Well...we do the stocking whenever you are up and then we eat breakfast and get the grammas. Then Ken hands out presents one at a time and away we go!
How Do You Open Christmas Presents??
- Thread starter Uncle Bob
- Start date
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miniman
Executive Chef
The boys bring the stockings to us and investgate them when we are awake (and have a cup of coffee). We are usually at the out laws for Christmas and FIL justs hands out the presents to everyone about 11am and it is a free for all. I grew up a bit like UB where we took it turns to open presents so everyone could see what was got and say thank you appropriately - if giver was present. I must admit I prefer this approach especially when the boys were small and I was trying to track what they received for thank you letters.
expatgirl
Master Chef
soft classical music, wine..........laid back.......????? When is dinner served, UB??? Count me in.. and I promise to come sans kids..........seriously, it's usually a madhouse here,,,,,,,,,,except if my sister-in-law is around she has a garbage sack attached to her.......god bless her ...........y'all have fun celebrating your traditional holidays
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expatgirl
Master Chef
I actually enjoy the kids opening their gifts first and enjoying their excitement and opening mine last.........my granddaughter has done her daily count of gifts and continues to bombard me with requests to open her gifts early.....she's too funny.........
On Christmas Eve we would go to my grandmothers' and she would open the gifts given to her and we would open her gifts to us. We then went to my bil's and had a gift exchange with them. We would go to Midnight mass, come home, put on our fat pants, get a drink and dive in. lol
When the kids were little they could open their stocking gifts until we had our first cup of joe. Then it was mayhem!!
Now dh, ds and I open our gifts together on Christmas Eve one by one. We sit and listen to Christmas music for a couple hours and hit the sack about 2-3 am.
Dd and family come over Christmas morning and we enjoy watching them and the grandkids open their gifts.
Barb
When the kids were little they could open their stocking gifts until we had our first cup of joe. Then it was mayhem!!
Now dh, ds and I open our gifts together on Christmas Eve one by one. We sit and listen to Christmas music for a couple hours and hit the sack about 2-3 am.
Dd and family come over Christmas morning and we enjoy watching them and the grandkids open their gifts.
Barb
SierraCook
Master Chef
We don't put our presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, because my dog will just lie next to the tree and pine away for them. He actually has growled at people!! Christmas morning we get up and have coffee and breakfast. We used to wait breakfast for my brother, but now he and his wife have breakfast at home and come to my house later. After breakfast my dog opens his presents, because if he does not he will drive us crazy. (In fact, tonight I caught him snooping in the closet where his presents are hidden. He is worse than a kid!!) When my brother and his wife arrive, we open our presents in a leisurely fashion. Stockings are first, a round of coffee, and then we start opening the presents one at a time. The only time we do two together is if the presents are similar or matching.
) When my brother and his wife arrive, we open our presents in a leisurely fashion. Stockings are first, a round of coffee, and then we start opening the presents one at a time. The only time we do two together is if the presents are similar or matching.
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OP
OP
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
We don't put our presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, because my dog will just lie next to the tree and pine away for them. He actually has growled at people!! Christmas morning we get up and have coffee and breakfast. We used to wait breakfast for my brother, but now he and his wife have breakfast at home and come to my house later. After breakfast my dog opens his presents, because if he does not he will drive us crazy. (In fact, tonight I caught him snooping in the closet where his presents are hidden. He is worse than a kid!!
I read about the dog...burst out laughing
DW cam in the room to see what was going on...She laughed!!! We can kinda, sorta identify!!!
Maverick2272
Washing Up
That is funny about the dog! LOL.
For us the kids take turns opening their presents, round robin style. As for how they open them, well 4 out of 5 Joyners prefer the rip like mad method.
The wife is the one dissenting vote, she opens hers carefully.
For us the kids take turns opening their presents, round robin style. As for how they open them, well 4 out of 5 Joyners prefer the rip like mad method.
The wife is the one dissenting vote, she opens hers carefully.
Barbara L
Traveling Welcome Wagon
One at a time here, as well. As kids we were allowed to get into our stockings when we got up. We weren't allowed to wake our parents up (about the only day they could sleep in), but around 10:00 we usually couldn't stand it anymore and one of us would suddenly develop a cough, or we would have an argument, just loud enough to wake them up. Then we would eat breakfast (not usually anything special, usually more of a fend for yourself thing--a lot of times my sister and I just ate candy and stuff from our stockings for breakfast, before they got up), get dressed, and then get started with the presents.
When we were younger, my dad passed out the gifts, then the job passed to me when I was a teenager. I kept a list for each of us, and as each gift was opened I wrote down who got what from whom (to send out thank-you's later). Since my sister and I always had more gifts than our mom and dad, we would each usually open two or three to their one. So it would go kind of like this: Diana, me, Diana, me, Mama, Diana, me, Diana, me, Daddy, etc. I don't know if anyone ever noticed that I (being the stingy sort) always was the last to open a gift! As each person opened a gift, everyone else would ohh and ahh, or say, "That's nice!"
James and I are alone, but we still do it pretty much the same way. He is under orders not to wake me up to open gifts (he's worse than a 5-year-old!), but once we are both up and ready, we are both big kids! We take turns, and (yep, you guessed it) I always open the last one!
Barbara
Then we would eat breakfast (not usually anything special, usually more of a fend for yourself thing--a lot of times my sister and I just ate candy and stuff from our stockings for breakfast, before they got up), get dressed, and then get started with the presents.When we were younger, my dad passed out the gifts, then the job passed to me when I was a teenager. I kept a list for each of us, and as each gift was opened I wrote down who got what from whom (to send out thank-you's later). Since my sister and I always had more gifts than our mom and dad, we would each usually open two or three to their one. So it would go kind of like this: Diana, me, Diana, me, Mama, Diana, me, Diana, me, Daddy, etc. I don't know if anyone ever noticed that I (being the stingy sort) always was the last to open a gift!
As each person opened a gift, everyone else would ohh and ahh, or say, "That's nice!"James and I are alone, but we still do it pretty much the same way. He is under orders not to wake me up to open gifts (he's worse than a 5-year-old!), but once we are both up and ready, we are both big kids! We take turns, and (yep, you guessed it) I always open the last one!
BarbaraPieSusan
Washing Up
We don't put our presents under the tree until Christmas Eve, because my dog will just lie next to the tree and pine away for them. He actually has growled at people!! Christmas morning we get up and have coffee and breakfast. We used to wait breakfast for my brother, but now he and his wife have breakfast at home and come to my house later. After breakfast my dog opens his presents, because if he does not he will drive us crazy. (In fact, tonight I caught him snooping in the closet where his presents are hidden. He is worse than a kid!!
Awww, what a funny furbaby!!!!
mikki
Sous Chef
Hubby, kids and myself get up really early. Kids open theirs then hubby and I open ours. By 10:00 we either are at a cousins or like this year everyone will be at my home. We have a big breakfast, then it's basically a free for all, and it's not Christmas without a crumpled up paper war.
When all 5 of the children were at home, we opened our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve, usually somewhat controlled mayhem in a sort of round robin style. Christmas morning was when stockings were investigated and Santa's presents were opened. In our house, Santa wrapped his gifts. (It made the anticipation even more painful because the children couldn't see immediately what he'd delivered.)
When all the children left and it was just Buck and me, we began the tradition of opening one present each on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we'd have some coffee and a quick breakfast and retire to the family room to open the rest of the gifts.
We always had Christmas music playing in the background and a glass of bourbon and ginger ale as we tore open packages and created our mountain of wrapping and ribbons for the kitties to play in. We could draw out the process for hours whether we had 6 packages or 60.
Tonight I'll open my one traditional Christmas Eve gift with my kitties as my companions.
When all the children left and it was just Buck and me, we began the tradition of opening one present each on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we'd have some coffee and a quick breakfast and retire to the family room to open the rest of the gifts.
We always had Christmas music playing in the background and a glass of bourbon and ginger ale as we tore open packages and created our mountain of wrapping and ribbons for the kitties to play in. We could draw out the process for hours whether we had 6 packages or 60.
Tonight I'll open my one traditional Christmas Eve gift with my kitties as my companions.
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mikki
Sous Chef
Awww Katie, I wish I could be sitting right there beside you. Merry Christmas sweetie.
Maverick2272
Washing Up
Someone once said to me, "Once a person enters you heart, they will always be there evermore". I know Buck is with you there in spirit, I will count myself lucky to one day have such cherished memories as you have.
Merry Christmas and our prayers and thoughts are with you for a happy holiday.
Merry Christmas and our prayers and thoughts are with you for a happy holiday.
SierraCook
Master Chef
This is for Maverick, Uncle Bob, and miniman. My dog opened his presents first on Christmas Day. In fact, he got us out of bed at 6 a.m. I have attached a picture of him and the aftermath of his unwrapping that was all over the livingroom floor.
Maverick2272
Washing Up
That's just too funny!
VeraBlue
Executive Chef
We always open gifts on Christmas eve, after dinner and before dessert. It's changed a bit in ritual from when the kids were small, but the idea remains the same. Some presents are distributed so everyone has a few boxes in front of them. Then one at a time, one person at at time unwraps something so everyone can see what is being received. When that initial few are unwrapped, the remainder are passed out.
It's not quite the free for all but it's not all that subdued either. It's a bit of both.
It's not quite the free for all but it's not all that subdued either. It's a bit of both.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
We always open gifts on Christmas morning, (after getting to open one gift Christmas Eve just to get the little monkeys to go to bed)! In fact, I hide all the gifts and only put them out under the tree after everyone has gone to bed. Then, in the morning, usually the youngest child wakes up at the crack of dawn and sneaks downstairs to see if Santa had come in the night. Then he/she comes running upstairs yelling "He came, he came!!!" I usually question them saying, are you sure, and make them go check again. Then we all troop downstairs and set up the video camera and make coffee and then hand out gifts one at a time, making a big production out of reading the tags and trying to guess what's inside. It can take a while but oddly, the kids won't let us do it any other way. They like all the silly ritual.
