Opening gifts on Christmas....

[lalijack]

I'm curious to see what other DISers do. Does everyone let kids open one gift Christmas Eve? (Not the dreaded Christmas PJs?!?!?!? ) And how about gifts from people who visit Christmas Eve but won't be around Christmas morning? Or does absolutely everything have to wait until Christmas morning?

Met a mom at DS's school the other day who seemed taken aback that I let my kids open presents from aunts and uncles who visit Christmas Eve. But my logic is, they bought my child a gift - don't they deserve to see the child open it??

What do you guys think?

 

[Tink561]

We always open gifts from people when they're given. For the past few years we've opened all our gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve. Then we can go to bed and the boys stay up as late as they want. Stockings are on Christmas morning.

Now that we have a little one, we'll have one last year of our late night event. After that, we'll save just a couple of things to open for Christmas morning...you know, the stuff Santa brings.

 

[graygables]

We open the dreaded Christmas jammies on Christmas eve, sorry. I grew up with the Christ Child coming on Christmas Eve ("Santa" was Dec 6th) and we opened all our gifts then. I learned it was a ploy to let my parents sleep in on Christmas. When DH and I married, it didn't seem right to ignore his upbringing, plus it's his birthday, so we started the "one gift, hey look, new jammies" thing on Christmas Eve AFTER his birthday celebration (2 distinct and seperate events), then we open gifts as a family Christmas morning. I take lots of photos to send in thank you cards.

 

[mjantz]

It varies from year to year. This year, we'll open a few presents before we go 'over the river & through the woods' to the grandparents. We'll open more & do stockings at 1 grandparents' house & then open the last batch at the other grandparents. I grew up you only opened on Christmas Day but I want us to have a small Christmas at our house before we do the big extended family stuff.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Any gifts given prior to the "big day" are opened as given unless special requests are made - they've already gotten 2 gifts so far and with everything they get from soooo many people I would rather they enjoy those items and let those people know how much they are appreciated instead of getting lost in the shuffle.

All other gifts are opened Christmas day and sometimes after Christmas day if they are too tired/want to play with something they've already opened 1st. Now that they are getting older *4&5* they seem to be ready to rip into them all!

 

[Aidensmom]

At our house, gifts from Mom and Dad are opened Christmas Eve, and those from Santa are opened on Christmas morning. Anything else is opened on the day it is received.

This year there will even be a small exception - DS has asked for a Pal Mickey, and since we will be at WDW the week before Christmas, he will get it then.

 

[MNdisneymom]

In my family we open family presents (under the tree stuff) on Christmas Eve after dinner. That meal always seemed to take so long , as we could see the tree from the dining room. Christmas morning is for stockings, and when we were little, one big Santa gift. (We've started the same thing with my DS 4--he's getting a v smile game system from santa this year!)

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

My girls get their big haul from my MIL on Xmas Eve. When we get home they open 1 present each from under our tree. The next morning we get up and they open the rest of their presents then we head to my parents where they open gifts there.

If someone mails them a present then they get to open it when it arrives. My thought is that they get so much on Xmas Eve and Day that things could easily get overlooked.

 

[LauraAnn630]

Growing up we opened 1 present Christmas Eve.


My kids do Chanukah with my husbands family. One day, tons of presents.

Christmas Eve we open from my parents and family.

Christmas day my kids open from us and Santa.


This year my parents, my brother his wife and 3 kids are going with us to disney!

TONS of presents under our little tree! Im so excited!

 

[AStamm]

We're usually in Syracuse (or Disney...2nd Christmas trip is coming up!) for Christmas, so all but one year we've opened presents early--like the weekend before! DH works 2nd shift, so there isn't a time where we are all together other than the weekends. DH was very adamant that we tell DS the truth about Christmas (apparently DH was ruined for life when he found out Santa isn't real...somewhere around the 3rd grade!), so DS has always known we're the ones buying the gifts for him to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

This year DH and DS are headed down to WDW on the 19th (poor mom has to keep teaching until the 22nd and has a VERY late flight...arriving at midnight...yuck), so we'll probably be opening our presents on the 16th or 17th.

Since we're a little more non-traditional (or very traditional...depends on your POV), we've always let DS open presents given to him by others when they've given them. We even celebrated Christmas with my family while we were up in Syracuse the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My sister also let her kids open the gifts we gave them and it was really nice to see them playing with them.

 

[lchadwick]

When I lived nearby asnd went to church with my family, we would go to Christms Eve service and then to my sister's to open gifts from each other. It was funny, b/c my oldest always thought the red light on top of the electrical towers was Rudolph (my BILs idea), so she knew Santa was delivering those gifts for my sister's house while we were at church. My kids grow up thinking of Santa as the UPS man - even my 2YO sees him coming and yells SANTA!

Now that we're an hour away, we wait until Christmas Day, as we all get together for dinner anyway. That was we can go to our own church Christmas Eve.

This year, since we won't be home, we're having our gift exchange a week early.

 

[nucpharm29]

If we're at my parents, all gifts are opened xmas morning. It had to do when I was a young child and I saw how many gifts were under the tree christmas eve and I told my dad that I didn't need to be good anymore b/c santa didn't need to come b/c I already had lots of presents under the tree. AFter that incident, no presents are put under myparents tree until the kids go to sleep Christmas Eve.

If we're at IL's, MIL has a huge Christmas Eve party after going to Mass. We open gifts from the adult Christmas gift exchange and then Santa arrives with a "gag gift" to open. You must sit on Santa's lap and open your present in front of the whole crowd! Then Christmas morning we open Santa, parent and kid gift exchange presents. Then it's off to FIL's house for Christmas with him and his girlfriend.

 

[shelleybell]

Our tradition has been to open the gifts after dinner on Christmas Eve. After that, we visit relatives for the evening. On Christmas morning, you had your stocking and your Santa gift. This way, there was no confusion about who gave this gift....Mom or Santa.

shelleybell

 

[susykt4]

I often have to work Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day in the early morning so we open gifts around my schedule. Last year Santa came 2 nights before Christmas so the kids opened everything the morning of Christmas Eve. I told DD (5 at the time and aware of the "incorrect" date) that Santa is happy to deliver a day early to the families of parents who have to work Xmas day because it lightens his load the next night. DD accepted that explanation with no problem.

As a kid my family was constantly celebrating every holiday on days different than the actual day so that everyone possible (aunts, cousins, etc.) could attend. I've never had any problem celebrating on "off days" but I have a friend who would never DREAM of having a Thanksgiving meal on any day but Thanksgiving or a birthday cake on any day other than THE birthday. She was APPALLED that I celebrated my son's birthday a week early (so my brothers and their families could attend) and then did nothing on his actual birthday! (He was 4 )

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I let my kids open gifts from family and friends as they come by. This weekend we are going to my grandmother's house for dinner and presents. They get some really early this year. The weekend of Christmas my best friend stops by with presents, and then on christmas eve we have a big celebration at dh's brother's house, he is one of 4 kids , so my kids have alot of aunts, uncles and cousins, we do presents then. Then we come home and bake cookies for Santa, and go to sleep. I leave 1 present out for each of my kids, it's under the tree now, and all the rest of the presents go under while they are sleeping, the rest from me and Santa brings his!!!!!!!!!

 

[Erin1700]

Funny you should ask this...I am fighting my sister on this very subject. (she is 25 lives at home, no kids,etc). We always do Santa and mom and dad gifts Christmas morning (christmas pj's are given on Christmas Eve), then in the afternoon we go to my mom and dad's and we exchange there. This year my sister wants to do my parents and sibling gifts Christmas eve. Well, my dd6 is the only grandchild until her brother is born in Feb., so you know how they all spoil her. My DH and I think nothing should upstage Santa and the excitement he brings. Also next year we want our DS to have his first Christmas experience Christmas morning at home with his mom, dad and sister! I have offered to be flexible with times on Christmas day. Oh, and if she is given a gift before CHristmas from someone, she may open it in front of them so they can see her open it and we want them to open what we give them too!

 

[bkfree]

We have Christmas with my husbands family the weekend before Christmas,this year on Sat. Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve, mid day. Christmas morning is for Santa and presents to and from me, husband and kids. We do not go anywhere Christmas Day, just stay home relax and watch the kids enjoy their stuff. Even though mine have already had two Christmas parties with loads of presents before Santa's big day, nothing outshines St. Nick's visit or the excitement of waking up that morning to see what his elves have been up to.
This year since we are going to WDW in January, both grandparents are giving small gift plus Disney Dollars.

 

[LMCT88]

Have 2 teenagers here, and we still open them Christmas Day. We do let them open the (dreaded christmas pj's christmas eve). I want to do Christmas Eve this year, but think I will wait till Christmas Day, even though they are older 16 1/2 and 15 I would like to keep that sense of them still being little kids alittle while longer ( they are just growing up too fast). So for us it will more then likely be Christmas Day. I still look forward to my daughter getting up at 5 or 6 and saying can we open presents now. She still has alittle bit of little kid in her. So for now I will keep it that way. Although would love to sleep in late Christmas Day, but really enjoy the morning time that we spend together. Hope you all have a Great Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lalijack]

Thanks to everyone who has posted so far! Keep 'em coming! DH, kids and I FINALLY got the ornaments on the tree and the lights on the front of the house, so I'm in full-blown Christmas mode now!!!!!

Nice to see all the different ways people enjoy the holiday!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

 

[kitn]

Usually I work Christmas Eve so we open them Christmas day. We try to make several hours out of it. We may open a game and play it before we open anything else.