When do you open gifts/how do you celebrate?

[Alicefan]

How does everybody "do" Christmas in your family? We always open the gifts from the family, that have been under the tree, when it gets dark on Christmas eve. Santa comes that night and leaves presents for the kids but those aren't wrapped, they're just laid out under the tree or set up and ready to play with! Finger foods all day today and Christmas dinner with extended family at Grandma's on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to all, no matter how you celebrate!

 

[nw6675]

DD11 opens one gift on Christmas eve. The rest are Christmas morning. We tried midnight a couple of years ago, but it felt sad the next morning.

It is just the 3 of us at Christmas. DD asked to always be home for Christmas, so we do Thanksgiving/Christmas at my parents house in November.

 

[RedAngie]

It was always on Christmas Day in my family. It used to be in the morning. When DDs were older teens/young 20s they’d sleep until noon and sometimes we wouldn’t open gifts until the late afternoon or early evening.

Younger DD is arriving on Monday, so we’re waiting until then. DH and I might open our gifts to each other earlier.

 

[RedAngie]

Duplicate so I changed it.

DD and exH are taking the red eye flight on Christmas night from California. Hopefully all the flight delays/cancellations get resolved by then.

 

[PollyannaMom]

One present on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning. Dinner and games at in-laws Christmas Day.

 

[ronandannette]

Christmas morning usually, at whatever time constitutes "first thing". We're all adults here now so it's not the crack of dawn anymore. This year is a little weird because the major gifts for both myself and DS had to be arranged for delivery before the weekend so we've both already received them. No real surprises for us tomorrow.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

As a kid, it was both
Modern life: Christmas morning.
This year particularly, last night, maybe some tonight, and Christmas morning.

 

[SueInBoston]

we open presents on Christmas morning. I cooked a nice xmas eve dinner for about 8-10. Kids (28 & 24) put out cookies for Santa. Xmas morning, I pop the breakfast casserole in oven, make a pot of coffee. then wait for the kids to get up. Santa has gone minimal, usually 3 items, socks, candy and fun toy. Kids wake up and we open presents then have breakfast.

 

[DVC-Don]

Grew up opening gifts from family at grandmas Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was gifts at home from Santa. Fast forward 65+ years, open only on Christmas morn.

 

[Meriweather]

We open one present on Christmas Eve, the rest in the morning.
Stockings first, then breakfast while the present opening goes on.

 

[mumto3girls]

We do my side of the family gifts tonight at my dads. Everyone buys for the 8 “kids” (ages 7-22) plus the adults each get a stocking from one of the other adults (draw names at Thanksgiving). The 5 older kids (16-22) also do a stocking for one of the other 5 older kids. Each adults buys an item for the little kids’ stockings. As the older kids get older I think we will transition them to the adult stocking tradition.

Our family of 5 does gifts Christmas morning. Sometimes late as mine are older. Gifts, stockings then breakfast.

DH’s parents are deceased but his sister and BIL come over Christmas late afternoon for dinner and will probably have gifts for my kids although my older ones are probably almost done. We did her boys until 21 and she said long before that it was fine with her whenever we wanted to stop.

We have both sides of the family at my house for dinner Christmas Day. Tonight is appetizers and cookie trays at my dad’s house.

 

[DisneyHardin]

DH and I don't have kids, so presents aren't a huge part of our day. We open them on Christmas morning, then I cook a big breakfast. We then go to my aunts in the evening for Christmas dinner.

 

[wenrob]

Both/Other

Christmas Eve the kids open up Christmas Pajamas, a game each (tradition from DH) and something cozy like a blanket, hoodie, beanie etc. Over the years it has evolved with them also opening their gifts to each other and insist we open our gifts from them. Somewhere over the years hot cocoa mugs have made it into the mix and we have cocoa and play the new games on Christmas Eve.

Santa still comes even though my kids are grown/nearly grown and puts wrapped presents under the tree and fills the stockings. Stockings are first thing in the morning and take awhile because Santa has a stocking stuffer problem and then presents. We chill all day and depending on work schedules etc. we have a Prime Rib dinner either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and an appetizer/munchies meal the kids put together on the opposite day.

Since older DD moved to Seattle three years ago the last two years we have done “Mini Christmas.” She comes down for about four days and we squeeze a bunch of traditions into one day. Crafting, baking, tree decorating etc. I put a couple things that were for both days like jammies, mugs, a family board game and smaller gifts under the tree and while they’re changing into the jammies I put a small selection of stocking stuffers in the stockings. We now have our Christmas dinner on this day. Tonight we’ll FaceTime with DD and open a couple small gifts and tomorrow morning we will FaceTime and open the “big” gifts. We will be on FaceTime and/or the phone with her off and on most of the day.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. But when the kids got older it was late morning or even early afternoon when they finally woke up. Now it’s usually after dinner when they come over.

Their gifts from in-laws were opened Christmas Eve while at their house for dinner. They were Italian and did the Feast of the Seven Fishes thing.

 

[ford family]

Used to be Christmas morning for everyone but nowadays only for those who are here overnight with another opening session when other family members arrive for lunch and, finally, Boxing Day for those who can't make it until then.

ford family

 

[Dan Murphy]

I'm going to say Christmas Day.

 

[slo]

Christmas Day Morning for DD19, DH and I.

Christmas Day Afternoon for all of and our parents.

 

[TippyThomas]

Because I have no family to celebrate with, I schedule myself to take care of the animals at the shelter where I volunteer. My Christmas gift budget is spent on all of them anyway so I get to enjoy watching them play and use all the new things they got for the year. It gives the rest of the staff an opportunity to enjoy time with their families and I enjoy my time with the animals so it's a win for all of us.

 

[JLTraveling]

Christmas morning with immediate family/anyone who spent the night. The years we get together with extended family/friends, there's another round once everyone arrives (usually early afternoon). And there's almost always a couple of people who can't make it on the day, so there's a gift exchange with them whenever we can get together over the following week. We always have a big fancy breakfast after presents, and then Christmas dinner is somewhere around 3-4pm. It's always a relaxed, low-stress day with plenty of drinking chocolate, eggnog, and snacks.

 

[disneyseniors]

Like most people, Christmas morning. All the kids/grandkids are grown now. So we are in no hurry to open gifts early. My daughter makes cinnamon rolls and coffee and we go over to their house to watch everyone open gifts. We then exchange our gifts.
We play games and have a blast after all the gifts and food. It's a lot of fun and everyone can participate. We are doing a new one this year called, Taco, Chicken, Cat, something, something, I think. We play a dice game that everyone loves. We all bring an unwrapped gift of 10 dollars and put them in the middle of the table, We set a timer for 3 or 4 minutes, and then we roll the dice around the table. If you get a pair, you get to get a gift fromthe middle of the table. When all the gifts are gone from the table, you can steal one from another player. This goes on till the time runs out. If someone doesn't end up with something, we always give them a gift. There's always one gift that everyone wants and it gets crazy. Last year it was a Bob Ross bobblehead, for some reason?

Everyone brings food and goodies. We always have s now since we live in N. Mn.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone