[loveajax]

I am cracking up at the plethora of "options!"

DD is getting really only 2 big gifts this year (too big to wrap) and prob some small junk. So I may prevail!!!

Btw, we were not rich growing up, but my parents really did it up for Christmas...including assembling everything, etc. The "wonder" of walking into the living room on Xmas morning...whoohooo!!! (I am now "sad" ....wishing that there were different piles...poor only child DD!!!).

[aclee]

BIG stuff gets assembled and a huge bow...everything else gets wrapped...

[4everwaiting]

Originally Posted by binkybear

Oh , I second that and thought Santa would only do Mylar for purely Santa-ish reasons..shine factor and all

One other note of caution- I'm almost positive that Helium is highly flammable. Please keep them away from open flames ie: fireplace, candles etc...

I love the idea of helium balloons attached to Santa gifts.

[buttascotchbaby]

I feel so clueless! I have never heard of unwrapped presents at Christmas. Isn't a big part of the gifts the surprise factor, not knowing what your present is until you open it? Its funny, I just never knew Not only do we wrap but we do some "trick" wrapping too especially since my sons are older. This year one of them is getting a new iPod and since the size of the box it comes in would be a dead giveaway I have wrapped the iPod (in the original box) and then put it inside a bigger shoe box and wrapped that so that it will be a true surprise

[Betelnut]

In our family, Santa's presents are unwrapped. Gifts from Mom and Dad are wrapped.

[thanksgivingmom]

Wrapped.

Absolutely, no questions.

BUT in a different paper, preferabbly with pictures of Santa on them. Presents from Mom or Dad is just red or green or with trees or something else.

Two stacks: My stack will have green bows, my sisters will have red for easy distinguishing. (Don't remember how we did it when all eight kids lived together, but now we get the royal treatment!)

Very large presents (ex. bikes) obviously not wrapped, yes on the bow (Mom's a HUGE fan of bows).

[nikkianni]

Originally Posted by zxczxcasdasd

Does Santa have access to mylar balloons?

okay...back to topic.

P.S. Are you kidding me with the train around the tree and the kitten? Pretty crummy childhood, huh?

Oh mylar without a doubt! She doesn't acknowledge any other kind. The kid is seriously spoiled, we know this.
She's getting a rocking elephant and a chair that's her size and I plan on getting holiday-themed mylar balloons and tying them to those. If we get her the wagon full of blocks I'll probably do one on those too.

As for the train and kitten: Nope, true story. Christmas was the one time a year we were shamelessly spoiled. Not that the rest of the year was so rough....

[binkybear]

Originally Posted by nikkianni

As for the train and kitten: Nope, true story. Christmas was the one time a year we were shamelessly spoiled. Not that the rest of the year was so rough....

Us too My parents went all out for Christmas in so many good ways, but we weren't spoiled in the gimme gimme way..it was so cool the way the did it all. Like I said before my hub still says sits on the couch at Christmas saying spolied but he's benifiting big time now too.....so what-ever! (and we give back without question, that was instilled all year long)

Oh my gosh I'll never forget my mom coming home from Christmas shopping with a box with holes in it and saying she had an early present for us....our first kitten ever popped out! Hub and I puppysat for our nieghbors puppy a few Christmas Eve's ago. I had 3 hours with the cuteest snuggliest little puppy ever while thier kids went to sleep. I can't wait to start these memories with our family!!!!

[paigeturner]

Wrapped, unless too big; with Santa using different wrapping paper.

I hate wrapping presents! It's the worst chore ever. But now I use gift bags! Love them!

[SupaModel]

Originally Posted by Stormster

What do you mean around the house? I'm liking that idea! For you to find in random places?

Our house was small (2 bd room apt) so she would just have them positioned all over the living room liked Santa dropped them off and set everything up for me.

[kittymom]

Growing up, all the gifts from Santa were unwrapped. My sister and I each had separate piles (and still do) - otherwise there would be too much wailing, scratching, and kicking (at least back then)! We knew that Mom and Dad bought the wrapped presents and Santa brought the unwrapped ones. I liked having that distinction, though eventually that's what made me figure out the truth about Santa. As I got older, I got more curious and would ask Mom about every item, "Is this one from you or from Santa?" Eventually, the truth became obvious.

[lovemy2boys]

Thank goodness we weren't the only separate pile/separate colored paper family...

I was starting to feel abnormal

[finallyamom0310]

I know I am late here but we wrap everything but what is in the stocking. Santa's gift is different paper and I write with my left hand when they are old enough to realize. Of course this years is easy as DD won't realize and SS is old enough to know about Santa.

Our tradition is to keep the kids from looking at the gifts under the tree (mom did this to me) till after breakfast. That way the camera is ready, we are feed and the packages are opened to our hearts content. We will start this with DD probably next year or the following as getting a 21 month old to wait is impossible.

[crick]

Originally Posted by lovemy2boys

Thank goodness we weren't the only separate pile/separate colored paper family...

I was starting to feel abnormal

See, I thought everyone did this! LOL! I don't wrap the santa stuff, but I do wrap the kids gifts from us in different wrapping paper. Mostly I started that because it's a pita to do tags for all of them! Much easier to know whose is who by the paper.

[aclee]

My sister does two different wrappings for her two girls too. Her oldest (at almost 3) last year, said, "Santa is so organized Momma!"

My parents didn't do that, they did tags. More correctly, WE did tags, since we wrapped for each other. The two youngest in one room, wrapping for the two oldest and vice versa. Course, when both my sister and I were wrapping something, where both my older sisters were getting one of it, we knew we were getting one of it too!