When to open presents?

[Jeff Westover]

Do you open your presents on Christmas eve...or do you have to wait until Christmas morning?

Jeff

[Mr. Christmas]

Christmas morning, it's a tradition, plus, it makes it hard to sleep on Christmas Eve, an effect of the Holidays that I love. :smile:

[frank8265]

We open our presents on christmas eve.
It's a special night for us, as we got engaged on christmas eve. :-D

And as for sleeping on christmas eve?
Well, there's always one more present to unwrap! :o

[Jeff Westover]

That's a a great reason to open presents on Christmas eve. I don't know why some people feel so passionately about this. I don't suppose it really matter when you open presents just so long as you do it together.

In my house, opening presents is pretty low on the priority list when it comes to Christmas anyway. There's so many more productive and fun things to do!

Jeff

We open our presents on Christmas Eve and presents from Santa on Christmas Day. We started doing this when the kids were small as we had too many places to go then we started having Christmas here and tradition stuck. :D :grin: :D :grin:

[Jeff Westover]

Well, no controversy there!

Jeff

[cspelling]

In my house, opening presents is pretty low on the priority list when it comes to Christmas anyway. There's so many more productive and fun things to do!

Jeff

We did not open our presents until Christmas Day in the afternoon so it was never a priority for us either, well maybe my little brother who was always excited about the presents :lol: .

A few times we opened one on Christmas Eve but that was rare. I prefer Christmas Day though because just about everyone will be off work and available for a get together. Some people do work late on Christmas Eve.

[scottishrose]

to me opening gifts on Christmas Eve is like opening your birthday gifts the night before your birthday...

We allow one present to be opened on Christmas Eve (obviously a present from Mom and Dad)....everything else has to be opened Christmas morning...

Christmas Day isn't busy for us at all...we have nowhere to be and nothing to do but sit and enjoy our gifts..

:-D :D :) :grin: :-)

[dowload]

Well at my house i am allowed to open 1 small present on Christmas sometimes though. Plus it's more fun if u open them in the morning so that way all of ur family and friends can get together. Also after opening presents we have a big breakfast so it adds to it.

[sheepsnot]

I was raised to open gifts on Christmas Eve, but my wife opened hers on Christmas morning. If we are visiting my parents for Christmas, we respect their tradition. If we have to stay home :( , we will open some on the Eve and the rest the next morning, honoring everyone's upbringing. If we ever adopt my plan of just giving one gift, I'm not sure how I'll work out when to open it!

[Smemorina]

:grin:
Sarebbe simpatico aprirli alle ore 24 ma spesso i bambini dormono e così si aprono la mattina quando siamo tutti svegli.

It would be likeable to open them to hours 24 but often the children sleep and therefore they open the morning when we are all wide awake ones.
CIAOOO

[SnowAngel]

We open our presents on Christmas morning... we couldn't open them on Christmas Eve even if we wanted to because Santa doesn't come until we are sleeping!!!! lol :smile:

[SnowAngelChristmas]

we open one on christmas eve and save the rest for christmas.

[rufas2000]

Christmas Eve when I spend it with my mom. But if/when I have kids one on Christmas Eve, rest on Christmas morning.

[rufas2000]

Christmas Eve when I spend it with my mom. But if/when I have kids one on Christmas Eve, rest on Christmas morning.

[gameshowguy2000]

Sometimes I do half and half (open some on 12/24, open the rest on 12/25).

Mostly I've opened my presents on Xmas Day (A day that I never have to work or do chores, because of course, it's a HOLIDAY. And holidays are about FUN, not work).

[SnowAngelChristmas]

Agreed. But usully i open the presants on Xmas

[HomeLights]

We open one each on Christmas eve and the rest Christmas morning.
I knwo there are some traditions that don't have a tree at all and Santa Brings it and presents on Christmas eve - when the kids wake up, Santa has brought a tree, decorated it and left presents!!

WOW busy parents!

[Ervserver]

I recall as a kid my parents picking out a night the week before Christmas and we would go out to eat, drive around and look at Christmas lights. The we would come home and get to open 1 present. Was like a warm up.

[sheepsnot]

That's a pretty cool memory. I guess you knew that some gifts were provided my your folks, eh? Santa doesn't come early or late, he's always on time.

[Ervserver]

yup..would be from folks. The Santa gifts were yet to be delivered.

:???:

[cspelling]

I think Christmas day is the best day to open presents. Our family usually has the BIG dinner christmas eve, and we exchange one gift after dinner. The morning is the real show!

[ChristmasFanatic]

When I was a young one, we always opened our gifts on Christmas Day and it's a tradition I've continued. One year, after Mom got looking over the previous year's Christmas morning photos, she noticed our PJs looked a little ragged for nice photos, so following that became the tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve day....new PJs.

When I first started working and before I had vacation days to use, I always worked Christmas Eve, from about 11:00AM till 6:00Pm or 7:00PM and I was usualy frantically still wrapping on Christmas Eve, so just as well we never changed that tradition.

Now, I wrap as I buy and place them under the tree.....makes everything a lot more relaxing as we get closer to Christmas.

[Jinglebelle]

I was always only allowed to open one on Christmas eve as well... However I've found that letting my daughter open all her gifts from me and her Dad, make Christmas more enjoyable. It keeps her from being so wound up with anticipation of Christmas morning, that she actually gets some sleep... It's became our tradition, and I like the way it works out for us. Christmas morning is still hectic, and Santa always brings her plenty of goodies...

[Minta]

On Christmas eve morning/early afternoon we go visiting some friends/relatives that would not be coming over for Christmas dinner. The kids gets to open any gifts they recieve from them so the giver can see their faces and the kids and thank them for their gifts. We usually get hom about mid afternoon on Christmas eve and let the kids open one gift then. Before we had our son, our daughter would open a gift from us but now they get to open their gift from each other. Usually a toy to keep them busy for the day. The rest get opened on Christmas morning. Both my husband and I were raised to open our gifts on Christmas morning. Never saw a reason to change that. I was also raised that any gifts recieved before Christmas could not be opened until Christmas day. Needless to say I am not very fond of that idea.

[Merry Sage]

we open one on christmas eve and save the rest for christmas.

Same here. If I can keep my husband out of them. He's worse than the kids ever were.

[Sunshine73]

Growing up all of the gifts we got at home were from Santa so, of course, we couldn't open them on Christmas Eve as Santa hadn't gotten there yet to deliver the gifts.

I never even knew that other kids got gifts from their parents and, although it sounds strange, I always thought that it was a very selfless thing for my mom to do and it certainly enhanced the "magic" of Christmas. We would go to bed on Christmas Eve with no gifts under the tree and wake up Christmas morning with gifts piled everywhere (in a house with 5 children, even if you each only get a few gifts, it's still quite an impressive mound under the tree). Even now that we're all grown up, all the gifts for us under mom's tree still say "from Santa". It's great!

So, needless to say, I'm a big fan of opening gifts on Christmas morning. I even sneak up in the middle of the night to put DH's gifts under the tree (partly because of tradition and partly because he's such a big snoop that he'd never leave the gifts alone if I put them under there any earlier!) and fill his stocking.

DH, on the other hand, would prefer to open gifts Christmas Eve because he's like a kid when it comes to presents. So far, I'm winning the battle but every year he tries to wear me down! :cry:

[Billy Battles]

I have always opened presents on Christmas day.

[megarrick]

When my brother and I were young, we got to open one present on Christmas Eve and it just so happened to be new pajamas so we didn't look as rough for Christmas Morning pictures while we were walking down the hall and opening all of our other presents.

[GOJIMAN]

For as long as I can remember we would open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest in the morning.

:rudolph:

[gustavobastos]

open all the presents at CHRISTmas Eve at midnight.

[haagarr]

We are swedish so traditoinally Christmas Eve the youngest girl wears all white dress and a wreath on her head , and serves appetizers, Christmas Eve is big just like Christmas day but normally gift giving is Christmas morning.

[snowangel77]

When I was small, my parents used to let my brothers, sister and I open one present each on Christmas Eve before we went to bed, but not one from a close family member. I remember how excited I used to get about Christmas, and I always chose to open my gift from my Godfather, as every year he bought me a gold charm (for a charm bracelet) for christmas, and another for my birthday. That way, I figured I was still opening a gift, but I kind of knew what it was (although not what kind of charm) so I got to save all of my "real surprises" for Christmas morning!!

Then we'd go to bed, and we'd open our stockings as soon as we discovered Santa had been (which was usually the very early hours of the morning - our poor parents!). Our christmas gifts under the tree were opened once all the family were up on Christmas morning.

As an adult I still wait until Christmas day to open my gifts. My fiance and I give each other stockings full of little gifts that we open as soon as we wake up on Christmas morning. The other gifts are wrapped and under the tree. :)

[Annette1990]

I let my daughter pick one of her choice to open on Christmas Eve... All the others on Christmas Morning.

[MerrySouthernChristmas]

Us kids are allowed to choose one gift on Christmas Eve to open (This is a long process of poking and prodding each and every gift, but it usually ends up being the smallest one) and all the others we are to open on Christmas morning.

[LittleMissLaura]

we open gifts on christmas eve, ecause we celebrate christmas on christmas eve.

[sila]

i let the kids have one on xmas eve from me but santa brings the rest on christmas morning

[Euan Buchan]

Open ours on Christmas Day

[Annette1990]

I let my daughter open one on Christmas Eve. The rest and from Santa Christmas morning. Although her dad is working this Christmas Day so.....I am not yet sure how we plan to do things.

[MikeClaus]

We usually open 1 present on christmas eve. Its usually something smalelr though liek a cd or movie to keep entertained.
The rest and majority of presents are opened early, and I mean early (like 6 am) christmas day.

[whychristmas]

It's normally Christmas Day morning for me, but I too like to sneak one on Christmas Eve evening!

For Christmas morning, it's when I get up/wake up! Which sometimes isn't until I've got back from Church... (but thankfully the Christmas Day service is normally pretty short!!!)

[MerrySouthernChristmas]

Christmas morning for moi.

[holidaytwinkle5289]

Christmas Morning..
Its just something about the excitement and
anticipation of Christmas day that makes it impossible to
open gifts on Christmas Eve.
Plus its a tradition in my family.
We open ours at a certain time and everything...
Most of the time its between 5am - 7am that we open gifts.
We've kept that tradition going since I was a young child.cheesy

__________________________________________________ ____

Don't forget your christmas past for it will mold your christmas future...:gift:
- Anonymous

[MerrySouthernChristmas]

Wow. I thought I loved christmas, 5am is wayyyy to early for me. Usually we wake up around 6am, open stockings, make cinnamon rolls then open presents.

[JanaBanana]

Christmas morning ;)

[MerrySouthernChristmas]

Wait, If you open urs on Xmas Eve, then how do you get gifts from santa???

[Miss Darcy]

Christmas day. We open our stocking presents in the morning but are not allowed to open our main presents until tea time so 4/4.30 pm. :snowball:

[caseydbell]

With some of our family on Christmas eve
With just my family Christmas day
and sometimes with our family in Oklahoma, the day or the weekend after Christmas, depends on how the days fall.

[Maureen]

Christmas morning. Stockings first with a drink of something hot then washed, dressed and breakfast (cheese and bacon rolls with Bucks Fizz; not the perfect accompaniment but tasty!) THEN we do presents, leaving at strategic points to check on turkey et al.

A couple of clever people once figured that after midnight was, in point of fact, Christmas morning. It's not officially Christmas morning until you've had a sleep!!! Works for birthdays too!

[novelist]

:gift:My husband and I open one small gift Christmas Eve. I've always done that since I was a child at home with my parents, so I brought the tradition into my own home. The rest of the presents are opened Christmas morning. WE save the stockings until after dinner. I'll never forget our firstr Vhristmas married. That was 7 years ago. My husband was so excited. When we got up that morning,I was putting on a pot of coffee, and trying to make a special breakfast, my husband kept coming into the kitchen with another gift he wanted me to open. I was trying to be patient, because he was so excited, but all I wanted was a cup of coffee, and some breakfast before opening presents. He's better now, but still acts like a kid christmas morning!

[kelly ann]

christmas morning for me.