How do you open gifts- Poll

sweetpeas_mom · Post by **sweetpeas_mom** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:41 am

If you open your gifts on Christmas morning, do you stay in your pajamas while you open them, or do you have to get "dressed" first before you doing any opening? If you do stay in your pajamas, at what point to do you get dressed for the day...or is it just a pajama day all day long?When I was growing up, we got up, got dressed, then went out to the barn to feed the animals before we even looked at opening anything. I would like our kids to be dressed before they start opening just because they are not going to want to stop playing with their new stuff just to go get dressed. DH is all about the running in to the living room in your jammies and tearing things open.

Wendy-Gale · Post by **Wendy-Gale** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:45 am

its tradition at our house for everyone to have matching or at least coordinating pjs for Christmas so half the fun is the pictures in the morning ...we get dressed in the afternoon before we make our trips outthis year its penguin pjs

clairbug · Post by **clairbug** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:51 am

I buy new PJ's and try to coordinate them with Trent's. G does NOT participate in the PJ thing, so he takes the pics. LOL! We go to my Grandma's for lunch on Christmas Day, so I'll slip out later in the morning while Trent is playing to shower....and then I dress him at the last minute.

koala1966 · Post by **koala1966** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:01 am

Since we always went to Grandma's house and midnight mass (church) on Christmas Eve, on Christmas morning we all wait outside our parents room until they woke up, and everyone would go downstairs in our pajamas to open gifts. Then we would stay in our pajamas until mid-day.

DN in MN · Post by **DN in MN** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:06 am

No one can wait to open gifts so it's a pj thing

But after breakfast, we all get ready and dressed for the day!

4peasinourpod · Post by **4peasinourpod** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:18 am

omg...I bet I am your worst nightmare, lol....we get up, and open our stockings. Then we get dressed, go to church at 7:30, and come home. I then give my kids the option of putting their pajamas back on before opening their big gifts. Now...they all have matching pjs (I can't believe Evan still let me do that...he's 11!) so it looks better for the pics. Our time to get dressed up is Christmas Eve, when we go to my in-laws. I don't want to buy them 2 dressy outfits, so they just pop their dresses/shirt on for church. (a funny aside...since it is the early service, it is usually FREEZING at church, and they rarely even take their jackets off. They probably would be warmer in the pj's!)After gifts, we have a brunch at our house, with both sides of our families showing up. They are used to my crazy ways...

RoseRansom · Post by **RoseRansom** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:20 am

We get up when the kids do, open Santa gifts in pjs. Then we get dressed and go to my parents' housefor brunch, and exchanging presents w/ them and my broth/sis/etc. Christmas Eve is spent doing a progressive dinner w/ hubby's brothers/families and mother, and we exchange gifts w/ them then. It's awesome!

Wyknotwyme · Post by **Wyknotwyme** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:41 am

Its jammies for us. The kids get thier stockings while I cook breakfast, we get to eat, clean up & then presents... Usually all are dressed prior to 2 PM Dinner

Renee · Post by **Renee** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:44 am

Jammies for us too!! We're usually dressed by noon

Keling · Post by **Keling** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:46 am

Every year, my kids get a brand new pair of pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. This way, when they wake up in the morning, they're already wearing something cute!

Niki · Post by **Niki** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:59 am

On Christmas even dd gets to open a present of her new pajamas for Christmas. (We also open presents on Christmas eve from my grandmother.)On Christmas day we open presents in our pajamas. dd usually gets a new outfit for Christmas, she changes into the new outfit before we go over to my parents house later in the day.

sweetpeas_mom · Post by **sweetpeas_mom** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:00 am

LOL! You people aren't helping me win my argument with DH that they can't open gifts until they get dressed!

Renee · Post by **Renee** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:07 am

Awww...but Marcy...Dh and the kiddos are too excited and just want to get to the presents. No time to get dressed...haha this really isn't helping, is it?

beezrella · Post by **beezrella** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:13 am

I am right there with you. We get up everyone gets showered and dressed. Around noon, we do a seafood feast and after everything is cleaned up we sit down and oldest son and daddy hand out presents. We open gifts one by one so everyone can see what each other gets. We have always done this. It makes the time seem a little longer.

-Shannon- · Post by **-Shannon-** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:19 am

As kids we stayed in our pajamas. As an adult. I get dressed. No make-up no pictures. End. of. Story.

baltoscrapper · Post by **baltoscrapper** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:20 am

My mom and Kens' parents come early so they can watch Mason open presents. Than we all do breakfast and hang out. We have to be at the next stop by 3, so we take showers, get dressed in the early afternoon. I promised myself that when I had a kid, I would let my child enjoy their Christmas morning by not running around to other houses, so that's why we have my mom (r.i.p. daddy) and Kens parents over!

lizziej · Post by **lizziej** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:43 am

Because we're always out of town, either at my parents or my ILs, DH and I get dressed in our comfy clothes before we leave the guest bedroom. Sorry, Marcy, but DS stays in his PJs while he checks out the stuff from Santa - Santa doesn't wrap DS' gifts. After he's done, before he can really start playing, we eat breakfast and he gets washed up and dressed for the day. While he's playing with his stuff, DH and I get showered and dressed for the day. Our big meal is always lunch, so we're dressed and ready usually by 11am. We eat lunch and then we open wrapped gifts, with all the family that gathered for lunch. SO, DS is ALWAYS dressed for that.

PopPop · Post by **PopPop** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:46 am

Sweet pea's mom, I grew up back east and we had to be up, dressed and breakfast eaten before presents and gifts were given one at a time. When I had my kids it was open stockings, dress, eat, and then presents. Now with the DGSs it is all about opening the presents as soon as they get up and everyone rips and tears!

corvettecarey · Post by **corvettecarey** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:19 pm

When we get up-dressed first, teeth brushed, hair combed, beds made. Then after parents had went into the front room, had their coffee, video cameras ready they would let us come(running) into the living room. We would then get our stockings and santa present. Then stop and eat breakfast . Then go back and do the rest of the gifts-each person getting one gift, everyone opens it at same time-look around see what everyone gets, then on to the next present.

scrapgram · Post by **scrapgram** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:31 pm

Marcy, sorry sweetie but I am with your hubby on this one! When I was little my dad was very strick. We only got one gift and we could not jump out of bed to open it. we would get up get dressed, have breakfast and then after we got our lecture of how lucky we were to have the gift we could open it. But low and behold if you ripped into it, my dad would take it away and after being tortured of wether we got it back or not we would get it back. we had to open carefully so that mom could save the wrapping paper for someone else's gift!When I got married and had my babies I told my hubby and he agreed that when they got up, we got up and did the opening of presents, in our pj's. after they opned ALL their presents they would play and I would make breakfast and then we would go see the grandparents.Now they all come over and we give each kid a present to open and after everyone oohs and ahhs we give them another until they are all gone. the kids play and eat and adults too. kids usually all stay in pj's till late afternoon.