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Posts: 8,574Since kids are gone and parents too we have developed this really bad habit of openeing things as they come in the door, even if they are for birthdays or Christmas.....we also tend to borrow holidays from any culture we can if it means goofing off and justifies opening a present early.
This morning I sent the hubs off to Sears, for a sale, and this is really bad, but he insisted, I didn't go with him.....had a whopper HA last night, and he didn't want it to come back.
So he has to drive 1 1/2 hours to Grants Pass to pick up his own Christmas gift, bring it home and then he says
"do I really have to wait?"
Well, what could I say-its not like it was a surprise! :lol:
Does anyopne else do this?
Just curious- are we weird are do you guys do stuff like this too?
Of course it also means that we still have to come up with something as a surprise.....cuz.....the kid in us has to have something to open......
Dilu
Flying Fur StudiosDilu, we do!!
I personally like suprises, but as soon as my boyfriend gets my gift, whatever occation, he MUST give it to me right away. Makes me crazy, but it just wouldn't be xmas without his nagging.
What did you get your hubby anyway?
Heather
Posts: 8,574He wanted a big tool chest with ball bearing drawers and big wheels to wheel around the garage, so that no matter which car is his project for the day he has everything right there.......
the garage is twice the size of the house! and with finesse and careful planning he can get 4 cars in it! but he can only work on one at a time and has to move at least one out to play cars.
Now I have to think of something else- I did enter a contest to win a case of Nutella- he would love that!!!
I will go cruise e-bay and see what I can come up with.....oh.....thats another topic 
LuxembearsOh Dilu, I can't stand it.....I used to peel at the tape of gifts under the tree when I was a kid. Naughty!
I also have a hard time holding back a gift for my kids. When I get them something I want to give it to them right away. :bday:...but I don't........most of the time anyway.... 
Men are Weird!! need i say more! :doh: :doh:
My hubs just went out and bought a new golf buggy so I can give it to him for Christmas, he's even ripped the box open already....
Surprise Honey!! look what i got you, yeah right!
hugs,
Denise.
LuxembearsMy husband never wants anything for Christmas. I think it is the farmer in him....very careful with money. He would rather see me spend the money on our children instead. He is the easiest person in the world to please.
Posts: 1,277Dilu, you are not alone.
I always have my shopping done early, so as soon as his presents are wrapped and under the tree the nagging begins. He whines like a 3-year old and I always give in. I make him leave at least one present for Christmas though.
Now I, on the other hand, like to wait for Christmas. Which is a good thing since he usually doesn't buy me anything until Christmas Eve!
Judi- I remember when I was a kid, the presents that were from mom & dad would go under the tree a week or two before Christmas. One year I remember we kids were home alone after school while the folks were still at work. Yup, we carefully untaped the presents to peek inside then retaped them. I know it ruined the surprise but we didn't care. I think the high we got from sneaking around like that lasted us until Christmas!
Past Time BearsOh yes, Dilu . . . that sounds very familiar!! 
We've resorted to giving each other a list, so there are no surprises, but we get what we want!
bears by beesley TMI used to take a razer blade and cut all the tape and unwrap, try on and what ever all of my gifts. Now I have not done this for years! I don't get to excited about presents anymore! I must be a hum bug or just plain OLD!
Many Hugs Louise
Bine-TeddiesSpeaking of Xmas and presents I notice some cultural differences. It seems, Americans, Canadians and Australians (anyone else?) put up their tree long before Xmas and have their presents under it. In Germany and Sweden (probably other European countries too?) we buy the tree on Christmas Eve or a fewdays before and take it in and decorate on Christmas Eve. We also celebrate that day in the evening (or afternoon) with a big dinner and gift opening. The presents are actually under the tree only for a very short time, between dinner and opening. Before that we hide them in the house.
As a child i tried to find the presents in my parent's closets and sometimes I found them. Didn't have to open any paper, because they wrapped them just before Christmas, but bought them a lot earlier.
Nowadays its just me and mu hubby and we usually know what we are giving each other (lots of books mainly), but we hide them until Xmas Eve. Even if we buy something for ourselves we out it away, so we ahev soemthing to play with on Xmas. One or other surprise we usually manage to give each other too, but most of the surprise gifts come form our siblings and parents.
The of course, we buy a lot of stuff during the year anyway, so Xmas is made special by holding off instead of buying.Kind of a reverse strategy if you know what I mean. :P
We've had our first snow yesterday, just a thin coat, but still not melted.
Huggies
Sabine
we may buy presents for ourselves, but we wait until the 'day' to open them......even with the kids gone. i am making my hubby a special gift for christmas, and i plan to take it with us for him to open in front of other people! he has no idea....hopefully i will get it done in time. :dance:
as for decorating the house and tree for christmas....i grew up in a family that waited until christmas eve to decorate the tree, my husband's family decorated long before christmas. so as the kids were growing up, we would alternate years until they were old enough and life got too hectic and we would decorate the tree about a week early. a tradition we have kept for over 30 years is that we go out together (with the dog) and cut down our tree....through snow, ice, negative temperatures or temperatures way too warm......it is a wonderful time and experience.......
Ellen
UKi don't like surprises very much but i do like to keep things to open ON the day. having said that tho I've already had my xmas presents from my mother. a pair of GORGEOUS CAT Boots which are lined in fur and are just Gorgeous and i love em (and we're actually a nightmare to get hold off a pair) . and a beautiful pair of gold ear-rings with 2 silver hearts hanging off chains !! 
Posts: 8,574:love:Please don't misunderstand- I sent him to Sears to get this.....I knew he wanted and needed it and it was $100.00 off this weekend only. I just didn't go because of health.
Now I want to find him somethings that he doesn't know about......it is so hard.
He doens't get nearly as curious as I, though. one year my mom cured me of this curiosity forever....I got nothing that she thought I had pried into.....yes, it was dismal.
He on the other hand loves to tease.....
He's a lot like my dad- who also never wanted anything. I think there are some men who take their roll of provider so seriously that it doesn't occur to them to want much.
I shall have to do some thinking
glad to know we are not alone out there.....I think you have a point Louise, about us getting older and maybe having less needs for surprises....well at least in hubs case.....
me? Bring on the bears!!!
:hug:
Baird'sBears
Head rush here . . .
My Hubs is the original 'just get me a pair of socks or something type'.
He approaches Christmas with a sense of blackest, bleakest doom, but seems to enjoy it once it arrives.
He rarely shops much before Christmas Eve, then panics, then gets into the spirit and spends too much. If I make a list, he buys me everything on it. If we declare a price limit to keep costs down, he's the first to exceed it. On the record, he hates the whole thing, but it doesn't always work out that way. I've never figured out (30 years and counting) just what's going on in his head, but we manage to get through this weird routine and have a great time every year.
But guess who gets blamed for the bills . . . ?
Eileen
Posts: 1,277My family always put up the tree shortly after Thanksgiving. Maybe a week or so before Christmas mom and dad would put presents under the tree that were just from them. Just a couple to get the kids excited. Most of the presents came from Santa which wouldn't make an appearance until Christmas morning.
Now, my fiancee, who is from Poland, would get the tree and decorate on Christmas Eve morning. They had their big dinner that same night. Sometime after dinner the kids would be occupied and the presents would be snuck in. A window would be left open to explain Santa's arrival and departure. Then all of the presents would be opened that night.
And now it's very weird for us. We put up the tree early the way I'm used to. We drive to Chicago (4 hrs. away) to be with his parents on Christmas Eve. There we do his family's traditions. Then on Christmas day we drive back home to have dinner with my family. So Santa doesn't have time to get to our house until Christmas night. I love the idea of Santa coming in the middle of the night so my daughter waits until the day after Christmas for her Santa presents!
Jare Hares & BearsWell let's see...
This year I got Zoe from the Toy Shoppe for my birthday from mom. But she got here well after my b-day. I am still waiting for Isabella.
I think since I have a few extra bucks I might buy mom a Z22 or a mini-refigerator for the sewing room, maybe both.
We like to keep cold pop and ice cream treats on hand. he he.
Christmas was never a big deal at our house.
My sister and I rarely asked for anything for Christmas.
I would look for my presents before hand but only on the years that I asked for something.
We usually open everything on Christmas Eve.
When I was in 1st grade, we had to make a Christmas wish list and I had the hardest time with it. I didn't want anything so I looked at the wish list of one of the girls in my class. I didn't know what to ask for. So I copied one of the things from her list, a play-dough fun factory. Really there wasn't anything I wanted. I think I listed crayons and colouring books. I was never a-hard-to-please-child, and I still am to this day. Maybe that comes from going to auctions and making playthings out of what I could find. Who knows?
Now as we have gotten older it is even harder to shop for everyone.
Gift cards are great! We usually get dad a gift card to Wal*Mart that way while he is on the road he can buy what he wants.
Mom usually gets upgrades to her computer or other "helpful" technology. Like a new telephone or answering machine.
Once in a while we might buy her an Emerald ring for Mother's Day.
