Your Present opening routine?

randomshenans

randomshenans

randomshenans

Soldato
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With all this talk of Christmas and all it got me talking with my mother this morning on the phone about how we've always done things at Christmas.

So what we have always done is the kids have santa sacks in the morning first thing, normally brought in to our room to open all together. We then get the boys to take it in turns to open their gifts, one each at a time.
The reason for this is so that they know what each other has and likewise have a chance to appreciate it more.

We then do breakfast etc. and once the dinner stuff is out the way, we get to the tree presents from friends and family. The boys gifts we split up between santa and presents from us so that everything isn't from santa and we get some appreciation too :p
This is also done in like a circle where we go round one at a time, read who it's from and then open.

I thought this was normal but my now wife's family when we did Christmas there was more a free for all where people dive in and all open at once, which my Mum had happen at an early Christmas last weekend too with other family, so it got me thinking about how people do theirs too?

I think it's really nice the way we do it. Much more appreciation for not only what you've got but other people too and who has taken the time and thought to buy you it in the first place.

So, how do you open yours?
 
The general rule is, no one opens ANY presents until they identify and recognize the half drunk glass of milk, the half eaten cookie and carrot and cotton wool everywhere, then raise the repeated question every single year "Why does Santa loose all his white beard every single year? is it stress related?"

Then we have breakfast, and open presents.
 
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I think that's an important thing as well, which isn't given for context in the whole "what has it cost you" thread. A lot of people will be just paying for their costs for gifts, not a family of 4, hosting dinner for 8 etc. you know.

We have the mince pies and santa treats all ready. This year he might have a big drink I can enjoy before bed too! :D

I love the kids excitement in the morning, it's the best thing ever.
 
Kids (2 and 5 year old this year) get up, open a small present then have breakfast (traditionally mainly bacon). Then open presents in no order at all, it has been chaos basically for a few years.

Anyone over the age of 5 usually wait until the children are finished, and have decided on a piece of packaging to play with rather than a toy.

My dad will likely be nursing a hangover from the night before (i'll try to avoid this!)!
 
randomshenans said:
I think that's an important thing as well, which isn't given for context in the whole "what has it cost you" thread. A lot of people will be just paying for their costs for gifts, not a family of 4, hosting dinner for 8 etc. you know.

We have the mince pies and santa treats all ready. This year he might have a big drink I can enjoy before bed too! :D

I love the kids excitement in the morning, it's the best thing ever.
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Keep in mind I live in a house full of adults :p


I was only messing about the food and milk etc :p

If there was kids it would be fine, its all tradition really
 
My parents did the one at a time when i was growing up, my wifes family did it free for all. Now i have my own family its a free for all! :D
The thing with the taking turns is you have to look appreciative for a *insert rubbish generic present* and watch everyone else also trying to feign appreciation when you just want to get through it all! But I do see why my mum chose to do it that way for the reasons you mentioned. :)
 
When me and my sister were children and what I am trying to emulate this year is about the same :)

Stocking presents to be unwrapped in bed with Mum and Dad (Or Daddy and Lou as it is now with us)

Then downstairs in PJ's and dressing gowns to unwrap presents from under the tree. I tend to be the present giver-outer and sit on the floor next to the tree and hand one present per person out to open all at once (when everyone has one to open) :) Although this is slightly different in our house now, as we have my OH's little girl on Christmas Day night so we have the stocking and her opening her presents on Boxing Day instead
 
We have pretty much the same routine every year...

Christmas Eve - Me, brother, mum, dad, grandma and granddad go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Very nice place, lots of alcohol!

Christmas Day - We open presents at parents house, dad gets all worked up because we aren't very civilised with our unwrapping so there's paper everywhere and the dog thinks it's hilarious.
Breakfast - usually a full English.
Mess around with goodies/normal routine until Christmas Dinner in the afternoon with the six of us again.

Pretty boring really :p
 
Stocking presents when you wake up.
Breakfast at your own pace.
Make a start on the dinner.
Glass of fizz about 11am and then everyone takes a seat and the youngest ones hand out the tree presents. There's not exactly a free-for-all but we don't do that one-at-a-time nonsense. We all get a chance to look at ech other's gifts and say our thankyou's then it's back to the dinner prep. Sit down to eat about 1:30.

That, of course, is the ideal world as I was brought up, as it remains at my parents' house and how it is at our house. However this year we're at the in-laws and there is always an almighty amout of faffing and buggering about before anything ever happens.

Presents will begin anywhere between 11 and 12, depending on when everyone can be coralled into the same room without having to pop off to do something, have another cup of tea or have a chat about something. they do the whole one-at-a-time thing and you have to read out the label verbatim, unwrap your gift, admire it, hand it round, try it on, have a chat about it, make a cup of tea... Then it's on to the next person. My sister-in-law will probably get the hump about something inconsequential despite being one of the rudest and most childish people I've know and dinner will be about 3pm if we're lucky.

I've offered to cook this year so I can hide in the kitchen and keep a hand on the tiller.
 
Our routine is get the kids up, try to get them to eat breakfast, then get showered and read, then open presents.

It avoids tantrums of staying in Pyjama's all morning and they can play away with all the new toys.
 
TrixiBuG said:
When me and my sister were children and what I am trying to emulate this year is about the same :)

Stocking presents to be unwrapped in bed with Mum and Dad (Or Daddy and Lou as it is now with us)

Then downstairs in PJ's and dressing gowns to unwrap presents from under the tree. I tend to be the present giver-outer and sit on the floor next to the tree and hand one present per person out to open all at once (when everyone has one to open) :) Although this is slightly different in our house now, as we have my OH's little girl on Christmas Day night so we have the stocking and her opening her presents on Boxing Day instead
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Haha my sister ALWAYS would want to be the present giver outer! "This is for Ross from Auntie Emily"

*step dad rolls eyes and walks off in search of more wine*
 
Your routine sounds pretty nice, since me and my sister are a bit too old for santa we just order our presents on my parents account and then when it arrives my parents put it away and wrap it etc. Generally after Christmas eve, we all head to bed (i of course spend a few hours gaming until i am too tired to game and actually want to sleep)

Then at 8/9 in the morning we drag our parents out of bed and head downstairs, let the cats out of the kitchen and open stockings first, as they are on the banister. we then head into the front room and my sisters presents are on one side and mine on the other, we open one at a time and do the typical "ohhhh" "ahhhh" "thank you." Then once that is done we oepn the presents under the tree, usually they are all for my parents so its their time. After they have finished or during, we open the gifts for the cats (yes thats right, we buy presents for the cats)

Once all the presents have been openned, we all get breakfast and me and my sis start using our presents while mum frantically runs round the kitchen cooking the food for the dinner. The christmas dinner used to be probably the best part of the day, my grandparents from both my mum and dads side would come down, however unfortunately in the last 4-5 years both my Grannies have passed as well as my dad's dad, so it is just my Mum's dad that comes, however it is still one of the best parts of the day.

After dinner either the rest of the family will come to us, or we all go to one of them for even more food (hmm.... maybe there is reason i need new trousers :D:D) Christmas day is the day i would like to play with all my pressies, however it is spent mostly with the family i avoid as much as possible throughout the year :D:D
 
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Leprechaun312 said:
we open one at a time and do the typical "ohhhh" "ahhhh" "thank you."
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This made me chuckle. I find it so awkward opening presents because I'm always told I never look interested in anything at all so I'm conscious people will think I don't like it. But the awkward "thank you" after every opening gets to me :p
 
Not now but when we were younger:

Wake, Presents, Breakfast, go to nans for presents from them + extended family, down the pub (all the locals were down there, lots of kids to play with and always fun to go if you'd gotten a bike / skateboard / scooter etc), back to nans with whole family, dinner then after dinner (or tree) presents. Basically cheaper gifts but from everyone, a book or small toy or whatnot. Then eating chocolate and talking / watching new dvds etc until bed.

Those were the days :O

I don't get / or need / want as many presents these days, and the family doesn't all come together, and we don't see eachother on crimbo eve or boxing day now :(... oh well guess i'll get drunk instead.
 
I tend to get up slightly later (from a very large family) after the younger ones have opened up their presents. (Namely around 8am, seeing as they get up at an ungodly hour! (I can't complain I was the same :D )).

I much prefer to give presents than to receive. :o
 
wndzr said:
This made me chuckle. I find it so awkward opening presents because I'm always told I never look interested in anything at all so I'm conscious people will think I don't like it. But the awkward "thank you" after every opening gets to me :p
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yeah, you see, my parents generally know what i need, and so get me stuff i actually am thankful for. The rest of the family kind of got the picture after i got 4 jumpers and 4 pairs of socks one year from all of them and so now just give me a card with money. So i just open the card look awkwardly, "thanks very much"

Its difficult to look interested when you are being handed clothes or some crappy shower gel or deodorant (and deodorant is quite an insult tbh "here have some deodorant, i put a lot of thought into it") The thank you bit i actually find quite hilarious as my grandad, well, lets say he isnt the most cheerful man in the world, he will just open his stack of jumpers, shower gel and wine and go "oh, very good" (with a west Belfast accent :D:D) its quite ****ing hilarous
 
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