes all kinds of words and letter/number combinations, just to keep people guessing. When my sister and I started including our spouses in our family tradition, they thought we were nuts at first, but have since had great fun in adding to the present "system"!

 

[becka]

Quote:
Originally Posted by becka
Last year we did have one exception. When DS went to see Santa, Santa had some presents under his tree wrapped in purple paper so DS said he wanted some purple presents.





Quote:
Originally Posted by mookie
Okay, this is verrry scary to me. This year, my dd keeps asking for a "PURPLE PRESENT!!!!" Nothing specified, just a purple present. I wonder where she got that from? Maybe it's a kid thing!!!




You have got to be kidding me!!! We took my DS (age 2) to the Santa Claus Tea yesterday. He's just now starting to really get it all. Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and the only thing Paul said was . . . ."a purple pleasant". (That's what he calls presents.) How bizarre is that! We didn't know if he meant something that was actually purple, or something wrapped in purple paper. But, his poor Nana went out huting all last night until she found solid purple wrapping paper for her gift!

This is too funny! Maybe it is right of passage for a 2 year old to ask for purple presents. I just assumed it was because Santa had purple presents under the tree that was next to him. Maybe it is some kind of kid-code!

The first time we heard about "purple presents" was then and I kind of figured he just said it then and didn't really think anything about it until he kept saying that Santa was going to bring him purple presents. It took me a while to find solid purple paper...apparently that is not a big seller. Maybe they stock it just for the parents of 2 year olds?

 

[scoutsmom99]

Santa Wraps all presents.

 

[mookie]

If either of you find it, please let me know where you got it at - it's not easy to find her either!

 

[va32h]

I want to see the awe in their face by what they open and that Santa brought them what they wanted. If I left them unwrapped they'd see it and I'd miss the surprised faces because they would most definately be up hours before I would like them to be, and me to be.

I understand the desire to see a child's happy face on Christmas morning.

But I'll admit, some of my best memories of Christmases growing up are those early mornings when it was just my siblings and I, creeping around, whispering so we wouldn't wake anybody up, looking in our stockings, sneaking peeks into the stockings of those siblings not yet awake (contemplating potential trades, sometimes!) eating candy for breakfast, and just enjoying an hour or so all to ourselves with no grownups to tell us what to do or not do - and a roomful of toys - that's a kid paradise!

I do want my kids to have some memories of times spent with each other, not just with me and their dad.

 

[Stitchfans]

Wrapped. All the fun of unwrapping them would be lost if not.

 

[ReneeA]

All presents are wrapped...eventhe stocking stuffers. It's what my family did growing up, too. It's funny, I've never asked DH what their tradition was, I always assumed everyone on the planet wrapped everything (amazing the completely useless info you get on the DIS ).

Santa also leave everything on Christmas Eve after the kids go to bed. I can't imagine policing the X-Mas tree with a 2 and 4 year old hoping that they didn't open everything while I wasn't looking (or in the bathroom )

 

[becka]

If either of you find it, please let me know where you got it at - it's not easy to find her either!

I finally found some at Target about 3 days before Christmas. It is not the prettiest paper but it is purple. I would send what I have left but I am afraid DS might say something again this year about Santa bringing purple presents.

 

[kilee]

DH & I were just talking about this the other day. I've only ever known 1 person that had unwrapped Santa gifts and does it that way for their kids. Until a few years ago- I had never heard of it that way either. In our home Santa wraps everything, unless it were like a bike or something. Even the stocking stuffers for the most part. When dh was growing up- Santa even hid a few gifts in the tree, he doesn't do that at my house because I'd be really upset if the ornaments were broke.

Santa also uses a separate paper in our house. However no bows or ribbon. Those are only on the gifts from mom and dad because that would be just too much time. DS is 13 and I still do the separate paper, he just humors me.

Usually we placed our gifts to each other under our tree. However, not this year. We have a puppy that might (he's really getting out of ths phase but I don't wanna chance it) chew them up . So, they no presents will go out until Christmas Eve when the little furbaby is safe asleep in his crate.

Btw, I must be related to the MIL's because I buy each person their own wrapping paper. I use name tags too though. It is so when I'm packing up gifts to take to gathering I easily know which to take and who gets what when I'm there. In my immediate family exchanging is like mini-Christmas. So it's piles of gifts for each person. It just makes is easier on me.

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

All gifts from Santa are wrapped in Santa Claus wrapping paper. If the paper has Santa on it, it's a given who it is from. All other gifts are wrapped in other paper...snowmen, patterns, Christmas trees, etc.

 

[Southern4sure]

Mrs. Clause wraps all the presents but Santa fusses about leaving them unwrapped. They always have this discussion each year but Mrs. Clause always wins. You would think Santa would learn by now never to cross Mrs. Clause!

 

[Skywalker]

Okay, I am another one who has never even HEARD of putting unwrapped gifts under the tree! Wow. Needless to say, in our house Santa has always wrapped every present - although never the stocking stuffers. I guess he just likes to mix it up a bit - keeps him from getting bored. LOL.

 

[monarchsfan16]

When I was younger Santa gifts were mostly unwrapped. Some would be wrapped (a few movies or something) but most would be unwrapped. But it didn't spoil Christmas, because our gifts from our parents were always wrapped. Plus we were always up really early (we were required to stay in bed until 5 am), but we had to wait to open our presents until the aunt and uncle and cousins arrived mid morning. But we could play with Santa gifts immediately. Our stocking stuffers were mixed, but mostly unwrapped. We have loooong stockings, so it would take all day (it seriously takes an hour now that all the gifts in stockings are wrapped) if they were wrapped. What little kid has the patience for that?

When stepdad moved in mom had to start wrapping all Santa gifts because he did it for his kid and you know, Santa can't do two different things. By then I didn't believe in Santa anymore and hadn't for several years. But it was still always fun to see a few things right off. And do you know how long it takes to unwrap a set of skis that are in their box? Poor mom had to wrap a desk for my sister last year That's taking it to the extreme especially since no one in my house believes in Santa anymore. But the rule is still all presents wrapped

 

[2kidsnutsfordisney]

On Christmas Eve we try to get home from our extended family gathering about 6:00 so that just our family can exchange gifts with each other. But, the parents never give the good gifts that night, that's Santa's job. Growing up, Santa always left the gifts unwrapped at my house and DH's. He would even lay out everything in a presentation style and each child had their "section". Oldest sibling had the couch, middle sibling had the love seat and I had the recliner. So, we will be continuing that tradition. We only have one child, 19 months. This year will be a lot more fun. I can't wait to see her face as she comes around the corner into the living room and sees everything Santa left her. At 19 months, it would take too long to unwrap everything and I want her to be interested in the toys, not the paper.

I would swear that you and I were raised in the same family I always loved racing down the stairs to our "designated" section to see what Santa had left. My parents would always go downstairs first to check out where Santa had left everything and then come back up and tell us that I had the sofa, my sister the recliner and my other sister the fireplace hearth. And just like your family there would be a presention of gifts. With that being said we always had wrapped presents under the tree from my parents. I loved that tradition so much that we have passed that on to our children! I never realized that so many people did it differently Good to know that there are so many creative Santa's out there!!

 

[Skylarr29]

Wrapped