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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forumswendyb-NC
(4,562 posts)The tradition of my family, from the time I was little.
debm55
(54,073 posts)SheltieLover
(75,592 posts)Much to the dismay of my parents, no doubt.
debm55
(54,073 posts)BOSSHOG
(44,345 posts)Never before and still do so to this Christmas Season. Jesus wasnt born on Christmas Eve. And no one should give gifts on Christmas Eve, so decrees BOSSHOG by Gawd.
debm55
(54,073 posts)donation to the Food Bank with the money I would have spent on them.
BOSSHOG
(44,345 posts)And such a generous gesture makes for a Very Merry Christmas in your home.
debm55
(54,073 posts)aeromanKC
(3,781 posts)debm55
(54,073 posts)Jilly_in_VA
(13,673 posts)We kids would sit on the stairs and it was really annoying becaus we could hear our parents talking, but they wouldn't get up until 8:00! Then we were allowed to have our stockings, but nothing else until we at least had cereal and the parents had coffee. THEN we got to have presents! Ater that. a serious breakfast, usually pancakes and bacon.
I followed kind of the same ritual with my kids. They got their stockings while we had coffee. I put the breakfast casserole (assembled the day before and refrigerated) into the oven, and we had presents. By the time we finished, the casserole and the cinnamon rolls ( which I'd excused myself to put into the oven) would be ready and we'd sit down to breakfast.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Lochloosa
(16,645 posts)My wife's birthday is the 24th and mine is the 29th. We both agree we were screwed as a kid. Lots of Birthmas gifts.
So, we don't give each other Christmas gifts other than small token ones.
But we each get Kick Ass Birthday gifts.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Luciferous
(6,534 posts)we used to celebrate her birthday at Thanksgiving.
debm55
(54,073 posts)rsdsharp
(11,664 posts)When my older brother was little, Mom was concerned hed be so excited about his new toys that he wouldnt eat breakfast. She had some bananas on the counter, and made him eat one and drink a glass of milk before opening presents.
That became a tradition. Wed stand around the kitchen at 6 AM eating a banana and drinking milk. Then Dad would go into the living room and plug in the tree lights, and the orgy of greed was on. Oddly, I can no longer eat bananas.
My wifes family opened Christmas eve, so after we got married, wed go to her parents house on Christmas eve, and open after we got back from the midnight service. Then wed get up Christmas morning and open at our place, and then drive to my Moms house and open again.
debm55
(54,073 posts)yourout
(8,687 posts)Then transition to Christmas Eve.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Christmas Eve gifts for my birthday, and Christmas day for Christmas gifts. My parents were really good about differentiating them.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Luciferous
(6,534 posts)younger we let them pick one gift from under the tree that they could open on Christmas Eve.
debm55
(54,073 posts)LoisB
(12,163 posts)debm55
(54,073 posts)FarPoint
(14,419 posts)Family gathering/ exchange gifts, eating prime rib or beef tenderloin....Christmas Day morning for children...
debm55
(54,073 posts)FarPoint
(14,419 posts)I favor having a Gorganzola sauce to go along with the beef...medium rare...always.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Grim Chieftain
(1,051 posts)About 7:00 pm by the lights of the Christmas tree. It was beautiful. It was a really special time for me because my birthday is on the 23rd, more gifts on Christmas Eve, and Santa left gifts under the tree for us to find on Christmas morning. The only downside was that I had to wait a full year to receive gifts, but it was worth it!
debm55
(54,073 posts)Grim Chieftain
(1,051 posts)and my brother's is two days before Halloween. Go figure.
Edit to add - he's a Trumper, so that kind of speaks for itself.
debm55
(54,073 posts)Walleye
(43,532 posts)Fond memory
debm55
(54,073 posts)woodsprite
(12,533 posts)AND decorated the tree so my brother and I didnt see any of that before Christmas morning and we had to wait on the stairs for the rest of the adults to get up before we were allowed to go into the living room.
When I was about 11 (my brother 17), we started being allowed to open one present before going to bed and when we got up in the morning we were allowed to open our stockings on our own, but had to wait until everyone else was assembled in the living room before we started opening all the other presents.
debm55
(54,073 posts)pandr32
(13,699 posts)I used to stay up half the night wrapping and stuffing the kids' stockings. I would wake them up in the morning with the announcement that "he came!" and I never saw kids get out of bed and be wide awake faster. They would look over all the stuff that magically (me) appeared overnight and I would tell them they could get started by going through their stockings. We would then eat breakfast and open the presents under the tree in turns. A whole lot of work but I sure miss those days.
debm55
(54,073 posts)buzzycrumbhunger
(1,551 posts)
and the rest on xmas morning. It seemed to dial down the craziness amongst us four kids.
debm55
(54,073 posts)electric_blue68
(25,346 posts)I got sort of laughed at for always carefully unwrapping my presents, instead of ripping the wrapping off! 😄