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Post by shelby on Dec 18, 2015 22:16:08 GMT
Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas day? My friend opens hers on Christmas Eve and thinks we are nuts waiting until the next morning. We are pretty much adults except for our 8 year old GS who has Santa at his house before coming to ours to open everything else . We take turns opening then so we can all see what each other has.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 22:24:20 GMT
growing up, we always opened on Christmas Eve, but we didn't do Santa or stockings.
While we were still in TX, we went to Nana's on CEve and opened hers there and then came home and opened the rest in the morning.
Now we pretty much do them all Christmas morning.
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Post by alissa103 on Dec 18, 2015 22:24:25 GMT
Christmas Day morning! But if we go up to see our families for Christmas, we open with DH's parents Christmas Eve and mine Christmas Day. However, we are staying home this year (yay!) and will open Christmas Day. DS is sooooooooo excited for Santa!
I can understand opening some on Christmas Eve bc of multiple family exchanges and things, but I can't imagine purposely opening them all prior and not having any to open on Christmas morning.
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Post by padresfan619 on Dec 18, 2015 22:27:13 GMT
We open one gift on Christmas Eve, it is always pjs. We do the rest Christmas morning.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 22:28:07 GMT
Extended family gathers on Christmas Eve, attends Church and eats dinner together. Then we open gifts.
On Christmas morning, it's just DH and me, and our sons. We read the Christmas story and unpack the stockings that "Santa left".
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Post by finally~a~mama on Dec 18, 2015 22:28:46 GMT
We open Christmas morning. My DH grew up opening gifts on Christmas Eve because they all went to his Grandma's house on Christmas day. I grew up going to church on Christmas Eve and then opening presents on Christmas morning. We do extended family Christmas gatherings on other days.
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378
Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Dec 18, 2015 22:29:29 GMT
Duh. Santa delivers his toys while you are sleeping on Christmas Eve so that they are there when you wake up on Christmas morning.
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Post by 950nancy on Dec 18, 2015 22:43:50 GMT
We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. We still do. On Christmas morning Santa filled the stockings and brought one unwrapped gift. Still does. I cannot tell you how lovely it has always been Christmas morning to wake up at a decent hour and have the kids quietly playing with their stuff because we opened it the night before. My friends always say they are tired Christmas morning because the little kids get up so early. I guess whatever you are used to is normal.
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Post by scrappysurfer on Dec 18, 2015 22:48:38 GMT
We usually do Christmas Eve at my moms, we'll eat a big Christmas dinner, play games, go to church and then come home and open presents after midnight. Then Christmas morning/day was the day for everyone to go to their respective in-laws for another big meal and presents.
It means I usually contribute significantly to two large meals, but it's fun and gives everyone a chance to be with all their family.
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Post by birukitty on Dec 18, 2015 22:53:05 GMT
My Mom's German and I was born in Germany. My Dad's American, met my Mom while stationed in Germany, we all moved to the States when I was 5, my sister was 3, we spoke German as a family. We grew up celebrating Christmas in the German tradition-which means celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. My parents are still alive (I'm lucky, they were only 20 years old when I was born and we all live in the same town), so we still get together at my parent's house for Christmas. In the German tradition the Christmas tree isn't decorated until Christmas Eve! When we were little (I'm the oldest of 4) my Dad would take us out to look for Rudolf pulling Santa's sleigh. During that day in a separate room my parent's had put up the tree and decorated it (a room that was off limits to us children). Dad was taking us out "driving"-this was back in the early 1970's. We'd sit on his lap in the car one by one steering the steering wheel while he operated the pedals. It was great fun and we looked forward to it every year. The other kids while waiting their turn would look out the windows for Rudolf the Reindeer's red nose pulling Santa's sleigh. Anytime my Dad would see a plane with the red light he'd yell out, "I see him! I see him!" and we kids would get all excited. After we'd all had a turn "driving" we'd go back to the house (meantime my Mom had pulled all of the gift wrapped gifts out of their hiding places and placed them under the tree). She'd also lit the candles on the tree. We had special German candles in German candle holders on the tree. We did this for over 50 years and we extremely careful with a bucket of water nearby and a fire extinguisher. I know it sounds crazy, but it's German tradition and thank God we never had a problem. Now that my parents are both 76 they've moved to electric lights. But I must say those candle lit trees were gorgeous. Anyway, we kids would come back to the house and my Mom would say, "You just missed Santa, he was just here!" and we'd go dashing into the room and see it all in it's glory for the first time-the tree, the decorations and the presents. Oh it was a sight! We'd open our gifts and the whole Christmas celebration was on Christmas Eve. My Mom's birthday is Christmas Day so that's the day we get together again for her birthday celebration. We still do it this way (well except for the kid part, my son is 26) and exchange gifts, don't decorate the tree until Christmas Eve and have a special dinner that night. I've had Christmas one time the "American" way on Christmas Day when we were visiting my grandmother-my father's mother-at Christmas when I was about 7. Being a morning person I hated it. Someone dragged me out of bed and in the photos I have bed head and I'm half asleep looking at the gifts spread out under the tree. I really enjoy celebrating Christmas at night, when the lights look really special and I'm wide awake Debbie in MD.
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newlywoods03
Pearl Clutcher
Blessed Beyond Measure
Posts: 2,828
Jun 26, 2014 3:09:09 GMT
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Post by newlywoods03 on Dec 18, 2015 22:53:27 GMT
We open one on Christmas eve (usually pjs) and the rest are opened on Christmas morning.
My in loves come over to watch us open gifts (they bring theirs over) and then stay for breakfast.
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Post by 950nancy on Dec 18, 2015 22:57:25 GMT
My Mom's German and I was born in Germany. My Dad's American, met my Mom while stationed in Germany, we all moved to the States when I was 5, my sister was 3, we spoke German as a family. We grew up celebrating Christmas in the German tradition-which means celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. My parents are still alive (I'm lucky, they were only 20 years old when I was born and we all live in the same town), so we still get together at my parent's house for Christmas. In the German tradition the Christmas tree isn't decorated until Christmas Eve! When we were little (I'm the oldest of 4) my Dad would take us out to look for Rudolf pulling Santa's sleigh. During that day in a separate room my parent's had put up the tree and decorated it (a room that was off limits to us children). Dad was taking us out "driving"-this was back in the early 1970's. We'd sit on his lap in the car one by one steering the steering wheel while he operated the pedals. It was great fun and we looked forward to it every year. The other kids while waiting their turn would look out the windows for Rudolf the Reindeer's red nose pulling Santa's sleigh. Anytime my Dad would see a plane with the red light he'd yell out, "I see him! I see him!" and we kids would get all excited. After we'd all had a turn "driving" we'd go back to the house (meantime my Mom had pulled all of the gift wrapped gifts out of their hiding places and placed them under the tree). She'd also lit the candles on the tree. We had special German candles in German candle holders on the tree. We did this for over 50 years and we extremely careful with a bucket of water nearby and a fire extinguisher. I know it sounds crazy, but it's German tradition and thank God we never had a problem. Now that my parents are both 76 they've moved to electric lights. But I must say those candle lit trees were gorgeous. Anyway, we kids would come back to the house and my Mom would say, "You just missed Santa, he was just here!" and we'd go dashing into the room and see it all in it's glory for the first time-the tree, the decorations and the presents. Oh it was a sight! We'd open our gifts and the whole Christmas celebration was on Christmas Eve. My Mom's birthday is Christmas Day so that's the day we get together again for her birthday celebration. We still do it this way (well except for the kid part, my son is 26) and exchange gifts, don't decorate the tree until Christmas Eve and have a special dinner that night. I've had Christmas one time the "American" way on Christmas Day when we were visiting my grandmother-my father's mother-at Christmas when I was about 7. Being a morning person I hated it. Someone dragged me out of bed and in the photos I have bed head and I'm half asleep looking at the gifts spread out under the tree. I really enjoy celebrating Christmas at night, when the lights look really special and I'm wide awake Debbie in MD. I love that you took the time to type this out. What a wonderful tradition. Funny you kept missing Santa all of those years.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 22:59:38 GMT
We open on Christmas morning. I hate being watched while I'm opening presents, I find it awkward and embarrassing so we rip the paper off simultaneously.
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Post by birdy on Dec 18, 2015 23:01:41 GMT
We open one gift on Christmas Eve, it is always pjs. We do the rest Christmas morning. We do the same. PJs (just for the kids). They put them on and then we go for a light ride, home for cookies and hot cocoa and then off to bed. We open Santa gifts/stuff from us to each other on Christmas morning.
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Post by myboysnme on Dec 18, 2015 23:04:52 GMT
Adult children here but nothing different than it has always been at our house. Boys get to open one gift to them from under the tree on Christmas Eve. Hold over from a sad aspect of my own childhood.
Christmas morning they get a huge pile each of gifts. They open them one at a time taking turns. Then we open the gifts from under the tree. Makes Christmas morning last longer.
I will take gifts to my mom's for New Years and we will open them New Years Eve.
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Post by myshelly on Dec 18, 2015 23:16:30 GMT
Christmas morning we get up and no one is allowed to go into the living room until we are all ready. We all walk in together and the kids run to their Santa presents (which are large, unwrapped gifts). After they look at those we all do stockings, one at a time, taking turns. Nothing in the stockings is wrapped.
Then we sit around the tree and open presents one at a time in rounds. DS1 opens a gift, then DS2, then DS3, then mommy, then daddy until all the gifts are gone.
Then we go to my sister's house to open gifts from aunts and uncles and grandparents.
Christmas with DH's family is Christmas Eve.
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iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,291
Location: Michigan
Jul 13, 2014 12:40:31 GMT
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Post by iluvpink on Dec 18, 2015 23:21:31 GMT
Christmas morning here. That's when Santa comes and after the stocking and Santa gift (which is ending this year, just the stocking) we exchange presents.
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Post by birukitty on Dec 18, 2015 23:21:55 GMT
950Nancy-Thanks so much. You know, I think we kids loved going out "driving" with Dad so much we didn't seem to notice how we always missed Santa each year. That was such a highlight for us. And then there was all that excitement of seeing the tree for the first time all lit up and the presents. It was like, we missed Santa, what Santa-look at all of this!
Debbie in MD.
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Post by just PEAchy on Dec 18, 2015 23:38:01 GMT
The kids always get new pjs from the elves that they open on Christmas Eve. We also do our family (just the 5 of us) secret Santa. We open all other gifts Christmas Day.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 23:39:16 GMT
One on Christmas Eve (usually pajamas) and the rest on Christmas.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 23:41:13 GMT
We have always opened them on Christmas Eve, except Santa presents and stockings, which are Christmas morning. Santa only brings gifts/stocking stuffers for kids.
We open gifts one at a time, youngest to oldest.
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Post by freecharlie on Dec 18, 2015 23:44:20 GMT
Immediate family Christmas day. Huge extended family is christmas eve
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 22:36:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 23:45:29 GMT
Nowadays, it all depends on which day is mine with the boys. If it's my turn to have them on C. Eve, then we open presents, stockings included on C. Eve. If it's my turn to have them on C. Day, then we open presents then. It's just a day. We have been hosting my parents and sister lately so we do stockings in the morning, maybe a couple of gifts and then the rest waits for my parents to come over. My mom wants to see how much they got and watch them open them all. She is the kind of person who will wrap each item individually so it looks like you got more. And the more you got, the more someone must love you.
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MaryMary
Pearl Clutcher
Lazy
Posts: 2,975
Jun 25, 2014 21:56:13 GMT
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Post by MaryMary on Dec 18, 2015 23:48:50 GMT
We open pajamas on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning.
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,763
Jun 25, 2014 23:21:30 GMT
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Post by scrapngranny on Dec 18, 2015 23:48:56 GMT
We open one gift on Christmas Eve, it is always pjs. We do the rest Christmas morning.
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Post by kaycee on Dec 18, 2015 23:49:00 GMT
My Mom's German and I was born in Germany. My Dad's American, met my Mom while stationed in Germany, we all moved to the States when I was 5, my sister was 3, we spoke German as a family. We grew up celebrating Christmas in the German tradition-which means celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. My parents are still alive (I'm lucky, they were only 20 years old when I was born and we all live in the same town), so we still get together at my parent's house for Christmas. In the German tradition the Christmas tree isn't decorated until Christmas Eve! When we were little (I'm the oldest of 4) my Dad would take us out to look for Rudolf pulling Santa's sleigh. During that day in a separate room my parent's had put up the tree and decorated it (a room that was off limits to us children). Dad was taking us out "driving"-this was back in the early 1970's. We'd sit on his lap in the car one by one steering the steering wheel while he operated the pedals. It was great fun and we looked forward to it every year. The other kids while waiting their turn would look out the windows for Rudolf the Reindeer's red nose pulling Santa's sleigh. Anytime my Dad would see a plane with the red light he'd yell out, "I see him! I see him!" and we kids would get all excited. After we'd all had a turn "driving" we'd go back to the house (meantime my Mom had pulled all of the gift wrapped gifts out of their hiding places and placed them under the tree). She'd also lit the candles on the tree. We had special German candles in German candle holders on the tree. We did this for over 50 years and we extremely careful with a bucket of water nearby and a fire extinguisher. I know it sounds crazy, but it's German tradition and thank God we never had a problem. Now that my parents are both 76 they've moved to electric lights. But I must say those candle lit trees were gorgeous. Anyway, we kids would come back to the house and my Mom would say, "You just missed Santa, he was just here!" and we'd go dashing into the room and see it all in it's glory for the first time-the tree, the decorations and the presents. Oh it was a sight! We'd open our gifts and the whole Christmas celebration was on Christmas Eve. My Mom's birthday is Christmas Day so that's the day we get together again for her birthday celebration. We still do it this way (well except for the kid part, my son is 26) and exchange gifts, don't decorate the tree until Christmas Eve and have a special dinner that night. I've had Christmas one time the "American" way on Christmas Day when we were visiting my grandmother-my father's mother-at Christmas when I was about 7. Being a morning person I hated it. Someone dragged me out of bed and in the photos I have bed head and I'm half asleep looking at the gifts spread out under the tree. I really enjoy celebrating Christmas at night, when the lights look really special and I'm wide awake Debbie in MD. I absolutely love this. My grandmother (Oma) was German, my dad was also born there and then they moved to Australia. Growing up, we always did the traditional German Christmas Eve with Oma and Opa and then had our Australian Christmas at our house on Christmas morning. After dinner on Christmas Eve, Oma used to send us kids outside to play (summer in Australia) while she got our presents ready then call us inside and do the "you just missed Santa" thing, every single year! Oma sadly passed away in August so this will be our first Christmas without her. I've bought Lebkuchen and Marzipan and will be serving it on one of her plates so we will still have her with us. Thanks for for the memories Debbie! Frohliche Weihnachten!
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Dec 18, 2015 23:51:34 GMT
Duh. Santa delivers his toys while you are sleeping on Christmas Eve so that they are there when you wake up on Christmas morning. We do Christmas with DH's family on Christmas Eve so those we open up then and while we're gone our elves bring us all new PJs. Everything else is Christmas morning after Santa has come to leave presents, eat cookies and fill up stockings with care
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Post by eversograceful1 on Dec 19, 2015 0:01:06 GMT
Christmas Day here.
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Post by Karene on Dec 19, 2015 0:08:00 GMT
My in laws are German and they have always celebrated Christmas Eve. When they were young, everyone would go to church except one person who would stay behind and get the tree decorated so it would be all ready when everyone came home. My mother in law has a lot of great memories about Christmas in German and that is what she misses the most. My husband is the only one in his family born in Canada, and when he was young his brothers, who are a lot older, would take him out for a bit. His parents would decorate the tree and Santa would have been by with gifts. We now all have our trees up earlier, but we have our get together on Christmas Eve.
This worked out well when we married because my family celebrated Christmas Day. We also had Santa come for our kids on Christmas morning. When I was little, mother would not let us put the tree very early because, although she was from a Irish background, my grandparent would put the tree up themselves on Christmas Eve after their 6 kids were in bed. When they woke up in the morning, the tree was another present that Santa brought. So although we put our tree up before Christmas, my mom wasn't used to having it up for a long time.
When I was little we had to wait until everyone was up before we would all go into the living room together. We would open our Santa toys and stocking, then go to church, come home and have breakfast and then open presents from each other. My husband found this to be a very long day when he started coming to our celebration. His side used to all rip open the presents at the same time, and I was shocked because you couldn't see what anyone got or who it was from! So we ended up speeding my family up and slowing his family down!
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Post by anniefb on Dec 19, 2015 0:20:30 GMT
Growing up we usually opened gifts on Christmas Eve following the European custom (my parents were Austrian) and if I'm celebrating with my immediate family that's still what we do. This year I'm staying with friends over Christmas so we'll be opening presents Christmas Day.
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