Thursday, December 24, 2009

The excitement can hardly be contained

Nick and I spent the evening last night wrapping the kids gifts, finally.  Up until now, they've been in shopping bags in the garage with a huge blanket simply thrown over them.  Oh the joys of having oblivious small children.

I wish I had gotten a better picture of our wrapping setup, but I only snapped a few because, well, I was busy being a super wrapping machine.  Here is the finished product, somewhat (and I do realize now how much cuter it would have been to snap a photo of the finished product actually under the tree.  I'm sure we'll get that obligatory shot tomorrow morning before the unwrapping begins.)

Do you wrap all your gifts in the same paper or different paper?  My parents (read: mom) always wrapped my gifts in one paper and my sister's in another.  And she wouldn't label them as they got put under the tree.  So Mindi and I would spend hours speculating on which paper was whose, though we never found out until Christmas morning.  I plan on starting this tradition with my kids.  So this year, though they are both Sesame Street, each child has their own print.

Side note: as an ongoing discussion in our house, answer me this.  Does Santa bring wrapped or unwrapped presents?  Also, does Santa bring ALL the presents or just ones for the kids?


A shot of Dad in action... he didn't like how [big] he looked in this photo, so we took another one...

Better, no?


Isn't this some of the cutest paper ever?  Carter saw it under the tree this morning and immediately sat down to adore it.  Score! 

So, other than stuffing some stockings and having Santa deliver his gifts this evening, we're all set.  I was telling Nick last night how excited I was.  And I can honestly say that I haven't thought once about what someone else might be getting me.  All my excitement is directed at seeing my children and other family members open their perfectly selected gifts that I have no doubt they'll love.  I've enjoyed Christmas as an adult in the past, and I've always been on the "it is better to give than to receive bandwagon" but seriously... having a three year old this year that truly seems to get it is making the anticipation and the excitement all the merrier.

Happy Christmas friends!

3 comments:

Grace Family said...

Love it! I am so with you... last night at my parents we watched Logan opening his gifts and my brother and I just watched in amazement, with my brother explaining, "He hasn't even had any sugar! He is simply high on life right now!" Then we both agreed that we didn't even need to open ours as watching him opening his was present enough! So fun with a three year old!

Oh, now on to your questions:
First let me say that I LOVE the idea of different paper for each kid! Gonna use that next year! And, how great that he noticed and loved the paper that you so perfectly selected.
Oh, yes, your question: We don't really do "Santa" presents, but I would say if it has to be put together, it needs to be completed and displayed (without wrapping paper) so that they can enjoy it right away. Does Santa bring them all? I don't think so... it's good for them to know you got them some and then just make the big thing off their list from the big man in red!
Just my thoughts... loved this post!

BTW: Just thought that you may not have really been asking for answers, but what the heck!?!?

Amy Pratt said...

Lori,

I LOVE the idea of different wrapping paper per kid...I am soooo going to do that next year! I don't know if this is how you are supposed to do Santa, but in our house, nothing in the stocking if wrapped (which is ALL from Santa, for EVERYONE). Then, there are gifts under the tree for the kids from us (maybe 2 each) then the rest are all from Santa, and we do wrap them...it make the "Christmas morning" festivites last longer!!! The gifts under the tree for me and Brian aren't from Santa! So confusing!!!

Have a GREAT new year!

Lorin said...

Santa brings unwrapped gifts, and just the big, really special gifts.

Logan's family does the different wrapping paper for each person too. I don't know why my family never thought of that! It's genius.