Opening Christmas gifts

[Caribbean girl]

When do you open your Christmas gifts? I know in some countries people have a custom of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve night. Yet there are others who wait until Christmas night to open their gifts. Others open their gifts first thing on Christmas morning after having breakfast.

As for me and my family, we have always opened our gifts on Christmas morning after having breakfast. We get that out of the way and then we would cook our Christmas meal if we are staying home, or whatever dish we have to prepare if we are going out. I remember when, as children, we would have Christmas lunch at our grandmother's house, and she had a habit of opening her gifts after we all had lunch. Everyone would gather around the Christmas tree and watch as each gift was opened.

Do you have a special time for opening your gifts?

 

[SamClemensMT]

That was a really nice post. My family and I have always waited for Christmas day to open our gifts. In fact, when I was a child I could hardly sleep the night before Christmas. This led me to stay up all night, only to fall asleep during the wee hours of the morning. Which, of course, caused me to wake up late, so I would have gotten my presents sooner had I just been a good boy an gone to bed on time.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I grew up with a family that did the Christmas stocking concept in a pillow case once my 1st step father arrived on the scene. It was left at the bottom of the bed and we could open our presents that were in there as soon as we were awake under one condition, and that was we didn't wake our parents until 8am. We would then have breakfast and walk over to our make our way over somehow to my grandparents home for a Christmas Day meal which was served buffet style due to the numbers involved. This was usually around 2pm. The Queens speech would always be listened to on TV, before more food and home.

Once my little brother and sister were born, it was up to us, me mostly, to keep them quiet until 8am. Then it was present time (before breakfast) and it was always a case of then gathering in the sitting room and opening the presents around the tree. In would end up helping my brother and sister unwrap what I had wrapped up for them less than 8 hours earlier. Then once they had settled down, my other brother would get his presents and finally I would get mine, which I always put aside one the two little ones came along, and our parents would get theirs. Breakfast would the happen for those wanting it and preparations started for lunch, or main meal which would not usually happen until at least 2pm. My patents and any other relatives who had arrived would then watch the Queens speech on TV. Children disappeared to the playroom or their bedrooms.

Now, well it is usually just myself and my husband, so open them after breakfast and when we remember, assuming we have anything to open. We have found that we want for far less since we sold everything we owned and went off to cycle around the world. I have managed to find a few token gifts for my husband this year but he hasn't asked for anything at all!