elena_398 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 Every year my husband and I have several rules for the kids to follow. Absolutely no leaving their rooms until my husband and I are up. We usually set our alarms for 7am, though I hear the kids from 6am on. They can go into each others rooms but not down the hall to peek downstairs at the presents. When we do get up (my husband and I) the kids have to wait till I get the christmas lights on and my coffee started (haha) and the video camera ready. Then I stand at the bottom of the stair case and tell the kids to come dowstairs that "Santa" has come. (More like telling a herd of buffalo!). Its great the way because I can tape them and their faces upon seeing the christmas tree with all the presents surrounding it. Anyone else have some rules the kids have to follow? My sister lets hers just get up whenever and run downstairs, but I think its better when mom and dad are up. Maybe "rules" is a harsh term, but couldn't think of any other term to describe it. LOL
Illinoismom Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 My kids can go into the living room till we get up which doesnt take long, As they come running Santa came Santa came, They are allowed to play with what is ever in the stockings or what every is unwrapped under the tree, No opening of presents till every one is there.
Gporter34 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I am always up before them on Christmas morning and I sometimes wake them up.lol But they do stay up late the night before.
elena_398 Posted November 3, 2005 Author Posted November 3, 2005 The rules my kids have were the ones I grew up with.
snakeswiff Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 Here the kids get up, come downstairs into our room. The whole "santa came" thing takes place....I get up, make coffee and if the kids wish they can open their stockings while I am doing so....no presents are opened until dh is out of bed...kids usually spend a good 20 minutes trying to get that to happen! He's a bit of a scrooge.
eve Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 well when \i was little we had to wait till when ever my mom woke up and no that wasn't 7,8 or even 9 in the morning she believed it was her right to sleep in Then she would go down get camara and such ready then we could come down and such
Kimp67 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 The only real rule here is we have to be up first. But usually we're so excited that we're up before our son!! :)
carone0318 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 In our house you can't come down the stairs until Daddy does the video taping of everyone on the top step and get a picture of me, the kids and the dog sitting on the top step. This is something that he and his brothers had to do on Christmas morning - it's a tradition through generations now! Should be interesting this year though because he have moved and now the kids rooms are upstairs and the master bedroom is downstairs. I guess we will work it out!
best4less Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 No rules here. I am ususally the first one up. I get up, make coffee then wake hubby up so we can have a few moments of peace. Then we wake the kids up and they open their gifts from Santa :)
floridasun5 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 Luckily we dont have little kids that we have to worry about getting into the presents. My daughter is 12 and I usually have to wake her up on Christmas morning, so no rules or anything needed here.
rosegarden Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 They may look through their stockings, make the 'rents coffee (served in bed of course) and wait for us to get up. Of course, my youngest is 17 now.
purplecrush Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 The kids usually wake up at about 3 come running in my room telling me that Santa came (they already peeked) and I have to send them to bed at least till 5!! Then we get up, I turn my coffee on, get the camera ready then go get them ( they never go back to bed lol) . They do their stockings first, then open presents, then then think they can have as much candy as they want, so I have to take the candy away and make them christmas muffins lol.
Steakgoddess Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 The kids wake each other up, run out to the tree to see if the presents are there and then come wake us up. But not before 7
ryka Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I am normally up before my kids but on those rare occasion when they wake up before me they run into the room and I get the whole santa came routine and that's the end of sleeping.
Candy Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 Until last year, my dh hadn't gotten to see the girls open gifts because he is a federal officer and worked night shift..and didnt get home until about...8:30 am....sometimes much later....but I let them get up about 6:30 am....as long as they don't open anything til we are up.....I also used to let them all open at once....now I make them take turns....which helps alot with cleanup..lol
Kandy Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 The night before I mix everything together for a quick breakfast (sausage log) When they get up they can no go into the living room, they can come get us up, but im usually awake by the time they are. I put the sausage log in the stove and head into the living room where they start with their stockings and gifts in the stockings are wrapped also. They can only open one thing at a time, and it rotates between the two of them. So everyone can see what they got. When they are done, with the stockings breakfast is almost ready. They finish up their main gifts and then we eat.
erh12275 Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 We have never had any rules but this year is going to be our first for them. We have been pretty much remiss about things since the girls are so small...and I have spent 2 of the last 3 Christmas either w/ a new born or about to pop. I think I am gonna use your rule about not coming downstairs...now that we have an upstairs and downstairs. Hoping to get some more ideas....so that we can make it more like a tradition.
WELUVKDS79 Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 Our kids get to open 1 present Christmas Eve and then they have to wait and watch cartoons until we get up to open anymore.
dorkydiva Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 We don't have any rules right now. Last year the kids were scared to come out of their rooms because they thought Santa might still be in the house.
biomajor Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 We open one present Christmas Eve--then when the kids were smaller, my daughter would wake us up around 4am or so to tell us that Santa had come. She had already woken up my son, checked out what Santa brought and started on the stockings, she just needed us up to open the wrapped presents LOL Now, they sleep and I make LOTS and LOTS of noise to try to get them up earlier so that they can open presents!! Last year, it was 8 am or so before they woke up. I got up at 6 or so. It's so not fair!! They are 13 (14 in January) and 16.
Christy Garner Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 By reading these posts, I am under the impression that Santa's stuff is wrapped. Is that they way it is usually done. I only wrap what is from mom and dad - Santa stuff is laid in a pile not wrapped - two piles, one for each of my sons and then a family pile. Maybe wrapping them would be better.
JanaBanana Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 DH and I are usually more anxious then the kids LOL and we have ended up waking them up,,,,,,if not they come and get us out of bed yelling "SANTA CAME!" (sometimes as early as 4-5 am) and we open the presents then....they dont just start tearing into them or anything.
Illinoismom Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 Santa here leaves one or two unwrapped and the lest he places around those wrapped, I could never imagine all of it unwrapped, Most fun is watching the faces as they unwrap
tbarry1974 Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 When I was growing up Santa didn't wrap, he just took the presents straight from the shop, to his pack, to my house. It was EUPHORIC coming downstairs and seeing all the presents, there was so much I still hadn't seen it all even if it wasn't wrapped.
tbarry1974 Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 And for all you new parents of toddlers and on up to atleast age 7 - a cool idea is after the kids go to bed and you're sure they're almost asleep but not quite, have someone grab some bells, and stand outside the kids window and gently ring them, then run back into the house and listen to the conversation between the children, or if you just have one, run into the house just in time to meet them in the hall - lol Our kids talk about it every year "Hey remember when we heard Santa's sleigh bells outside?" It's GREAT - I can't wait to tell them when they become parents.
StephanieD Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 When I was little, my sister and I used go wake our parents up first and then we'd all go to the living room to open the gifts. We didn't go into the living room until we woke the parents up.
alimfp Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 We get the morning chores done (diapers changed, breakfasts made/eaten, etc) and then start opening presents. Usually DH and I are up first and have to wait until one of the kids wakes (around 8-9). LOL.
Kygal2003 Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 We set the alarm to get up before the kids and wait in the living room 'til they are awake..which isn't long after we do...lol! They open their stockings first and then the rest of their gifts.
elena_398 Posted November 4, 2005 Author Posted November 4, 2005 Yeah, Im usually the anxious one myself. Its my husband who is the hardest to get up. LOL.
motoXmom Posted November 4, 2005 Posted November 4, 2005 My only rule that morning is don't mess with the Momma until she gets her first cup of coffee! Then pretty much anything goes! LOL
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