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How does your family open gifts?


Elmck

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I try to buy the same amount of gifts for each of my boys then they each open one at the same time. It'll be different this year, though. Our oldest moved out and into a small apartment since last Christmas and has already told me he doesn't need, nor has the space for, anything this year so it'll just be our youngest, my husband and me on Christmas morning. I will still get our oldest son stuff, but it will be stuff he needs and gift cards or cash. At my dad's house, where both my sisters and their families meet up in the afternoon, it's just kind of a free-for-all. It's chaotic but we've vowed to scale down this year because we all have accumulated more debt this year and are spending less on gifts so hopefully it will be better.

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Immediate family is parents first, then my sister and I take turns opening one at a time. If we have matching or similar items the packages are numbered the same for each of us and we open at the same time.

 

Extended family when we did it at either set of grandparents’ house: grandkids first, then grandparents followed by a free for all with the aunts/uncles.

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Mostly free for all, but as the kids have gotten older,moved out etc it has been more of a whenever you get out of bed/to the house type of deal for me...I,of course, am watching and smiling for each child and will only open mine when they are done or mostly done...

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We open one at a time at our house and with my family. My husband's family is bigger so it ends up being more of a free for all as the little ones get restless.

 

Here's one for you... Do you put the gifts in one big pile or do you separate by recipient? My husband and I debate this every year.

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I don't separate anything,  my kids will search for theirs and as they see their siblings they may pass it to them or leave it alone for them to find...I do try and use at least 3 different wrapping papers, one (sometimes 2) for each child...makes it easier for me in case I don't stick name tags on right away...my daughter finally realized I did this last year...

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It's a free for all in my house, and I take pictures of it all while it happens :).  As far as separating things, I used to put everything in a pile, and it got divvied out before they started opening.  When the grandbabies came, I started separating them because I hated that they had to sit there and wait. I was sure they didn't understand and I couldn't stand ANY disappointment.  Funny, I never thought of it that way when my own kids were little. LOL  The oldest grandsons are old enough to read a little, especially their own names, now, so I might put them all out again and let them be the ones to hand them out.

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On Christmas morning,it is generally just my immediate family (DH, myself, our 4 boys, ranging from 2-16 years old). I wrap each kid's gifts in their own specific wrapping paper and leave them under the tree. Stockings are a free for all, but actual gifts are opened one at a time, with each kid getting to open 1 present an hour.

 

We have found this to be nice because it gives time for them to actually enjoy and explore each gift. Instead of opening a gift, putting it aside and moving on, they unwrap a gift, it is taken out of its packaging, assembled if needed, and played with.

 

Plus, it extends the excitement of opening gifts... Instead of it all being over in a whirlwind, they get to hang on to the excitement for several hours.

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We open one at a time at our house and with my family. My husband's family is bigger so it ends up being more of a free for all as the little ones get restless.

 

Here's one for you... Do you put the gifts in one big pile or do you separate by recipient? My husband and I debate this every year.[/quote

 

We usually separate by family and for the last few years everyone gets their own wrapping paper so it's a little easier to find gifts

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I try to buy the same amount of gifts for each of my boys then they each open one at the same time. It'll be different this year, though. Our oldest moved out and into a small apartment since last Christmas and has already told me he doesn't need, nor has the space for, anything this year so it'll just be our youngest, my husband and me on Christmas morning. I will still get our oldest son stuff, but it will be stuff he needs and gift cards or cash. At my dad's house, where both my sisters and their families meet up in the afternoon, it's just kind of a free-for-all. It's chaotic but we've vowed to scale down this year because we all have accumulated more debt this year and are spending less on gifts so hopefully it will be better.

This is how we've done most years too.  Like you, things will be different this year and I'm not sure how to handle it..My son got married in March.  They live here locally but it brings another family to try to squeeze into Christmas.  I also volunteered to work 12 hour shifts Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (I work in our local 911 center) since most of my co-workers have younger children and my youngest is 12.  I had also offered to work Black Friday but I've decided against it since I'm working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (the newest employee had said she'd work but I kind of wanted the overtime pay, but the more I think about it the more I want off..lol)

 

I am not sure if we are all gonna try to get together Christmas Eve when I get off or wait until Christmas Day.  Or if my husband, daughter, other son, and I will just open gifts alone.  My mom passed away last year, so I'd like to do all of our Christmas at my dad's with all of our family, but not sure if that will work or not.  We'll just have to see.

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We open one at a time at our house and with my family. My husband's family is bigger so it ends up being more of a free for all as the little ones get restless.

 

Here's one for you... Do you put the gifts in one big pile or do you separate by recipient? My husband and I debate this every year.[/quote

 

We usually separate by family and for the last few years everyone gets their own wrapping paper so it's a little easier to find gifts

 

I do one big pile with certain gifts being strategically placed. I like to see the kids interacting as they open their gifts; passing gifts to each other, guessing what it might be, etc.

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This is how it is in our house. We open gifts and have dinner on Christmas Eve. Christmas day is a lazy day at our house. LOL!

 

When I was a kid, I remember having a big family dinner on Christmas Eve and then getting up Christmas morning to open presents and eat the leftovers for breakfast...we're so busy now on Christmas Eve that I spend Christmas day trying to cook and I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day... that's it!!!! all I want for Christmas is a lazy day, lol...

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With my immediate family, we open one at a time, rotating ring around the rosie style, so I can take pictures and see their reactions.   They gather them/pass them out before opening, so each kids is sitting with their own pile, just waiting inpatiently.  LOL  

 

At my extended familys Christmas, there is no set order.   A couple kids usually volunteer to pass out all the presents,  then usually the adults sit and watch all the kids open theirs, and then they go.   Its pretty chaotic.   But fun!  

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We always had a different wrapping paper for each of the children. One would be in charge of handing out the presents one at a time. They would hand out one for each child for a couple of turns then mom and dad got a present to open since we had fewer. It worked well. The stockings were opened as people got up so they could play with the contents while waiting for the others. 

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we start with a pickle present .. (this was actually started from an idea from someone on THIS site ) there is a hidden pickle on the tree .. they all go to find it .. whoever finds it first , opens the pickle gift.(this will always be a gift anyone can use , or something with one for everyone in the box) then that person goes to the tree and picks a gift for someone else. , that person opens their gift , then goes to the tree to get a gift for anyone but themselves ot the person who picked them.. and it continues like that for HOURS.. everyone enjoys it and gets to see what everyone else got. 

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