Christmas-rather off topic but i'm wondering if it really is a french thing...

From the time I can remember I was always woken up at 11:45 xmas eve to begin opening presents...and as i got older and more children were brought into the family our unwrapping of presents were now around 8-9pm xmas eve...well this has been happening for as long as i can remember. I want Cameron to open his gifts with us(my parents are coming xmas eve) that night...and in the am open santas gifts..his dad wants to be here regardless in the am prior to going to his moms...I am not allowing my son alone there so I too am going. Well, the ex thinks that its stupid to open any gifts on xmas eve and that its just a stupid french thing...is he right??

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50%

 (10) 

Open Gifts on X-mas Eve

50%

 (10) 

Open Gifts X-mas morning

20 Members voted

[BryLo]

You should go with your family tradition...no ones traditions are stupid and I wouldn't sterotype it to be a french thing...its a personal thing.
He can have his and you can have yours.

[jenntanis]

My family used to open my Christmas presents from my one set of grandparents on Christmas eve, and the other set on Christmas day after we opened our gifts from Santa.  I don't think it's stupid at all, and it's not a French thing.  That just worked out well with my family, and we knew it to be that way for many years.

[Kim1989]

i always got to open 1 gift on christmas night as a child.....uh and last year

[Trialanderror]

Christians in most European countries open presents on the 24th, not just the French. Some open them on January 6th. And only in England, Ireland, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Quebec) and South Africa are presents opened on the 25th. So he is not completely right but definitely narrow-minded..

[misslollipop]

being from a european back ground all the pressies get opened on xmas eve, it works well cause Jhett get to open his with all the family around and then the kids go to their mums place for xmas day with there family.

[misslollipop]

plus i live in australia, so keep in the family tradition

[tiredbuthappy]

my family still sticks to our European tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve (I'm not not French by the way).

Since my daughter is also American, I'm kinda blending traditions. On Christmas Eve, she will receive her gifts from the angels (angels brought me my gifts as a child- we had no Santa). On Christmas morning, she will open gifts Santa left, including whatever will be in her stocking. She's going to have the best of both worlds. this also works out well since we spend Christmas Eve with 1 side of the fam, and Christmas day with the other. All sides get to experience the excitement of her opening gifts.

[AndiJ78]

My family split custody, so at my real mom's we would do X-mas Eve then go to my dad's and open ours from him on X-mas.

Seems many people I know will allow opening of at least one special gift on X-mas eve.

I like the idea of spreading it out. In fact we usually allow the kids to open the gift my mom sends to them on X-mas eve.

[jenstam]

I always let my kids open one gift on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day.

[treazzure007]

had no idea it was a french thing...my family always has a huge christmas party and christmas birthday celebration ( a cousin's) on christmas eve night.  we bring our gifts from home and gifts to give and open them then so of course i voted christmas eve

[mamaofonetrying42]

Since when I can remember we have always opened gifts on xmas eve as well! Just the gifts from sister to sister Or sister to mom, mom to dad, ect.....This is an always! Well, Hubby side does the same thing as well! And xmas morring is just santa's gifts!

[vsentz]

In Mexico we actually have dinner at 12 am.... and theeeen open the gifts (Xmas eve). Since I moved up here, I met this wonderful couple (in the 50s) and she is from Bolivia, he is American. We come visit them every Xmas eve and do the 12 am gift thing. We have a blast! we just keep eating up till midnight and then unwrap the gifts...
Unfortunately this year, they have to work and do a bunch of other things and won't be able to do so, but we are still coming to visit them tonight and we'll exchange gifts earlier and let Maddie unwrap hers when we come back home. Then tomorrow we visit our oldest family member: our DEAR and very handsome (and a womanizer!) grandfather who is 87 years old and we all have a huge get together at his house, exchange gifts and... yeah! more eating!!! hehehe
urgh.... I think my pants have shrunk.....

[mysty2001]

my parents are french - we never did this?  But who knows..  
make traditions you and hubby like and agree on!

[tarrah87]

we use to open one gift on christmas eve until a few years back then we started exchanging gifts with my aunt and her family on christmas eve then do our family gifts on christmas day. just depends i guess on tradition.