The Great Christmas Debate - #5 Santa Presents Wrapped or Unwrapped

Jude13

I am unsure as what to do next year now with the new arrival, wrapped or not.

Also as an aside, what age do kids know the whole story, wink wink, these days?

sydthebeat

Wrapped everything one year for five kids, including a bike.

Was worth it, looked class and there was the added excitement..... but I don't think I'd do it again

AvonEnniskerry

Unwrapped here. But put into a Santa stocking. Any gifts from us would be wrapped though.

seamus

Jude13 wrote: »

I am unsure as what to do next year now with the new arrival, wrapped or not.

Also as an aside, what age do kids know the whole story, wink wink, these days?

You don't have to do it any particular way and you don't have to do it the way your parents did. You're starting your own family traditions now, it's actually a really nice feeling.

The age they know the whole story varies. Seems to be anywhere between 7 and 12 (at the extreme upper end). Some kids figure it out, others hear it in school from the kids who've figured it out. People and even other children are actually pretty good at keeping schtum about it.

KevinCavan

Unwrapped if you have any conscience! Save the environment dude!;-)

CheerLouth

Jude13 wrote: »

I am unsure as what to do next year now with the new arrival, wrapped or not.

Also as an aside, what age do kids know the whole story, wink wink, these days?

Whatever you decide, you'll have to stick with it forever :P

Lord Spence

Unwrapped

seamus wrote: »

You don't have to do it any particular way and you don't have to do it the way your parents did. You're starting your own family traditions now, it's actually a really nice feeling.

The age they know the whole story varies. Seems to be anywhere between 7 and 12 (at the extreme upper end). Some kids figure it out, others hear it in school from the kids who've figured it out. People and even other children are actually pretty good at keeping schtum about it.

My daughter is turning 12 in December and she is still a believer hook line and sinker, had to tell her about the easter bunny only this year and that brought tears so didn't have the heart to tell her about Santa too. This is her last year for sure as the girls in her gaelic team will be looking at her funny when she mentions Santa

Jude13

Okay, I was thinking that a 10 yo would know in this day and age. I will keep the yarn going.

Lord Spence

Unwrapped

Jude13 wrote: »

Okay, I was thinking that a 10 yo would know in this day and age. I will keep the yarn going.

100% let the magic continue if you can

CheerLouth

That's so lovely, Lord Spence! If only all kids could still believe until then!

seamus

My mother tells the story that when she was in school she kept believing for quite some time. She had older siblings who strongly maintained the pretence, so she was ten or eleven. In school one day she made some remark or asked some question about Santa, and - bearing in mind this is the 50's - the teacher absolutely rounded on her, scolded her in front of the entire class for being so silly and naive, and basically had them all laughing at her.

She felt humiliated and let down by her family for being lied to. So when she got married she said that she wouldn't allow her children to suffer the same fate and would be honest and upfront from the start, you could still have the magic without the belief.

My Dad who had nothing but good memories, convinced her to go with the Santa thing, she could always let the kids know later on. She said that when she saw the joy on their faces at 4/5 years of age, she knew she had to keep it going.

iguana

Unwrapped all the way. Santa used to not only leave all our toys set up ready to play with, he also couldn't resist playing silly little jokes during the set up. He'd swap over characters in funny ways. Leave things in slightly odd ways designed to make you laugh, etc. It was lovely to think of Santa not just bringing this bounty of toys but taking the time to do something a bit silly and personal just to give you an extra smile.

What I love most about not wrapping as a parent is that excitement causes a form of hysterical blindness. It's so funny to watch S focus on one present while somehow managing to be completely and utterly unaware of a different item right under his nose. He'll spend a few minutes on the first thing he noticed, then step back and suddenly notice the item he passed out and be in complete shock at it. It's really funny and it happens a few times every Christmas morning. What's great is that it's often impossible for me to predict what will get that reaction. A few years ago he'd asked for a really small Star Wars set as his main present and I bought a lot more of the same collection and laid it all out like an iconic scene from Empire. it was absolute front and centre under the tree. To me, that was the WOW!!!!! gift. He'd wanted the little set for nearly a whole year and to get that and all the other vehicles and figures would surely overwhelm him. But on Christmas morning, he just walked right past the whole big diorama of a set up and focussed on something else. It took 15 minutes for him to eventually look at his Star Wars set and suddenly realise that it was this huge thing. He was obviously delighted but mainly he was just really, really bewildered that it was there behind him the whole time.

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

I think it depends on the age of the kid.

That's true. And the present. S is getting a build your own computer kit this year from Santa. So it would be a bit of a disappointment if it was assembled for him! But when it comes to the likes of a Hot Wheels set or something, there is no way in the depths of hell that I'm spending Christmas morning trying to perfectly fit shagging stickers into their tiny indentations. They are so sticky you only get one shot at getting it right and doing that under pressure while a 6 year old tries to both hurry you and direct you is the stuff of nightmares. Doing all that in advance is the best way to keep Christmas morning fun.

uncommon_name

I think unwrapping might add to the excitement of it all.
Mine weren't wrapped though and I was still always excited. And when I have kids, they wont be wrapped either

chuckles30

Mine were always unwrapped

Kdylass

unwrapped - Santa doesn't have time to wrap presents for all the boys and girls!!!!

Zaph

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Before this site I never heard of Santa gifts being unwrapped.

Oddly enough, before this site I'd never heard of them being wrapped. Like some others here, our presents from Santa would be in our own little pile on the couch. It was mayhem enough once we all got started into our piles without adding heaps more wrapping paper into the mix.

freshpopcorn

Unwrapped

Kdylass wrote: »

unwrapped - Santa doesn't have time to wrap presents for all the boys and girls!!!!

The elves do the wrapping!

Whispered

Unwrapped. Then gifts from us are wrapped.

freshpopcorn

Unwrapped

Whispered wrote: »

Unwrapped. Then gifts from us are wrapped.

When I growing up we only got Santa presents!

Posy

They're always wrapped on TV and in Christmas films now that I'm pondering it!

Also, can we stop the talk about Santa not being R-E-A-L please?
I still haven't told Loughc, so I'd like to keep the magic for him. :pac:

Loughc

Posy wrote: »

They're always wrapped on TV and in Christmas films now that I'm pondering it!

Also, can we stop the talk about Santa not being R-E-A-L please?
I still haven't told Loughc, so I'd like to keep the magic for him. :pac:

It’s still real to me!

Lisha

Unwrapped. Coz I’m (concerned about the environment) lazy As fcuk.
I have a large Santa sack thingy each fir them, pile the pressies in there and watch the joy as they tumble out. If things need assembly I’ll prob do it before hand.
The less drama the better on Christmas Day.
The older they get the smaller (and more costly) the gifts seem to get. Here’s to keeping the magic alive fir another few years...

Loughc

52 votes already on this one. It’s definitely a decisive one!

jellybear

freshpopcorn wrote: »

When I growing up we only got Santa presents!

Us too!!

Loughc

jellybear wrote: »

Us too!!

Me too!

Posy

And me!

iguana

When you say only got Santa presents do you mean you got nothing from your parents or nothing from any other relatives? I only ever got Santa presents at home on Christmas morning so nothing from my parents but I did get quite a lot of presents from extended family throughout the day/next few days. I did once ask my parents why they gave us nothing but they told me they paid Santa. I really didn't like the idea that he had to be paid, I think it downgraded the magic a little bit.

With S I've decided to give him a Christmas eve box and let that be his present from me. Most things in it are either edible treats/bathbomb/etc or the same stuff each year, like Santa's plate/his Christmas stocking/etc. But I do add a new boardgame to play before bed. It's a nice tradition and pre-empts any suggestion that I'm a lazy cheapskate who's just never bothered to get him a Christmas present.

jellybear

Oh no, we got presents from relatives but nothing from parents, just Santa

Spook_ie

Unwrapped

Would wrap the kids presents in special Santa paper, dispose of any that was left over and wrap our presents to them in a different paper, worked for 10 years before one of them spotted a missed off cut.

Ours were always unwrapped. We also had designated areas where Santa would leave each person's gifts.

One year my older brother got a budgie. Sure you couldn't wrap a budgie!

Edited to add: Our parents bought us presents and those were wrapped.