Christmas Present/Stocking Unwrapping Traditions

[HeyIt'sMe]

When I was a child this is what we did on Christmas morning - -

1) Open stockings (only after Mom & Dad were up too)
2) Go to Mass
3) Eat brunch
4) THEN we opened presents - - one every 1/2 hour. My Mom or Dad would pass out a gift to each of us kids and then everyone had to watch as each person opened their gift. Then we'd wait 30 minutes and do it again. We had Christmas presents to open well into the evening.

It was funny because one year for Christmas we went to Connecticut to stay with cousins. On Christmas morning they dashed to the tree and it was a gift-opening frenzy. My sister, brother & I stood there with our jaws dropped. That's not the way you are supposed to do it! It really freaked us out.

Now that I have a child (one DD, 10 yo) I try to follow my parents' system but it doesn't quite work out because DH is like "let her open her gifts". He was from a gift-opening frenzy family.

For the past couple of years what "Santa" has done is leave a letter and envelope with numbered pieces of paper in DD's stocking. DD draws a number and then looks for the gift with that number and that's the gift she opens. I can usually get her to wait 10-15 minutes between gifts. Last year I also had a 'bonus gift'. The last remaining box (it wasn't numbered) had a scavenger hunt clue inside. That clue led her to another clue and so on until she found a final surprise gift. It was fun writing up different clues.

I think "Santa" will be doing the same things this year. I'll do anything to make Christmas day last longer! Ho!Ho!Ho!

Merry Christmas!

 

[Narnian_Princess]

Since my brothers and I were 10 (me and DTwinBro) and 8 (DLittleBro) we've had the same tradition, and it continues even though we're almost not teenagers anymore. On Christmas Eve, we have homemade chili for dinner, then we set out sweets, "party food" like miniature quiches, cheese & crackers, etc., and "punch" made from ginger ale, cranberry juice, and Hawaiian Punch. We have the "party" while watching a Christmas movie, usually It's a Wonderful Life, but sometimes The Bishop's Wife or some similar classic Christmas film. Then we always say "Hee Haw and Merry Christmas" (have to see IAWL to get that ) and then off we go to bed. During the night, "Santa" comes and leaves a stocking on the end of each bed (not so easy anymore now that all our feet practically hang off the end ) which we can open as soon as its light enough to see. We tiptoe into each other's rooms to see what the others got, and after a time the whispers and crackles wake up the parents. Both parents have to be up, and we light the trees and turn on Christmas music while Dad cooks breakfast of pancakes (another tradition is making miniscule pancakes out of leftover batter ) and bacon and "leftover" candy from the previous night. Then we open gifts, one at a time taking turns. After that, it's Christmas specials on TV and everyone off doing their own thing, reading their books, listening to their music, eating their candy, etc.

 

[OK!]

My brother and I are 31 and 34, respectively, and we still do Christmas morning at my parents' house. We've always done stockings first and then presents, which generally are organized into piles by recipient.

 

[LUVMYTINK]

In our house our tradition is, on Christmas Eve the kids get to open one small gift. Then around bedtime DH reads The Polar Express to the kids and then they put out the plate of cookies & glass of milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph and off to bed cause they know Santa doesn't come by if they are still awake.
On Christmas morning the rule is, they have to let mommy and daddy sleep till 8am (#1DS is good about occupying the little ones till it's time to wake us up). Then I go in the living room to see if Santa stopped by, start the coffee, turn the tree's lights on and get the video camera ready. Then DH stands with the kids by the gate in the hallway and waits for the ok from me. We then open the stockings and the present Santa got for each of the kids. Then we have breakfast while watching the Disney Christmas Parade. After that is when we open the rest of the presents and then watch Christmas specials the rest of the day.

 

[EthansMom]

Since I have two young children, I could not imagine letting them wake up and get their stockings while I was sleeping! But then they still believe in Santa, so I would not want to miss that.

My husband is usually awake early, so he's up with our kids (3 and 6) first thing in the morning. The last couple years, the way stockings have actually worked out is that everyone has piled into our bed with their stockings at about 7 a.m., opened their stockings, and then DH gets the kids off into the livingroom so that I can try to get another hour or so of sleep, while they play with their stocking stuffers. I'm usually up late on Christmas Eve taking care of all of the Christmas "stuff" and appreciate a little more sleep.

Opening stockings early is a tradition handed down from my family, which really came in handy when DB and I were in our tween and teen years. We would wake up at 3 or 4 a.m., open our stockings together, play with the toys, eat the candy, and go back to sleep till a nice reasonable hour. I have really fond memories of opening stockings with my brother before daylight.

I'm really enjoying everyone's stories!

 

[MagicalMom]

LOL! I was the title of this thread & thought couldn't remember ever posting to it! LOL! But it looks like I did, 2 years ago!

 

[Faerie]

When I was a kid we woke up at the ungodly hours and crept downstairs to check out our loot. We couldn't wake mom and dad up til 5:30. We ran in as soon as it became 5:30. We opened our stockings and then had breakfast while waiting for Grandma and Papa (dad's parents) to come over (they lived next door) and then we could tear into our stuff.

Now that we're all adults (my sisters both have kids) we are up around 7 and let the kidlets go at it. Then the adults open their pressies while the kiddos play

 

[Jennasis]

As a kid our tradition was similar to everyone else's. No getting up before 7am, but I was always first up. I would sleep in my older sister's bed the night before, and when i was older, my younger sister slept in my bed. Then we'd wake mom and dad up, mom would go light the tree, put on coffee and music an we'd open gifts!

Now DH and I get up ay 7am, feed the horses (all 21 of them) and then come back in the house, and open each other's gifts. Then we put Williams and Sonomas chocolate croissants in the oven and go back outside to turn out the horses. Then we come back in adn eat. Then we clean the barn, bring the horses back in and then off to his mother's house for dinner and more presents.

 

[EthansMom]

LOL! I was the title of this thread & thought couldn't remember ever posting to it! LOL! But it looks like I did, 2 years ago!

That's too funny. I'm the OP and I realized when I saw it pop up that it was an old post... I didn't quite realize how old!

 

[nateryan]

The boys can't wake us up until it's light out, then finally we all go downstairs together. The boys open their wrapped Santa presents. Then time for pancakes. After breakfast, we open presents one at a time. Once all the presents are open, time to get showered and ready to travel. Late morning, we head to my parent's house for more stockings for the boys and more presents. After a early dinner, we then go to DH's parent's house for more presents and yet another dinner. It is a long day but I wouldn't want any other way.

 

[Buckalew11]

We also let the kids open their stockings first thing in the morning. Then dh and I wake up at a reasonable hour, I put frozen cinnamon rolls in the oven and we take turns opening presents around the tree.

When my kids were really little they were too afraid of interupting Santa to go out in the living room so they would wake us up as soon as daylight hit. My oldest was even scared to go to sleep on Christmas Eve - so we never had the issue of them sneaking out. I still remember reassuring him as he cried "what if he comes in my room and looks at me?"

Sounds like me when I was little! I was scared on Christmas Eve (excited also and always had a hard time falling asleep). Then in a.m. I would wake my parents up anytime from 3 a.m. on. Of course, I was not allowed to get my sisters up then and had to go back and lay down. Once, I decided to sneak and see if Santa had been there yet (because at 3 a.m. they always told he had not been to our house yet!). I snuck downstairs and there he was!

My mother had secretly sewn a lifesized santa and placed him in the chair at the bottom of the stairs! I was screaming and totally freaked out!

Once I remember getting up and going downstairs because I could not fall asleep (it was probably 10pm or so) and I caught my dad eating Santa's cookies!!!! I pitched a fit! I remember dad telling me he could smell the cookies and got hungry but was planning on replacing them. I was OK with that.

We were not to go down until my parents were up and downstairs with us. Same here for DD. Actually, she has NEVER gotten up early on christmas. She usually wakes up by 7 or 8 but none of this 3 am business!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Nothing gets opened until we're all up together and dh has the coffee started. We tell the kids that they can decide whether to go through their stockings first or do the tree presents first, and every single year they opt to open their stocking stuff ASAP.

 

[SDFgirl]

When I was a little kid living at home, my brother and I would always sleep in the same bed on Christmas Eve night. As we got older and sleeping in the same bed was "totally ick," we'd take turns sleeping on each other's floor. So one year I'd sleep on his floor, the next year he'd sleep on my floor. We did this until I left for college!

We were never allowed to wake our parents up until 7am. I remember sooo many mornings we'd be up at 5am, huddled together in our pajamas, looking at "Where's Waldo?" books in our rooms. Don't know why, but Waldo was also part of our Christmas morning traditions.

When 7am FINALLY rolled around, we'd wake our parents up but my mom HAD to make coffee first, we were so antsy by that time that it seemed like an extra hour while the coffee brewed!

We opened stockings first, one at a time, then presents, one at a time. Then we'd clean up and play with toys while mom made breakfast.

Great memories!

This is the first year that I have a baby of my own, so not sure how Christmas morning will go. Santa will probably play a bigger role next year when she's older!

 

[crz4mm2]

Our kids could open their stockings before we got up. Some years they were up really early, other years, not so early. BUT, I am an early riser and I am always very excited to see them get into their stockings too, so I would get up as soon as I heard them it is all part of Christmas for me

This year, only DD is at home and we will do stockings here and then take DS and DIL's stockings to their house and watch them open them. We will exchange gifts at their house too. So it will be a bit different this year.

 

[skuttle]

DS gets to open one gift from mom and dad (new Christmas PJ's) on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning, he's not allowed out of his room until we are up. He usually yells at us when he is awake. Santa doesn't leave wrapped gifts at our house so DS has to wait. DS hasn't gotten into the waking up early thing yet. The past few years he's still gotten up at his normal time. I'm usually up before him because I'm excited and can hardly sleep! LOL! After we're up, I make sure I look decent just in case I'm caught in a picture. Dh and I get into position in the living room with camera and video camera, then we yell at DS to come out.

He looks at his santa gifts first, then stocking, then gifts under the tree from mom, dad, and the dog (the dog always gives a dog related gift ).

After all gifts are opened, I start a breakfast casserole.

 

[puffkin]

When I was a kid we had an opening chair....the camera was on a tripod pointed at the opening chair and everyone had to sit in that to open their gifts. We took turns and everyone watched.

We stayed upstairs until our parents were ready and had the tree turned on, camera set up and music playing. We came down and had to have breakfast first because my younger brother is diabetic and needed to eat. Then we did presents and stockings were last.

We don't really have a "plan" yet since DS is not quite 2....so we will probably just wake up when he wakes up, make him eat breakfast and then let him go to town with the gifts. He doesn't even know what presents are yet, so he wouldn't know what to do with them unless we showed him anyway, so I am sure we will have no problems getting breakfast out of the way first.

 

[debbiedana]

The few days around Christmas are chaos around my house.

On the 23rd, we have Christmas with me, DH and DD8. This was the day me and DH got engaged 11 years ago and we've always done our Christmas this night.

DH works on Christmas Eve. Me and DD deliver a few cookie trays to friends. When DH gets home we go right to his parents house for hours and hours of craziness, topped off with a White Elephant that takes months of planning for a gift worthy of this insanly funny part of our Christmas. For example, last year, my 20yo neice put in her mother's wedding dress from her first marriage (she's since remarried 10 years ago), and my MIL put in HER wedding dress from 48 years ago! DH and his brother opened them back to back, making it even funnier. It took us a half hour to move on from there, we were all laughing so hard, they were trying on the dresses. It's the hour or two a year that we're all together and everyone is completely happy. Anyway, we usually get home about 11 or 12 at night. Good thing they only live five minutes away.

We stay out so late Christmas Eve that we tend to sleep in Christmas morning. DH is an early riser, so he gets out the video camera and makes his coffee. DD will wake me up when she gets up, then we all run downstairs and she opens her gifts first and then her stocking. We'll eat when she's done. We don't have a big meal b/c we're usually stuffed from the night before and have lots more food ahead later in the day. Typically a bagel or some toast will do it for us.

We don't have too long to lay around, we have to get ready and go to my Mom's house for an all-day eat-a-thon. Gifts take a million years at my moms b/c we go mostly one at a time. It's lots of fun though. I'm hoping DD gets lots of Disney Dollars this year for our trip in January and less 'stuff' than usual.

We always try to go to DH's sisters house after my Mom's on Christmas Day but we're always too tired.

This year, we also have plans on the 26th, 27th and 29th for getting together with friends/gift exchange things. I'll be so tired by the end of the week that I'll sleep though New Years. It's all good though! I'm very fortunate that we have family and friends close by that we can share with at the holidays!