BikeBookBread Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 We are flying on Christmas Eve morning to visit family in Washington. Would you ship up presents to Grandma's house, and ship back after opening (along with all the STUFF they'll be getting there), or.... would you open presents here on, say, 12/23 and call it good? or... Ship up stocking stuffers and stockings so they have something to open there, and do the presents at home? Keep in mind we have a 5 and 3 yo who are building their Christmas memories. (Please, don't turn this into a "Christmas isn't about presents thread...in our home, presents are a limited, but important part of the celebration...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 When we traveled when our dc were small, we ALWAYS took stockings & stocking stuffers with us, and sometimes a present or two, depending on what else I thought they might find under the tree. Then we'd do the remainder of the gifts at home. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 When we traveled when our dc were small, we ALWAYS took stockings & stocking stuffers with us, and sometimes a present or two, depending on what else I thought they might find under the tree. Then we'd do the remainder of the gifts at home. Anne I think this is how I would handle it. If you open them when you get home, they'll have something to look forward to after Grandma's house and they'll have time to play with their gifts. I would probably bake some special foods/treats and make a tradition of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 What we did one year is just bring 1 present for each child +stocking stuffers that we could bring with us then let them open their other gifts when we got home. We did not tell them that Santa had left them gifts at our house until we were almost home. They were so suprised when they walked in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 When we've traveled over Christmas we took either a bigger, really kewl present for each kid, or a couple/few small things. Then they opened the rest of the presents from us when we came home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 What we did one year is just bring 1 present for each child +stocking stuffers that we could bring with us then let them open their other gifts when we got home. We did not tell them that Santa had left them gifts at our house until we were almost home. They were so suprised when they walked in the house. So presents AFTER returning home? I hadn't thought of that...something to consider. LLL's birthday is ALSO going to be celebrated up there :glare: so there's that to throw into the mix, too. (I forgot about that.) I'm also starting to buy gifts (we buy 95% online) and have to decide where to ship...here or there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Whenever we've travelled over Christmas Eve/Christmas, we did our family Christmas on the 23rd. We brought the stocking stuffers with us to wherever we were going to be and called it good. They usually get so much at Grandparents'/Auntie-Uncle's hosues that it worked well. I didn't want our family's Christmas to be mixed in with all the craziness of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, etc. It worked well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adams101 Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 We always traveled for Christmas when I was growing up. We opened before we left. There were always more than enough gifts to open at my grandparents house. It seems like it always ended up being the Tuesday before Christmas. That became our tradition, until I was pregnant with ds. We decided we shouldn't go that year, which was a good decision, since he was born Christmas Eve! Now we stay home for Christmas. I thought about going to my mom's this year, but we'll have baby bunnies, so I hate to leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 We travel every year at Christmas. My solution has been to spread gifts over the entire season, so my kids get treats in their shoes from St. Nicholas on Dec. 6, a present on Solstice, a physically small present on Christmas (although they might be "big" gifts $ wise) because I have to pack them, a present on New Year's Day and a present on Three Kings Day on Jan. 6. I think 4 presents is a good number, and since 2 of my gifting dates fall after Christmas I can take advantage of clearance sales. If your kids will receive presents from other relatives, you should mention that you'll either have to pack them or ship them so you'd prefer physically smaller and lighter gifts. I know that seems obvious, but sometimes aunts and uncles forget this detail in the excitement of shopping for little kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Personally, if I had to travel over the holidays with young children, I would ship the stockings and stuffers, one gift from the family and a 'santa' gift (if you do that tradition). I would open the other gifts either before leaving or after returning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I never spent a christmas day in my own home growing up. My parents were big into traveling to THEIR parents homes for christmas. But we *always* had a family christmas. What they did was told us that Santa knew we were going to be traveling at Christmas so he was coming on X such date instead. And whatever that day was - the 23rd, the 17th whatever - we'd get up and do christmas just like it was christmas day. LOL Of course we only did Santa till I was 4 so there wasn't really time for me to question the validity of their story. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnytracks Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I dont want to have to worry about keeping track of alot of things while traveling so I wouldn't bring too much more than a gift and possibly stocking stuffers. I think you might want to talk to your family and see what things they have already planned. It is possibly that since you are coming they are already planning to include your kids in stockings and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I would take (or ship, if necessary) ship Santa presents and stocking stuffers, because they are so young and to me Santa finds you wherever you are in the world. But leave anything else at home to open upon return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Does grandma do a big Christmas? If so, I would wait on most of their presents (except for things like stocking stuffers that will be easy to pack on the return-trip) and do them when you get back you can open the rest of them. You could even have Santa leave a note in their stockings at Grandma's that their presents are waiting for them at home. My mom does a HUGE Christmas for my kids, so I try to make sure our Christmas is separate from her Christmas. That way the kids aren't completely overwhelmed, and there are no competing gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I wouldn't take anything except maybe a snugly gift that will bring comfort away from home. Nothing with pieces or parts (you may find the lost Barbie shoe later at home, but not at G-mas) would travel. Especially at your kids ages, they are much more easy going on the holidays than older kids. A couple smaller gifts for stockings, that are travel oriented....but again don't have pieces. They are going to get presents there, and you will still have presents when you get home, so you will be building Christmas memories, just in a different order than usual. Sometimes the years that we did something different are the best years when it comes to memories. I would open either before you leave or when you get home...which ever is easiest for you plans. If you do it before you leave, you can take down the tree and get things a bit more organized for leaving. The kids can pick a toy to take with them. I wouldn't want to open presents in an undecorated house but since we always get a live tree, it couldn't last much past Christmas, so I personally would pick to open them before we left. I also wouldn't want the craziness of Christmas presents to be hoovering over me when I walked in the door from the trip. If you open them before you go, they will still be looking forward to getting home to play with them :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HayesW Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 For the last 12 years, I have bought, wrapped, packed, travelled with, unpacked and placed gifts under the tree. This year, I told my husband NO MORE. We will be doing Christmas at OUR HOUSE with OUR KIDS a few days before Christmas. Then, they can ahve any new clothes to take with them and wear while on vacation. There will be plenty more for them to open from grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so much more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 When we go home for Christmas, we have the gift-opening ceremony here before we leave. Then each kid can pick one thing to take with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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