Christmas day rules, presents in the morning or after dinner?

a yearly argument between me and mrsconsequence…. i grew up with:

wake up, open christmas stocking presents left at end of bed by dad pretending to be father christmas (2 Clementine, a small bit of chocolate and a small selection of christmas cracker quality activity type gifts), make a big deal of going downstairs hoping to wake mum and dad up in the process. then its presents, let the dogs have fun with the wrapping paper, breakfast. clear up then take the dogs for a long christmas day walk, back for dinner around 5ish, christmas films, sleep.

becca however, well her childhood practically amounts to child abuse. no presents until after dinner, but wait, it gets worse…. they all went for a family walk (without dogs… weirdos) then came back to do family quizes and board games before doing presents.

she’s convinced we’re the weird ones for doing presents in the morning, i’m convinced that nearly all her neurotic and warped behaviours as an adult are a result of the horrific abuse she experienced every christmas waiting until the evening for presents.

so STW, presents in the morning or in the evening?

Morning, but after breakfast – got to have some self restraint.

Presents need to be all opened and done with before 07:30 am.

My family always opened presents in the morning too.

Morning. It’s clear that you had a normal childhood whilst your wife was quite clearly an abused child. She would have been bang to rights phoning Childline.

Phil, yes, it’s the same for me. Mrs PP also comes from a harsh and deprived background where people open prezzies after dinner, in the middle of the afternoon. I agree, it amounts to child abuse. I simply cannot put up with it this year, I’m putting my foot down…….

First thing in the morning, usually still dark outside. Although this year I am off to the future in-laws for christmas in Estonia where they are winning the game as they open presents on Christmas eve.

bencooper +1

Got to have brekkie first to build the anticipation.

becca however, well her childhood practically amounts to child abuse. no presents until after dinner, but wait, it gets worse…. they all went for a family walk (without dogs… weirdos) then came back to do family quizes and board games before doing presents.

its not too late for her to put herself up for adoption

When I was a child it was very much the same as yours, dogs included.

For my daughter (currently 5) it’s wake up, get the adults up at pre-agreed time, not too early. Goes down stairs to see if there has been a big delivery of presents and check Santa and Rudolph have eaten their snacks. She is then allowed to open one present out of her stocking. Bacon butties for breakfast. Waits for her mummy to arrive before she can open the rest of her presents. This all happens on the 26th at my parents house as wife is a nurse at childrens hospital and works 12.5 hrs day shifts 23rd, 24th, 25th. Then has to travel 300 miles to my parents where me and daughter have been for a few days. Lunch around 3pm. Then adults presents.

Some of the children in her class don’t know (or care) what day of the week it is, but she is very aware of the day/date and chnages the classroom calendar and weather each day. We just about pulled the wool over her eyes about the date previous years but don’t think we’ll get away with it this year. Hopefully this won’t scar my daughter too much and she’ll grow up fairly well adjusted.

Stockings in room for them to find and open in secret then pile onto our bed whilst dad checks Santa has done one. Sprint downstairs and let mayhem commence. Then it’ll hopefully be all out for a spin as they’ve both got new bikes! Can’t wait!!

bacon for breakfast indeed!

I personally could not care less. So I adopted my late wife’s family rule of gift giving after lunch. The problem was that lunch was often three hours late!

Christmas can be very trying

dad checks Santa has done one

Taking ages to go down stairs to see if santas been is the best part of the day. It’s amazing how long you can strung it out for, and you can hear the kids almost exploding whilst they wait at the top of the stairs.

What are these things you calle presents 😥

Quite frankly, opening presents after 8am should be a criminal offence.

Hanging’s to good for ’em…

Get the presents over and done with then start drinking to ease the pain

Ha I do desperately have to defend my childhood I’ve logged in to respond –

We got father Christmas presents that we opened first thing, then played with them until going to meet up with the rest of the extended family. Then played with presents there and cousins presents. Then ate, then walk, tidy up from dinner, then presents. By that point, we’re all ready to burst with excitement that has been building up all day! And as an adult that works even better now cos you tend not to get toys or films (one Christmas I got Toy Story on VHS and watched that all morning!) that you can play with, you have to cook or drive.

So I believe it was good training for when you’re an adult and have to do boring adult things on Christmas day morning.

christmas isn’t about training you to be an adult you numpty, its about feeling like a kid!

Yep they’ll be like 100m sprinters on the starting blocks at the top of the stairs 😆
Personally I also don’t think it’s fair to drag kids all over the country on Christmas Day to go visiting, when all they want to do is play with their new stuff, hence the reason I’m being frowned upon by my family for turning down a Christmas dinner invite oop north!

I see the Stockholm Syndrome has kicked in….
😉

I also grew up with presents in afternoon.

We had stockings first thing. Then after breakfast could choose one present from under the tree to open. But not allowed to open anything else until after the queen had been on.

My wife always opened them in the morning but wasn’t allowed to start until her dad came in from doing the milking and then he’d want his full fried breakfast.

Now we open them in the morning with a brew…

stockings in the dark before parents were awake, to keep us occupied until they were ready to get up..

Wait for the adults before going down for ‘tree presents’

Open in about six seconds flat.. commence fighting and arguing until start of new school term..
Across town to Nan and Grandads for Christmas dinner and a few more (grandparents and Aunties/Uncles) presents in the afternoon..

watch the Queen, bet on who falls asleep first, watch the Christmas films

But not allowed to open anything else until after the queen had been on.

Great way to bring a child up to be a republican!

This subject has been the source of some consternation at Casa Bregante this week. This crimbo we are staying with my wife’s foster brother and extended family in Kent. She was fostered by them from the age of 14 when her mum died. Until then she had “normal” Christmas days – presents first thing in the morning etc.

Her foster family however do not touch any presents until after Christmas dinner. It’s a dignified affair with breakfast, church*, home for dinner and presents at around 4.00. Pm.

My kids won’t know what has hit them.

*I was told by my sister in law (via my wife) that I must attend church but as nobody has died, or is getting married I shall be riding around Bedgebury forest 8)

Quite frankly, opening presents after 8am should be a criminal offence.

+1!

You afternoon folk are weird!

The rules on this are very clear: awake at 6 to open and play with stocking presents, but quietly so as not to disturb mum and dad. Then downstairs to admire, but not open, presents under the tree. Breakfast first, then get dressed including the new socks that were in the stocking. Then a round of coffee/tea/wine/sherry and dishing out the presents. A couple of hours opening (we took things slowly in the HD household), then walk and dinner. The afternoon is reserved for birthday presents. Admittedly these rules may not work for everyone 😉

When I was a kid it was stockings (sacks) of small stuff left on the end of the bed first thing in the morning, then breakfast, then waiting until everybody was absolutely ready before going into the lounge (which you weren’t allowed to even open the door to up to that point) and opening the big stuff. Late lunch (crackers only pulled between lunch and pudding), games, tea, tv, bed.

The only odd thing my parents did was to convince me that it was perfectly normal to close all the doors on the advent calendar and re-use it the following year. I was about 25 before I found out that everybody else just buys new ones.

Edit: forgot about the sherry. Me and my sister were allowed a small sherry on Christmas morning from the age of about 7. That’s probably not normal either.

Dont sleep Xmas Eve, do somersaults under the covers with excitement to pass the time. Wait for faither to finish his swally and go to bed about 4am, sneak down the stairs only to find sister has beaten you to it,not only has she opened all her presents, shes also opened yours for you. Notice the tree is lying on its side, all the chocolate decorations have been eaten, and the dogs been sick all over the living room, happy days!

glad i’m not the only one, becca is now using the sunbury defence of ‘well we got our nicest presents in the morning from santa and the afternoon presents weren’t as special’

fact is, her whole family is wrong.

Stockings when you got up (Father Christmas was lazy and neither wrapped stocking presents nor brought them to our rooms – they were left in the lounge). Other presents after church so 11ish.

Will be in Denmark this year so will be opening presents Christmas Eve this year.

The timing of opening presents is nothing compared to the wrongness of receiving all your presents from Father Christmas and none from your parents.

All open by 6am in our house

1 minute past midnight for me,’cos that’s technically Christmas Day .
Unless it’s an envelope with cash then it’s opened 5 minutes after I receive it and usually spent shortly after.
I think there is probably a psychological term for this need for immediate gratification !

We’re dragged out of bed to go down stairs and open the presents no time to wake up then Mrs FH insists on clicking away with the camera, that really gets my goat. I’m going to insist on a cupper at least this year before opening presents. Plus I’ve had permission to go to the pub Xmas eve so going to be extra groggy Xmas morning.

Morning for kids, a more civilised hour for adults.

Get the presents over and done with then start drinking to ease the pain

Once when I was a student I got back from the obligatory christmas eve session in the pub at about 3am to find my mum still up and wrapping presents…she made me wrap mine 🙁

I am amazed at the lack of Christmas discipline!!

The boys are allowed to open two stocking presents when they wake up. Once everyone is awake we then assemble and open stocking presents – clearly in a controlled manner and then breakfast. Main presents are then opened throughout the day – no more than one each an hour – until about sixish. Obviously church in the morning, all stop for The Queen and dinner in the afternoon.

If you open all of your presents in one go in the morning then surely there is nothing else to do all day apart from gorge yourself and watch TV?

Dogsby

Shak47 – Member

Dont sleep Xmas Eve, do somersaults under the covers with excitement to pass the time. Wait for faither to finish his swally and go to bed about 4am, sneak down the stairs only to find sister has beaten you to it
This was always the case when I was a kid. Although, as I often got computers for xmas, I’d been playing on them at least a month before, everytime my parents went out! I wasn’t really bothered about anything that wasn’t my main present.
These days I’m not bothered because I either know what the presents are or they’re usually not interesting!

Anyone showing any form of regiment to the opening should be banned from having kids.

Get up bleary eyed when the excited child does – rush downstairs with lots of enthusiastic excitement (maybe delaying proceedings just enough to put kettle on), have Baileys coffee whilst #1 child opens presents, watch Christmas films, get dinner ready, go up the road for brass band playing carols with mulled wine, visit pub for a couple of hours, finish preparing dinner, eat, sleep, wake – keep on drinking, do something Christmassy involving the family – games, films, drinking, whatever….

My childhood was very much like mrsconsequence, all very nice and middle class, now it’s down to open them around 7am (been very lucky so far as the eldest doesn’t get up early, this year may be different as her brother is now fully bought into Christmas and an early riser). Something else we now do is have a proper sit down Christmas dinner on boxing day. Christmas day is wall to wall finger food, when we’re hungry we chuck another tray of file prawns or whatever in the oven. Makes for very a relaxed day.