nicole20 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This year my kids and I are livign with my mother in law, as is my sister in law with her son. My kids have always had santa come while they are sleepign and christmas morning they wake up to see what santa left and open all their presents then. Well my sister in law lets her son open all his gifts on christmas eve even santa's gift. I worried about this seeing as how my ds is 8 and he still believes in santa. I realize i may not have many more christmas' left where this will be the case i know he is gonna have some major questions about my nephew getting his gifts christmas eve. To me its not as special. So I was wondering do any of you also open all your gifts on christmas eve..or do you wait until christmas morning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerkynPunctual Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 All gifts get opened on Christmas morning. I've never heard of gifts from Santa on Christmas Eve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudreyNicole Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Our boys get new PJs and one small present from DH and I on Christmas Eve, otherwise, everything else is put out after they go to sleep and we open Christmas morning. I can understand why you are concerned. Would your sister-in-law bend at all with their tradition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicole20 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 probably not...my nephew pretty much runs that house. Unfortunatly what he wants he gets. I mean i figured my son would start to figure out the whole santa deal soon...however i want him to to believe for as long as possible. So hopefully i can get him to bed before before my nephew opens gifts or something like that. I gonna have to do some swift thinking on this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jendeere Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We have always done PJ's on Christmas eve and open presents Christmas morning. How old is your nephew? If he is older than your youngest (and no longer believes) I would think that everyone involved would like to help keep it special for your youngest. In our family (extended), the older kids are amazing at helping to keep the spirit alive for the little ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3luvs1 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I would just explain to your son that santa might of mailed his cousins gifts early. My mom used to tell me that he mailed our gifts early because we lived in a small apt n she couldnt hide them. Just explain to him that every family has different traditions so since he is used to having the mailed they will open on CHristmas eve, but santa wont be delivering his gifts until that night and you guys will have your usual tradition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollyGG Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 For us it depends on which family we are with for Christmas. My family - Presents are opened Christmas eve. Santa comes during Midnight Mass. We opened presents at my brothers place last year and his wife insisted on doing present opening on Christmas morning. That was painful for all since we had been up so late for Mass. Getting up early with the kids was really no fun. So I see why we do Christmas Eve. Husbands family - Presents are opened Christmas morning. Santa comes overnight while the kids sleep. We do an earlier Mass time with them so getting up early to open presents is fun. Because Santa comes at night in both instances my kids aren't confused at all. But even if he came at different times my kids are pretty good at understanding that different families have different traditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClosedAcct Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My birthday is Christmas Eve so there is absolutely NO Christmas goings on on Christmas Eve....everyone else gets a whole day for their birthday, so I do too!! But even so, if my birthday was elsewhere in the year, Santa comes on Christmas Day not Christmas Eve. Perhaps she could move hers to Christmas day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeky94 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Would it be possible to get your kids out of the house for a while on Christmas Eve (say, a "last minute" trip to the store with Grandma or something)? Then while they're out, one of "Santa's elves" could stop by with a special delivery and a note from Santa, saying something about having his elf deliver the gifts a few hours earlier this year, since they're living in a different house that isn't on the same route as the old one. Personalize the letter with things like, "Those chocolate chip cookies and eggnog you left me last year were delicious, even though I think your cat Fluffy had a few nibbles, too. :) Oops, so sorry- I just spilled my chocolate milk on the corner of your letter!" or maybe reference back to their Santa letters That way, you don't have to try to explain why their cousin is opening gifts early or worry that your son may have more "questions." And, to keep that special "Christmas morning experience" alive, Santa's letter can explain that there are some extra-special gifts marked "Do Not Open Until December 25th" (see if you can get your sis-in-law to agree to do this with one of her son's gifts too, to make it even better) and that he'll be watching to make sure they wait till Christmas morning for those! Just some ideas-- feel free take any pieces or parts of them or change them around as needed! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicole20 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thanks everyone! You guys have some good ideas! He would probably relate most to the different traditions families have since i am really big on traditions for our family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublehsmom Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My kids always get one gift from santa on Christmas Eve, my grandma has Santa come to her house every year and he always has the pjs that my kids get from him and so thats the only gift that they get from him that night. Then we come home kids go to bed and we do our thing. Then Christmas morning the kids wake up and open the gifts that Santa left. However, dh wants Santa to bring them while we are at my grandmas house and I just can't do that I love the faces the kids have on their face when they see all the gifts. But if they came home and saw all them they would never go to bed and want to open them that night, thats not happening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smga1 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We open our gifts on Christmas day. We put out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve so he remembers our house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISU ME Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My family has always opened gifts on Christmas eve and they are from mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc... Then christmas day there are stockings and small gifts from Santa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starbeck96 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We do 1 gift for each child Christmas Eve. The rest is Christmas morning. My boys are 13 so Santa isn't an issue for them but is for my 5 year old daughter. I will probably always have the Christmas morning tradition though. I just think it makes it more special. I love the look on the kids faces when they see something else wrapped for them under the tree that wasn't there the night before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppysfireball Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I still do the under the tree stuff and we put out cookies and my youngest is 14, my oldest 26.No presents allowed opened until then. I do put a book or pajama item under the tree they can open christmas eve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudd75 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I say get him up really early on Christmas eve so he will go to sleep early that night and won't know about the other kids opening their gifts. You could leave the house but then the open gifts will still be there when you get home, unless you could get your son to go straight to his room. We've always done our gifts on Christmas. It's kind of tradition for the kids to leave cookies n milk and then they go to bed excited bc Santa is coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peifgirl Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I have a stepson and every other year we only get him in Christmas Eve. So Santa makes a special trip so he can open gifts with us. That way we get him waking up here to presents. So as a thank you we put out extra cookies for Santa making that special trip for us. Just a thought! You could have Santa do that for while your staying at Grandmas. Then when you are back to your own place Santa can go back to his normal delivery day. It shouldn't be to much trouble for them to go along with it for you so your children can still have their traditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbybell Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Presents from the family are Christmas Eve and then Santa comes over night and presents from Santa are Christmas morning- this is how I was raised and how we do it with my children, with the minor exception that presents from mom and dad are either early in the day on Christmas Eve or the day before (depending on my husband's work schedule), then we go to my parents where we do presents with all of my family on Christmas Eve night (how I have always done it). Santa always comes at night and wake up to them on Christmas morning though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcapel4444 Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Santa always come to our house Christmas Eve & we open all gifts on Christmas morning. The kids usually get to open a present or two from Grandma though on the Eve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackFriDiva Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 My kids only open one gift (which is PJ's) the night before. Everything else gets opened on Christmas Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansieDZ Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Would it be possible to get your kids out of the house for a while on Christmas Eve (say, a "last minute" trip to the store with Grandma or something)? Then while they're out, one of "Santa's elves" could stop by with a special delivery and a note from Santa, saying something about having his elf deliver the gifts a few hours earlier this year, since they're living in a different house that isn't on the same route as the old one. Personalize the letter with things like, "Those chocolate chip cookies and eggnog you left me last year were delicious, even though I think your cat Fluffy had a few nibbles, too. :) Oops, so sorry- I just spilled my chocolate milk on the corner of your letter!" or maybe reference back to their Santa letters That way, you don't have to try to explain why their cousin is opening gifts early or worry that your son may have more "questions." And, to keep that special "Christmas morning experience" alive, Santa's letter can explain that there are some extra-special gifts marked "Do Not Open Until December 25th" (see if you can get your sis-in-law to agree to do this with one of her son's gifts too, to make it even better) and that he'll be watching to make sure they wait till Christmas morning for those! Just some ideas-- feel free take any pieces or parts of them or change them around as needed! :)Very thoughtful ideas!Thanks for sharing :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjqueen Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 There are some great ideas on here! Ones I wouldn't have been able to think of! Santa always comes on Christmas morning, but traditionally the kids open presents from us on Christmas Eve night. We have had to open them on Dec. 23rd in the past or have the kids get up at 5AM to open gifts from Santa before hubby goes in to work, because my husband is a firefighter/EMT and usually has to work either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. This year, he took off a whole week around Christmas! He'll be home Dec 22-28. It's going to be great! eta: OP, I hope everything works out well for you and your family. I have an 8 YO and 10 YO, so I know how how delicate the Santa issue is at that age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flutterbye Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 In our home, presents are opened on Christmas morning, with the exception of Christmas pajamas and a Christmas book. Those are opened early in the day on Christmas Eve, so he can wear the pajamas that night ( I want cute pictures the next morning) and we read the book before bed. Santa comes Christmas Eve night once everyone is sleeping. I hope you are able to make it work for your little ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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