Which Christmas Gifts To Open...First?!?

[sensei8]

We do something different. My father gets a generous bonus every Christmas and gives everyone $25 dollars for each person (i.e. I have $25 for my wife, my brother etc). We go out and buy the presents the day before (being that we're all anxious balls of curiosity, although we generally show everybody what we want them to buy us) and we wrap it that night (we are able to do this because we have Christmas when everyone can make it and that is rarely on the day of). After wrapping we make clues to where we are going to hide them and in the morning and every one goes on a scavenging hunt getting one present at a time, we open it as a family, and then get the second one. So the answer to the original question is that it depends on whose clue I grab first.

I love it; it's so original!! Thank you for sharing that.

[sensei8]

When I was younger we would come up with elaborate plans for sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night to look at the presents. We would hold practice runs Christmas Eve were we would tie karate belts to our beds to lower ourselves to the ground and put markers on the squeaky floor boards. We never actually did it, our course.

Now we usually do the Christmas Story thing where one person "plays Santa" and hands out presents to everyone else and we just open the presents as the person hands them to us.

Yes, I love that too. I forgot about the someone being Santa. We take turns in being Santa, and of course, Santa opens his/her presents last.

Thank you for sharing.

[sensei8]

We do something different. My father gets a generous bonus every Christmas and gives everyone $25 dollars for each person (i.e. I have $25 for my wife, my brother etc). We go out and buy the presents the day before (being that we're all anxious balls of curiosity, although we generally show everybody what we want them to buy us) and we wrap it that night (we are able to do this because we have Christmas when everyone can make it and that is rarely on the day of). After wrapping we make clues to where we are going to hide them and in the morning and every one goes on a scavenging hunt getting one present at a time, we open it as a family, and then get the second one. So the answer to the original question is that it depends on whose clue I grab first.

That's an awesome idea. Don't fancy gift shopping on Christmas eve though!

Me neither. The crowds are never fun, both in and out of the store. One of our largest malls, The Woodland Hills Mall, is a nightmare just trying to get there from the highway. The closer one gets to the mall, the slower the traffic moves.

Wal-Mart parking lots are impossible, and inside, forget it. For weeks, the return lines are a test of ones sanity, to say the least.

Edited December 25, 2013 by sensei8

[sensei8]

I open the ones that I know the content of first, then have my surprises later. I opened one from my Sensei tonight; a pair of Black Iron Sai, "They're not just to look at and admire Lad!"

There's a method to your madness, lol, it works, and on worth trying. My wife is an amazing guesser, in that, she's rarely wrong, and it drives me absolutely crazy. I once threatened her that I wasn't going to wrap hers, I mean, why? She shakes them, pokes them, feels them, and lord knows what else, and then she guesses right.

Btw, cool gift from your Sensei. Enjoy them.

Thank you for sharing.

[sensei8]

We do something different. My father gets a generous bonus every Christmas and gives everyone $25 dollars for each person (i.e. I have $25 for my wife, my brother etc). We go out and buy the presents the day before (being that we're all anxious balls of curiosity, although we generally show everybody what we want them to buy us) and we wrap it that night (we are able to do this because we have Christmas when everyone can make it and that is rarely on the day of). After wrapping we make clues to where we are going to hide them and in the morning and every one goes on a scavenging hunt getting one present at a time, we open it as a family, and then get the second one. So the answer to the original question is that it depends on whose clue I grab first.

That's an awesome idea. Don't fancy gift shopping on Christmas eve though!

We rarely have our Christmas on Christmas so we never shop on Christmas Eve. This year our shopping day will be the 28th.

Now that's clever. Plus you get the great after Christmas discount sales.

Thank you for sharing.

[Harkon72]

The Sai are on the wall Sensei, but as Eric San says; they're not for looking at

[sensei8]

The Sai are on the wall Sensei, but as Eric San says; they're not for looking at

I think that Eric San is trying to tell you something!!