getting to know us 12/9~~~

[party of 3]

ok it's a new day with a new ?

do you wrap EVERYTHING under the tree including stocking stuffers??
and do you do wrapping paper or bags more??

wanna play??

 

[party of 3]

i'll start.

we do wrap everything! including the stocking stuff.

and i think i do more bags than wrapped for gifts that i'm giving away.

what about you??

 

[DisneyIsTerrific]

If it can be wrapped, it gets wrapped. Part of the fun is unwrapping presents!!! I use a few gift bags for odd shaped things that I can't find a box for, but for the most part, I wrap everything in paper.

 

[Lisa]

Everything gets wrapped, some things with paper, some in gift bags. Santa always wraps his gifts with Santa paper. Mommy uses Christmasy type paper.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

We used to wrap it all. Every last bit.
Not sure what we are doing this year. They know most of what they are getting and they are large boxes. Too large for even the largest size roll. I stink at the overlapping of two sheets.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Well, DH's family NEVER wraps anything once you are so old... (like 10)... My family wrapped everything.. I mean it was suppose to be a surprise... So, we tried it DH's way and I just despised it... it seems like the kids could have really cared less... almost like they were at a store picked and gift and off they went... unlike when they unwrap and the joy and excitement of that surprise!!!! I'd rather pick up mounds of wrapping paper, bows, tissue, etc and see those smiles any day!!!!

Yes, we have to distinguish between parent paper and Santa paper.. He forgot and used parent paper and one of the kids pointed it out! (bratty kid)..Anyway, Mommy used Christmas paper any kind.. Santa goes w/ metallic or solid paper!!!

OH!!! And we are still hoping one of DD's presents gets her before Christmas.. It's on order.. Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

 

[WDWMom]

We wrap everything under the tree with paper. Stocking stuff is not, but nothing gets put in there until Santa comes I never put name tags on my kids stuff. Each child is allotted a paper and I wrap all the things in that paper only. That way they have no idea whose would be what or know what they are getting. Their stocking is put on their pile by Santa.

Of course, my kids are 12, 13 and 17. This year I was thinking of putting every under the tree now and still not put tags on things. Have to talk to DH about that.

 

[rlovew]

I wrap everything for dh. Dh puts my stuff in bags- sometimes gift bags and sometimes just from the store. Everything from both our parents are wrapped- his mom always in paper, mine in a combination of things.

Growing up with the 5 of us as children, my mother used a diferent kind of paper for each of us- she still does for the most part. That way she didn't have to put tags on the gifts. When we were very little she used cut out letters of our first initial to mark the packages and some said each of our grandparents, some mom and dad, and 1 santa.

When we are all together and get up before mom and look at the tree- we try to guess whose paper is whose- she tries to match it with our likes and dsilikes. Mine is seals whenever she can find it, my sister's husband is always penguins, my husband and my sister normally each get music notes, my sister in law gets blue paper or Chanakkah paper, my mom's paper is Nativity, everyone always depends on what she can find but it is something fun to do while waiting to get to open. Sometimes we mess her up though by wrapping the gifts from us in one of the papers she uses from someone else.

As far as stockings go- if she has a lot they don't get wrapped if there isn't much they do. We have a very drawn out stocking opening tradition. When I was about 3 my mom was trying to figure out a purpose for our stockings (we never did anything there wasn't a reason for). We all open our stockings one gift at a time starting with the youngest and moving to the oldest. As we take out the one items we have to share a Biblical reson/idea for it. For example with animals we can say that God created the animals, that he saved them on the ark, or something specific about the like when my dad got a camel he said it reminded him to be careful about our treatment of money because Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of Goc. No one can use the same reason twice- so you have to pay attention. When we added new family members we would help them but most of them have gotten quite good. I am waiting to hear what my husband says this year as he has started seminary. My brothers, husband, and dad get quite puny as the time goes on. My mom decided this year everyone would get 8 stocking stuffers, a piece of fruit, and a candy. That was to keep it from going so long since we will have 13 of us here. I am not sure if we will also do the dog as I have a stocking for him.
We also open our gifts one by one- taking turns around youngest to oldest. Normally we are still opening about 3 hours after starting. Of course it depends on how many things are wrapped in each package (I asked for lots of little things this year- brads, flock, ect that will proably be grouped together in one package) and how expensive the things we want are.

Rebecca

 

[ddavis860]

We wrap everything. And tag everything. And the under the tree gifts get curly ribbons and a bow each. Got to slow them down somehow!!We take turns too.

I lost my Christmas Elf this year. I've been talking with DH about how sad it will be to not have DUnc96 to stuff the stockings. I could always count on him in his red shirt and white sweater. I would hand him a stocking and a bag way over full for that stocking, then we would take pics of him getting it all in there. Not bad for a blind man! And if things got confused, we would get a laugh on Christmas morning. I tear up every time I think about it...this one is going to be really difficult!

 

[aroyer]

Hugs Debbie! What a sweet memory.

Santa does not wrap his presents or stocking stuffers. He never has in my family, he left stacks of presents and my brothers and I got to figure whose was whose! Of course mine was always easy since I was the only girl! We also open stockings one at a time and presents are on a rotation, one at a time! The kids have started a tradition of their presents being wrapped in their own paper. One year DD asked if she could have a certain paper for her presents and so the tradition began. They each pick out their paper- DD has Camp Rock this year and DS has Rudolph!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

We're here for you Deb!!! I know how you feel, at my dad's big family party Uncle Al used to hand out all the gifts to the little kids. It wasn't the same last year without him. He used to wear a red embroidered vest and a santa hat, the vest just didn't look right on my cousin. We're not going this year because DH has to leave that day, this Sunday.


At my house growing up, Santa wrapped his gifts in Santa paper. At DH's house he didn't, so Santa doesn't wrap now. But if we go to Disney Santa wraps in Santa paper because we are all in one big room with the tree and all.

Stockings, Santa doesn't wrap but we do. You always get an orange, mom's tradition, and we do stockings first.

I color code the paper for each house we visit. So my Aunts house gets 2 types of coordinating paper, home gets 2 or 3 types, mom's house gets 2 types, and MIL's house gets 2 types.
If we go to Dad's big family party we bring gifts for our kids, and those are wrapped differently too. It makes mommy's life a whole lot easier!! Besides I'm such a paper addict anyway I can feed the obsession. LOL

Which reminds me, I need paper!! I have just about run out.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I don't have kids yet, so we don't have any of those traditions. Santa always left presents unwrapped for my dh (parent presents were wrapped). As a child, only Santa brought me gifts ans they were always wrapped. My parents never bought me a gift, and I just figured this out a few years ago, when dh and I were talking about traditions. I have a huge extended family so I got so many presents Christmas eve from them I never noticed the lack of mom and dad gifts. Kinda funny

Since dh and I have 4 sets of parents at 4 different houses, I wrap each family in different paper. Technically each family gets 2 papers that go well together so when the presents are laid out they look pretty. I used to put them all under the tree as I wrapped them, but now-a-days I just box them as a wrap in the tote that is going to that state. This weekend is NJ, next is VA and the weekend after is NY. Christmas its self is done in our home, so those gifts go under the tree.

Dh is a big fan of the leukemia society that has a booth to wrap presents at the local mall. I am convinced he pays more for the wrapping than the gifts themselves! But they look pretty, are wrapped properly and it is for charity.

 

[disneynut14]

This is a big controversy in our house. When I was growing up. Santa did not wrap. We just knew what toys were ours. My DH likes everything wrapped, including stockings. Since our kids are so little, I don't wrap their stockings, but everything in my DH's must be wrapped.

He wants Santa to wrap and I don't. So far, since DD is only 2, I have managed to wrap most things. But if I don't feel like wrapping I won't. Like last year she got the Tigger rocking horse. There was no way I was going to wrap that. This year she is getting a tricycle and I think it will be more fun to have it unwrapped and all put together on Christmas morning. I also leave stuffed animals unwrapped an sitting under the tree.

This is going to be an ongoing debate in our house for years to come. Oh Boy!

 

[hopemax]

Growing up in my house, everything was always wrapped, including stocking items. The only thing that wouldn't necessarily get wrapped would be a stuffed animal. However, at my house, stockings are done on December 6th, when St. Nicholas comes (German tradition). However, when I was about 11, I found out that other kids got their stockings on Christmas, so I somehow managed to convince my parents that we needed to do stockings both days!

At DH's house, stockings don't get wrapped, and there is one Santa gift, and that isn't wrapped either. Even though the kids are now 28 & 33, Santa likes to bring a small toy or plushie.

We are usually at one of our parents for Christmas, so we don't really have traditions at our place. Except, that when St. Nicholas comes, we don't really do a stocking, just one small gift. That is either wrapped or unwrapped depending on where the wrapping paper is. This year, I didn't feel like digging out the tote, so it was unwrapped. St. Nicholas brought me the set of Doodlebug Flock. DH got new ear buds for his iPod, and a little Pirate LEGO set. Our other thing, is that since my birthday is the 21st, birthday wrapping CAN NOT be Christmas paper. And we try hard not to have our little Christmas on my birthday. Although, one year we were flying out early in the morning of the 22nd, so we opened my birthday presents, went out to dinner, and then came home and did Christmas.

 

[JohnsonsLoveDisney]

Everything is wrapped including stuff in the stockings.

The only exception is big toys from Santa, ones that would be more hassle to wrap ie doll funiture, bikes, shopping carts etc.

We put small things in stockings. DH's fave is socks, he started the tradition. and Santa leaves things too.

When i was growing up, we always got an apple, an orange, a nectarine and nuts in the shell, hazelnuts, brazil, etc a whole bunch. Plus candy and small gifts. No one usually ate the fruit or the nuts so they just went into the fridge and a big bowl on the table. My mom finally stopped that tradition. it just wasnt fun.

So now i have no clue as to what to do for stockings. I am forever throwing the candy out at Valentines Day. so they mostly get gift cards to the book store, movies etc. Things from Santa. But they get stockings at our house, grandmas house and Great Grandmas house.

We do different Santa paper it usually has a santa print or its very pretty with a very unique tag. the rest is usually Disney. My trademark for years was Pooh. But now i do princesses and tink for the girls. Funny part is DD 8 is what her teachers refer too as a 4.0 airhead. Super smart at school not so quick in the real world. She has seen the santa paper in the closet from the last few years, i even used what was left from 2 years ago last year. and she hasnt caught on. I have some left from last year and I'm going to use it again. we'll see if she catches on. I know that she is one of the last in her class that still believes.

 

[Arizona Rita]

Debbie, so sorry for your loss. I had a great Uncle Harry who always wore a red sweater vest at Christmas. There's just something about an elderly gentleman in a red vest! Wishing you good memories!

Hope- My birthday sister! I am also the 21st!

Presents from Santa are always wrapped in Santa paper including this year even tho Dd has told us "I know". If you dont believe, you dont get presents! To which DS,14, has said repeatedly "I do!"
All presents from us are wrapped, including stockings and I dont care if Im up until the crack of dawn wrapping! If its a pressie, it must be wrapped and no bags!
My Mom used to do the tangerine and nuts in the stocking, I tried it and we no longer do that. I have always wondered if anyone else did that. My Mom used to say it was because of the Depression and that was all they had.
The one constant tradition with the stockings is that in the toes of the stocking is always a bag of the Disney character chocolate coins. And it has to be the Fab 5 with others, not the Princess set. And they always eat those right away!

 

[tinkryansmom]

Hey all!

Growing up Santa did not wrap. DH says Santa must wrap so Santa paper here also.

No wrapping stocking stuffers.

I too use gift bags for items we give out but not for the kids unless it is an unusual shape or size.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I wrap everything. I use some bags as well--depends on the gift.

 

[New England Eeyore]

Everything gift-wise is wrapped - gift bags only as a last resort. I am a famously bad wrapper so it doesn't matter if it's an odd-shaped item - I will find a way to cover it, even if it doesn't always look so nice.

Stockings are mostly unwrapped, unless there is a "big-ticket" item in it, then that gets wrapped.

 

[123SA]

I missed this one! Santa does not wrap because that is what my mom did. However, display is a big deal. I make sure the ties are off and things are ready for playing. However, now that the kids are getting a bit older (9,6,3) I am having a problem with the not wrapping. Since they can all count now, they can tell when their wrapped presents from me and DH are not equal. I am finding myself pulling stuff from Santa's pile and wrapping it up from Mom & Dad to make it even. Plus, they have now asked why Santa doesn't wrap. Last year was a bit of an issue because DS5 couldn't concentrate on his Santa gifts because he wanted to go unwrap -- and then he was disappointed to be unwrapping jeans, socks, pjs and the like. I can't decide what to do this year.