opening presents

Lucy · Senior Member

opening presents

Juanita · Guru

I have never been to a birthday party that the kid DIDN'T open their presents there, and that includes the parties I went to growing up. We've always opened presents and then we eat cake and ice cream.

I have never even heard of kids waiting until they get home to open them

So when the kid opens all the presents up at home, do they call everyone and thank them, send them thank you notes or what?

-- Edited by Juanita on Sunday 7th of November 2010 08:08:52 AM

-- Edited by Juanita on Sunday 7th of November 2010 08:09:39 AM

CoffeeQueen · Guru

The norm here is to open gifts. Kids like to see the gifts opened and get excited when they open their gift. If it was a big kid party then I have seen them not do it because they have activities planned, etc. We always open gifts here. However, we have mostly family parties.

Robin · Guru

At the majority of the parties we've attended, the kids opened the presents at the party. The only exception was one party at Pump It Up because the playing and cake-eating took too long. They charge an outrageous fee if you go over your party-time so the parents took the gifts home to open.

Sonya · Guru

I'd say the norm here is to open at the party.

That said, we had the kids party this year at the beach and because we invited everyone from both classes (18 and 27 = we got about 25) we asked for food bank donations instead of presents. A couple of people did bring presents (a few whose birthday party we went to) and we told them thank you so much and that we'd open them at home so no one would feel bad for not bringing something.

Juni · Guru

I think it just depends. We've always opened presents at the party except for last year. But it was a situation where we went to a place and wanted to let the kids use the time to play and do cake and ice cream instead of sitting around watching the boys open presents. I don't think they minded because it was hard enough pulling them out of the play place.

What I didn't like about it is that we did the party after school ended and had no way of getting thank you's to them. In retrospect, I should have had thank you notes all ready to go saying thanks for coming to the party and celebrating but I didn't think of that.

Every other time though they've opened presents at the party. All the parties we went to last year (Gavin's preschool) were done at a place and they brought the presents home to open.

muffy · Guru

15 years of kids and god knows how many birthday parties and they always open at the party.

I think the kid giving the gift also likes to see their friends reaction when they open it.

sbucking · Guru

We have always opened during the party. However, at Kaylin's party last summer we ran out of time so we opened once everyone left and it was so nice!!

kdrew · Guru

The norm here is to not open the presents. I think that's just so the kids have max amount of time doing the party stuff, like if they're at pump it up or somewhere where there is a time limit.

I have seen both ways though and I think these days both are fine. I've never heard anyone complain about the kids not opening the gifts at the party because frankly, now on kid 3, I just want to get the hell out of there as fast as I can and opening presents just prolongs everything. LMAO.

That said, if it was more of a family party at home, with older people who really enjoy seeing the kids open the presents that they've brought, I would have them open them in front of everyone. This is how our parties were when our kids were younger, now it's all kids, no adults. And I mean NO adults. The parents drop off and high tail it out of there.

And another thing. With the high energy of a birthday party, I think it's nice to let the kids open the presents later when everyone is gone and things have calmed down. It kind of prolongs their birthday.

Corey · Guru

i personally hate going to parties where the child does not open the gifts. i love to see their reaction to what i got. it is the norm here to open them at the party, but one family i know does it after and they also don't send thank you notes. if a child opens the gift in front of me and thanks me then i'm fine with it, but if you open it alone then i expect a thank you in the mail.

Cuppycake · Guru

There would probably be a riot around here if kids didn't open the presents... People love to see the reactions, and it's just not the same hearing about how much they liked it. I assume we'll usually do that, but maybe as she gets older and isn't dying to open them, and they are playing, and parents stop staying, it won't be as necessary.

Supafly · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

The norm here is to open gifts. Kids like to see the gifts opened and get excited when they open their gift. If it was a big kid party then I have seen them not do it because they have activities planned, etc. We always open gifts here. However, we have mostly family parties.

This is us too. Most people would be upset if the gifts were not opened at the party. In fact, last night, my BFF's baby was getting fussy so they needed to cut out, and she asked Kate to open their gift first-that happens a lot with our friends and family.

I have been to parties, like at Rolly Pollies and such, where you only have 2 hours tops, and presents were not opened, and my kids always comment on the fact that presents were not opened. Kids like to see the birthday child open their present.

I personally don't like when people take the gifts. And we have not gotten thank you notes for gifts that were given at parties where presents were not opened there, which bothers me a bit, but we send thank you notes even though the kids have already thanked people in person, so maybe this is just something in our family.

crystal · Guru

all the parties i went to in The Netherlands, the gifts were saved for later. but, all the ones in the US they've always been opened at the party.

kris · Guru

Having 3 kids and having given about 22 birthday parties for them there is only one time that one of my kids didn't open the presents at the party and that was a Chuck E Cheese party and there were lots of kids attending and lots of presents and time just did not allow for us to remain in the party area and open presents. We loaded them up and took them home. I think it was John's 2nd party and perhaps our party hostess didn't have it planned correctly time wise.

I think the other little party attenders get lots of joy out of watching the birthday child open the present they brought. I know my kids really enjoy that part of the party.

I can say that John's 2nd birthday party might be the last party where I have known exactly what gift came from what person!! It is usually super chaos!

a_mastermom · Guru

I guess I am in the minority, but my kids have never been to a party where the presents were opened, unless it was a family party. We have been to tons of friend's birthday parties - Chuck E Cheese, bouncy places, indoor sports places, hair salons, even McDonald's and the presents were never opened - not once.

Lucy · Senior Member

Juanita wrote:

I have never been to a birthday party that the kid DIDN'T open their presents there, and that includes the parties I went to growing up. We've always opened presents and then we eat cake and ice cream.

I have never even heard of kids waiting until they get home to open them

So when the kid opens all the presents up at home, do they call everyone and thank them, send them thank you notes or what?

-- Edited by Juanita on Sunday 7th of November 2010 08:08:52 AM

-- Edited by Juanita on Sunday 7th of November 2010 08:09:39 AM

We ALWAYS send thank you notes. I'm always a little miffed when people don't send a thank you. I have one friend who took the unopened gifts home and made her daughter write out thank you notes for each gift as she opened them - she wasn't allowed to open the next gift til the note for the last one was finished. It took her about 2 months to send ours - I think it is hilarious and a weird form of self torture - cannot imagine getting Joe to do that, it is hard enough just to get him to sign his name at the bottom.

Lucy · Senior Member

Robin wrote:

At the majority of the parties we've attended, the kids opened the presents at the party. The only exception was one party at Pump It Up because the playing and cake-eating took too long. They charge an outrageous fee if you go over your party-time so the parents took the gifts home to open.

That is a major gripe of mine with Pump It Up, I really detest that they just have the skip by the door for you to put it into. I think you should at least have to hand it to the birthday child initially - some sort of interaction.

Lucy · Senior Member

Sonya, I love the idea of a food bank donation. I wish dh or my kids would go for it.

Lucy · Senior Member

kdrew wrote:

The norm here is to not open the presents. I think that's just so the kids have max amount of time doing the party stuff, like if they're at pump it up or somewhere where there is a time limit.

I have seen both ways though and I think these days both are fine. I've never heard anyone complain about the kids not opening the gifts at the party because frankly, now on kid 3, I just want to get the hell out of there as fast as I can and opening presents just prolongs everything. LMAO.

That said, if it was more of a family party at home, with older people who really enjoy seeing the kids open the presents that they've brought, I would have them open them in front of everyone. This is how our parties were when our kids were younger, now it's all kids, no adults. And I mean NO adults. The parents drop off and high tail it out of there.

And another thing. With the high energy of a birthday party, I think it's nice to let the kids open the presents later when everyone is gone and things have calmed down. It kind of prolongs their birthday.

Thanks for making me feel better. And yes if we were having the party at home or with lots of family around then absolutely we would open them in front of them but we always do parties at the park or splash pad or Pump It Up.

Lucy · Senior Member

Supafly wrote:

CoffeeQueen wrote:

The norm here is to open gifts. Kids like to see the gifts opened and get excited when they open their gift. If it was a big kid party then I have seen them not do it because they have activities planned, etc. We always open gifts here. However, we have mostly family parties.

This is us too. Most people would be upset if the gifts were not opened at the party. In fact, last night, my BFF's baby was getting fussy so they needed to cut out, and she asked Kate to open their gift first-that happens a lot with our friends and family.
I have been to parties, like at Rolly Pollies and such, where you only have 2 hours tops, and presents were not opened, and my kids always comment on the fact that presents were not opened. Kids like to see the birthday child open their present.
I personally don't like when people take the gifts. And we have not gotten thank you notes for gifts that were given at parties where presents were not opened there, which bothers me a bit, but we send thank you notes even though the kids have already thanked people in person, so maybe this is just something in our family.

Similar has happened to us to where an odd one out of the party has come over at the end and said can we open their present here because there is a story to it or they wanted to see their face when they opened it, rather than do it at home. I have no problem with it.