Opening gifts on Christmas....

[LynnTH]

We open presents on Christmas Day. But, of course by Christmas Eve the kids are just dying to open something. So, I let my DS7 and DD5 open up the present they got each other. ( I take each of them shopping to buy a gift for the other). That seems to work out quite well.

Growing up we got to open up the present from our Godparents on Christmas Eve.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

I love reading about everyone's traditions! In our family, we let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve. That is always a special ornament, chosen specially for each child. My mom started that when we were little, and I loved that! It was also a nice way for us to build our own collection of ornaments for when we grew up and moved out (can't even think about that happening with my kids).

Christmas morning, we open and play with Santa presents and stockings. Then, we break for a nice breakfast. We spend the rest of the morning opening presents from us and dh's side of the family, which had been mailed. We venture to my parent's house later to open gifts from them, and then enjoy Christmas dinner.

A few days later, we get together again with my aunt and uncle and brother and sil to open more presents. It's like Christmas all over again. One year we ended up doing this before Christmas. I much prefer doing it after Christmas. It makes the Christmas season last a little longer when we get to open gifts and be with loved ones even after the actual day.

Now, if friends stop by with a gift for each child, we open them right then.

 

[ukool]

when i was little opening one present on christmas eve was used as a bribe to get us to go to church lol, so if we were good in church we could open one present that was already under the tree, so it would be something small. Then open the rest christmas day.

Now my mum and dad use a diffrent bribe to get my brother to church, going to mcdonalds lol. We always let my brother go first with opening stuff, coz hes only 8 so its all about him really, then everyone else opens theres after.

 

[4lilpoohs]

Growing up we opened one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day. As a child my DH opened everything on Christmas Eve. Now our family opens with the inlaws on Christmas Eve and our family opens on Christmas Day.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

In addition to those awesome pjs, ds8 opens new slippers on Christmas Eve! Christmas morning, his presents from Santa are arrayed on the coffee table ready to go when he arrives. Then we open stockings, and go into a big breakfast. After breakfast, we start opening the serious haul. We stop for the Disney Parade, breaks, lunch, etc. as needed. Most of our family is out of town, so we have alot of presents to open. DS is an only, I'm an only...one year he asked to take a break from opening his presents so he could play. I've since cut way back on the number of gifts from Mom & Dad.

For the family that we do see before Christmas, he opens their gifts there and then, and we get the thank yous going right away. My girlfriends bring their kids over the week after Christmas, and we all exchange presents. DS always knows he has at least one more gift to look forward to. We love the chance to sit and relax after the craziness of the holidays. We all teach Sunday School, so by the time we do all the activities and family stuff too, it's really nice to have another planned gift opportunity that's more relaxing. Plus, if someone didn't get something they had their heart set on (in-laws sometimes must get confused), you can always count on a girlfriend to come through!

 

[almburr]

We usually have a nice family dinner on eve then each child gets to open one small gift before midnight mass. That gift is never the big one. (matchbox car, lip gloss,cd,movie)Everything else is opened in the morning. One other thing at our house we have 3 birthdays. DD 11th, DS13th DH27th. DH late sister was on the 12th.

 

[DaisyD]

I give each kid a fun gift to open Christmas eve. No jammies allowed! I give them the jammies a few days before and they aren't a gift. Just jammies.

 

[vhoffman]

Well, wehave no extended family, so its just us. No visitor, don't visit anyone. So I guess it doesn't matter when we open our gifts!

I didn't realize that Christmas pajamas are considered such a "dreaded" gift. I always got new sleepers on Christmas Eve, so I'd look nice for pictures Christmas morning when I'd be tearing into my loot. I don't think my mother invented that idea

For Christmas Eve my kids usually get new sleepers, a keepsake ornament, and one toy, usually a stuffed animal to match their sleepers--last year it was skating Minnie Mouse and Lilo and Stitch pj's and stuffed animals. However, they were so dissappointed. They said "its just clothes" to the sleepers, and "we got the same thing last year" about the ornaments. Well, I just give up opening gifts this Christmas Eve. Usually Christmas Eve was about family giving and Christmas morning was for Santa's stuff. But, like I said, we have no one to celebrate with except us, so why have two gift-giving events? That's usually for larger families who can't all be together at the same time. Some gather Christmas Eve, some Christmas morning. But not all for both!

I've decided to let myself off the hook this year. Forget about two gift exchanges, especially since my ideas only seem to dissappoint. Maybe I can get the kids to bed earlier that way! And the money I would have spent on Christmas Eve gift exchanges can go into better Christmas morning gifts. After all, its the gift, not the thought that counts! You can tell, this is not my favorite time of year!

 

[vhoffman]

I give each kid a fun gift to open Christmas eve. No jammies allowed! I give them the jammies a few days before and they aren't a gift. Just jammies.

I like that idea! We all get our kids new jammies for Christmas so they look nice for the pictures on Christmas morning, but don't try to make a gift out of them, any more than you'd wrap up underwear and call it a gift

Just hand them to them a day or two before and tell them they can wear them Christmas Eve, or before if they wish. Kids expect toys when they open a present, not jammies or a dumb ornament. I used to give my kids a keepsake ornament on Christmas Eve, to build a collection over the years. But why wait until Christmas Eve? I just gave them their ornaments tonight. They hung them on the tree and will probably get more enjoyment that way, they have longer to enjoy them!

 

[SoonerGirl]

We usually celebrate Christmas with my in-laws a few days before/after Christmas, the kids open their gifts from them then. We always do Christmas with my parents & my brother's family on Christmas Eve - the kids get plenty to open, we usually stay pretty late and they are tired and ready for bed by the time we get home. Christmas day is all about our family. We get up and open presents from each other and Santa, then we have a late breakfast and just play all day. Sometimes we'll go over to my brother's house late in the afternoon to see what Santa brought my nephew. It's always just a fun, relaxing day!

 

[vhoffman]

Usually my kids have so much stuff for Christmas they get overwhelmed just opening it all. It all comes from us, btw, no gifts from Grandparents, aunts, uncles,, cousins, etc. We have no extended family--it gets quite exhausting and expensive buying all those gifts, but I figure I'm not buying for anyone else's kids, so it all works out.

I was thinking the Jewish custom of something like 12 gifts, one each of Hanuakah (sp?) sounds so much better. I understand they give one gift each night building up to the best for last. What a better idea! They can truly savor each gift and not get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all. Maybe we should borrow that custom? It might work out better!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

We typically do Christmas Eve Service and then home to bed. Our son is only 2, so we haven't really done any Christmas Eve opening. I don't think that is something that we will start.

This will be the first time that DS will be excited about Christmas! I can't wait!

 

[lg3]

Growing up we only opened gifts on Christmas Day, so it was very strange to me when DH's family would open theirs on Christmas Eve. They got around the Santa thing by having someone as "Santa" visit the house and bring all the gifts from Santa Claus in a big bag/bags, visit a bit, then take off with his reindeer. It does make it fun for the kids. We open gifts from his side of the family on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, the stockings are opened and the gifts from ourselves, and the ones Santa left at our house.

Personally, I would prefer to open only on Christmas day. Our family would make Christmas Eve a very quiet, peaceful, exciting night of anticipation where we would listen to Christmas Carols, drink hot cocoa, maybe play in the snow if there was any and find the peace of the season for a moment. Then all heck broke loose on Christmas day. Miss that.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've never heard of the "new jammies for Xmas morning" tradition; funny. Our family tradition is the old Irish Catholic one of Christmas not starting until midnight Christmas eve -- the "Christmas season" is the 12 days of Christmas, culminating on Epiphany, Jan. 6th.

On Christmas Eve we have a decorating party (dinner is soup), put up the tree and put the gifts out. We allow everyone to open one gift during the party; it has to be the smallest one with your name on it. After midnight Mass all the adults staying in the house have to help put the kids' toys together --we stay up until the wee hours drinking and muttering about tab A and slot B. Since we keep the kids up late the previous night for church, everyone tends to sleep in a bit. We let the little kids get into their presents right away -- but everyone else waits to open theirs until the extended family shows up in the early afternoon. After that there is a huge dinner, of course.

DH's family is Polish/Bohemian, and they did their entire family celebration on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was nothing but the Santa gifts, without any extended family or any party, dinner, etc., so when they got older there was nothing at all going on Christmas itself. For dinner they had leftovers from the night before. Since my extended family is much larger and adamant about Christmas being a command performance, he has come over to our side (though he still always wants to put the tree up WAY too early!)

 

[Fintastic]

We open gifts with extended family on Christmas Eve, and family gifts on Christmas morning. When DH was growing up they opened all their gifts on Christmas Eve. That's kind of anticlimactic. Where's the anticipation? Where's the fun?

 

[Silverbelle990]

We open one gift on christmas eve...those dreaded pj's On christmas morning we open the stockings break for potty then santa and gifts from mommy and daddy. Later that night we go to my sisters for dinner. Before dinner we do secret santa then eat. After dinner we do the family gifts. We bring 3 gifts to our spouses the important ones and save the best gift last. This year my son is getting the big gift...a trip to DISNEY in FEB!!! I can't wait, and this way christmas lasts all day.

 

[pigletforever]

Jammies here on Christmas Eve. They are usually lounge pants for the big kids but for DS 4 it is what ever his fave character is (this year power rangers)

Usually on Christmas Eve we are with my family and we open their presnets then. then Santa and family gifts Christmas day then off to MIL for one one present swap. So presents are over 2 days here

 

[2bearsmom]

Growing up my sister and I always opened one gift on Christmas Eve, we could pick whatever one gift we wanted that was under the tree.

We normally see either my family or dh's family on Christmas Eve and the boys are overloaded with gifts to open so there is no way I'd let them open anything from us that night.

 

[lclark0621]

On Christmas eve, we open gifts from family that is visiting & DS gets one gift from DH & I. Christmas morning is just for Santa gifts.

 

[Deesknee]

another mom who insists the kids open the gifts in the presence of the giver whenever possible, on, before or in some cases after Christmas. I believe most people when buying a gift for another try to imagine the expression on the recievers face when opening it. I always pray my kids expression will be kind though.