We always been the, open a present, then the next then next, and then it’s over.

One year, when I was younger, we stayed at our Aunties, and she insisted it was 1 present, per hour, on the hour, after the last person had got up… it was fun, and extended the day, but I don’t think our children could last out that long.

Any inventive, but not torturous ways in extending the fun?

My family (and thus me too now) has always been the ‘take it in turn’ type – you can see people open presents, gasp, moan etc etc

I went to an extended family X-mas once where it was a mad fricking free for all – kids literally just ran down and opened up all their presents in about 30 seconds, then ran off….

DrP was not amused.

DrP

For us, its stocking presents first, then Big Christmas Breakfast, then the Big Christmas Breakfast cleanup, then Daddy’s coffee – and then its time to go in an attempted orderly fashion. Biggest (aka main) presents last.

As my youngest is 3 this years and appreciating christmas a lot more (the other 6) I’m really looking forward to it!

y’know, it doesn’t matter, sort it out as a family, and ignore what everyone else does.

DrP was not amused.

so what?

One of those mornings is it Nick…?

DrP

We’ve always spread them throughout the day, got to be the best way to keep the whole day fun.

I had to get up early the other day to build the new cross trainer before I went to work. That felt properly festive – putting something together while it was still dark outside.

You organise the opening of xmas presents ? 😯

You organise the opening of xmas presents ?

This.
Free for all in the morning.

As my youngest is 3 this years and appreciating christmas a lot more (the other 6) I’m really looking forward to it!

That kind of reads that you have 7 children 😯

I used to hate any kind of present-opening regime when I was little some of the gifts from well-meaning but distant relatives scarred me for life

Determined not to inflict the same thing on my kids just let them enjoy it

Fricken grown-ups 🙂

Rip them all open in one minute of pure excitement – they’ve waited all year for this, don’t make them wait any longer!

We all know the kids will then go a play with the same thing they’ve been playing with for the last 6 months, ignoring the new stuff.

The can grab what ever’s in the wee stocking at the end of their bed ( clementine and some nuts usually) when they wake up.
Otherwise we try to barricade the top of the stairs until 6 (if we’re lucky). After that it’s a free for all.

Some frustrated micro-managers on here I suspect.. 😆

The best way is to draw up a timed schedule, have a dawn meeting to run through the plan and issue everyone with a timetable.

Or just get up and enjoy yourselves instead 😆

The best way is to draw up a timed schedule, have a dawn meeting to run through the plan and issue everyone with a timetable.

I suspect someone on here has gone to town in Project to create a present opening gantt chart.

Stockings in their bedrooms to occupy them in the early hours.
Can’t go downstairs until the alarm is deactivated.

Once downstairs, Santa and Mum and Dad sourced presents are dispatched in a frenzy of flying paper. The actual contents of most of the parcels don’t register through the red mist of excitement.

Santa, being a forward thinking type of bloke, has been ahead of the game and has already opened most of the boxes, removed all sellotape and cable ties which may be restraining the goodies and helpfully preinstalled all batteries where possible, prior to wrapping.

This saves Dad spending most of Christmas day with a set of snips and a huge box of batteries and prevents a procession of sad faced panthercubs waiting to have their presents liberated, assembled and powered up. The one sentence that ruins Christmas for everyone is ” Is it finished yet Dad? Hurry Up!”

After breakfast – scrambled eggs and smoked salmon – a bit of a tidy up, opened presents moved to their room then an orderly opening of wrapped relatives and friends presents to allow Mum to write down who received what from whom for the thank you letters and to capture any gift receipts for stuff which might need exchanging due to sizing issues.

It’s like a well oiled machine.

When I was a kid it was stockings first in Parents bedroom.
Then we went downstairs to see if he had been…
Presents in a pile for each person.
Breakfast then free for all.

Now we do stocking, a few presents for daughter to open on her own, then wait for the family to arrive and open one at a time together with kids handing them out.

Both work well IMHO – the thing is to do it the same every year. Whatever it is the kids like to know what will happen and how it happens.

In my house it always used to be a sedate affair – one at a time, spread over about four hours!

In my wife’s house it was carnage with all the pressies open inside 30 seconds, followed by people madly swapping all the stuff that had been carefully chosen for them.

Somewhere in between for our lot, doesn’t normally take more than about 30 minutes though. Then we can clear up the wrapping and get the more booze out.

We let our two open them as quickly as they can in a frenzy of unbridled joy as soon as we have *ALL* come downstairs.

But we also have a ‘Christmas Box’ – a cardboard box with a small hole cut in it then wrapped like a present. After Christmas Dinner they punch a hole through the wrapping and lucky dip at a selection of cheapo little silly bits n bobs inside.

My mum was the quickest at ripping her parcels to pieces.

I’m assuming this is all after you’ve been to church…

Get up and head down to check if Santa has been and left any presents. Open one fron the stocking. Breakfast. Wait for Mum (who’s been working) to come home and have breakfast. Open all the Santa presents in a bit of a frenzy. Then family presents throughout the rest of the day morning. It’s always been the routine, so it’s what the kids expect.

You should open your presents in an organised and safe fashion for all whilst wearing a hi-vis vest and helmet and carrying a clipboard. You could also make sure the noise is kept at a reasonable level as not to disturb neighbours.

Or just rip them to shreds in seconds…

Kids wake up at mental o’clock (maybe 5?) ransack the stockings, eat all the chocolate inside them but there ain’t no going downstairs til at least half 7. All the stuff’s under the tree in the conservatory, I make a pantomime peek in with an oh-no-boys-disaster-Santa’s-not-been before they shove past and create a tornado of wrapping paper and noises so high-pitched only dogs can hear. Bliss.

When we were really young we did it in a big frenzy first thing fueled by a chocolate breakfast as obviously Santa had left them all out overnight. When that phase past it was normally done as we saw people so parents presents first thing and then Grand parents later in the day and aunties and uncles any time up to new years day. It used to be quite good as it prolonged xmas.

We always went to church on Saturday night.

It is still a tradition when all of us get back together at Xmas that my 2 sisters, brother and I have chocolate for breakfast – much to the confusion of our other halves.

Can’t go downstairs until the alarm is deactivated.

Santa doesn’t go until it’s light

Kids pile into our bed post 6am for a family opening of stockings full of little presents.
Breakfast, church (seriously). Coffee and present opening under the tree in a one-at-a-time way.
Soup and cheese for lunch, out for family walk in afternoon (usually accompanied by selected new toys and hip-flasks) then return for a feast

As kids me and my sister had a stocking in the morning and then had to wait until after lunch for any other presents. When my Wife was a kid though she just got them all as soon as she woke up and that’s how it is now in our household funnily enough.

Do you think they will guess what their main presents are before opening them?