Hyacinth Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Mind. Blown. Just had a conversation with a friend who, as an aside, mentioned that the presents "from Santa" aren't wrapped. Ever. AND she said this is how nearly everyone she knows does it. What?! What is this?! Is this really a thing?! I've never heard of this. Is it regional? Isn't unwrapping the boxes half the fun? I'm bewildered. As if that wasn't enough, she went on to say that they do stockings after presents. After! She must be lying, right? Of course, stockings come first. Bewildered, I tell you. So I post here for confirmation or denial of these supposedly widespread though clearly wicked practices. What says the hive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap, but I wrap Santa's gift. However, it's only one gift, so even if I didn't wait up to wrap Santa's gift, all the others would be wrapped. Yes, the unwrapping is the fun part. Stockings are first. Open stockings, make coffee/tea, then wake adults for gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Yes, it's true. Sometimes Santa doesn't wrap gifts. When I was a kid he didn't wrap them for us. But for whatever reason he always chose to wrap them for our boys. As long as there are things under the tree . . . it's all good. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Mind. Blown. Just had a conversation with a friend who, as an aside, mentioned that the presents "from Santa" aren't wrapped. Ever. AND she said this is how nearly everyone she knows does it. What?! What is this?! Is this really a thing?! I've never heard of this. Is it regional? Isn't unwrapping the boxes half the fun? I'm bewildered. As if that wasn't enough, she went on to say that they do stockings after presents. After! She must be lying, right? Of course, stockings come first. Bewildered, I tell you. So I post here for confirmation or denial of these supposedly widespread though clearly wicked practices. What says the hive? When I was growing up, the presents from Santa were definitely NOT wrapped. Because of course he just takes them out of his bag and puts them out, right? They were often creatively displayed. :-) The presents from parents and siblings and others were wrapped. We do stockings first. In fact, dc were allowed to come out whenever they wanted to and *very quietly* dig through their stockings. They had to wait for Mr. Ellie and me to open the other things, of course (we didn't do Santa, so all gifts were wrapped). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa does not wrap in our house. He artfully displays his gifts. This ways the littles can wake and see what super awesome gift he left and have something to play with while the grown ups drag themselves out of bed and head for the caffeinated beverage of their choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa does not wrap. He displays his gifts. Often there is a note as to their location or a scavenger hunt. Santa gives one large gift and they are not usually things that could be wrapped (large playhouse, bike, etc). All the other presents are from family. Those are all wrapped. This is how my family did it. My husbands family always did presents from family on Christmas Eve and then woke up to all the wrapped presents from Santa under his tree. Before that I had not known that "Santa" would wrap presents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa does not wrap in our house. He artfully displays his gifts. This ways the littles can wake and see what super awesome gift he left and have something to play with while the grown ups drag themselves out of bed and head for the caffeinated beverage of their choice. This. My kids are often up super early on Christmas. It buys us time. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I've heard of unwrapped presents from Santa here, on this board but not in my day-to-day life. We occasionally leave unwieldy presents unwrapped but it is a logistical thing. Stockings come first...in the morning of December 6, St. Nicholas Day. That's how DH's family did it so that's how we do it now. Oh, and I've lived in the NE Great Lakes, SW and the Mid-West... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap here; he just pulls it out if his bag and leaves it under the tree and in the stockings. That way he doesn't have to mess with name tags, and having people analyze his handwriting. Also, he doesn't have to use special Santa paper. Of course, Santa just gives one or 2 small gifts. Then stockings (stuff in there is also unwrapped). Then back for the big pile of wrapped gifts to each other. The clues for the treasure hunt at the end are generally wrapped in tiny boxes hidden all over the house, too. So, plenty of wrapping to unwrap around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 In my and dh's families growing up all gifts came from Santa the ones you got from family (like Aunts or Uncles and Grandparents) were given at their houses on Christmas Eve. All our gifts from Santa were always wrapped, because mom and dad never gave us gifts until we didn't believe anymore. All gifts came from Santa before that. My dh's family never did stockings at all, in my family stockings were always given on St. Nicholas's Day not on christmas. So there were not stocking to open before or after presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 She is out of her gourd. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 In our house, it varies depending on the year. This year, Santa's six presents (one per child) were wrapped and they all happened to be legos. I don't think the little ones stopped long enough to realize the presents were "from Santa." Dd13 likes to repeat a saying or tweet or something she came across recently, something like: "that awkward moment when you realize that Santa uses the same wrapping paper as your parents" And stockings, the whole point is to give them something to do before I get out of bed (not that I can't hear them). Dh handles them - usually candy and other small stuff. At least this year there were no small toys that make loud sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa didn't wrap the Santa gifts when I was a kid. All the other presents from Mom and Dad, siblings, etc. were wrapped. Stockings were there too, but they came second by default because the main attraction was already out in the open. That's how it worked for my cousins on both sides too. I didn't know until I read it here a few years ago that there are families whose presents under the tree are ALL from Santa. *That* blows my mind. #weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Dd13 likes to repeat a saying or tweet or something she came across recently, something like: "that awkward moment when you realize that Santa uses the same wrapping paper as your parents" My parents always kept separate wrapping paper in a secret spot that was the "santa paper" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Maybe I never had to worry about kids and gifts because my kids have never in their lives gotten up before me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I raised a bunch of lazy slugs, in fact only one of them is up today so far and it's almost noon. It's not an issue because we did presents on Sunday since we celebrate Solstice instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap. He gives one large gift per kid (typically the difficult to wrap kind of gifts), and then stockings. Kids can open their stockings and play with their Santa gifts as soon as they wake up. Like a previous poster said, it buys us parents some time! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Growing up, we left the wrapping paper out for Santa. DH had unwrapped Santa gifts. Now, everything is wrapped. Stockings come first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Maybe I never had to worry about kids and gifts because my kids have never in their lives gotten up before me. I had to tell the kids I wasn't getting up before 8. If I don't say so, they'd have me up at 3 am. That's only on x-mas though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap presents. He artfully displays them, and stockings are last. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We don't do Santa, but all the gifts are wrapped here... Even the stocking stuffers. And stockings are done after here :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Growing up, Santa left his gifts under our stockings, and they were unwrapped. We also received wrapped gifts from our parents, which were under the tree. My mom's love language was gifts, so we always received a lot. My children only expect the things inside the stocking to be from Santa. All other gifts are from family members, and are wrapped and placed under the tree. Evidently Santa will customize his methods to suit each family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap presents here. Our kids sit at the top of the stairs until everyone's up and ready, then we go down and check out our stockings and Santa gifts together. After breakfast, we open the wrapped gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 When our kids were little Santa didn't wrap. Stockings were from Santa but Mom and Dad filled each other's stockings because Santa is for kids. Christmas is SO different with adult children. Much more laid back, not stressful at all, and it's a fun day. When kids were little they seemed to spend the day being overwhelmed. And that brought tears, and sometimes arguments. From me as often as from the kids, too. I'm glad we had those crazy Santa years but I'm also glad to have it behind us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa doesn't wrap gifts here. That was how it was done where I grew up (California), where I spent most of my adult life (Washington), and now in South Carolina with kids. Gifts from parents are wrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 To me, half the fun is the anticipation. Guessing what could be inside the gift and all. Having presents unwrapped would be a letdown. Obviously, I grew up in a family in which Santa wraps the gifts. Therefore, Santa wraps gifts here too. I don't understand why people find it hard to believe that Santa pulls wrapped gifts out of his bag. I mean, he has elves to wrap them at the North Pole obviously. Adding, in a perfect world, stockings are opened first. Our kids are 4, 2, and 1. Today they went back and forth from gifts to stocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Dd13 likes to repeat a saying or tweet or something she came across recently, something like: "that awkward moment when you realize that Santa uses the same wrapping paper as your parents" :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 To me, half the fun is the anticipation. Guessing what could be inside the gift and all. Having presents unwrapped would be a letdown. :lol: Because kids never anticipate Christmas unless all their Santa gifts are wrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 When I was a child, Santa left one big gift, and it was never wrapped. Part of the fun is coming out and seeing what Santa left. We don't have gifts from Santa. Santa only stuffs the stockings. The rest of the gifts are of indeterminate origin. They are from mom and dad, but not labelled as such. Kids can guess who left them. They all magically appear on Christmas morning. We don't always wrap everything. This year we left the mini trampoline, a stack of books for each kid and a pile of lumber (for building and balancing) unwrapped with just ribbon. Wrapping any of that would have been difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I didn't read everyone's response, but Santa not wrapping presents means kids get to play with unwrapped presents until parents get up. Kids get presents, parents get to sleep in, and stockings are done after Santa but before breakfast. Everybody wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Mind blown here as well. Santa wraps; all gifts are wrapped unless there is a logistical problem with the size or shape. For instance, all kids this year got a floor hockey stick and puck. Santa didn't strain her brain on that! Curling ribbon bundle only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Your Santas are defective. No wrapped presents?! LOL...I'm joking. Our Santa does wrap presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I didn't read everyone's response, but Santa not wrapping presents means kids get to play with unwrapped presents until parents get up. Kids get presents, parents get to sleep in, and stockings are done after Santa but before breakfast. Everybody wins. What?! Now this is really sacrilege! The meeting place for Christmas morning is Mom and Dad's bed. Nobody goes downstairs until all are present and ready to enjoy the surprise together. I cannot imagine sleeping while the kids discover their gifts and even play with them! Their joy is the whole fun of it for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We never did Santa but rather angels brought presents on Christmas Eve with the first star. That was so long ago anyway since my youngest is 18 now. But we always did presents on Christmas Eve and stockings on Christmas morning. The stockings were from my dh's Christmas tradition and presents on Christmas Eve was mine. All presents were and are wrapped even if in stocking except of course, the fruit, nuts and candy the stocking contained along with the presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I'm more surprised that some of you don't make your kids wait until you are there to watch them as they see their Santa gifts or stocking contents. I put a lot of effort into pulling off Christmas so you can bet I want to be there to see their reactions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 What?! Now this is really sacrilege! The meeting place for Christmas morning is Mom and Dad's bed. Nobody goes downstairs until all are present and ready to enjoy the surprise together. I cannot imagine sleeping while the kids discover their gifts and even play with them! Their joy is the whole fun of it for me! Same here. This is more about me than them. If they denied me this pleasure I'd never forgive them. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We've never wrapped Santa presents and Santa didn't wrap presents when I was growing up. I've also never had a stocking. Nobody goes near the tree until we're all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We always left out one big Santa gift for the kids to play with Christmas morning. It eased the 4:00 a.m. "Is it time to open presents?" problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 In my life, Santa has never wrapped gifts. That's the beauty of waking up Christmas morning and going into the living room. It looks like a toy store! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 My sil has occasionally not wrapped gifts - because she's lazy. She eventually had a daughter wrap for her. Then the dd got married and moved to another state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We always left out one big Santa gift for the kids to play with Christmas morning. It eased the 4:00 a.m. "Is it time to open presents?" problem.Since the older were small, gift time has been 8am. No one can wake anyone else. Not allowed in the living room either. They learn how to read that on a clock pretty fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 I didn't read everyone's response, but Santa not wrapping presents means kids get to play with unwrapped presents until parents get up. Kids get presents, parents get to sleep in, and stockings are done after Santa but before breakfast. Everybody wins. No way. From the earliest age, our DC knew that they had to wait in their rooms until DH and I got up, then I would walk them solemnly to the living room where they would feast their eyes on Santa gifts. A side note - when they were young, the Santa gifts were large (wagons or trikes or a Fisher Price workbench) so the effect was more dazzling. This morning, one of the piles was an iPod, Magic cards, a shirt, and books. Not nearly the dramatic effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We don't do Santa here but I just wanted to say that you all are wimps! Our kids have to wait until after a lovely Christmas breakfast (with the fine china!), the Christmas story and carols before we get to presents. Even then you don't just rip into them - the youngest gets a present to hand to someone else, we all watch and ooh and ahh over it, then that person gets a present for someone else and so on. We only have about 3 or 4 presents per person so it doesn't go too long. But we're all happy. Oh, and we don't have stockings either. We usually get gifts from the extended family on Christmas eve, but this year it will be on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa always wraps gifts here. Stockings come last (and nothing in the stocking is wrapped). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 No way. From the earliest age, our DC knew that they had to wait in their rooms until DH and I got up, then I would walk them solemnly to the living room where they would feast their eyes on Santa gifts. A side note - when they were young, the Santa gifts were large (wagons or trikes or a Fisher Price workbench) so the effect was more dazzling. This morning, one of the piles was an iPod, Magic cards, a shirt, and books. Not nearly the dramatic effect. I was thinking this would be a problem with the board members who identify the kids' gifts by specific wrapping paper. A fifteen-year old boy's gift pile can be physically small, while a young child's gift pile can be very large. The visual impression could seem like one kid got a lot, while another got a little. We intermingle all the gifts and the wrapping could be anybody's, so it doesn't look like one child is getting more or less than another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candicane Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Santa gifts aren't wrapped around here. And we do stockings after the gifts, then cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Gifts are and were always wrapped under the tree from Santa. When I was a kid nobody could go downstairs until one of us was elected to make our parents coffee to bring them in bed. After they had a few sips we all went down together. We didn't mind because whoever got to make the coffee got the first peak at the gifts under the tree and could give a report to the others, lol. Family gifts are exchanged Christmas Eve, which is something dh's family does. We didn't exchange gifts in my family as kids - too many of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Stockings are left on beds after kids are asleep to occupy them until the 7 am parental wake up. Nothing is wrapped. "Santa" gifts (we've always had a wink and nudge he's not real, but let's have fun policy) are unwrapped and artfully piled. Under the tree gifts to each other are wrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Growing up, Santa gifts were never wrapped. That's how we knew they were from Santa. They just appeared there on Christmas Eve. We did the same thing when our kids were little. No label from Santa. Just unwrapped gifts. The kids were left to their own imaginations to figure out how they got there. Stocking gifts aren't wrapped either. They just appear on Christmas morning. Family gifts are wrapped and labeled. ETA: Stockings (unwrapped) are the only things opened before breakfast. Each kid is allowed to open their stocking while waiting for everyone else to wake up. When the kids were little (and had unwrapped Santa gifts), they could see them across the room, but couldn't play with them or even touch them until after breakfast. THEN, they were allowed to gather for gift opening. Whoever is "playing Santa" is careful to stagger the gifts out between recipients, and everyone watches and coos over each gift as it is opened, hugs are given in thanks before moving on to the next gift. It takes about an hour. It took even longer when they were younger because they'd stop to open/assemble/play with/try on each gift before moving on to the next gift. I remember one year it took almost all day to get through all the gifts. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 We don't do Santa here but I just wanted to say that you all are wimps! Our kids have to wait until after a lovely Christmas breakfast (with the fine china!), the Christmas story and carols before we get to presents. Even then you don't just rip into them - the youngest gets a present to hand to someone else, we all watch and ooh and ahh over it, then that person gets a present for someone else and so on. We only have about 3 or 4 presents per person so it doesn't go too long. But we're all happy. Oh, and we don't have stockings either. We usually get gifts from the extended family on Christmas eve, but this year it will be on Saturday.I really love this. A friend of mine did this in her family growing up. They had breakfast, cleaned up, then each of the four kids would do one gift at a time, each person focused on the child unwrapping. I think it's very sweet. We don't go quite that methodically, but we do all gather upstairs before anyone is allowed to go down and do presents. And, they don't go individually, but they aren't allowed to tear at them like savages, lol. I do encourage each kid to pay attention to their sibs and notice what the sins receive as well. ETA: LOL, I meant "sibs receive," not "sins receive." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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