To Open Or To Wait? That Is The Question
Posted by terrepruitt on December 19, 2016
So do you wait or open? A friend and I were talking last week, she was saying that she was making some gifts and she was going to try to get them in the mail but wasn’t sure when that would be. She didn’t think she would make it in time for them to arrive at my house so that I could take them with me to the gathering that was planned with the recipients of said gifts. I suggested she send them to me anyway because that would give me and the other recipients motivation to meet again. Then I started laughing because I said if she sent them to me I would open mine right away. And she said, “You should!” Then we started talking about the practice of waiting to open or opening right away.
Unless someone tells me specifically not to open a gift until the actual occasion, I am going to open it. If it comes in the mail or they give it to me in person, I am going to open it. I am not one to wait or to expect others to wait. I think it is perfectly fine to open it right away. I get too excited to wait!
I know that some people like to wait. They think that if you receive a Christmas gift in the mail you should wait until Christmas to open it. I am not saying that waiting is wrong or that opening the present right away is wrong. I think it is between you and then giver. I think that whatever you want to do or however you feel – is right.
Because I like to open my gifts right away, I loved her response. She said, “You should! You should open it right away! Why wait?” And the enthusiasm with which she said it just made me laugh. I loved that!
I might have mentioned it in a post before – and this might even be “too early” for a lot of you – but one year my husband and I were in Fry’s Electronics and he saw something he wanted for Christmas. Perfect. To me, if someone can tell me what they want and I can get it — I love it. So I bought it. And we decided not to wait until Christmas to use it. Well, it happened to be October. So, yeah, that might be a little early, but it was awesome. It didn’t just sit in a box in the closet. We used it. We got three months use out of it before the occasion. It was a CD/DVD Jukebox. It is a CD/DVD player but it holds something like 300 hundred discs. We used it and we still use it!
So what do you think? Are you a waiter? Or an opener? Do you like people to wait? Or do you want them to open it right away?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
New England Nomad said
I usually wait. But our family tradition is to open one gift Christmas Eve. I try to find the biggest gift to open that night!
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terrepruitt said
My family used to open gifts on Christmas Eve. But then, as I was older we did it whenever I was able to be with them at Christmastime.
We usually have a set day to open gifts, but if I get one in the mail . . . it is fair game. Last week, I got a gift from a Nia student and I opened it at a red light on my way home! 🙂
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Michele Moyer said
I love this picture with your pretty kitty cat peeking out! I am a “waiter” – a red light, I love your enthusiasm!!! Although I do wait to open presents til the day of the event, I always loved opening our gifts early together – Miss you friend! P.S my kids wish I had your enthusiasm for not waiting!!
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terrepruitt said
I just got more presents today. I almost forgot about them, because my hubby is home and throwing off my regular schedule. So I came in the house and left them in the garage. When I went to shut the door (I had left it open to go back out to get what was out there), I said, “Oh my! I have presents. I forgot. Just goes to show you how hungry my brain is!” Then I came inside and immediately ripped open (ok, you know I am not a ripper, I like to save all the wrapping) my gifts. So nice of my students to give me things! So sweet!
You mentioned your hubby was a waiter, but you didn’t say you were. I totally thought you were an open-right-away-er!
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