We like to ask this every year at Christmas...
When do YOU open presents at the holidays?
Christmas Eve?
or
Christmas Morning?
Growing up, once I think I "understood" how things worked, we were a Christmas Eve family. 2nd Man grew up with Christmas Morning always being the present opening moment.
We go back and forth with our own tradition. We're settling into one present Christmas Eve and the rest the next morning. One thing for sure, it certainly makes for a sleepless night, even as an adult!
Growing up our family would always go to church for the Candle light service and the children's Christmas program and then come home for the family gathering and us kids got to open 1 present before going to bed and then waking up early the next morning opening up the remainder of our presents and checking out our Christmas stockings. Our parents didn't have much back then but we appreciated the presents that we did receive.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice recollection. Thank you for sharing. Picking one present, always hard huh? And I love stories about stockings filled as well.
DeleteWe were a Christmas morning family growing up and with my children, AND Santa wrapped nothing. He came in the middle of the night and arranged toys for each of us, and we knew what was ours without being told.
ReplyDeleteWith my children, we used real Dutch shoes and Kris Kringle put a small toy in it before they went to sleep. We got them up to see it. It took a few years before they remembered it was going to happen.
Now that's nice to say, Santa doesn't wrap. I like that memory. Real Dutch shoes? That's so cool!! what a wonderful tradition there too!
Deletexmess morning...after coffee...
ReplyDeleteAlways after coffee, or some caffeine of some sort, ha.
DeleteWhen I was young we did as you do now. We opened one gift, the one from our parents, on Christmas Eve. It was usually pajamas for the boys, nightgowns for us girls. Then Santa brought wrapped gifts during the night and we opened them early on Christmas morning, but had to wait until our parents were up. Santa also filled our stockings, of course.
ReplyDeleteI allowed my children to open the two or maybe three small gifts from me and their dad, and those from each other, on Christmas Eve. Then came Christmas morning after Santa's visit, stockings, wrapped gifts under the tree from him....
Now my children are grown and live far away from me and from one another, so things are a lot different. Sometimes I fill a box with gifts for my son and grandpup and mail it, but the postage is so expensive that I have begun ordering gifts for him online and having them shipped directly to him. That is what I did this year and so far he says that he hasn't opened any of them yet. Of course, how would I know if he did, haha. Same for grandpup. I give my daughter and SIL their gift of money for a night out and a night of babysitting their twin toddlers during a visit each fall. I give money to my daughter to select something for the little ones from me, as she is quite opinionated. This year she chose to have me get them a fire engine bed, which they will get on Christmas Day during a Skype visit with me. (Their other grandparents likewise ended up getting an identical bed for them, since they need two.) I also sent them a nice fruit/cheese/other goodies basket from Harry & David as a surprise family gift.
My husband and I do not exchange gifts. He is not well, cannot drive, and hates to shop, so I just buy something for myself that I want or need and then get him some candy and maybe a pair of pajamas. I do try to make something special to eat on Christmas Day and he really appreciates that. This year I plan to make a lentil loaf and candied sweet potatoes. On Christmas Eve I put out snack foods and open a bottle of wine, which he cannot have due to his medications. Merry Christmas to me, haha.
Merry Holidays to you and to all who read this. May the new year be good to us all.
My husband is such a kid, he wants to open on Christmas Eve. I have to tell him every year that Santa comes on Christmas Eve night after you've gone to sleep. So, we open on Christmas morning with coffee.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas you two!
Christmas morning. Mind you I am expert at the art of pinching, poking, sniffing and rattling packages to determine what they might be. At one stage (now gone) I could even tell you what brand of soap I could smell.
ReplyDeleteWell we don't do presents much anymore, since all the kids,are grown. It more about time, eating and drinking. but the few we do is after a champagne brunch. And before nice red cosmos start flowing...
ReplyDeleteWe're Christmas morning people. When I was growing up, presents from Santa weren't wrapped, but my husband (who's family never did much for holidays) insists EVERYTHING must be in a box and wrapped! When the kids were little, we'd take our time and open half, have breakfast, then open the rest--make it last. Even though the kids are in their twenties now and there aren't as many gifts, we still do that. It's nice.
ReplyDeletealways xmas morning!!! have a wonderful xmas!
ReplyDeleteChristmas morning when I was growing up. Now I spend the Holiday with my best friend and her husband starting with Christmas Eve dinner which is sumptuous because they are foodies. His mom comes to dinner and gift exchanges happen during dessert, then we watch "Love Actually" and other Christmas shows until we can't stay awake anymore. Christmas Day is lunch (completely different meal and table settings) with "Doctor Who's Christmas Special" to finish the celebration.
ReplyDeleteChristmas Eve! Can't wait till Christmas morning! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe've always been Christmas Eve people.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Always at Christmas Eve after dinner of Sauerbraten. Always.
ReplyDeleteChristmas afternoon straight after the Christmas lunch. Merry Christmas to you both.
ReplyDeletexx
We switched from Christmas Day to Christmas Eve as the family grew older, but gifts are now irrelevant. Merry Christmas, and all the joys of the season to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteChristmas morning! My husband's family had little presents wrapped and put on the Christmas tree, labelled "From The Tree" that they opened on Christmas Eve to keep the boys going until The Day and all the other presents, so we took that on; the tree keeps on giving but as our sons are grown up and married now those presents get opened when they visit over the holiday. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid,I always wanted to do it Christmas Eve, and we usually did open one gift then, with the rest for Monday morning. One year, we opened them all on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning, there was nothing to open, of course, so we decided then and there never to open more than one on Christmas Eve. Of course, now my life is much different. I opened gifts last weekend with my boyfriend of 11 years because we wouldn't be together for Christmas itself, last Monday evening a friend and I had our gift exchange/opening, and then the next evening I had a get together with my "other family" (friends) where we opened those gifts, and then tomorrow, if I'm better (I have an upper respiratory infection right now grrr), I'll go visit my sister and her family and we'll open gifts there. This will actually be a sad Christmas, since my mom died at the end of October. It's going to be strange without her there.
ReplyDeleteThe best present one can hope for this year is to spend time together.
ReplyDeleteMay this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note and make way for a fresh and bright New Year.
Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May the Christmas season fill your home with joy, your heart with love and your life with laughter.
To all those we love and see each day and other loved ones far away, to all good friends who mean so much and those with whom we’re out of touch… Wishing you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year.
Here is Wishing each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas along with a Happy and Healthy New Years.
And the happy agony of picking that one Christmas Eve present!
ReplyDeleteMerry, Merry Ist & 2nd Man - from our house and us, to you and yours :D
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, Santa Claus always came on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was for church and then lunch at Grandma's house.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Europe, I learned that they open gifts on Christmas Eve also - so now I know where that custom came from for our family.
Merry Christmas!