Have a Successful Christmas Morning

Kids storming down the stairs at 4 in the morning? Did Santa remember to leave all the presents under the tree? Christmas morning is one of the most magical and family-orientated times of year and should be embraced rather than feared. This guide will ensure your Christmas Morning goes off without a hitch.

Steps

 * 1) Prepare. Christmas Morning starts the night before. Nothing should be done on the day so ensure you've covered everything before going to bed:[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 01.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * Make sure your children get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Early to bed, early to rise, but too late and you could find yourself working into the night. Have them ready for bed at the time which best suits you, but not before they've left their milk and cookies by the fireplace for Santa![[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 01Bullet01.jpg|center]]
 * 3) *Gather together the gifts. Wrap them, if you haven't done so already. Carefully check each present is correctly addressed, and by the correct sender.
 * 4) Lastly smile, if you do your family will, and make the memories last, treasure them and never forget![[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 02.jpg|center]]
 * 5) *Arrange the gifts under the tree. Presentation is the key, nothing delights a child more than seeing their own pile of presents to open in the morning!
 * 6) *Fill the stockings with the smaller gifts. See Tips for Stocking-Filler ideas.[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 02Bullet02.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Prepare a clear, open space to unwrap presents. Wrapping paper will quickly turn your living room into a war-zone so make sure you have a suitable container nearby to recycle it in.
 * 8) *If you're lucky enough to be there when Santa calls, be sure to remind him of his milk and cookies!
 * 9) Get a good night's rest. Accept the fact that you face an early morning ahead. Nothing is more exciting to a child than Christmas Morning, and they can only hold their excitement in for so long.[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 03.jpg|center]]
 * 10) Rise early, before your children if possible. Getting an early start at the day and getting into the christmas spirit will not only ensure proceedings go a lot smoother, but also gives you the opportunity to make any last minute preparations and check to make sure you haven't overlooked anything important. Create ambience. Playing a Christmas CD and making hot chocolate for everyone will really add the finishing touch to the morning's magic.[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 04.jpg|center]]
 * 11) Gather everyone around the Christmas tree. Make sure everyone is seated and ready to begin before the first present is ever touched. When everyone is ready, and the camera is to hand, open the presents in turn. Younger children will be eager to open their gifts first so starting with the youngest, allow each child (and adult!) to open one present before restarting the cycle. This way you can guarantee you take those special pictures, and giving everyone equal time to enjoy opening their gifts will help avoid any disputes. Dispose of wrapping paper after each present to make clean-up easier.[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 05.jpg|center]]
 * 12) Make sure all presents are opened before they are played with. Older children may wish to run off to plug in their new video game console and the youngsters may pester you to put batteries in their new toy, but by standing firm and maintaining each child opens all their presents and helps with clean-up beforehand smooth ens the proceedings.[[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 06.jpg|center]]
 * 13) Enjoy yourself! Christmas is not just for children, it's a day for family-bonding and fun! Get involved by joining your children in playing with their new toys. Pick up that second Xbox controller, or help your youngest build a Lego fort, dinner can wait another hour![[Image:Have a Successful Christmas Morning Step 07.jpg|center]]

Tips

 * Filling stockings is not as tricky or expensive as you might think! Here are some ideas to get you started:
 * Clothing such as new mittens or scarves.
 * Stationery - pencils, erasers, colored pencils and stickers.
 * Candy
 * Books
 * Electronics
 * Essentials such as batteries.

Warnings

 * Santa can be forgetful in his old age! Help him by making sure he labels his gifts to the correct child, and eats his cookies by the fireplace!

Related wikiHows

 * Have a Great Christmas As a Child