Presents from Santa

Updated on December 28, 2010
C.Z. asks from Elgin, IL
35 answers

Just curious...

Do you wrap the gifts from Santa and place them under your tree for your kids to open on Christmas Morning? OR

Do you take all of the toys out of their original packaging, put them together, add batteries then place them under the tree for your kids to see first thing Christmas Morning?

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone. We wrap all of our presents too with different "Santa' wrapping paper for each child. A friend of mine told me the other day that they don't wrap Santa presents and I had never heard of that before so i was just curious to see how many people out there do this.

Anyway, wishing you all a Very Happy Holiday!

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D.P.

answers from Raleigh on

While reindeer travel is a step in the right direction, Santa is still working diligently on his carbon footprint. Therefore, this year, he will be foregoing the wrapping. :)

5 moms found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Wrapped and IN or under STOCKINGS. :)

If batteries are needed those will also be tucked in stockings.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

This year.... my Daughter has asked Santa for a REAL rabbit, a Mountain of her own.... and 20K.
Do NOT know how I will wrap that or explain 'why' Santa did not get her that.... Anyone have any ideas??????????

My son, well he's just 4 and asked for toys. Which is easy.

Anyway, we wrap them as is... from the store, and put them by the fireplace.

all the best,
Susan

4 moms found this helpful

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Our tradition growing up, and what I am doing with my baby is:
Everything is wrapped. You get to open pajamas on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning you get to open your stocking, then eat breakfast, then open gifts. Mom always passed the gifts out so Santa's would be last.
They never put batteries in anything, thats what would keep us (and whichever parent wasn't cooking) busy.
Marry Christmas! =)

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

We would wrap the toys from Mr. Claus in tissue paper and put them in (or around) the stockings. The rationale was that the stocking was hiding the wrapping anyhow so it didn't need to be fancy. But the presents under the tree from family and friends were decked out in everything fancy.

S. Claus installed the batteries for the toys he delivered. It just isn't right to have to go find - or even wait for - batteries on Christmas morning if you don't have to!

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B.S.

answers from Saginaw on

Wrapped, if my kids are anything like my siblings and I when they get a tad bit older, they will be awake before us, and I don't want to miss the surprise from the gifts.

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J.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

We wrap everything for our kids to open. Opening presents is a huge part of the excitement of Christmas Day.

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R.Y.

answers from New York on

In our family growing up stockings and any unwrapped gift was fair game to be looked at and played with before everyone was up and ready to unwrap the wrapped gifts. I have very little ones still (2 and 4.5) so I have 1 big or special present for each child unwrapped, put together and ready to go. If there are other things they are wrapped and opened together as a family.

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J.B.

answers from Atlanta on

We don't wrap ours -they're placed under the stockings and around the tree -usually ready to go, but sometimes, depending on what it is -we leave it in the package.

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K.N.

answers from Austin on

Depends on what it is. Typically, everything is out of the box (why would the elves package toys in boxes?), unwrapped, assembled and ready for play. Placed somewhere between the tree and the stockings/fireplace.

However, some items might be wrapped with a name tag. Like, books or stuffed animals, etc. If there are multiple kids and the possibility that its intended owner might not be perceived by the children, then I'd wrap it. However wrapping is tricky--because Santa doesn't have the same wrapping paper as mom! So I have to hide that paper too and get rid of any remaining after Christmas.

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S.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am surprised at how many people do not wrap Santa presents. We wrap everything and put batteries that are needed in the stockings. Not wrapping might work for some, but what about if your kids are closer in age and it could get very confusing as to what gift is for who... I do agree about wrapping paper waste, I try to use gift bags and reuse from year to year.

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I.*.

answers from Columbus on

I didn't realize people didn't wrap gifts. It's just something my family has always done and my husband's family. We have so many great memories growing up and helping my mom wrap gifts (after we found out our parents were Santa). There were five of us kids so there was a ton to wrap and even more when we all started having kids.

At our house my husband and I always take a night or two to wrap all of the gifts, every single one. We get a bottle of wine and listen to Christmas music while we wrap gifts. I look at the toys to see how many batteries we need and stock up so we have them.

Merry Christmas!

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K.S.

answers from New York on

We do a little of both. Some of the bigger ones (the tent, bike, etc) we put not wrapped and all the smaller stuff wrapped. This was there's the initial excitement, then they realize they can already see (aka play) with one of the gifts in case we put together any of the smaller ones.

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

We open and put batteries in what we can and then return to packaging and wrap. For the big stuff that needs assembly, we wrap packaging and then the kids get to help Dad while he has enough headach while trying to read the instructions as it is ;)

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M.H.

answers from Harrisburg on

My family has always wrapped gifts and i do it the same way for my daughter. :)

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T.F.

answers from Eugene on

I'm wrapping the Legos from Santa in separate wrapping paper and we got our son a (stupid) pillow pet. Since that thing is going to be kinda hard to wrap - we are going to just stick a (Green - favorite color) bow on it and set it out.

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D.S.

answers from Tulsa on

no wrapping and yes to putting them together out of the box. boxes sometimes give it away.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

No wrapping in our house. We set up most of the toys...most, but not all are taken out of the package and ready to play with. (My son got a lego set this year, that will stay in the box, games and puzzles stay put too). This is how it was for both me and my hubby. We like to see the excitement, immediate recognition and not knowing what to play with first. :) On top of that we do not like the paper waste of all that wrapping paper.

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K.C.

answers from Orlando on

My presents from Santa were always wrapped or hidden around the house...my dad worked midnights and we had to wait until he got home at 7 to open presents...so Santa didn't want us to see what the presents were.

I guess Santa didn't start wrapping presents until I was 4 or 5 but I only remember them being wrapped.

I have 2 sisters so Santa used a different wrapping paper for each of us so we knew whose presents were whose. Then there were always a big gift and a couple little gifts for all of us. Usually Santa sent us on a scavenger hunt for these big gifts with clues hidden around the house. That was one of my favorite parts of Christmas...I can't wait for my girls (2 and due in March) to be old enough for that!!!

The Santa at our house wraps presents because my daughter LOVES the wrapping paper!

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L.R.

answers from Chicago on

Wow - I'm surprised how many parents don't wrap their gifts. I never thought about that. We wrap the gifts and only the big ones do we leave unwrapped. Every year we get our daughter something big and that is unwrapped, but everything else is wrapped. I love the look on her face as she opens each gift.

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L.S.

answers from Spokane on

My girls only get 1 present from Santa (usually a large one to share) and their stockings and yes, we set it up in front of the tree, ready to go, so it's the first thing they see.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

with my daughter (who is highly spoiled) is this. what gifts come from santa is what is in her stocking. this year will be her first year that she will have a large santa gift. she asked for a barbie i can be a vet play set and outfit from santa. we will put it together for her and have it ready for her that morning when she wakes due to having to wait for family to come to our house.

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M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

EVERYTHING gets wrapped in our house. Except for this year. And even then, I still might. The kids are getting a 7ft air hockey table for the basement, so it will be there...I may buy a few rolls to just cover it up - or just put a really big bow on it!

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

Everything Santa has brought under the tree is wrapped, in special Santa paper.The stockings have a few things on top that Santa placed there..

Large Items will have a bow and a tag from Santa..

We have a huge stash of batteries in a special drawer, so we wait till the gift has been opened and then offer to place them in the toy..

We "allowed" our daughter to wake us up on Christmas morning and take us into the living room to see what Santa brought! The only gift we pre put together was the Trampoline that we gave her one year.. We spent Christmas eve in the back yard putting that together after daughter fell asleep.. . Great memories!
Merry Christmas!

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T.S.

answers from Sacramento on

My son just gets the one thing he discussed with Santa. All out of any packaging, put together, ready to go. It's with his stocking: either in, or under depending on size (last year a play kitchen, this year an umbrella). The gifts from me are wrapped under the tree.

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P.D.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Ours were never wrapped. We didnt wrap my DH's this year either. We used to lay out all our presents we had got already at our Christmas Eve party so that Santa would know what we had already gotten. Then he put out the new presents separately. Most of them not wrapped but still in the boxes.

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F.W.

answers from Miami on

In our house Santa doesn't wrap his presents. He has enough to do. lol

C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Growing up, Santa gifts were never wrapped. He just put them under the tree unwrapped and ready to play with. There were usually a few toys under the tree and those are what caught our eyes in the beginning! My parents told me as I got older how much fun it was to set up the Barbie pool or Legos after we were asleep so I look forward to that with my husband!

In his house, all gifts were wrapped even the Santa ones.

We have decided to combine our efforts and some will be wrapped and some will be unopened. Gifts in stockings are sometimes wrapped, or sometimes just stuffed in there.

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

My childhood Santa gifts were never wrapped.

My husband's were so he insists that we do wrap them for our kids.

Gotta pick my battles.

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C.C.

answers from Chicago on

We do wrap the Santa gifts for the kids, but always in different wrapping paper than the rest of the gifts and with different bows as well. Happy Holidays!

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A.G.

answers from Boston on

I (normally) wrap everything that doesn't go in the stocking. This year I am not wrapping the snowshoes because that would be hard to wrap or even find a bag big enough for them. Instead I will hide them behind the tree and under other presents.

L.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think it's funny that people are so surprised that santa doesn't wrap presents at some houses... I'm surprised that santa DOES wrap presents at so many houses--- how do the kids know which one is from Santa and which is from mom or dad? Or is everything just from santa claus?

When I was a kid my parents would pick something out for us and wrap it before christmas. It would be under the tree (along with relatives gifts) wrapped for weeks before christmas. We could speculate about what was inside, count the presents, get excited.... Then on christmas E. my parents would bust out all the santa stuff (after we went to bed they would assemble it all and set it up nicely). Each of the four of us kids would walk into the living room to find everything santa had left out for us. SO EXCITING! To walk in and see all those toys for you---- it's like toyland.
We would look at and play with our santa toys (santa would put each stocking next to each person's toys so there was no confusion)... we would show each other what santa brought us.... After a while we would all open presents under the tree together.
I have such amazing memories of "walking in" and seeing those toys that I had to put my foot down when my husband wanted to wrap santa's toys.... He gets it now--- why I like to set it up. The surprise and smile on our son's face is just priceless.
For instance, this year santa brought my son this big wooden pirate ship complete with pirates and cannons and all sorts of small parts. It took a while to put together, but then we set it up in front of the tree. So when my son walked in to the room that was the first thing he saw. Otherwise, it would have been in a box wrapped up but he wouldn't even get to play with it until hours later when my husband had put it together....

That's just the way we do it but I think it makes Santa Claus extra special--- he's a showman!

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S.H.

answers from Huntsville on

I kinda do a combination of the 2 ideas. It depends on the toy, but this year I have opened several of the toys to get them ready, and then I put them back in the box & wrap it. They love to rip open the paper, so they have to be wrapped!! lol

For example, I got her the Leapfrog Leapster Explorer & some games & the charger. So, I opened the system, installed the software on the computer (must be done before you play), and put her profile on it with her name. I also took the plastic wrap & tape off the games' boxes. And I actually took the charger out of its box, swapped the battery pack, charged it, and just put the charger in the same box as the system.

Also got her a Lego set which had the pieces divided into 8 numbered bags that corresponded with the instructions. I took the Legos out of their plastic bags & put them into numbered ziplock bags.

This makes it easier for her to just open & play. Plus, I've already thrown away all that extra packaging, so it won't be all over the floor Christmas morning!!

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D.K.

answers from State College on

Growing up most of ours were unwrapped from Santa. There were usually one or two wrapped as well. Nothing was usually put together yet, that way once everyone was done opening and we had had breakfast Dad would put (with a little help from me and my brother) any big toys together. Our stockings were hung in a different room, you could see them from the tree but they were by the fire place. I always got my and did it before checking out everything else, while my brother always looked at everything else unwrapped and then his stocking.

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

no wrapping put together most of them so they are ready to go!

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