The twelve days of Christmas--we dole them out, one a day, for the 12 days leading up to and including Christmas, so we don't have to take them with us if we travel. Then we just pretend we opened them all Xmas morning when we talk to family. It's way more fun to have one a day than to deal with that mess of wrapping paper on Xmas morning.

Santa brings unwrapped gifts and stocking stuffers for Christmas morning. We open gifts from our immediate family (us and the three kids) on Christmas - it'll be after brunch this year, and maybe after nap, depending on how early the youngest wake up.

Then on the 29th (which is the first day my Dad fully has off and awake - since he's switching from nights to days over the holidays) we will drive the 6 hours and have Christmas with them, my sister, her husband, and my grandma.

After we return home we will again celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings on Jan 6, when we open gifts from family memebers who live too far away for us to visit.

The last Christmas celebration is occasionally unnecessary, but sometimes is a major deal, depending on where we are on Christmas day. I like celebrating it even it it's not completely needed, like this year - since all the away gifts I'm expecting have already arrived (although my husband's dad could surprise me and remember before March....) Adopting the observance of the true Twelfth day of Christmas has given us that added flexibility to handle gifts arriving a day late AND it really spreads out the appreciation for the mound of toys, instead of just one or two favorites floating to the top. -- a double issue since Ver1's birthday is exactly 2 weeks before Christmas so she's already got a load of new stuff.

Since I was born on Christmas Eve, my family has tried to separate it as much as possible. Before I was born... I don't know...

So, for me, I do Birthday on the 24th and Christmas on the 25th.

We always open our presents on Christmas Day. My husband and I usually set out the presents wee early, on the morning of Christmas. This year, we set them out about a week early. We mistakenly believed that our children, who are now 10 and 8 years old, were old enough to leave the gifts alone. We made a terrible mistake of naively trusting them. Nearly all the presents now have small rips on them!!! I can't tell you how many of the gifts now have gift wrapping "patches" on them!!! And, I'm not even about to re-wrap any of them for pretty pictures sake. I think we might try the 12 days of Christmas thing next year, hopefully that might deter them from peeking into all their presents.

How come there is never a mention of Hannukah? it is one per night were I live!

loststream wrote:We always open our presents on Christmas Day. My husband and I usually set out the presents wee early, on the morning of Christmas. This year, we set them out about a week early. We mistakenly believed that our children, who are now 10 and 8 years old, were old enough to leave the gifts alone. We made a terrible mistake of naively trusting them. Nearly all the presents now have small rips on them!!! I can't tell you how many of the gifts now have gift wrapping "patches" on them!!! And, I'm not even about to re-wrap any of them for pretty pictures sake. I think we might try the 12 days of Christmas thing next year, hopefully that might deter them from peeking into all their presents.

Pfffsh! In my house, any gifts tampered with were RETURNED December 26th. I've always been taught that a gift is something that's given, not something that should be expected or spoiled by greed or impatience.

Of course, that was primarily to teach a lesson (and that lesson was learned!) In the end, if I was well behaved and remorseful, I would receive the gift later.. :P

First, everybody takes a slip of paper out of a hat. And one person’s slip says “Murderer”. And another person’s slip says “Inspector”. Then everyone puts their head down except the murderer — he’s the inspector! No, that’s not right.

Ok so everyone picks numbers out of a hat. And then the person with the highest number gives the smallest gift to the tallest person and if they want to switch they cannot unless they do then everyone puts their head down except the murderer, oh wait no, that's not right either... X mas is hard

We always open 1 gift on Christmas Eve (Chirstmas jammies) and the rest on Christmas morning.

We like to do one on xmas eve and then the rest xmas morning, but my bday falls a wk before xmas, so sometimes we combine. Or sometimes my bday is celebrated the day of. Or on New Years. Or in January. You can see where the priorities are

Keister wrote:First, everybody takes a slip of paper out of a hat. And one person’s slip says “Murderer”. And another person’s slip says “Inspector”. Then everyone puts their head down except the murderer — he’s the inspector! No, that’s not right.

Ok so everyone picks numbers out of a hat. And then the person with the highest number gives the smallest gift to the tallest person and if they want to switch they cannot unless they do then everyone puts their head down except the murderer, oh wait no, that's not right either... X mas is hard

+1

The "complicated scheme" is thus: most of our presents are opened at the usual time, Christmas morning. However, being from a rather liberal Jewish family whose mom just really enjoys celebrating secular Christmas, back when I still lived at home with my parents, that would be most of our presents except 8 small ones, which would be opened one per night on Hannukah.

We open one gift on Christmas Eve, usually new pajamas or nightgowns. This goes back to my childhood. My dad love his 8mm movie camera, and Mom always wanted us to look our best on Christmas morning as we opened the rest of our presents.

We've always done 1 on Christmas eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. But we do that at my house, then my mom's house, then my father's house, and then the kids go to their dad's house. So a bit complicated. At least we're all in the same town.

I always intend to buy cute Christmas jammies for the kids to open on Christmas eve, but never actually remember. Hmmm... maybe I can do that tomorrow...

ROFL! My entire family howled when I read this to them - Good Answer!!!

Keister wrote:First, everybody takes a slip of paper out of a hat. And one person’s slip says “Murderer”. And another person’s slip says “Inspector”. Then everyone puts their head down except the murderer — he’s the inspector! No, that’s not right.

Ok so everyone picks numbers out of a hat. And then the person with the highest number gives the smallest gift to the tallest person and if they want to switch they cannot unless they do then everyone puts their head down except the murderer, oh wait no, that's not right either... X mas is hard

christmas eve is when we open gifts from family(socks, clothes, ugly sweaters etc...) Christmas day is for the good stuff that Santa brings(via woot sometimes) electronics, toys etc...

One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

thumperchick wrote:One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

Ditto

bigeastbay wrote:How come there is never a mention of Hannukah? it is one per night were I live!

Because it's pretty obvious how Hanukkah (forgive my spelling) works. Everyone follows the same routine. Would be a pretty silly poll to take.

BTW, we do all ours on Christmas Day.

1623 people responded. 2.6% explicitly said they'd leave a comment. 1623 x .026 = 44. There are 18 comments. At least 26 people should be ASHAMED of themselves!

i am seriously alone in the whole "once-you're-an-adult-(i.e., out of college)-you-don't-get-gifts" category? seriously...my brother and i would get maybe $50. and now nothing. sucks, but oh well.

nlohoft wrote:We always open 1 gift on Christmas Eve (Chirstmas jammies) and the rest on Christmas morning.

When I was young that's exactly how we did it. I think it's the best way to celebrate Christmas unless you only have 1 present under the tree then you're pretty much screwed and have to watch everyone else open there's and your present has to be saved for Christmas Day when the opening of the rest of the presents happen. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

standard888 wrote:The twelve days of Christmas--we dole them out, one a day, for the 12 days leading up to and including Christmas, so we don't have to take them with us if we travel. Then we just pretend we opened them all Xmas morning when we talk to family. It's way more fun to have one a day than to deal with that mess of wrapping paper on Xmas morning.

uh ... the 12 days of Christmas refer to the 12 days AFTER Dec 25 .... until Epiphany on Jan 6 .... just so you know.

We celebrate "Chanumas" being that I grew up with a large part of our Jewish family being Catholic. So, Chanukah has 8-nights worth of presents, then we have Christmas morning @ my daughter's G-dfather's house! Woot! (indeed) :>

nlohoft wrote:We always open 1 gift on Christmas Eve (Chirstmas jammies) and the rest on Christmas morning.

When us kids were little, our family did the same thing, too. Now that the youngest is almost 30 (and nobody has grandchildren yet) we just hit Christmas morning (or afternoon if sleeping in is important).

Merry Christmas (or whatever you do)! Stay safe and show love to the people around you!

We were allowed to open one present on Christmas eve, then the rest waited till Christmas Day

Everything on Christmas eve night, our family family is too impatient to wait for another 12 hours.

Wow, a lot of people have the one on Christmas night and the rest the next day.

Not jammies, though. Usually, it's just a small gift. The kids are SUPPOSED to pick one themselves, but 9 times out of 10, the kids pick on, mom says NO, NOT THAT ONE! and then picks out the one that she's willing to let go of one day early lol

We don't open Christmas presents. And I actually think Jobsmas makes just as much sense as Christmas mixed with Santa Claus, so maybe you have something there!

I work at a call center, my one sister works at a gas station, and the other sister works at a hotel. (We're all high achievers, you see.) So whichever day we're all off at the same time. This year, that was tonight.

I'll be opening mine when my Bag of Cats arrive!

During Hanukah. (And by that I mean no offense to those who celebrate Christmas, it's just that I don't)

Right AFTER the Burgandy Olfactory Center.... The kids are still crying.

thumperchick wrote:One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

That is the way our family has done it, back when I lived at home. Now I have 6 dogs and it is Christmas everyday to them!

We do stockings on Christmas Day and presents on Epiphany (3 Kings Day), which should be January 6, but now is the 2nd Sunday after Christmas, so this year will be January 8.

So my parents have been separated since I was three, which means at least two Christmases. But generally it becomes three or even four, since my grandparents go to Florida to see my cousins, and then we see them later. Then my dad takes us to see my aunts and then his girlfriend's sister. So winter around the holidays become one big stream of gift giving and receiving. It can get a little crazy. But it's quite entertaining. haha...

Normally, the extended family gets together on Christmas, but this year, I had a Holiday sea cruise with my brother's family, so we are reconvening on Boxing Day. I certainly hope we are to honour the Queensberry rules.

Ah Christmas.

Tradition is the kids open a gift before bed on Christmas Eve. PJs and a book, that will hopefully put them to sleep.

Santa delivers and Christmas morning is an orgy of gift giving. Santa leaves gifts unwrapped, mom and dad wrap.

Of course, now we have an extended family. Remarriages, grown kids....so we do a Christmas Eve party AND a Christmas Day celebration.

We have a 24th birthday too. It's not my kid, or we'd be celebrating half year birthdays just to make it more special.

That's the way it's done, folks.

I always receive presents on christmas eve and open it once i receive it. If i receive my present on christmas day, i will open it on that day. So it due to when i receive it!!

With my in-laws Christmas Eve. My wife and kid on Christmas Day. With the rest of my side of the family New Years. It gets complicated some years.