When I was a kid my brother, sister and myself would rise before the crack of dawn every single Christmas. Since my dad worked pretty hard the other 364 days of the year, he looked forward to sleeping in on Christmas morning, enjoying his cup of coffee and relaxing on the couch. As a kid, I didn’t really understand the philosophy behind this idea. These two competing ideas didn’t really mesh on Christmas morning.
My dad, being a very wise man, thought of a plan that allowed him to sleep in and us kids to get up early. I have adopted this idea for my own family and I have to say it works. I get to sleep in until at least 7am on Christmas morning, instead of getting up at 4 or 5am when my children wake up excitedly for the big day.
It starts with stockings. If you don’t do stockings you can still implement this plan, though you might have to make some modifications. In my house the kids can open their stocking gifts when they wake up, they don’t have to wait for the rest of the family. In each stocking is a clue written on a piece of paper. (If you have a big family use color coded paper so the kids don’t find each other’s clues) Each clue takes the child to another clue and finally after four or five clues there is a wrapped gift. The kids are allowed to open that one present as soon as they find it.
Make the clues as easy or as hard as depending on the child who is finding the present. My older children have really hard riddles in their stocking while my younger children have clues like:
I keep the dishes nice and clean. (dishwasher)
I sleep on a bed of hay. (baby Jesus in the nativity)
School books rest here. (book cubbies)
Now, the real key here is to make sure the present is something that they will play with for a few hours before waking you up, like a rubik’s cube or a puzzle. Over the past few years we have wrapped boxes of their favorite not so healthy cereal. This serves two purposes, it keeps them busy and they aren’t starving when they do finally wake you up.
For those of you who might think I am kidding, think again! This technique saved us two years ago when my boys woke up at 2AM ready to start the day. My husband came down stairs because he heard a noise only to find the boys happily eating their cereal and looking at the goodies from their stocking.
There is only one catch to this system. Do not start writing your clues at midnight on Christmas Eve. If you stay up until 3 AM writing clues it doesn’t make a difference if you get to sleep in.
This idea really works, you’ll thank me for it come December 26th. 🙂
Liz says
Sounds like a great plan.
Lana says
Oh. My. You are my BFF now! Why in the world, haven’t we thought of this sooner? One problem – my hubs is a BIG kid and can’t wait to wake up either. I still love the game and plan to use it for something! I love scavenger hunts!
Blessings to you,
lana @ ilovemy5kids
TheHappyHousewife says
Just make clues for your husband too, lol!
Heather says
That is a great idea. Did you do this when you only had young kids as well. I have a 2 and 4 year old, I am not sure they would be able to keep themselves occupied by themselves long enough yet, at least not without arguing. Not to mention the little one is still in diapers.
TheHappyHousewife says
you could always use picture clues. That is what we do with the little ones…
Moms sanity is making a comeback says
What a great idea! Thanks. 🙂
Southern Gal says
Nice idea. I usually am the one who wakes the house on Christmas morning, though. Hmmm. Maybe I can get the kids to use this idea for me!
Angela says
What a great idea. I’ll have to remember it when my son is old enough to have a “big boy” bed and go downstairs by themselves.
Todd says
As Toni’s little brother, I agree that my dad started a great tradition. It is something that I do with my kids every year as well, and they love it. In fact, just yesterday my middle son said, “Now dad, this year, don’t wait to write the clues until late Christmas Eve”.
Carrie says
my parents always let us open our stockings first thing in the morning too
Leigh says
What a fun tradition. I love reading about everyone’s traditions for this joyous, fun time of year.
Merry Christmas and happy sleeping in 😉
jessica says
This is such a great idea! I can’t wait until my kids start reading and learning how to tell time! I love the box of cereal idea, too…cheap and easy and multi-purpose!
Somebody's Mimi says
This is by far one of your best tips ever, especially when you have seven kids! We only had two children so we got up when they woke us up on Christmas morning… even after we had been up most of the night putting toys together.
Crystal says
great tips!! reposting this on FB 🙂
LooneyJen says
This is PERFECT! I’m totally saving this for when my kids get bigger! Right now at 3, 2, and 4 months, I just don’t tell them it’s Christmas Eve 🙂 Fun the next day, without the anticipation. Might be the last time I get away with it.
Sherry says
I’ve done several different scavenger hunts for dh, but not for my kids. They are always a blast to do! 😀 Just reposted on FB. 😀
Susan says
We have a Christmas morning tradition also. For years my husand worked days and I worked a 3 – 11 shift besides raising four children. So we would usually not get the time to wrap gifts until the children were in bed on Christmas eve. So what we would do is the children all have two stockings. One downstairs and one upstairs. We started the upstairs one to keep the children occupied until we got up. In our upstairs office we have a small refridegerator. So I put some milk or juice for them. So on Christmas eve we wrap and small gift for the upstairs stocking(something to keep them busy for awhile) and a Christmas cupcake or brownie(Little Debbie’s) and a piece of fruit. My children our older now but they still love this tradition.
Susan
supreme says
What happens if I am the one who always gets up early?? LOL!!!
Stina says
When I was growing up, Santa left my three younger sisters and my stockings at the foot of our beds and we were allowed to open them upon waking. We were told that we had to stay in bedrooms until the adults were awake, though. It worked for many many years. 🙂
Judy says
I also let the kids do their Christmas stockings when they get up. For us, the reason is a little different. My husband has Wednesdays and Thursdays off and unless Christmas is on one of those days he doesn’t get it off. This means the kids need to wait until about 2 pm before opening gifts. This would make for a long day if it wasn’t for the stockings.
Love the idea about hiding a present. Might have to use that one next year.
Heather says
I LOVE this idea. I will totally use it when my kids are a little bigger (now age 2 and 5 months)!
Sahshas Mummy says
THIS IS A FANTASTIC IDEA!! What a clever father you have!!!
I treasure my sleep and I can’t stand waking up before sunlight on Christmas morning.
Michelle says
You are GENIUS!!!! You’re kids will remember this for years to come and it is SO much fun. Not to mention, the extra sleep you will get. Merry Christmas!
Jenn @ Beautiful Calling says
Growing up we were allowed to get up and open stockings as soon as we did. The usually contained some sort of little game…like the little water one that you press the button to make the little ball float up and try gte it through a hole or something. Anyway, we weren’t allowed to wake dad up until 7am 🙂 But we were busy with our stockings anyway.
Julie H. says
Love this! Merry Christmas!
Upstatemomof3 says
Oh what a completely awesome idea!!
Jennifer says
I’m so using this idea 🙂 I have a 5 year old who I plan to leave crayons or markers and new coloring books in her stocking….Momma is sleepin’ in!
Holly says
My brother and I were always allowed to open our stockings first thing in the morning as well. The problem for my mom wasn’t us, it was my dad. He would start bugging her around 1am. Once we were old enough to know how we wpuld have her coffee waiting for her when she got up. The last few years i lived at home he started stomping up and down the hall and turning on the heater (a rare treat in my house). This year my husband, myself, my brother, and his fiance live in an apapartment complex right around the corner from my parents. Dad’s threatening to knock on our doors at 5am.
Molly says
Can you give us some examples of those “tough” clues for your older kids?
Oak says
Forget all that writing of clues, just get Riddle Me software. It’s got about 5,000 age-picked riddle clues and you just fill out your household inventory sheet once to let the program pick from hundreds of objects and then print out customized hunts for your kids. You can pick different background pictures for different hunts for different ages and that way give each of your children a different hunt or competition. We use it all the time for birthdays and holidays. It’s really cool.
http://www.riddleme.net
Anne says
That’s a great idea! Or you could do what we did growing up: open all the presents Christmas Eve! We saved the stockings for Christmas morning and my mom would hide them.
billie says
I can attest to sugary cereal being the best Christmas present ever! It was the only time of the year my mom let me and the “Cap’n” got some quality time together!
Andrea says
Our family has lots of tradition wrapped up in stockings. We wait to open them together with breakfast, so this wouldn’t work well for us. But we do a similar thing with a hunt with clues hidden in Easter eggs to find our basket every year. Little kids get pictures, big kids get riddles and poems. I am *ahem* 28 and last year there were still clues with my name on it for me to find. The basket is found with the last clue hidden in some larger spot like the dryer, shower, a closet, the shed, etc. It’s always fun!
Stacy says
okay, i totally love this idea, my only gripe is that you didn’t share it sooner! 🙂 Can’t wait to see if it works!
Andrea @ Savings Lifestyle says
This sounds like an awesome idea! I should have read it yesterday!! At least my DH has agreed to the boys that we will wake up at 6:30 (at the earliest) and then I can go back to sleep as he makes breakfast for the family. I’m fine with that approach too 🙂
Merry Christmas, girl!
martha brady says
another sollution: marry someone who has scandinavian roots! their tradition was to open gifts on christmas eve. All, that is, except for santa’s gift and the stockings. the gifts were passed out and each person took a turn to open their gift. the children learned it wasn’t all about them. they also learned that part of the joy is in the giving and seeing the response of the one to whom you give the gift:)
we enjoyed having a chance to rest on christmas morning and have a fun breakfast. we didn’t have nearly the problems with sleepy, whiny children during the day either b/c they got their sleep…and so did we:)
i was the child in the family who woke up one year @ 1 AM (couldn’t tell time). i got up and got dressed in my new dress. sat on the couch and fell asleep. my parents woke up b/c my brother was making too much noise with the toy he got for christmas:)
The Frugallery says
Very cute idea! Martha–I can relate to your solution. My family is Norwegian and we opened gifts on Christmas Eve as well. Christmas morning we opened our stockings and Santa gifts. But usually all of the gifts from the night before kept us kids occupied enough to leave our parents alone:)
Allison says
Or you simply tell them that they can’t get up, out of their room, or wake us up until the clock at least reads 8, 0, 0. I was always excited for Christmas but always ended sleeping through the night and Dad would always tell us not to bother them until a set time. We then couldn’t even go get our stockings until they said so in case we spoiled a surprise under the tree.
Colleen says
Nice Idea, Its fun learning about other traditions.
In our house we just wait, no one leaves their room until mom says so, and stockings are saved for last, they always have the best treats in them. That is just how we did it growing up and I have continued the tradition.
Lorie says
LOVE this idea! I am definitely going to use it in the future when my kids finally get into the excitement of Christmas. I have a 3 year old and 18 month old and they don’t get excited about Christmas, yet. Maybe that is because we keep it kind of low key. They still sleep from about 10pm until 8am or 9am most days, so we are good!
Now…just a way to remember this…maybe I need a notebook to remember things I need in the future.
Tina says
My mom used to put a ribbon across the stairs and when we woke them up we were not allowed past it till she had her shower…now I understand it was because she wouldn’t have time to do it later…then she would give one of us the scissors and we would cut the ribbon and go!
danielle says
that is such a good idea….but i am just as bad as the kids…i can’t wait for them to get up! LOL
Mel says
My problem is that I wake earlier than everyone, and have to pretend to be asleep when the kids wake up, so they can be the ones to discover that Santa has been! Great idea though, will keep it in mind
Susan Ballou says
okay now we seriously need your list of riddles for older kids! I’m broke!!!