Are Santa's presents wrapped or unwrapped under the tree?

[4theloveofdisney]

Some are wrapped, some aren't at our home. We like the thrill of watching the kids "see" the bike or the doll house or the princess gown....and yet still, we love to watch them ripping open things with such curiosity and excitement - it's awesome as well! So, I guess it's a mix in our house.

We also clearly mark that some things are from Santa and some from just plain ole' Mom and Dad!!

 

[AliciaS]

We have a 2.5 year old son. We wrap everything, with the stocking stuffers wrapped in tissue paper. We generally do 2 presents from Santa and 4 or so from us. Aunts and Nana make it so DS has about 15 to open in total. I make sure each adult gets one item from Santa as well - usually something a little playful that plays to the little kid in them - a puzzle - a kite - a game - that sort of thing. Santa's presents are wrapped in a totally different paper that only Santa uses.

We put out about half the presents slowly over the 2 weeks before Christmas. The rest, including Santa's, are put out Christmas Eve night. That way we get the look of having presents but also the WOW factor on Christmas morn.

On Christmas morning we open one present at a time, then have breakfast, then open stockings simultaneously. Last year, when DS was 1.5 he only opened about 7 of his before he gave out. It was all too much. He opened his other 8 presents later that day.

As for waste, for years and years we have been using the nice brown boxes you can get at Michael's (I think AC Moore and/or JoAnne's has them as well). We wrap almost all of our presents using these and nice ribbon. I save the ribbon each year as well so I bought nice satin ribbon and tartan ribbon to last. Only if a present does not fit into a box or the box would be leaving us would I wrap using paper. If we have a little piece of paper left from another gift, we might wrap one of ours using it. My mom's gifts and others add to the variety so it's not ALL brown under there. Of course, with our Victorian theme, this works well. If you prefer a modern Christmas, the brown paper box look might not work for you. Every year my mom says she wishes she had thought of it. I only buy paper once every few years and I haven't had to buy nice ribbon in years.

 

[mjantz]

Santa does not wrap presents at our house & the 'main' gifts are from parents, grandparents, etc. Santa brings toothbrushes, books, candy & other small toys. When my kids were tiny, I wrapped less because I didn't want to have to open lots of presents myself but now that they're older, I wrap more because they *love* tearing open the paper. Presents also go under the tree before Christmas.

Presents from Mommy, Daddy & other family members are wrapped so there's plenty of wrapping excitement going on Christmas Morning & the other 2 days we celebrate Christmas during the season (we celebrate a personal Christmas before we head to alternating grandparents & visit the other grandparent a day or two later).

One thing I did last year that was a lot of fun was to label gifts from 'Hello Kitty' or 'Superman'. The kids knew it was me but it made opening gifts more fun to pretend Harry Potter or Ariel had stopped by with a package.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

As I reflect back on those magical Christmases of my youth, I realize that some presents from Santa were wrapped and others weren't -- and the wrapped number had a definite correlation to how busy Mom was on Christmas Eve...

In our house, Santa brings one or two big presents (lately that's turned into a huge set of whatever ds8 is into, last year it was Pokemon). These presents are unwrapped -- all the little plastic ties that hold them in the boxes are banished, fully assembled, batteried (I made a word! Just like Truthiness!), and ready to go. This buys Mom and Dad some time to assemble a big breakfast. Stocking presents are also unwrapped, and tackled the minute he sees everything Santa left.

After Breakfast we do grown-up stockings (he knows Santa doesn't do those), and if there is time, start opening presents. We take a break for the WDW parade special, and then open the rest. DS8 is an only child, and gets 15-20 presents from Mom & Dad, kitties, and assorted characters (just like mjantz!). He's figured out the characters are us now, but when he was 3 he really believed Blue gave him a new dvd. Around 3 p.m. we have dinner, and then settle in to enjoy our new loot.

This year we are going to allow ds to open two presents on Christmas Eve, new p.j.s and slippers. We also used to go to Christmas Eve services, but we've changed churches and the services are at Midnight. Not very kid-friendly. This year I'll be teaching Sunday School on Christmas Eve, so we will be screening The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2 to fill our afternoon.

My bff wraps her kids gift in a different paper for each child, and everything comes from Santa. They get 10 presents each, and giant stockings filled with wrapped toiletries. I tried doing toiletries once, and it was not well-received. Sometimes the grown-up stockings have more expensive presents than the wrapped gifts in our house!

 

[emma'smom]

One thing I did last year that was a lot of fun was to label gifts from 'Hello Kitty' or 'Superman'. The kids knew it was me but it made opening gifts more fun to pretend Harry Potter or Ariel had stopped by with a package.[/QUOTE]


We totally do this...but not with Santa gifts...with our gifts to each other (the adults). The tags are usually from someone that gives a hint about what might be in the package- so a basketball might be from "Michael Jordan" or a biography of Walt Disney might be from "Walt", etc. We put them out early and then everyone can have fun guessing what might be inside the packages!

 

[jeepgirl30]

DH insists all gifts are from santa. It makes me sad. I usually do one from us. But ALL are wrapped. I try to make the paper different from paper I use for other presents.

I had no idea until adult life that (okay WELL into adult life!) that some Santas didn't wrap! It still baffles me a bit, how do the kids know whos is whos?!

 

[SuperSteelerFan]

We wrap. Each DD gets her own paper which I buy and they know about it and then leave out for Santa to wrap their gifts when he brings them - that saves the explaination when I have extra and use it for someone else's gift later. This year they are getting the Furreal Friends Butterscotch Pony and she will not be wrapped, but will have a big red bow around her neck with a tag attached that states she is for them to share.

 

[va32h]

I had no idea until adult life that (okay WELL into adult life!) that some Santas didn't wrap! It still baffles me a bit, how do the kids know whos is whos?!

I don't know about anyone else, but in my house, each child has their own "area" where their gifts are, and their stocking is in that area, too.

And the toys aren't just stacked up in their boxes, they are arranged. Like, one year my son's basketball hoop was set up, with a bow on it, and more presents inside the net, and his stocking on top of that.

It also helps that my kids are so far apart in age, that there couldn't really be any confusion over whose is whose. My girls are 7 years apart with a boy in between. My daughter knows the matchbox cars aren't for her!

 

[*~ellagirlsmama~*]

Growing up everything was wrapped. Dhs family did the same.
This year I think I am going to leave Isabellas big Santa gifts unwrapped.
Santa got her a play kitchen that Dh will put together and I will put a bow on and a note from Santa. At not quite 2, she really wont care but it will be nice for pictures and video! I was going to put all the play food, pots etc we got her in the kitchen but now Im just going to wrap them since Im thinking if not we would not be able to tear her away from the kitchen to open other gifts!

We also picked up the mini zooper stroller today a PBK and it came unassembled in a plain white box so I suppose that too will be out and put together.

Stocking stuffers will be unwrapped. After all, they are already "wrapped" by being in the stocking!

I love reading about everyones traditions

 

[mommykds]

I have been enjoying reading everyone's traditions...I had no idea before reading here that some people don't wrap...sounds so much easier to me!

Santa wraps all the kids things here. Each child has their gifts wrapped in their own paper (paper they have never seen before & left overs are destroyed immediately! )

The gifts are on the floor by the tree with their stocking on their pile so they know which is which. I love to watch them open everything & the paper go flying!

So far all my kids still believe (10,7, & 5) but I know this has to be the last year for the oldest to believe.

 

[disneymom3]

Santa wraps. Think about all the pictures and movies you've seen with Santa and his bag of gifts; how many of showed the bag full of wrapped gifts? I can't think of any in which the gifts aren't wrapped.

Of course, for a counter argument, it's hard to justify from an environmental perspective. You do all that wrapping so that the wrapping paper can be torn off after being displayed for all of an hour. Seems like quite a waste, espcially from a guy that lives someplace where no trees grow.

How old were your kids before they started to believe that line about Santa not existing? We have a 7 year old that still seems happy to believe in the old guy. He has always been distrustful of the tooth fairy thing though.

First off Santa doesn't wrap at our house, to answer the OP. When I was 5 I saw the paper that Santa used in the cupboard. Didn't say anything but it made me wonder. I decided to avoid the stress of hiding paper and simply not wrap.

As far as movies go, actually in the Santa Clause, most of the gifts you see Tim Allen put out are not wrapped. Cracking up at your environmental perspective! Too True! And that brings me to the rest. DS6.5 was starting to have some doubts and yeah, I think the whole tooth fairy thing started it off. He is not too sure about her. I have a barely 5 yo too and let's just say the 6.5 yo has a major lack of finesse and no secret keeping ability whatsoever! So, this last week we rented The Santa Clause and he is SO into the whole scenario. He is even convinced that Santa has a hot chocolate dispenser in his sleigh and an walkie talkie type thing in his hat. He is also sure that Judy is at the North Pole taking care of things.

 

[disneymom3]

DH insists all gifts are from santa. It makes me sad. I usually do one from us. But ALL are wrapped. I try to make the paper different from paper I use for other presents.

I had no idea until adult life that (okay WELL into adult life!) that some Santas didn't wrap! It still baffles me a bit, how do the kids know whos is whos?!

I have a DD so her stuff is obvious and honestly I have two boys who are so close in age they don't care whose gift is whose. In fact two years they have gotten a combined gift from Santa and they are quite happy with that. (One year it was a train set, last year it was Rokenbok.) We do put a huge name tag on the item from Santa(he only brings one.) Since everyone can read their name, we are good to go.

 

[mom*to*2*princesses]

Santa does not wrap in our house. The gifts from Mom and Dad are wrapped, but Santa usually brings each girl two presents that are already put together and ready to go with big bows and tags that say "Merry Christmas! Love, Santa".

Growing up, everything was wrapped. I do it this way now because:
1. I don't have to worry about keeping the "Santa" paper a secret;
2. I don't have to wrap what are usually the biggest, most awkwardly packaged toys; and
3. Best of all, they are busy playing with their Santa presents so DH and I can make coffee and relax a bit and just enjoy the big mountain of presents before the real carnage starts.

 

[jnordan]

I've officially decided (reading all of these posts has helped!) that Santa will not wrap in our house! I'm actually so excited now about the idea of them coming downstairs on Christmas morning and seeing all of the wrapped presents under the tree (from us, sister, grandparents, etc.) as well as the unwrapped, fully assembled, ready-to-play-with toys displayed with big bows from Santa! Actually, since my two are still so little (2 and 4), I'm even unpackaging the things that I give them as much as possible -- I took all of the tags off and washed the two outfits that they're getting before I boxed and wrapped them, I put all of the batteries in the toys and then put them carefully back in their boxes, but without all of the twist-ties, etc. . . In our house, it's always such a detractor to not be able to PLAY with the toy right away! They're so excited, and then it takes 10 minutes just to open the darn package, you know?!?

Anyways -- thanks everyone! I think Christmas day will be even more fun this year in our house!

 

[bopper]

Santa wraps, but in a different wrapping paper.

 

[JodyTG]

When my daughter was little her gifts from Santa were always wrapped in solid colored, shiny paper...red, green, gold, etc...so it wasn't a complete match for other paper on gifts she'd see.

But, if the toy needed to be assembled, that was already taken care of by the "elves" and ready to play with.

 

[aroyer]

Our Santa gifts are unwrapped. As they were when I was growing up. I have a girl and a boy far apart in age so they know which pile is theirs. I have two older brothers and they always knew their piles because Santa put their stockings with their piles.

 

[aes74]

I just love this thread! What fun! I have never even thought about some of these things! Everyone has such wonderful traditions!

So, here is what works for us:

We have a few gifts under the tree before Christmas. This might be gifts we are taking for other people at a family gathering, gifts to the kids from others, that sort of thing.

Santa only gives each kid one big, special present. The rest are from my husband and I. This is because when I was growing up I could never understand why Santa gave some kids from school with not much money only a couple presents, while the wealthy kids in my class got rooms full of presents. And why some of my friends got amazing, expensive presents from Santa, and my family didn't. It just didn't make sense to me, and I was sure that I was a good girl and not naughty.

So Christmas morning some presents are wrapped, and some aren't. Usually the big ones aren't. Like a bike, or dollhouse, etc. And some are fun to set up ahead of time.

Someone asked how many presents we give. It has depended a lot on their age. For example, when my girls were only 1, they only got a few presents; a book, a doll, a ball. And they were SO excited! And it also depends on how much things cost. For example, I want to get my girls a kitchen set this year, and I also want to get them a Leapster. So between the kitchen, the two leapsters, and a couple Leapster games, yeesh, that's like $300! I also like to wrap some inexpensive things they love, like art supplies, play dough, etc. I really don't get them more than 12 things each. I just trying to not go overboard. Don't get me wrong, I do want it to be wonderful, and exciting, and special, my husband and I just try to be concious of where that "line" might be. And heck, I've got to find a place for all that stuff and keep it clean the next year!!

Another tradition we have started to take the focus off just gifts is with an advent calendar. Well, sort of a calendar. It's actually just a mason jar, and each day they pick one slip of paper. And it has different ways to serve others or feel the Christmas spirit. For example, we have some that say
"Read a Christmas book as a family," "buy a gift for a child and put it in the 'toys for tots' box at the store," "make a plate of cookies for the neighbor," "call grandma and tell her how much you love her," "read the christmas story in the bible," etc. When they get older, I plan to add things like serving dinner at the Salvation Army Shelter, etc.

So that's kind of what we do. I have really enjoyed this thread!

 

[lclark0621]

Santa wraps for us. Well he wraps most, but the larger or oddly shapped stuff is not wrapped.

I love watching DS unwrap each present.

DS gets to open gifts that are mailed to him from family as they arrive in December. Christmas Eve we open gifts from the family who is visiting us (usually the ILs). There is also one gift from DH and I to DS. This year it is PJs. I keep asking DS (3) what he wants Mommy & Daddy to bring him for Christmas & he says "Horse PJs" (when we ask what he wants Santa to bring him, DS says "All sorts of stuff"). So this year he will be getting his Horse PJs from Mommy & Daddy.

Christmas Morning is just for Santa's gifts. DS sleeps with us on Christmas Eve, so when he gets up, DH will come out & "check" to make sure Santa has been here & everything is ok for DS to come out (DH will also turn on the Christmas music & the Christmas Tree lights, etc). DH will get into place with the camera to get the shot of DS's face as he sees his gifts for the first time.

Last year DS found his large stuffed Marty Zebra doll & grabbed it. He sat in the middle of the living room for a good 1/2 hour before we could convince him there was more stuff he could be opening. He knew it was there, but at that moment all he cared about was his stuffed zebra. The look on his face when he realized he was sitting inside the tracks of his new train was priceless...

 

[kc10family]

wrapped and only in Santa paper and none in the same wrapping paper. Freakish I know but way cool looking under the tree.