A very early Merry Christmas, Sean ... and everyone else, too ... and happy holidays to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas.
We were sitting down the other night at home to wrap, address, and generally put together our christmas gifts for everyone, and as one thing led to another
Wow ... no procrastinators at your house ...
We started on packing a stocking for our daughter who has just recently turned 4, and is really getting into the holidays this year.
I have some very fond memories of one granddaughter, at age or or so, holding up the proceedings interminably as she had to carefully examine all 5 or so items in a package of Barbie stuff. We have a rule that only one present gets opened at a time, and she took her time ...
My wife started wrapping everything for the stocking, while I was just taking off the price tags and dropping things in; we both gave each other an odd look, and started to ask why the other was doing that. Long story short: for as long as she can remember, everything has been wrapped, stocking gifts included; my side of the family has, to my memory, never wrapped stocking gifts. It doesn't matter really, as the young one will have fun either way but since this is a forum for non-investing topics I figured I would ask around to see who had stocking experience and where anyone came in on the wrapping or no wrapping.
In our family, stocking presents were not wrapped and tree presents were. The were also some things no wrapped: I think that my dad must have really enjoyed setting up the forts, toy soldiers, train sets, etc.
When I got married, we also had a clash of cultures. We solved this the way that many problems get solved. We do things her way.
Now we try to wrap everything. It makes for more interest and excitement, especially with the "one at at time" rule. Also, we enjoy nesting small gifts three or four deep. Or putting things in deceptive boxes -- last year our year old laughed when her younger sister began opening a box that was clearly labelled as an appliance or something. "Kaitlyn, last year I thought I was getting a vacuum cleaner but it turned out to be ..."
Even though they've caught onto the joke, they still like it.
It also makes present unwrapping last a LOOONG time... and that's part of the design.
We let them go through stockings before breakfast, but everyone has to sit down to breakfast first.
Also, I pretty regularly got an orange or an apple in my stocking, did anyone else get something similar ?
Coal ... lots of coal ...
Yeah, an apple or orange at the toe. And, candy interspersed ...
Now let's open the game a bit.
My wife's family did presents on Christmas eve. We "compromised" and did the wrapping her way but have done the presents on Christmas morning. Also, her family tended to do one big present per person ... maybe that's why we have lots of little presents ...
Thanks for asking ...