stevierocks Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 when i grew up it was basically dig in...well tried that and noone knew what each other got or someone would open something that wasnt theirs...( accidentally) .. and there was duplicates, so one brother thought the item was his and his bro took it not knowing he got one too..fixed that quick.... anyhow we are overly organized with it now.. and none of them remember anything different..we all sit around and one person picks a present from under the tree... and they cant pick their own, or the person who picked last... they get a present for someone else and hand it to them... they open it ..everyone sees... then that person picks a present from under/around the tree.. ect. it takes longer... but it is fun and they all seem to like it ..i know some people make piles and or use different paper to know whos is who..so what system do you use...also are presents from santa wrapped? someone told me they get presents from parents and those are wrapped and ones from santa are not... i thought that to be silly...but works for them... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovemberDiva Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are organized. I do use different paper for each person in our family. I distribute the gifts according to the wow factor, always saving the best for last. It does take longer but we all get to see what everyone got and its a lesson in patience for my chidren as we take turns opening gifts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berry1014 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are another does the organized route on Christmas morning. Also all Santa gifts are wrapped. Each child gets their own Santa themed wrapping paper but none are labled. They have to check their stocking to see what wrapping paper is used to wrap their stocking stuffers (yes santa wraps about half of their stocking stuffers) then that paper gets matched to the santa gifts under the tree. Everyone takes turn opening a gift so everyone can see what everyone got. This also gives the kids a chance to REALLY see what they got instead of opening up a gift, taking a quick glance at it before ripping open another gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanyon71 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are a small family but it's organized. We pass out the presents to the 3 of us (usually my wife hands them out) then we let my daughter open all of her's then she helps us open ours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsjackrabbit Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are organized. With just 4 of us at home I like to make the excitement last as long as possible. My husband usually passes out the gifts as I have the camera taking pics. Each child gets a gift and they open them together and then on to the next. Presents from Santa and stocking gifts are not wrapped. They are actually not even put under the tree. Santa gifts are usually put on our coffee table. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamamomma Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are also fairly organized in our house. We enjoy watching what each other gets instead of having a free for all. Wrapping paper isn't cleaned up until we are all done though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bopeep Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We have attempted to be organized a year or two, but I'm impatient, LOL. Also I go way overboard and buy too much so if we tried to be organized it would take all night. After reading your responses though, I wish we were more organized. Maybe this year. But probably not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momlori Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are organized to a point. We tend to do rounds where everyone gets a gift and we take turns unwrapping so we can see what everyone gets. Sometimes the kids get a little ahead of everyone which is ok since they usually have way more to open 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen08 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are organized as well. My boys usually make piles for all of us (4) and then we all take turns opening gifts. We usually let the boys get a few presents opened before we take our turn. ALSO, we do the green pickle hidden in the tree each year to see who goes first opening their gift. This is PERFECT b/c it keeps the boys from arguing over who gets to go first. I found it at a local store one year but they wanted $15 for it and end up finding the same one at dollar tree for $1 a few days letter. BEST idea ever by whomever came up with it. LOL!All of Santa's gifts are wrapped as well. Everyone's gifts are wrapped in the same wrapping but their are printed out name tags on each one so we know whose is whose. When I was growing up our Santa presents weren't wrapped and that was nice, but as an adult, I love the idea of Santa's gifts being wrapped as well. Kids love opening presents and this just gives them more to open. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jade2002 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are also organized. I pass out the presents and each one takes turns opening thiers. That way we all get to see what each other got. Biggest gift is saved for last. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkilugi Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We are not usually organized - but I also fall in the category of if we were it would take FOREVER because I usually buy so much. I do usually do the wrapping paper themes. We do not wrap Santa gifts - usually they are too big and/or are already assembled (bikes, ride on's when younger - now computer chairs and desks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikefree Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We're organized. Even though my boys are 21 and 15, I still wait to put the gifts out till after they go to bed. Then I organize them according to who they are for. I buy all the presents, but my husband does buy a few on his own as a surprise and organizes the ones he buys. Then on Christmas morning, after I wake the boys up (they were NEVER early risers on Christmas morning...something I've never heard of!), we sit around the living room. I hand out the gifts except the ones my husband buys. Everyone gets one gift at a time, but we all get one at the same time. I save the best (biggest, most expensive or the most anticipated) for last. Once opened, the paper is thrown away right away so nothing gets mixed in and lost. That's how we did it when I was a kid and it seemed to work out pretty well so I've done the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanyon71 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Santa is pretty good he knows who to wrap for and not to wrap for 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myboysnme Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I only have 2 kids, both in college now. So to keep Christmas morning from being over in 5 seconds, I wrapped the 'Santa' gifts and they each opened one gift at a time (simultaneously). But I did that for me to enjoy. When I was a kid Santa did not wrap and we all just came down and started playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogiporkchop Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Usually organized but since DD's Christmas is her taekwondo classes plus gear I just ordered (which she'll need right away) I don't know... she isn't going to have anything to open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCPanther1975 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 When I grew up, (only child) All presents were opened Christmas Eve, and then I got a SANTA gift and stocking on Christmas morning! Everything is wrapped. My DH said that they always had different wrapping paper from Santa (which had Santa on it, always) but he also opened the majority of gifts on Christmas Eve. We do an organized opening, where each person opens all their gifts. Any way is good!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redraccoon Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Usually the youngest gets to play Santa and pass out several gifts to each person before they start on their pile.... then its kind of whoever is closest to the tree hands out the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmck Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 We are organized too. We organize the presents by family and pass out one to each person then take turns opening. After everyone has opened we have designated spots to put the opened gifts and then we pass out the next gifts etc... however if someone needs to leave (other family to visit) we let them be the only ones opening and the rest watch. After we help them load its back to the fun!!! I really like seeing them opening the gifts, we put so much effort into making it special that I hate to rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conj Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 organized. We celebrate Chanukah at home and Christmas with the inlaws. Since Chanukah isn't really a gift giving holiday we drag it out... everyone gets a turn, and we all watch that person open their gift... everyone gets to share in it... this carried over to us at the inlaws, which allows the gift giver to watch the kids faces as they open the gifts (not always good - they are kids!) and us to see who the thank you note should be written to. Makes it more enjoyable and less harried... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinholt1 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 We do kind of an "organized dig in". I start sorting everything while mom and dad dig in! Then I take pictures while we all look and keep opening. paper usually gets stacked on the side of each person, but my rotten little cat, Samantha, starts diving and hiding and playing in all the paper and then jumps out suddenly to attack someone who is de-ribboning their next package. This makes my mother laugh. It startles my father and makes him jump --- which makes my mother laugh all the harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper_Mint_Tea Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 We do kind of an "organized dig in". I start sorting everything while mom and dad dig in! Then I take pictures while we all look and keep opening. paper usually gets stacked on the side of each person, but my rotten little cat, Samantha, starts diving and hiding and playing in all the paper and then jumps out suddenly to attack someone who is de-ribboning their next package. This makes my mother laugh. It startles my father and makes him jump --- which makes my mother laugh all the harder. 100_3281.jpg100_3267.jpg Too funny + cute ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leefamily23 Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 We are very organized. Though I admit I am a little OCD about stuff like that, digging in would drive me crazy. Though dh's family does that. Like another poster, even though my son is now 21, I still wait until he goes to bed to put the gifts out. There is a pile for each of us. Then ds opens a few, then hubby and I take a turn. When he was younger there was special wrapping paper too that was only used for Santa gifts. I really like to make Christmas morning last, so it takes us about 2 hours to open our gifts. I also have to throw the paper out as each gift gets unwrapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridasun5 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 It's really just me and my daughter now, so she is the one who gets all the gifts on Christmas morning, but its still organized. I will give them to her one at a time to open, talk about the item, enjoy it for a few minutes and then move onto the next. I also give them to her in a certain order, like starting with the smallest first and working up to the biggest most expensive gift. When I had a family, it was still organized with doing one at a time so each person could see what each other got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytmomof4 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 We pass out all the gifts then the kids take turns opening their gifts at the end we let them just go for it.Mom and dad go last then we do our stockings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conj Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 This comment bugs me... makes me sad, really. You have a family... you and your daughter are still family. It's really just me and my daughter now, so she is the one who gets all the gifts on Christmas morning, but its still organized. I will give them to her one at a time to open, talk about the item, enjoy it for a few minutes and then move onto the next. I also give them to her in a certain order, like starting with the smallest first and working up to the biggest most expensive gift. When I had a family, it was still organized with doing one at a time so each person could see what each other got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridasun5 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 This comment bugs me... makes me sad, really. You have a family... you and your daughter are still family. Thanks, but what I meant was when there was more than 1 person to buy for. Of course I know my daughter is family, but when we get up on Christmas morning, it's only her that opens gifts so it's not the same as having multiple people waiting to open gifts at the same time that it has to be more organized and share the time to see what each other received. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jendeere Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 We are organized. Growing up, we were allowed to open our stockings before our parents got up. Then we would wake them and my dad would pass out gifts one at a time. We still do that every year, unless we aren't with my parents for some reason at Christmas. If we aren't with them, one of us passes them out but its still one at a time. I prefer it this way. Yes, it takes forever but then we aren't rushing and see what each person got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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