Unwrapping Traditions: How Our Family Opens Christmas Gifts

Every Christmas, our family comes together to open gifts, filled with excitement and love. However, the process of opening those gifts is as much a tradition as the ones that come with them. This article delves into some of the unique and quirky customs we follow during the holiday season.

Wrapping Styles and Unwrapping Habits

My wife and son, bless their hearts, have a lively approach to unwrapping wrapped gifts, often grabbing the package, ripping the paper off in a hurry, crumpling it into a ball, and tossing it into the trash. On the other hand, I have always been meticulous about cutting the tape carefully, unfolding the paper neatly, and preserving it for potential reuse. This difference in styles often leads to some interesting aspects of opening presents. They will sometimes grab my packages and rip them to shreds, or my son will tear my neatly folded paper in half, claiming that the paper will soon end up in the trash anyway.

These differing techniques have resulted in some creative and challenging presentations for my gifts. I’ve seen gifts wrapped in such a way that the paper tears if you even look at it, and I’ve even received gifts that have hidden seams with tape underneath the paper to prevent me from cutting it properly. Yet, I still insist on cutting the paper without tearing and folding it neatly, maintaining this tradition from my childhood.

The Gift Opening Ritual

We follow a turn-based system when opening gifts. Typically, our daughter gets to pick one first, and then we take turns opening presents throughout the gathering. However, our approach to gift-giving has evolved over the years.

Changing Traditions Over Time

Back in the old days, we would open gifts from our mother in the days leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Santa would visit during our Christmas Eve service, allowing us to open our gifts as soon as we got home. On Christmas Day, we would head over to our grandparents' house, where each of us had a special stocking bearing our name and different designs. We would also partake in a secret Santa exchange, with each parent drawing names from a hat or bowl at Thanksgiving, ensuring one gift per child.

With the years, our family has embraced different traditions. After my siblings moved away, the family dynamics shifted, and we now opt for a White Elephant gift exchange. This method adds an element of fun, humor, and unpredictability to the gift-opening process.

Additionally, this year marks a bittersweet moment for the family. My grandmother has passed away, and my grandfather is transitioning to a new living situation. He will continue to live in a community part of a nursing home but will move into assisted living where he can come and go as he pleases and still take his car. This change brings a mix of emotions and a need for the family to adjust and support each other through this transition.

Our family's unwrapping and gift-opening traditions are rich with history and personal touches. From meticulously preserving wrapping paper to embracing new exchanges, each year brings new challenges and joys, making Christmas a truly magical event for us.

Note: This article discusses the various unwrapping and gift-opening traditions within a family during the Christmas season, emphasizing both the old and new practices that bring joy and uniqueness to the celebration.