Kids opening gifts - how's it work @ your house?

[turtle_elf]

On Christmas Eve it has always been a tradition that we open the Christmas PJ's, new slippers, (and robes if new ones are needed). After dinner dishes are done, we all sit down and enjoy Christmas music and eggnog and open up our Christmas Jammies.

All the bedrooms are upstairs. And all of our kids know not to come downstairs until we do to. Soooo...we usually hear them grouped outside our bedroom door until we come out and go downstairs. Lol. My husband heads for the coffee pot and switches it on and I had for the camera. Then we both head for the family room and have the kids come down. I'm ready and waiting so I can get their reaction on camera as they come down into the family room. When they kids were younger we let them open their gifts one at a time, taking turns so that we could capture it all on film. Then while they were playing with theirs, my husband and I would open ours. Now that the oldest is 16 and the youngest 2 are 9 we all take turns opening them. Of course the thank you's are all given when the gift is open. I love capturing their faces and expressions as they open their gifts! Stockings are always last. They get passed out or everyone goes and gets their own, and once everyone has theirs, we all sit down and open them at the same time. The stockings have always been my favorite thing, so we save the best for last:tongue1:

[booga12345]

OK, maybe I am anal... but we have rules about how presents are opened at our house... do you? here are our rules.

 

1. We take turns. Everyone watches each gift be opened - giving the opener our full attention.

 

2. You show appreciation. even if you hate it. even if you already have one. even if it is broken.

 

3. You do not tell the giver if you already have it... you can tell mom and dad separately, we will assist you in finding a solution.

 

4. Be polite.

 

5. You do not open a gift that is not yours (ok, this rule has been retired as they've grown older... it is not an issue. It used to be )

 

These rules have stayed the same since DD was 2, and they are repeated like a mantra repeated over and over for a couple of weeks which includes DDs Bday, Xmas, and Hanukkah. They've carried over to other occasions where there are gifts being given... and to other houses, as friends and family visit and admire how it works.

 

I've been at Xmas celebrations where I did not know what was being exchanged. barely controlled chaos. I like this much better - we all get to ooh and ahh.. and I can associate a gift with a giver, to make sure thank yous are written.

 

am I the only with rules?

 

We do things the same way at our house. I need some kind of order for my sanity :).

[Gporter34]

Sometime in the early afternoon of Christmas Eve we have a birthday party for DD 14. She opens birthday presents. We have quite a variety of snacks and something simple. Then we put on a Christmas movie and open all of our presents to each other. Then Santa comes when the kids are asleep and they get "Santa" gifts when they wake up Christmas morning. That's the way it has been done in my family since I was born and we kept that tradition with our kids. However, now that the kids are all older, "Santa" gifts are more for my benefit because I refuse to accept that my kids are all growing up,lol.

[lelee24]

Reading all of these posts has really made me ready for Christmas! We have the same one at a time rule at our house with DS9 and DS6 but at the in-laws it's a free for all. This always bugged me because the kids don't even remember what they got and you can't see anyone open their gifts. It's over in about 3 minutes and then everyone goes back to acting like its just a usual gathering....yuk! I like to drag it out and make it last...I can remember taking hours to open gifts when I was a kid and I want that for my kids.