When do you put your presents under the tree? (poll)

[MI mom of 3]

As I've been reading other threads it has gotten me wondering...when do you all put your presents under the tree?

Do you do it as you buy and wrap them or wait and put them all under at once?

When I was growing up my parents would put a few out prior to Christmas but the majority went out after we went to bed Christmas Eve. When we woke up Christmas morning we were always amazed at how the pile had grown.

One year they decided to put them all out as they went along....it was so disappointing to come down Christmas morning and see the same gifts.

So with my kids not one gift goes under the tree before they go to bed Christmas Eve.

Should also note that Santa brings only 1 gift---the biggie

How do you do it??

 

[We_Love_Disney]

Typically it is naked under the tree until Christmas Eve. Then before we go out for the night, we will put one or two little items out for when we get home. We open one gift before bed, which is why it is a little thing. Daughter will put out her gifts for me around then. Then after a certain someone is asleep or pretending and I am tired, I will gather up the gifts and put them under the tree, fill the stockings and bring the stocking into her bedroom for her to see first thing in the morning.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Everything tonight, after the kids are asleep.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I only put out the presents for anyone else that is not living in my house under the tree. My families gifts go under the tree when the kids go to bed. This way they can't figure out what the presents are or count them.I do have to say that my kids really aren't snoopers either. They both like surprises. Usually I wrap all of my gifts as I get them.

 

[MomRN]

We used to put all gifts under the tree as we got them (except for Santa's gifts).

This year we are waiting until tonight and putting them all out. I don't trust the dog.

 

[goofy!]

I voted other because we do two different things depending on who the gifts are for.

Under our living room tree, we put gifts for extended family and friends as we wrap them. So, that tree always has gifts under it.

For the main tree in the family room, nothing, absolutely nothing goes under it until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. Then we put everything under it before DH and I go to bed.

Nobody is allowed downstairs on Christmas morning until we all get up and go down together.

I have years of wonderful videos of the wonderment in the kids' eyes as they round the corner and get their first glimpse of the now filled tree.

And we love to fool the kids, so we put small gifts in packing boxes, etc. Thus, the family room always looks filled to the brim with huge boxes. Keeps them from guessing what is in the box if they have been snooping too. We have also been known to weight down a box of a much wanted present, put things in the box to make it shake, etc.

 

[Swimnoid]

When DD was little we waited until after she was a sleep in Christmas Eve. The only things that would be under the tree before then might be gifts given to us by other people.

Now I put them under the tree as I wrap them which is usually around the 23rd.

 

[maslex]

For the years that we buy for extended family and friends, I wrap them as I buy them, then put them directly under the tree. Unfortunately, this year the money was a little slim, so no extra gifts.



And even though my boys are 13 and 15, I still wait until they are in bed on Christmas Eve to put out the gifts. Although I did put everything out as I wrapped them one year and my boys HATED it!!! (Well atleast my 13yr old) So now, I just wait and put them all out when they go to bed.

 

[mjantz]

Stuff gets put out as it is wrapped. Santa gifts are not wrapped, only gifts from Mom & Dad so it doesn't matter if they go out early. I tend to wrap a few at a time so things go out little by little.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Santa gifts and stockings tonight...

Everything else is throughout the month of December as it arrives from relatives and as we wrap.

 

[golfgal]

When the kids were little everything went out after they went to bed on Christmas Eve. I remembered as a kid we would have some out for a couple weeks before Christmas and half the fun was sitting under the tree trying to figure out what you got so we stared putting some gifts out earlier and the rest out on Christmas Eve. Now that they are teens all of the family gifts are under the tree and Santa's presents will get put out tonight.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Since the kids are older, as soon as they are wrapped. Anyway Christmas is very low key this yr with dd's getting only a couple of gifts.

We plan on doing some clothes shopping in the after Christmas sales to save money.

 

[amez]

we have gifts for various family under the tree and the gifts the kids pick out for each other and us. All the other gifts go out xmas eve. However when the kids get older I plan to wrap and put out under the tree immediately--save on my closet space

 

[PollyannaMom]

I voted "other" because I do a little bit of both.

Things for folks who don't live here are put under as they are wrapped, as are a few "teasers" from us. I like how it looks, and the anticipation as the small pile grows.

But I also like the big transformation on Christmas morning, so most presents from us are put out Christmas Eve, as (of course) are Santa's - which are mostly wrapped, but one or two items are always "displayed" instead.

 

[snoopybabe]

When the kids were young they would go under when they went to sleep. Now that they are in college as I buy and wrap they go under.

 

[C.Ann]

Now that DGD is older (12) there are some under the tree right now.. Mostly the gifts she purchased for all of us.. (I live with my DD and her family during the worst of the winter months..)

My Dson-in-law and I will put out all of the other gifts tonight - after my DD and DGD have gone to bed and are sound asleep.. This is an activity that he and I have shared since my late DH and I had to move in with them in 2004.. It's a fun time - and it keeps my adult DD from peeking, poking, rattling, begging to open "just one", etc..

 

[smb6]

Our tree has zero presents underneath it.... I wish I could put them all under there as I think it makes the tree all the more prettier and I use to do that when the kids were small. But now, as others mentioned- it is better for them to be surprised Christmas morning with the mountain of gift under the tree and this way I don't have to worry as much about someone taking a peak or being able to figure out the gift by feeling/shaking it or whatever..... So our tree will be bare until everyone goes to bed tonight.....

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Normally, I wrap all the non-Santa gifts for friends/extended family and they go under the tree when I'm done. The kid's, now kids', gifts go under on Christmas Eve.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Most years everything pretty much went under the tree as soon as it was wrapped.

This year, about 1/2 the presents are (mostly ones from other relatives) and I will be adding the gifts from Dh and I to our children after they go to bed. We are doing it a bit different this year only because Santa is only bringing each child one gift for under the tree (usually there are at least a few from Santa).

Santa will also be leaving a big gift (a wii + lots of games and accessories) but it will already be set up and ready to go at the tv, which is in a different room than our tree.

 

[Diznotyzed]

Once they were old enough, my daughters started spending the night with their cousin the night before Christmas Eve. Since they were out of the house it became our tradition to do all of the wrapping then, and put out everything that night, except for the one big gift from Santa. They would always run in first thing upon returning home to see what was there. They're in their mid 20s now, and spent the night at their now married cousin's last night!