Wrapped or unwrapped?

[mtemm]

I am so glad I found this thread. I was just talking to my best friend about this yesterday. In both of our houses growing up everything from Santa was unwrapped, and Santa has always left unwrapped gifts for my boys. However, I was thinking how much fun it would be for the boys if Santa would wrap the gifts. It may be more work for Mrs. Claus but I think it might make Christmas morning even more exciting (and last longer). I am not sure how my boys would react if Santa wrapped gifts, anyone have any ideas of how to make that transition (should they write to Santa to request wrapping or I could tell them that I will tell him). They are both old enough to know that Santa has never left wrapped presents before. I appreciate any suggestions.

I would just exclaim that, wow! santa wrapped this year...how exciting!

 

[Sandy V.]

I also have some friends who have no presents under their tree until Christmas Day. Santa brings his own gifts, and puts out gifts from the family as well.

That's what happens at our house. My teenagers INSIST that there is nothing under the tree until "Santa" brings it all. And everything is wrapped except for the large assembled things like bikes, etc.

 

[va32h]

Well, we're one of those people who have nothing under the tree until Christmas morning because my DS (4) ~ who is in the Autistic spectrum ~ would open any gifts he found.

I certainly wasn't passing judgement on anyone, I'm sorry if you felt that I was. This thread appeared to be about different gift traditions, so I mentioned one.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Santa always leaves the Big gift unwrapped however the rest is wrapped in different paper then the family presents under the tree. So I guess we do both.

 

[gurleym]

Some of both at our house. Awkward shaped presents are left unwrapped while the easy ones are wrapped. I buy one roll of paper just for those presents so the paper is not the same as mine.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Wrapped. That's half of fun! Love all the wrapping paper on the floor

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Everything is wrapped, except stocking stuffers (and I had to talk DH into leaving MY stocking's stuffers UNWRAPPED because in HIS family, even THEY were wrapped!).

Nothing gets put under the tree until the kids go to bed...I don't want them "shaking" gifts. Altho, now that they're older, I'm usually ready for bed before they are!

My kids are now 17, 15, and almost 13, so last year, when I was absolutely KNEW that DS didn't believe in Santa anymore, I didn't make any gifts "from Santa", and they were disappointed! I figured I didn't have to play that game anymore.

 

[becka]

Santa always leaves unwrapped presents. I can't imagine it any other way. He always sets things up so they are ready to play and he tries to make it look good. Why last year he even set up Buzz and Woody to drive the Tonka trucks for DS. You just never know what you might find. Last year we did have one exception. When DS went to see Santa, Santa had some presents under his tree wrapped in purple paper so DS said he wanted some purple presents. So Santa looked far and wide for purple paper and managed to wrap 3-4 presents in the requested paper color.

I can see where if you did not get many gifts wrapped that you might want Santa to wrap because it is fun to rip off the paper but at our house the kids gets lots of wrapped presents from us and other family under the tree. We even save some of the fun stuff for under the tree. Leaving them unwrapped it is also interesting to see what they go for first and to see that big-eyed look when they get their first look at their "pile".

 

[Mishetta]

I certainly wasn't passing judgement on anyone, I'm sorry if you felt that I was. This thread appeared to be about different gift traditions, so I mentioned one.

Oh no!! No hard feelings! I wasn't making a snide remark at all. I just mentioned that since my DS is a "special needs" I can't put any presents under the tree but before he came along, I did. I used to enjoy seeing the presents mount, even if they weren't for us. My oldest son (even at a young age) if I told him that he wasn't to touch the presents since they were for other people, he listened. My youngest would not understand that concept. I was just remarking....not defending myself. Sorry if I came across that way....didn't have the slightest intention of doing so.

 

[T1130]

Santa doesn`t wrap our gifts either.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

Everything in my house gets wrapped. Even stocking stuffers. One year when I was young Santa bought me a set of lego people and each one was individually wrapped. Santa must be a busy, busy man. The only things that go unwrapped are the really big things like bikes. But even those were covered in a holiday sheet. Gifts have been known to appear under the tree anywhere from 2 weeks before Christmas up until the night before. I guess Santa gets tired of hiding them sometimes. Santa just has to remember to put labels on the gifts because a few times he has forgot and my family had to start guessing games on whose gift it was.

 

[Tracey1974]

Gosh I have never heard of not wrapping gifts for under the tree. I though this thread was about the show on the Food Network!

Now that I think about it, there were times when large gifts weren't wrapped, but 90% of them are if they are under the tree when I was little. This is my first year being Santa and even though the baby will have no idea, I will still have his gifts wrapped in secret paper. At his age he will have more fun with the paper than the gifts!

 

[pkasbohm]

We wrap them at our house! It isn't as fun it they don't have anything to unwrap!

 

[christinadei]

Some of both at our house. Awkward shaped presents are left unwrapped while the easy ones are wrapped. I buy one roll of paper just for those presents so the paper is not the same as mine.

That is exactly how I do it!

 

[corie161]

Definately wrapped in our house. Even the Stocking Stuffers. When I was growing up we weren't allowed to wake mom and dad until 8:00 and couldn't touch the gifts under the tree. The only things we could open were the stocking stuffers. I continue the same way, except I can't even sleep in until 8:00 to see the excitement.

I can't imagine not wrapping them. I want to see the awe in their face by what they open and that Santa brought them what they wanted. If I left them unwrapped they'd see it and I'd miss the surprised faces because they would most definately be up hours before I would like them to be, and me to be.

I also use a special Santa paper with Santa's all over them, usually a big bow and a printed tag. Sometimes the paper is the shiny stuff.

 

[mookie]

When DS went to see Santa, Santa had some presents under his tree wrapped in purple paper so DS said he wanted some purple presents. So Santa looked far and wide for purple paper and managed to wrap 3-4 presents in the requested paper color.

Okay, this is verrry scary to me. This year, my dd keeps asking for a "PURPLE PRESENT!!!!" Nothing specified, just a purple present. I wonder where she got that from? Maybe it's a kid thing!!!

And to the poster who's "control-freak" MIL has wrapping paper coordinated for each person....are you secretly a member of my family? Seriously, own up now...there can't possibly be 2 MIL's who do this!!

Ahhh, at least someone feels my pain.

 

[Mishetta]

Definately wrapped in our house. Even the Stocking Stuffers. When I was growing up we weren't allowed to wake mom and dad until 8:00 and couldn't touch the gifts under the tree. The only things we could open were the stocking stuffers. I continue the same way, except I can't even sleep in until 8:00 to see the excitement.

I can't imagine not wrapping them. I want to see the awe in their face by what they open and that Santa brought them what they wanted. If I left them unwrapped they'd see it and I'd miss the surprised faces because they would most definately be up hours before I would like them to be, and me to be.

I also use a special Santa paper with Santa's all over them, usually a big bow and a printed tag. Sometimes the paper is the shiny stuff.

I have also told my oldest DS that he's not allowed downstairs until 7am because I love to see his face when he sees all the presents. What I have done the past 2 years is I set the alarm for 5am & then I go lay downstairs on the couch with the camcorder ready. With our creaking floors, I can hear when he's up & making a b-line to the stairs so I fire up the camcorder! It's just priceless to see his face.

Also, as I mentioned on another thread, I took it one step beyond by buying white gloves (like Santa would wear) & I left one on the table near the cleaned off plate of cookies & half drank glass of milk....suggesting that Santa left a glove behind when he stopped to eat the cookies. My DS walked around with that glove clutched to his chest all day long! The face was absolutely priceless. (I did the "glove" thing when he was too suspicious of whether there really was a Santa. Shut him right up!)

 

[GEM]

Last year we did have one exception. When DS went to see Santa, Santa had some presents under his tree wrapped in purple paper so DS said he wanted some purple presents.

Okay, this is verrry scary to me. This year, my dd keeps asking for a "PURPLE PRESENT!!!!" Nothing specified, just a purple present. I wonder where she got that from? Maybe it's a kid thing!!!

You have got to be kidding me!!! We took my DS (age 2) to the Santa Claus Tea yesterday. He's just now starting to really get it all. Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and the only thing Paul said was . . . ."a purple pleasant". (That's what he calls presents.) How bizarre is that! We didn't know if he meant something that was actually purple, or something wrapped in purple paper. But, his poor Nana went out huting all last night until she found solid purple wrapping paper for her gift!

 

[GEM]

sorry. Double post!

 

[aprilgail2]

Everything is wrapped, except stocking stuffers (and I had to talk DH into leaving MY stocking's stuffers UNWRAPPED because in HIS family, even THEY were wrapped!).

Oh we always wrap every stocking stuffer in every stocking! I love taking things out one by one and unwrapping each little thing...