So we had a rough Christmas this last year. 5 days before Christmas I was sick to the point I had to go to the ER because I was vomiting blood. With that late night we still had school events that we (by “we” I mean my wife) needed to prepare with the gift exchanges, outfits, and snacks.
On top of all that my kids decided that for the whole week before Christmas they would be the lightest sleepers in the world and not want to go to bed on time, or stay in there room alone. So one of us was constantly sitting in there.
We’ve come to the realization that for now on we need to start wrapping gifts early. The following is our plan and if you have been in the same predicament I hope it helps you too.
Sort As You Go
If you have more then 1 kid then sort the gifts ahead of time. Sort between the kids but also between what will be coming from you and what will be coming from the big guy.
Have Dedicated Bins
Dedicated bins or totes can help you keep their gifts sorted in a way that make since to you. Maybe its just by kid. Maybe it’s what
Make An Excel Sheet As You Go
Take pictures, discription, how much you spent on it. Share it between you and your spouse so you both know what everyone is getting. It’ll also give you an Idea on how much time you are going to need. It’ll also give you a good idea on how much you are spending per a child. If you would like to know more about how much parents usually spend check out my post on How Much Money Do Parents Spend On Christmas-With Tips
Wrap Santa’s Gifts 1st
My wife had the great idea to wrap Saint’s gifts first and started it the night before. So even though we ran out of time with our gifts (Mostly clothes) we still kept the magic alive with having all of Saint’s Gifts out.
2nd Wrap The “Wow”
The 2nd most important things to wrap is the big gifts from you. Wrapping the “WOW” presents from you is just as important as Santa’s gifts. You want your kids to know you care and do think of them. Kids do put a lot of stock in receiving gifts. No matter how much we say it’s the thought that counts and it’s not how much you spend. We’ve all seen it or felt it. A really great gift from someone you love can make you feel like they really love and understand you. So wrap those presents 2nd.
Fill The Stockings
There isn’t much you can do on this one as far as doing it in advanced unless you have a tradition where you don’t put them up and they just appear the next morning. If like me your kids wake up while your wrapping and see them filled you caught. What we ended up doing is having everything sorted so we can just quickly fill and go to bed.
Remember Next Year To Wrap Earlier
Duh.. Well we always say it and something comes up. We’ve thought and discussed this to length on all the different ways we can do this without getting caught. We can’t wrap to far in advanced because we have Specific Santa wrapping paper. Let me tell you your kids remember that stuff too.
If all else fails and you are still out of time in the end.
Bag It
You can take that two ways.
- Gift bags are a great way to keep the tree area looking nice. It also makes it so they are still opening one at a time and fills the area to look like a lot.
- One giant bag for whatever you couldn’t get to in time. I always suggest you have one on hand. They are also great for those awkward items that by the end of the night your just don’t want to wrap.
Large Boxes
Just like bagging it you can box it. We do this for the gifts the kids from their grandparents. Instead of wrapping their kids we just throw or leave it in the large box and wrap that. Saves tons of time and frustration.
I’ve even seen where parents have put them in large crates in the backyard with a bow and card that was from “Santa” when they’ve ran out of time.
Stick A Bow On It
We do this for larger items, stuffed animals, and when we have too much from Santa and are realizing we will run out of time if we keep wrapping Santa’s gifts.
Start A New Tradition
This is a chance for you to start a new tradition.
Spread the gifts you give out throughout Christmas Day. We did this and the kids loved it. I’ll be honest we did too.
Typically once the present unwrapping starts, it’s done in a flash. What I loved about spreading it throughout the day it allowed them to enjoy playing with a few present at a time.
In the end if you failed to get it done in time following some of these tips can help make it a little less awkward and hopefully create funny memories and maybe even a few new traditions.
As my parting words, let me tell you a story of the funniest, most tramatizing, best Christmas I had as a kid.
When I was 13 years old, my little sister was 6. My mother was a single mother working 3 jobs one being a bartender. She happened to be working Christmas Eve this particular year and didn’t get home until well after 3am.
Christmas morning arrived, and I being the first up, came flying down the stairs and and turned to see squat under the tree. Not just nothing from my mom but NOTHING at all. No stockings, no presents, just bupkis.
Now I knew Santa wasn’t real but I still had a twinge of belief in the magic of not really knowing. I mean I never caught my mom and she never actually told me he didn’t exist.
Well, that morning what magic I had left was no more. I walked upstairs to wake my mother up. Not that I was upset with her. I knew how hard she worked and how tired she was. I woke her up to tell her she forgot to fill the stockings because I didn’t want my sister to see it. She asked me to fill the stockings and put everything, which was already wrapped, under the tree. I made sure I was as quite as possible so I wouldn’t wake my sister.
Once everyone was up we all opened presents. However, when it came to the stockings it was a mess. I got everything mixed up and my mom was trying to do damage control by saying “Oh, I think Santa put those in the wrong stockings” as she managed to get everyone’s stocking fillings to the right person.
Honestly, it’s really one of the only Christmas I remember. Not because of how bad it went or how the last of my Christmas magic was gone but how I did my part in helping my little sister belief in Santa stay intact. I guess if you think about it I discovered a new magic. One that is created by keeping the magic alive in others.
I hope these tips help and if you have other ideas on what to do when you run out of time drop them in the comments below.
