When do your kids wake up on Christmas morning?

[MemoryMakers2669]

We splurged and got a 1 bedroom Villa for the Christmas weekend! It was so nice and I can't imagine having done it any other way. The first part of the week we were at Beach Club (we usually stay Pop Century), which was a treat. And we loved it so much, we didn't want to move to WL at all. We were worried we wouldn't like it. But, surprise, loved it even more!!!!! The pictures you see on the internet just don't do it justice IMO! The room was so nice and the whole atmosphere there is amazing and perfectly Christmasy!

 

[LubsPoohBear]

my dds set there alarm for 3 am grrr lol hurd it go off but i have them trained (for lack of a better work at midnight) they get there stockings and there gifts under there lil trees and what evers on there beds and they don't wake mommy till atlessed 7am then to get me out of bed they get me hot coco and a blanket in the living room for me oh ya christmas eve we always have gifts with my sister so they have alot to do before i get up

 

[Caitsmama]

I'm sorry, i can't relate either.. (Chalk it up to being a 29 yr old i guess!!) I LOVE Christmas morning, and I can remember as a child waking up at 3am and only being able to open my stocking and "keep busy" til at least 6am. LOL

Now, My dd (almost 6) woke up about 6:45. And that is fine by me, i am a morning person.. And like others said, it is one day a year -- so even if she woke up at 4am, I can handle it.. They are little for such a short time, i want to cherish every moment i can - even if that means draggin myself up.

So, if you want to say it is b/c i am young - that's understandable, but i really think it is just the look of sheer joy in my dd's face, that makes it all worth while. I really wish Christmas was more than one day a year.. it just goes by too quickly. What a wonderful holiday!

 

[chip91]

So I don't mind "early" when I was younger my mom said I was up between 3-4 a.m., and I still get up usually about 5:30 waiting for my dd's to go out and hear the excitment in their voices. This year it was 5:30 to which Daddy told them stockings only & wake me up at 6 a.m., so I got them dressed and fed and ready to go to Papa & Gramma's house ( 2 hour drive) after we open our presents.. so they were all set to go when Daddy woke up, then we let them play with their new toys for an hour before we left to go to my parents. Christmas is HECTIC, but I wouldn't have it any other way, except I got sick at 3 a.m. the day after Xmas, I think from being over tired..

I too wish it was more than 1 day a year!

 

[Starr W.]

I am sorry I can't relate either and I am 43 with two on the go boys(5&10). They know that Xmas doesn't give them the right to barge into the bedroom, they knocked,(DH gives them the "look" and that usually solves the problem) but I was already up(love beating them to the punch.) It was 7:30 ish. That's about their regular time on Xmas, they stay up a little later on Xmas eve and if the weather is nice we make sure they get a lot of fresh air and activity(well that's most days). They never get up before 7, you should have heard them when they had to get up at 5:45 when we went to WDW. Told them they are going back in May and again for Thanksgiving, first thing out of their mouths: "Do we have to get up early again?"

I actually have had the "hoover" out on Xmas, as we had some messy packages or someone knock over a bowl of chex mix!

 

[vhoffman]

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[Caitsmama]

Just wondering, but if you clearly are getting "ill" from lack of sleep - could there be something medically wrong? Just wondering.. this seems to be a huge issue for you..
Also, what about yourself trying to be in bed earlier on Christmas eve? It obviously isn't working for you to keep them up later, and then have them up early on Christmas day - Could your DH put them to bed on Christmas eve so you could go to bed a lil' earlier?? Seriously, that might have to be the case if it is such a problem..
As for them opening their gifts before you and your DH get up - that wouldn't fly in my house.. not now, and not when i was a kid!! I KNEW that i was NOT to open one single gift before my mom and dad were up and in the room with me and my sis. I would have never even tried it!
And the same is told to my dd.. (although i am ALWAYS up on Christmas morning before her, so i can watch her face!) She would NOT be allowed to open anything (other than her stocking) before we are sitting all together.
Your kids are old enough to understand this, try that rule out if you want to control the craziness.

 

[Starr W.]

I guess its whether you're getting up way before your usual wake-up time, with little sleep the night before.

I, too, enjoy the look of joy on my kids faces, but I seldom see it. They usually have their presents literally ripped apart by the time we get up--and no, we aren't sleeping all Christmas morning. From the time they first knock on the door we are out in 1-2 minutes, by then everything is torn up all over the living room.

Its still hard to explain to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but how you can actually be in such a sleep stupor you're actually ill. I've spent the last several Christmas mornings literally feeling like I was trying to re-enter from another dimension!

Mine are not allowed to open presents until everyone is downstairs. I took a couple of things away one year for a day or two, that got the point across pretty quick.

 

[ladybug629]

Ours were up at 4:30. They(10, 8 and 3 yo boys) didnt wake us up(they were told not to wake us up until 7:00), but were yelling and shreiking about the presents that dh went downstairs to tell them to go back to sleep. They layed on the couch and went back to sleep for a little bit. But at 6 they "thought" the clock said 7 so they came to wake us up. We groaned that it was only 6 and we werent getting up. They sat on the end of the bed giggling and staring at us until we got up. As annoying as it was, dh and I were giggling about how cute they were! This may be the last year our oldest believes in Santa(we think he only still believes because he thinks he wont get anything if he doesnt), so we try to enjoy the excitement.

 

[Starr W.]

Ha! my 5 year old will dismiss Santa long before his 10 year old brother. His first trip to MK and we saw Pooh, "that's just a person in a costume, that's not Pooh."

 

[vhoffman]

Just wondering, but if you clearly are getting "ill" from lack of sleep - could there be something medically wrong? Just wondering.. this seems to be a huge issue for you..
Also, what about yourself trying to be in bed earlier on Christmas eve? It obviously isn't working for you to keep them up later, and then have them up early on Christmas day - Could your DH put them to bed on Christmas eve so you could go to bed a lil' earlier?? Seriously, that might have to be the case if it is such a problem..
As for them opening their gifts before you and your DH get up - that wouldn't fly in my house.. not now, and not when i was a kid!! I KNEW that i was NOT to open one single gift before my mom and dad were up and in the room with me and my sis. I would have never even tried it!
And the same is told to my dd.. (although i am ALWAYS up on Christmas morning before her, so i can watch her face!) She would NOT be allowed to open anything (other than her stocking) before we are sitting all together.
Your kids are old enough to understand this, try that rule out if you want to control the craziness.

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[Caitsmama]

Well, i think you need to do whatever works best for you and your family.. that's all.
If Christmas eve will work for you and yours, then go for it!
Like i said -- personally, i enjoy the whole early morning thing especially on Christmas.. To me, there is something very peaceful about getting up before anyone in the house - even if it is before the sun, and having a cup of coffee and just sitting there staring at the tree.. just thinking.
It is such a magical time of year, wrapped around a great reason.. that I just love it.
But, you need to do what works for you. Good luck! Keep us posted on next yr! LOL

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Mine are 4 and 8 and have been taught since they could walk and talk that they don't even go downstairs until: 1 - everyone is up, 2 - they are dressed in whatever they are to be in for opening presents (I usually have some cute PJs for the kids to put on for Christmas morning), and 3 - DH and I are downstairs with the video camera on. We've told them that parents have to check to make sure Santa is done and everything is all ready for them. My sister and I grew up with the same rules (and always followed them), and I just carried them on. As for pounding on the door, well that would earn mine extra time back in bed if they tried that! No way would I put up with that. This year DS had a cold, so he slept until his usual 7 am and DD got up around the same time. It was at least 7:30 before everyone was downstairs and the opening began. I actually expected them to be up earlier, and I would have been OK with that. Also, I made sure this year that almost all my wrapping was done well before Christmas eve, since I've stayed up way too late other years that night and ended up really tired the next day. All we had to do was wrap a couple of things and put everything under the tree. DH and I were in bed by 11:00 this year.

As for opening gifts, we make them take turns, with the adults (DH, my sister, and myself this year) getting turns mixed in, so opening took almost 1.5 hours. I'd never allow them to just tear into everything.

 

[stars75238]

I think that's more the issue - you said you got to bed at 3am! I know that "sleepy-sick" feeling too and it stinks I don't care how old/young you are!

The year my second DD was born (she was 1 month at her first Christmas) I stayed up late and then got up in the middle of the night and nursed her and I felt ill all Christmas Day from lack of sleep.

But now, I just try to get to bed myself at a reasonable time on Christmas Eve myself (like 10 pm) - that way, by 5 am I've had 7 hours. The key is to get everything ready to put out and hidden away before Christmas Eve. I even separate the stocking stuff into bags for each child, so it only take a couple minutes to fill each stocking.

This year, the kids slept until 7 am but I was so excited for them I woke up at 5 am

And we take turns opening so it stretches out the fun a little bit. Oh yeah, I get the coffee pot ready so all I have to do it turn it on as I walk by on the way to the tree - (can't set a time, since I have no clue what time I'll be needing it), but about 1/2 way through presents, I'll stop and fill a quick cup.

I love Christmas morning and I can't wait until next year!!

 

[jensen]

My kids are 6 and 3. We had a fairly long day on xmas eve, but were in bed by 10 PM. Still the 6 year old wasn't up until about 7:30 and the 3 year old had to be roused from a deep sleep so they could open gifts together.

I fondly remember, as a child, being up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa had left me. Unfortunately, my kids don't have the same appreciation for xmas. They get far too many gifts from family. My side of the family is finally succumbing to my wishes for limited gifts. But, we continue to come home with car loads from the in-laws.

 

[lillygator]

My girls got up at 9:30!!

 

[desertbloom]

My dd (10) got up at 4:30 am. We allow her to bring her stocking up to bed and open anything in it before we get up. This buys us some sleep time since she is usually busy playing with whatever was in the stocking for a couple hrs. My parents did this with me as a child and I just followed along with the concept when I became a parent.

 

[Caitsmama]

Ok, i missed the part that you didn't get to bed til 3am ---- WHY was that??? Curious here!

 

[momto2girls]

My girls woke up at 8:45. After everyone went to the bathroom and brushed their hair and teeth and Daddy set up the camcorder, we went downstairs. The girls were allowed to look in their stockings and open their Santa gifts and then we had breakfast. After breakfast, we opened the rest of the gifts. We take turns opening gifts so that only one person is opening a gift at a time. It is such a relaxing and fun time. I can't wait for next Christmas!

 

[shellytc]

I'm 44 and DH is 53, so we aren't spring chickens...

Our only DS slept until about 7 (i think). At 7:30am my MOTHER woke us up. She only lives about a mile from us and I told her we would probably get up at the usual time (7:30) but that I would call her and she could come over to watch DS open presents. Well, she thought I wouldn't call.... so she just came on over, lol : )

DS was pleasently looking at his presents. He is allowed to look, touch, marvel over the opened presents. Don't touch the unopened until everyone is ready. Hair brushed, coffee made a several sips under our belts, camera's ready, etc. We probably could've slept to 8 or 8:30 with him. But now, here comes MOM!!!! Waking us up.

Oh well, it was nice and we truly enjoyed it.

oh, by the way, even with an only child, presents are handed to him (and us) from DH (playing Santa) one at a time. We OOH and AAAHHH over it an appropriate amount of time, before another present can be opened.

Shelly