Saturday, December 22, 2012

Gift Wrapping Traditions

  I've been reading all of my friend's blogs this holiday and it has occurred to me that not everyone follows the same traditions for gift wrapping and opening their holiday presents...imagine that?

So I thought I'd share what my family does for our holiday tradition.

This year, I selected black and gold as my "paper theme."  Now that only means that the gifts I wrap for my family will be in this paper combo.  I have gold plaid and gold polka dots and I mix the ribbons with gold and red and anything that will match the paper.  When my entire family rolls into the door this weekend, that's all going to pot because they will bring more presents and they will be wrapped in their own paper (and that's ok because that's part of the fun).   For now, I have the gold and black theme under my tree. 

 
 
On Christmas eve, we each get to open one gift.  Just one.  Even the adults.  That's because this tradition started when my sister and me were kids and we've carried it on into our adulthood as if we were still kids.  And everyone knows that even though we say "just one" that really means you can convince the family to let you open two.  At least.  But these eve gifts are usually things like slippers, or pjs or things that you can wear for Christmas morning.  So don't get too incredibly excited about it because you're not going to totally open your more prize possession on Xmas eve because then how fun would it be on Xmas morning.   Ok, yes, I still sound twelve and I don't care. 

The Santa presents get set out after the kids go to bed.  Ours are wrapped!  But recently we started the tradition of putting each child's loot into a pile so they wake up in the morning and can run to their stash. 

We try to make it so that each person opens one thing at a time, but I mean we have kids that are four, four and six...it gets tough for little ones to watch mama open another pair of socks when there is a tower of presents with their names on it! 



Growing up, my immediate family would go to a Christmas movie in the afternoon to get out of the house and break the day up (you know, because we were "bored" already with all of the new games and toys).  When Kurby (my sister) and I had real little ones, we stopped that tradition (because honestly, who brings a 3 month old to a movie theater....uh, actually, there are some).  But now, the kids are older and so sometimes if there is a good kids flick, we have been known to resume that tradition.   Plus, it gives the entire family a break from having to talk to each other for a few hours. 

We're hosting everyone at our house this year on both sides of the family.  They start to trickle in on Saturday, Sunday, Monday (until they read this post and are too offended by something I've said to show up....that's the point...whittle the numbers!)

How do YOU do your gift wrapping?  Do you wrap your Santa gifts? 
Do you watch each person open one gift at a time or does everyone tear into them at once?
Do you take a break for breakfast in between?

Happy Holidays to all!

xoxo
Heather

Other links to Vivid Hue Christmas:
Holiday Trees
Sunroom at Christmas
Meaningful tree in Living Room

Gift Wrapping Traditions
Christmas Antlers
Holiday Card Tree and Sunroom Photos
Christmas Table Decorations

 

5 comments:

Unknown said...

This sounds glorious and makes me excited for you all. We open one gift Xmas eve, too, but it's always pajamas, so that the pictures in the morning aren't in sweatpants! My daughter and her hubs and dogs spend the night so we are all up early still ( 6am) even though my kids are both adults. We have a Christmas brunch around noon; eggs benedit, bellinis, lots of fattening food...since many guests go on to turkey dinners later in the day. We like to just chill in the afternoon and watch Christmas movies at home in front of the fire.
Have a wonderful holiday Heather. Thanks for the blog friendship this year!
xo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com

Lisa Mende said...

Merry Christmas Heather! We open one gift on Christmas Eve too! On Christmas Morning, my kids get Santa and then we get in the car and head to my parents house so we are on the road! No fun but the only way we can have Christmas with my husbands & my families. We do Christmas Eve here at our house with his family. Merry Christmas!

Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies said...

MC and I kept my family's Christmas "traditions" Lucky me.
Christmas eve, kids new pj's (for Christmas morning pics)
Christmas Morning:
No one could enter the living room until my Dad checked to see if Santa had come. Of course, he hadn't, we all had to go back to bed. This was done so he could put the coffee on, light the tree and put Christmas "records" on! Then magically, Santa had arrived and we ran into the living room.
Santa was wrapped in different color tissue paper..each child had a color. Gifts opened one at a time. Took up the morning..
Afternoon all the family came to our house for a huge turkey dinner. Wonderful, wonderful memories. MC and I continued it all except the family coming to dinner. We lived too far....

Julie Taylor and Danni Greenwalt said...

Lovely traditions..everything looks beautiful! We started opening everything on Christmas eve as the children got older and didn't believe in Santa anymore. Now that we have a grand-baby it should be a lot of fun!

Kim said...

Heather, I love all the traditions ... we actually celebrate with our extended family on Christmas Eve, in my Husband's Swedish family tradition. Then Santa and stockings on Christmas morning ... I LOVE a movie on Christmas Day ... and we are planning the opening of Les Mis this year!! Have a wonderful Christmas with those babies ... I have enjoyed getting to know you this year and look forward to more fun in 2013! xo