by Dee Cain

Created on: November 08, 2010

I don't know if it is fair to say opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve is better than Christmas morning. It is up to the individual families to choose a time that is right for them. Our family always opened presents on Christmas Eve, hence, it is a tradition we have continued with our own children and now grandchildren.

As a child growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Christmas Eve was the time to enjoy a ride around many city blocks and look at Christmas lights. This usually while making our way to relatives house to visit and receive our presents Santa had left under their tree before he came to our house. To a small child, that present meant we had behaved enough during the year that Santa would be stopping at our home before we got there. The anticipation would grow and we would get antsy toward the end of the visit.

Upon our return home, we would rush in the door to stare at the gifts under the tree. We couldn't figure out how Santa could get in the house and put the presents under the tree without our grandmother or sister seeing him. They both denied ever seeing him. Since Grandmother was confined to her bed which was always in the same room with the tree, it was hard to imagine her not seeing a jolly, fat man in a red suit. That mystery remains when we tell the tale to our own children.

Thus having our own children, we continued the Christmas Eve tradition. We go to chuch, looking at lights along the way. After church one of us would take the children around the small town we live in and upon their return they will find their presents under the tree. You would not think driving around looking at lights would afford much time for the parent at home but my husband has been stopped three times by local police officers for going to slow or they believed he was casing houses during these trips. That's one tradition that may be changed this year.

One of the advantages of our opening presents on Christmas Eve , it allows us to spend the evening with our grown children. Our house is one less place they have to worry about visiting for a long stretch of time on Christmas Day. We go to a family member's home for Christmas dinner and the grown children can pop in to visit, then go on to the next family get together. If they can't stay long at our gathering we understand. This takes some of the pressure off of them and also gives them the opportunity to spend time at their own homes on Christmas morning.

We also have the tradition of going visit our older children and grandchildren, who live two and a half hours away, for an early Christmas. We go out to dinner then open the presents when we get back to the hotel. Many times, due to finances and work schedules, there was no time for us all to get time to celebrate together. Compromising and planning have given us the joy of seeing our grandchildren open their presents, while relieving the parents of the stress of figuring out to be with us and their other families during the rush of the holiday season.

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