When do you open your presents?

[mommaU4]

Do you open them Christmas Eve, Christmas morning or Christmas night?

Growing up we always opened them Christmas morning but one of my best friends always opened hers at midnight on Christmas Eve!

Also does anyone have any special traditions?

When DH and I started dating we were only in high school and we're expected to spend X-mas day home with our individual families, so we always had "our" Christmas on X-mas Eve. Now that we are married with children we still reserve that night as just for us. No parties to go to, no other friends or family around, kids go to bed early and it's just us.

So let's hear your family traditions!

 

[BrerLizzie]

Our house (that's mom, grandpa, and me) opens on Christmas morning, but I always get to pick one to open at night on Christmas Eve. At night we go to my Aunts house (Mark, Cousin Josh, Aunt Pam, and Cousin Rich live there). We have a big dinner, then open presents, then eat dessert. We leave the tv on through all of this with A Christmas Story on.

 

[hiwaygal]

I just want to read all the different traditions...since my DH and I don't really have any family close by, we have spent our Christmases with just the two of us. We've only had two so far...and I'm looking for some new traditions to start!!!

 

[Megster]

My parents are divorced so my tradition is spending Xmas day driving all around NH and MA going to one house or another.
This year, however, me, my mom and step dad are going to Disney. I deffintely wouldn't mind making that a tradition every year!!

 

[ScoJo15]

We open our presents on Christmas morning.

As far as traditions, we now open our home to our neighbours on Christmas Eve for drinks/social time and small gift exchanges. Not a party, but a come over when you get a few minutes kind of thing. It makes for a really nice time for everyone.

 

[MinnieM3]

DD, DS and little DS get to open one present from mom and dad on Christmas Eve. Of course, Santa's presents are there only Christmas morning.

DH and I open one present that we pick on Christmas Eve. Usually something small but special.

Then in the AM we see what Santa has brought. All presents are opened one at a time with ooooo's and ahhhhh's for each. Then stockings get opened.

We have some kind of special breakfast and play with all our new "toys" and then change into Christmas outfits and it's off to relatives for more gift giving! We're always pooped when we get back home. All of my family is here.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

my dads side of the family all gets together on christmas eve for presents..then my mom,dad, brother, and i go to one of my "uncles" (firemen we know)....we get up whenever on christmas morning and do presents then..this year, we probably wont do presents til 5 or so at night bc i think its my dads day at the firehouse

 

[disneynutt1225]

I was born on Christmas Day, so for as long as I've been around Christmas Day has been my birthday exclusively and we do Christmas on Christmas Eve. The rule for my family has been "No birthday presents in Christmas paper, and no Christmas presents in birthday paper". I can honestly say that I have NEVER gotten cheated by my family, of course, just being able to be with them all is a gift in itself, but opening presents sure is nice.

We'll have to see what happens this year with the big 2-5 on the 25th. FDH is going to be 27 on the 27 (of April that is)...should we play the lotto this year? LOL.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I love Christmas, so we have many Christmas traditions.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, no one opens Christmas cards until the evening meal. Then we open and read them together. That way when the kids were younger we could tell them who the cards came from and we'd share the messages that were written to all of us. It kind of gave the kids a feeling of family connection with people they seldom saw.

We decorate our tree on an evening when everyone is free. We listen to Christmas music and drink hot chocolate. We turn the chore into something fun that we all enjoy. After the holidays are over, we do the same thing in reverse. Everyone helps take each ornament off and we remember Christmases past as we wrap them up and pack them away. We also have fun with the pickle ornament tradition.

We always adopt an idividual or a family for the holidays. My kids get a kick out of shopping for the people we choose. It's healthy to look outside ourselves, and I think Christmas has become a "gimmee" time of year for many kids.

Christmas Eve we always go to the midnight mass. Santa comes while we are at church, so when we get home EARLY Christmas morning we can open gifts.

Christmas Day we always go to a Christmas community dinner and help out, usually bussing tables or giving out pie and cake. It's sort of our way to give Christmas to the poor and elderly that have no one.

 

[ADisneygirl]

I love Christmas. I love the day we decorate the tree together and listen to holiday music. I even love untangling the lights for outside and helping to hold an end while they are being put up.

We have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve, then we go off to Midnight Mass. The rest of the gifts get opened Christmas morning, and we do the stockings last.

 

[mommytotwo]

We get together at either my cousin or aunty's house for Christmas Eve, and we have the kids open the presents that they recieve there. And when they come home, they get to open one or two.
These past three years since my daughter is young and not a really fast opener, we had her open up two or three gifts a night starting a week before Christmas so that she could enjoy those items. And the rest is opened on Christmas morning.

 

[christinadei]

Growing up, we were allowed to open all gifts from out of town on Christmas Eve. All of our family was out of town, so any gifts mailed, we got to open on Christmas eve. The rest was done on christmas morning. We weren't allowed to wake our parents (but did every year anyway at 7:00 ) but while we were waiting (what kid doesn't wake up before dawn christmas morning?) we'd look in our stockings (shhh). The tradition was to open them last. Only, they didn't know we didn't mind waiting, since we knew what was in there anyway! "Santa" always left a few gifts unwrapped, so we were able to have a peek, but didn't know who's was what. That was so exciting.

Now, our tradition is to let DS open 2 gifts on Christmas eve. ONe is new Christmas pj's so he has new, cute ones for pictures christmas morning Then another thing to play with.

 

[simba928]

On X-mas eve, my brother and I get to open one or two presents, usually we choose one between what my parents got us, and what my pets got us. Then we open the ones from eachother. I have tricked him a couple times with his gift, so that is my new tradition, to trick one person each year. Then we open all the gifts from "santa" on X-mas morning. Usually, my brother will come into my room at like 6:30 to wake me up so that we can go out and "see what we got" by looking at all the wrapped boxes and trying to guess. LOL. Then we go to my grandma's house (on my dad's side) and drop off the gifts for them in case my uncle comes with his fiance and her kids during the day. THen we go to my aunt's house (on my mom's side) and hang out there all day. My cousins and I do a grab bag with eachother every year and they are usually so excited about it (I am the oldest) that we exchange them either right before we eat or right afterwards before we open the other presents. Then we go back to my grandma's and open the presents there. A couple times when we have come home, we found a box sitting in the middle of the living room that "santa must have forgotten to leave the previous night". If we find the box, we know we are going on a trip in January. One time was a trip to Orlando and another time was a trip to Disney World. We found out on New Years that the trip to the World would be with my uncle and his kids who we hadn't seen in a couple years.

 

[JennaTX]

We go to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve, usually an early one around 5:00, we then go back and eat a ton of appetizers, shrimp, all sorts of stuff and then we exchange presents with each other. We usually all dress up to make it a more special occassion. On Christmas morning we receive what Santa brought us and have a Christmas brunch.

Oh, all of this talk about Christmas, I can't wait!!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Christmas morning, we get up, make hot cocoa, settle around the tree and open our gifts. On Christmas Eve we usually open gifts at my in laws house.

 

[ericamanda01]

We get to open one gift but it is always our christmas PJ's. It's a family tradition in DH's family. The rest we open on christmas morning. Granted we don't have kids yet but I still wake up really early like i'm a kid again.

 

[cruisnfamily]

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, no one opens Christmas cards until the evening meal. Then we open and read them together. That way when the kids were younger we could tell them who the cards came from and we'd share the messages that were written to all of us. It kind of gave the kids a feeling of family connection with people they seldom saw.

I LOVE this idea. I think you have just given me a new tradition to share with my family! Thanks!

 

[Pop Daddy]

Im getting notin for Christmas because I anit been notin but bad

 

[MerryPoppins]

Great! I'm glad you liked the idea.

Here's another I almost forgot. When our kids were small, we always had muffins for breakfast on Christmas morning. One muffin always had a candle and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus before we ate.

 

[BrinxFam]

The entire month before Christmas is filled with tradition for our family. We put up our decorations the Saturday following Thanksgiving & go to the local Christmas parade the first Saturday of Dec. Four local churches, including the one we attend, hold an annual Advent Walk that we participate in. During the month of Dec. we have gatherings with my dad's family, my DBIL & DSIL, church dinner and program and finally our family dinner at my parents house. On Christmas Eve, we go to the candlelight communion service at our church, we hurry home where everyone opens one package. It isn't really a surprise because everyone knows it is pj's, you gotta look good for those early mornin' pictures! On Christmas mornin' we are up early to see what Santa left during his visit then open gifts at our house. Then it's off to nana & pops house (my parents) for breakfast and open gifts before all of the extended family arrives. It is really a hectic time but I missed it when we didn't live here. It'll be here before you know it!
We also have "food" traditions for the holidays but that is for another time and another thread!