DawnM Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Several of you said pajamas. We don't do that here or many clothes at all for gifts. What do you let them open? I am thinking a smaller gift of some kind or maybe stockings? What do you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 And no, we don't get together with any other family so opening extended family gifts isn't an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Normally dd gets to open something from great-grandma. She did that tonight since she talked dh into it and I really didn't care. It did not help things that about a week ago I got a thank you card from my mom for their Christmas gifts. They've already opened their stuff from us. So dd has been bugging me with, "Grandma did it." Dd will get to open something tomorrow. Probably the package from grandma that the cat has partially opened already. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Nope. Dd just asked me if they could open one present tomorrow. I told them only what they get at Uncle ____'s house. :D I'm just mean that way. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We don't, but we also don't have the pajama tradition. I didn't have a Christmas eve gift as a kid, but my husband did. It wasn't a tradition he wanted to carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 This year we will open the hand-made gifts that DD9 made for everyone. She can't wait to give them. :D DH and I know what they are, but DS and DD2 will be surprised (hopefully pleasantly :lol:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 They each open one present on Christmas Eve. It's a nod to dh's family tradition of opening all the presents on Christmas Eve. And as the kids tell me, it's usually pajamas. :) But even before it was pajamas, it was something boring so they would still go to bed. We go to Christmas Eve service at church, come home and have dinner. So it's 7:30/8 before they are opening something. At their current ages, that's not a "late" time but when they were little... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 This year, we are skype-ing with my brother on x-mas eve, and the kids will open his gifts, and he will open ours. He is giving them iTouches, and so I am also giving them Otterboxes, which I will let them open after they open his gifts. Usually, we don't do any gifts x-mas eve. Do you have any extended family that have mailed gifts? If so, skype is a great option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Yes. We did as kids too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Several of you said pajamas. We don't do that here or many clothes at all for gifts. What do you let them open? I am thinking a smaller gift of some kind or maybe stockings? What do you do? We do one present on Christmas Eve. It's usually something warm and cozy. Often pajamas. This year, ds has enough warm pjs already, so he's getting a bathrobe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kertie Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We give each child a new book on Christmas Eve. We actually just started doing that a couple years ago in an effort to make an oddly-located Christmas special. We did pajamas that year, too, but haven't since...they don't need any. The kids love books, I love giving them books, so any excuse to do so works for me! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Not any more -- fewer and more expensive gifts now that they are teens. When the kids were young, each chose a gift from under the tree on Christmas Eve -- the gifts were from family and friends, none of whom would be at our house on Christmas day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Several of you said pajamas. We don't do that here or many clothes at all for gifts. What do you let them open? I am thinking a smaller gift of some kind or maybe stockings? What do you do? We open everything on Christmas Eve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We don't. We are Christmas morning types. However the church we've been members of for the last several years has a Christmas morning service as opposed to Christmas Eve. We really enjoy the Christmas morning service, but it's difficult rushing through the gift opening and then getting ready to go. Last year I suggested to the kids that we do presents on Christmas Eve so we could take our time, and it seems this is how many in our circle do it. My kids could not have been more appalled at the thought. Staunch traditionalists they are. My brother, sister, and I would have given our right arms to have Christmas early. We always wheedled my mother and eventually we got her to start a new tradition of one present on Christmas Eve, the one from grandmother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldskool Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We could never bring ourselves to open presents before Christmas day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I make the dc scrapbooks (ok, glorified photo albums with stuff I collected all year tossed in) that they open on Christmas Eve. I am not the awesome scrapbooker that many on here are, but these mean a great deal to the kids and they love looking through and reminiscing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve is when we open our gifts. If we have family on Christmas Day they open those gifts then. We have always done this, even when I was a little girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 My family tradition has always been to exchange a few gifts from immediate family (brothers, sisters, spouse) on Christmas Eve and then have "Santa gifts" arrive on Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve we eat a meal, read the Christmas story from the Bible, exchange a few small gifts and open them one at a time, and then go to the Christmas Eve service. When I got married, my husband preferred the more relaxed family gift giving evening over his family's tradition of chaotic mornings with all the gifts being from Santa, so we adopted my family tradition. My parents have always liked to come for Christmas Eve, and as they've gotten older, our celebration has started much earlier in the day on Christmas Eve and we essentially celebrate for two whole days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I always wanted to let dc do that, but Mr. Ellie said no. He so rarely says no that I decided not to fight him on it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 When I was young, we opened all our presents Christmas eve. Now, just because my kids insist that there is such a thing as Santa, we save some for Christmas day, but open a few on Christmas eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Santa is coming tonight over here! If you didn't know, you can special request that. ;) We are always gone most of the day on Christmas so I like the kids to be able to get up and have a full day in their own space with their gifts. Needless to say, the kids were bouncing off the walls tonight. They'll be opening stuff from DH's and my family on Christmas. My kids always get pajamas and a new nicer outfit under the tree for sure. Stuff they'd get anyway, but it's always more exciting wrapped in a box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 YES! I highly recommend it! I grew up opening the majority of Christmas presents (from Mom & Dad) after supper on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we were up early to drive the 45 minutes to Grandma & Grandpa's house; then possibly to other set of Grandparents' house. Christmas Day was less about presents than about seeing Grandparents, eating a big meal, possibly playing with cousins, and perhaps 1-2 gifts from Grandparents. By opening our gifts on Christmas Eve, we kids had some time to play with our toys rather than getting to open them Christmas morning...then leaving the swag to go to our Grandparent's house until after dark. Mom and Dad didn't have to drag everything to the Grandparent's house to open, and there was no risk of losing a toy or part of a toy at another house. There was no competition between what we received for Christmas vs. what our cousins received. As adults, my parents could spend Christmas morning prepping to leave town in wintery December, rather than rushing we kids through presents, then off to eat breakfast and dress for the day. Usually Mom had food to prepare to take to my Grandparent's home, too. Now that I have my own family, Loverboy and I have continued to open presents on Christmas Eve. It gives the kids an extra day to play with their toys with Mom and Dad before we return to our busy lives. We do stockings on Christmas morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abigail4476 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We open stockings on Christmas Eve. Usually after a late breakfast, but this year ds16 has to work till 2, so we'll wait till she's home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We open everything on Christmas Eve! This is us. It has always just been tradition here that Christmas Eve is "our" immediate families Christmas. Immediate family meaning Hubby, myself, and our two kids. We always do a separate Christmas with dh's family and another with my family so Christmas Eve is set aside for "our" family. My kids are already chomping at the bit. They can't wait until tomorrow night. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We do! It varies year to year but this year dc were all playing war with 1 little nerf gun one day so we got them all nerf guns. So tomorrow morning they will open that and have nerf wars all day more than likey! I love it when they all find something to play together. That is quite a feat with a 13 year old girl and a 5 year old boy :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MunRoLy Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 When I was growing up my brother and I exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. We give our kids pjs (sometimes robes or slippers instead based on what they need) and one family book that we read aloud that night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbholly Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Our kids open their gifts from each other on Christmas Eve. We usually receive packages in the mail from family in Washington and Massachusetts and we save those for Christmas Eve too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Yes, pjs and a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We have a family mass complete with a pageant on Christmas Eve followed by a wonderful potluck supper. The kids and I come home and dh stays for the later service. I pick out one present that dh won't mind not watching them open and we read a Christmas story book before bed. Okay they are teens now but traditions die hard. :) Christmas morning we open stockings and have coffee and go back to church with dh. Christmas Day services are usually much smaller(20 - 40) and we don't want him lonely. lol. Presents are then juggled with company or us going somewhere else and cooking and cleaning... When I was a child we went to church and came home and opened presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was stockings and then company later in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Yes, we have always done PJ's. My 5 yr old doesn't really remember from last year, so she will be excited tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 yes. This year it will be ALL games. I plan on us all playing games around the fire and eating like pigs. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We open all our gifts on Christmas Eve and santa gifts on christmas morning. How it's been all my life. After this year, there will be no more Santa. We may switch to opening gifts on Christmas day. However, aspergerish kid has a hard time waiting and doesn't like surprises. Plus hubby is a night owl and doesn't get up early. And opening up gifts on Christmas Eve gives son the whole day to play his games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We do stockings on Christmas Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Well, since we do the extended family gifts on Christmas Eve, they do open gifts then--but you didn't want to hear about that. So, I'll answer for when I was a kid. We did open one present on Christmas Eve and I LOVED that tradition as a kid. Just LOVED it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We do PJ's. I love getting new ones each year! My mom does that part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormbuy Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Each one gets to open a game on Christmas Eve. I am also thinking of letting them open their gifts from each other. When I was an older kid, we opened all of our gifts after Church on Christmas Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We let the kids have thier books on Christmas Eve, just before service. Since the beginning of our marriage either DH or I have been employed by a church, so Christmas Eve tends to include a lot of waiting around at the church for our family. The books are a quiet way to pass the time during the extra services the kids sometimes have to sit through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 My kids get to pick out one gift to open on Christmas Eve. I did the same thing as a kid. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketgirl Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) Growing up, no we didn't open anything until Christmas morning (but our gifts were all from our parents & santa plus one from grandparents, we didn't have cousins or aunts and uncles old enough to buy us gifts). My husband's family's tradition is to have a huge Christmas eve where everyone opened everything. So we all got together and our children opened gifts from cousins, grandparents, great grandma that night. Then we came home home, went to bed & opened santa's, other grandparents, and other aunt's gifts on Christmas morning. We aren't doing that this year because we've moved and are celebrating at home for our first time ever in 17 years. My kids buy each other gifts at dollar tree, wrap them, put them under the tree. So tomorrow, we'll have an early dinner, they'll open their sibling gifts, a little something from us, and something from their aunt, my husband's theory is make room for santa... and they would have opened their cousin gifts too except that none of them were sent :) so who knows about that but its not that important. So yes, they will probably each open 6 gifts that are small but full of heart tomorrow. Edited December 24, 2011 by rocketgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainySunday Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We do it all Christmas Eve too! We are either at our house, or my parents and we eat a snacky-type dinner, then go drive and look at Christmas lights and Santa comes while we are gone. When we get back, we do stockings and Santa gifts, then everyone gets coffee/soda/cider/tea, uses the bathroom, or whatever, then we open all the gifts to one another. On Christmas Day, we go to Grandma's house and do gifts to and from her there. This year, I think we started a new tradition of letting the kids open their gifts from their other gandparents (dh's dad and stepmom) on Christmas Eve Eve (Christmas Adam, I like that, whomever mentioned it before!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We don't do stockings, so we implemented a "Christmas Eve family gift." It's always a game. After we open it, we play it. When the children were younger, we also did a Happy Birthday cake for Jesus. We've gotten lazy the last couple of years and haven't done that part . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) Our Christmas Eve tradition is driving around to look at Christmas lights, followed by hot cocoa at home. No gift opening on Christmas Eve here! (Although they do get to open one gift each on the solstice, for a little "longest night of the year" celebration.) Edited December 24, 2011 by Element Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 We wait until Christmas morning to open gifts, but when I was growing up we opened everything Christmas Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splinter Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 My kids will be skyping with their mom tomorrow afternoon and they'll open the gifts she sent. If it weren't for that, I'd save everything for Christmas day. That's what we did growing up, and we were fine with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I don't put any gifts under the tree prior to Christmas morning - not even from relatives, and we don't open anything in advance. On Christmas morning, it is quite exciting to see everything there. It works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve morning the kids open their sibling gifts. It gives them something to play with and keeps them out of my hair. That's what we did as kids, so we've just carried on with it. In the evening they open their pajamas, put them on, and head to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 when the olders were much, MUCH, younger, we allowed them to choose a present, or other years it was pajamas. I haven't done christmas eve presents for more than 15 years, but this year 1dd wants everyone (seven people) to have pajamas on christmas eve. :tongue_smilie: guess who got to do that shopping? I have my revenge.:D I bought her hello kitty pajamas. :lol: (I had to go back and buy them. I figured they'd ticker her off, so I didn't buy them when I saw them. 2ds told me I should have.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindergretta Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 My dc open a gift of new, washed pajamas from dh and me and they open their gift from their "buddy." Each of the older 3 is buddied with one of the younger 3 and they only get a gift for their buddy. Growing up, we always opened a gift on Christmas Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Never did as a kid, but we give them pjs for Christmas Eve. Really, only reason we do is for pics the next am...our kids usually sleep in Ts and undies :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve is when we open our gifts. If we have family on Christmas Day they open those gifts then. We have always done this, even when I was a little girl. This is how I did it growing up. It was tradition in my mother's German family. We do a bit on Christmas Eve now -- usually the presents from my family since they think Christmas Eve is the time to do it. Whenever is your main time I think it is nice to spread it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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