Do Americans wait until Christmas to open a package that arrived near christmas day?
Posted by AgreeableAd8687@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 149 comments
i have seen some americans mention this and seen it in books and other media, like in an american book somewhere i remember seeing that you “have to wait until christmas to open packages like a good boy” and i don’t think they were talking about standard christmas gifts
fermat9990@reddit
Depends. One size does not fit all!
fermat9990@reddit
Depends. One size does not fit all!
Vast_Reaction_249@reddit
We open ours when they arrive.
Downtown_Brother_338@reddit
If it’s something I ordered then no. If it’s a gift then yes.
Illustrious_Angle952@reddit
I do!
Maronita2020@reddit
It depends on the family. I have twelve nieces and nephews, and they open their Christmas gifts from the aunts and uncles on my side of the family on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day they open gifts from Santa and their other side of the family aunts and uncles.
Growing up I did NOT get Christmas gifts outside of from Santa (NOT even from mom and dad.) We were NOT permitted to open any gifts until Christmas Day.
MittlerPfalz@reddit
If there’s an implication that it’s a Christmas present, yes. If it’s something that you’re expecting that you know is not a present then no. If unsure, ask the person who sent it.
GrunchWeefer@reddit
If it's a Christmas gift it'll likely come wrapped in the box. So once you open the package if you see wrapping paper you put it under the tree. Is that an American thing? It just seems like the civilized thing to do!
MacaroonSad8860@reddit
many other cultures open presents throughout the month or on the 24th.
lilapense@reddit
If something is in a generic or obviously reused box, with the sender information being someone that I know, yeah I assume that there will be a wrapped present inside.
But there have been multiple occasions where someone has ordered something as a present, and had it mailed directly to me or my family (either from Amazon or elsewhere). Often, even if you choose the gift wrapping option from whatever company you're ordering from, they just included gift bag or gift box in the package but don't actually wrap the gift. So if a unidentifiable box arrives directly from a company, I assume it's an unwrapped gift out of an abundance of caution.
MaterialInevitable83@reddit
That’s what my family does.
Victor_Korchnoi@reddit
My wife and I actually put any package that comes after Thanksgiving under the tree. It’s fun to have packages to open on Christmas Day, and I can wait a couple weeks to open that thing I ordered on Amazon. I highly recommend it
bleu_waffl3s@reddit
The cats sure seem happy to finally have the food we ordered from chewy
Victor_Korchnoi@reddit
Your cats hate Christmas spirit
Aggressive_tako@reddit
How do you know what to distribute to each person if you haven't opened the box to label things?
Victor_Korchnoi@reddit
If it’s something we bought for me, we put my name on the Amazon address. If it’s something we bought for her, we put her name. If it’s coming from someone else, they usually put the name of the recipient on the package.
Sooner70@reddit
True story.... I did that. Come Xmas morning I opened up a box with 30 pounds of coal in it. The (almost) literal stocking full of coal.
[Growing up in an area where coal isn't really a thing I'd always been fascinated by the idea of rocks that burn. Then one day I saw that Amazon actually sold coal. I wanted it and records indicate that evening I purchased it, but I had no recollection of doing so..so when the box showed up, I wasn't expecting anything and under the tree it went!]
TheRtHonLaqueesha@reddit
Course not, Santa delivers on time all the time.
Dragonfly7242@reddit
Gifts wait until Christmas. Same for envelopes that you know probably have money.
Pennelle2016@reddit
For the most part, yes. But if I’m at a party or seeing someone that I won’t see at Christmas, we usually open gifts at that time.
stevenjklein@reddit
No one in my family does this, but then, no one in my family celebrates Xmas.
StrangerHighways@reddit
They're not talking about random packages from Amazon, they're referring specifically to Christmas gifts. Americans open Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
Awesome_hospital@reddit
We were allowed one present on Christmas eve and then the rest Christmas morning
StrangerHighways@reddit
It was kind of the opposite for us. It was most opened on Christmas Eve, then we got our Santa gifts on Christmas morning.
iamcarlgauss@reddit
I'm loving seeing how everyone handled this as kids. We did Santa gifts on Christmas morning, but that ended up being most of the gifts. Christmas Eve was for gifts from mom and dad, and usually wasn't all that big. "Oh, sorry sweetie this is all mom and dad could afford, hopefully Santa brings a lot more tomorrow!"
EloquentBacon@reddit
Both of my grandparents were born in Norway and lived there as children so we’ve always done more Norwegian traditions for Christmas. We open all gifts from both family and Santa on Christmas Eve.
Growing up, we’d always go to church in the early evening on Christmas Eve. When we returned from church, we came home to the gifts Julenissen aka Santa had left for us kids while we were out.
On Christmas morning the kids wake up to their shoes filled with candy and small gifts, similar to stockings and stocking stuffers, but no other gifts are received on Christmas Day. But if you were poorly behaved on Christmas Eve, you received coal on Christmas morning. My cousins got into a fight on Christmas Eve one year and both received coal on Christmas morning.
ohrofl@reddit
We opened 1 gift every Christmas Eve. It was always pajamas. I’m 32 and when I go to visit my parents this holiday season can you guess what I’ll have on Christmas Eve?
stellalunawitchbaby@reddit
Our Christmas Eve presents are always giant fluffy blankets. We each submit our preferred color via groupchat a few weeks before lol.
bratkittycat@reddit
Yay! This is my tradition with my family too, and I’m 30. Just how I like it, a new set of pajamas to enjoy the anticipation in.
esk_209@reddit
We did the exact opposite idea of gifts when my kids were growing up. The "real" gifts always came from a person -- parents, grandparents, whatever. Santa only brought small things -- Santa filled the stockings with small things that were intended to keep the kids occupied while the parents finished waking up, started the coffee, and got the Christmas breakfast in the oven to cook. Stockings were always a book or two and/or coloring books with new crayons or markers, new socks or slippers, a few small toys, and a special snack-type treat.
iamcarlgauss@reddit
I think that's probably the best way to do it when you consider children's social interactions. If Santa is the one bringing the big gifts, then an observant child will wonder, "why did Santa give me a Playstation, but he only gave my friend Timmy a pair of socks?" - or the reverse.
esk_209@reddit
That’s how my daughter figured out Santa in 1st grade. She was pissed that he seemed to favor the “haves” over the “haves less”. So she told me either he wasn’t real or he’s a jerk and shouldn’t come to our house any more.
For us, it was more a matter of wanting them to know that giving gifts is an element of love and when someone gives us presents, it means they put in an effort to think about who we are and what would make us happy. Giving gifts takes effort (and money) and we wanted to help them appreciate that rather than think it was some sort of magic.
One year when my nephew was perhaps a little too old to still be believing in Santa Claus, my brother and his family had done a lot of travel for competitive sports and some family vacation vacations. It was expensive, and the understanding was that they would be cutting back in other places, and some of the travel counted as their primary holiday gifts. So Christmas rolled around, and on Christmas Eve my nephew said something like “I hope we get a new PlayStation!” My brother reminded him that they had done a lot of travel and they had all agreed that Christmas was going to be scaled back this year as a result. My nephew said “oh yeah, but it’s no big deal, I just asked Santa to bring it so nobody has to spend any money.”
That’s the type of thing we wanted to avoid.
esk_209@reddit
We do the immediate (like, the household) family on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas day we do the "Everyone gathering at someone's house for Christmas" presents when we're all together.
Pistalrose@reddit
Us too.
theflamingskull@reddit
My family does both.
Immediate family on Christmas Eve, full family on Christmas.
the_myleg_fish@reddit
Mine's the opposite. Full family get together on Christmas Eve, and immediate family on Christmas. A couple of people work in the hospital so if they work that day, we wait for them to get off work first. Lol
jetloflin@reddit
What makes you think they’re weren’t talking about standard Christmas gifts?
old-town-guy@reddit
Impossible to give a definitive answer. Over 330 million Americans, about 225 million of them Christian. Some do, some don't.
Prowindowlicker@reddit
Ya I’m in the non-Christian minority. I don’t celebrate Christmas so packages just get opened when they arrive
messibessi22@reddit
Well.. do you wait until Hanukkah? You’re ignoring the question to point out that you don’t celebrate Christmas but you can still answer the question do you postpone opening gifts until the holiday?
Prowindowlicker@reddit
Hanukkah isn’t about gifts. The gift part isn’t actually a thing and was only created because Jewish kids got upset that they weren’t getting gifts while their Christian friends were.
Since I’m an adult I don’t do Hanukkah gifts.
messibessi22@reddit
Oh my friend always does hanukkah gifts with her family
GirlScoutSniper@reddit
My family is pretty much atheistic, and we wait until Christmas Day.
Prowindowlicker@reddit
Cool but I didn’t grow up with Christmas. I grew up with Hanukkah and other Jewish traditions, because I’m Jewish.
Sitcom_kid@reddit
Is there a country where Christmas presents are opened on non-Christmas?
rolyfuckingdiscopoly@reddit
Yes. That is what a standard Christmas gift is.
weneedsomemilk2016@reddit
We do. Or Christmas eve
greendemon42@reddit
Only if it's a Christmas gift.
Beautiful-Owl-3216@reddit
Families who exchange gifts usually open them on Christmas morning. If it is a girlfriend or co-worker or friend you normally open when you get it.
Haboob_AZ@reddit
Typically if it's a gift, then yeah, but over the last 20ish years I just open shit when it arrives.
Most of the time I just get a gift cards or money to but the gift I want because my parents or family can't figure out how or where to order the stuff I usually want.
machagogo@reddit
Are you asking if say we were to order a case off coffee from Amazon and it arrived near Christmas we would go without our coffee until Christmas?
No...
The implication in whatever "books and other media" is surely that they are Christmas gifts, not just regular day to day items that happened to be purchased at that time of year.
odsquad64@reddit
This is the correct answer, but to add to this, if somebody I wasn't going to see for Christmas sent me a present in the mail, I would just open it right away. So I think the implication is that not only are these packages Christmas gifts, but they're from the people telling you not to open them, or at least from people who plan to be there on Christmas when you do open them. Maybe other peoples' experiences are different.
Bright_Ices@reddit
If it’s from someone I don’t like, I open it right away. Why ruin Christmas with that baggage?
messibessi22@reddit
People you don’t like give you gifts?
Bright_Ices@reddit
Yeah, some in-laws who haven’t ever met a boundary they respected. My spouse went NC almost 10 years ago, and has been happier and healthier ever since, but they still send us “gifts” every year. The gifts are always something from someone in their high-demand religion — often from whatever business their latest “lost boy” (30 y/o grifter) is trying to get off the ground. The whole thing is very insult-to-injury for my spouse.
messibessi22@reddit
Oh that’s interesting tbh my immediate family and close friends are the only people I ever get gifts from so I’ve never had the experience of not welcoming a gift.. I’m sorry they don’t respect your boundaries though it doesn’t sound like they’re sending you a gift so much as harassing you
Bright_Ices@reddit
Bingo
machagogo@reddit
Yeah. And 'like a good boy" implies parents saying it to small children, telling them not to open presents that are already under the tree before Dec 25
messibessi22@reddit
They were talking about Christmas gifts any package that has to be opened on Christmas qualifies as a Christmas gift
StarSines@reddit
Yeah, if it’s for Christmas, it doesn’t get opened until the 25th. If I order deodorant and some body spray from Amazon and it happens to arrive on the 22nd, it’s not a Christmas present it’s just stuff I need so it gets opened immediately.
meggerplz@reddit
My Mom will write “Do Not Open Until Christmas” on the box
cdb03b@reddit
A general package? no.
A package that may be a present, or that is clearly a present? Yes.
cofeeholik75@reddit
I get the tags that say ‘DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS’.
but there is always that one friend…
MeanderFlanders@reddit
Yes.
FredsIQ@reddit
Nope.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
A Christmas gift is for Christmas morning/day. Though a lot of families open just one gift each on Christmas Eve.
We don’t, we wait.
Jack_of_Spades@reddit
I already ate an advent calendar that arrived on November first.
Gatodeluna@reddit
Many people will open early birthday presents and early mailed Xmas gifts on their birthday/Xmas so it feels a bit more special. Not everyone has large families or groups of friends to be around at these times. A couple of mailed gifts may be all there is to a recipient’s special day. Opening it on the day gives a sense of being like everyone else.
Somerset76@reddit
Yes I do
thatsaniner@reddit
I think it’s family to family.
My spouse’s family waits for all gifts they receive until the celebration day (birthday, Christmas).
My family let’s you open when the gift is received in the mail and a little something to get you excited in advance.
Sensitive-Issue84@reddit
It depends on the person, I'm all for opening it. My sister would wait. She is crazy IMO! Lol!
Dellis3@reddit
If it is a present from someone for Christmas, then yes.
deebville86ed@reddit
I'd say we open our Christmas gifts early about as much as anyone from anywhere, for the most part. It's not like we'll get cursed if we do. It just depends on the person
taniamorse85@reddit
Sometimes, I'll get a Christmas gift for someone, but intend for them to open it early. For last Christmas, I got my mom a quad cane, as her knee had been getting worse and I knew she'd appreciate it. I think it arrived around Dec. 5th, and there's no way I would have expected her to wait to use it.
creamcandy@reddit
Yes, unless I know it was a food gift. My SIL often sends toffee, and my Aunt sometimes sends homemade treats. Mmmmm
skittlebog@reddit
It depends entirely on the person and the family. Some will keep it under the tree and open it with the rest, other people will open it right away, especially if it might be a food item or something that might have broken in the mail.
Yankee_chef_nen@reddit
OP in your scenario it is implied that the package is a Christmas present. Many families will wait until Christmas Day to open these. I recently purchased a Christmas gift online for my S.O. and it arrived with a picture of the item on the box. My S.O. was home first that day so she saw it and knows what it is, however she’s waiting in Christmas Day to open it.
Strong_Ad_51@reddit
Yes. It requires immense self-discipline.
RNH213PDX@reddit
No! That's INSANE!!!
The bigger fight that divides family and country is whether to open gifts Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (assuming no Santa issues).
JackDonneghyGodCop@reddit
It’s federal law, so yes.
lechydda@reddit
Yes, if it’s a Christmas gift, most people will wait until Christmas to open it no matter when it arrives. Most of my family lives thousands of miles away and when they send things, we just put them under the tree. Sometimes we might open a gift on Christmas Eve. But the best part of Christmas gifts is the anticipation, so idk why anyone would open them early.
Wadsworth_McStumpy@reddit
If it's not something I was expecting, then yes, I'll wait in case it's a gift. If it's just a regular order of cat food, then I'm going to open it up when it arrives.
ProfessionalAir445@reddit
Are you asking if we wait until Christmas to open gifts that were sent in the mail?
That depends. If it’s for children, yes usually. If it’s for an adult from a friend or something, maybe not. I’d probably open a gift from a friend right away. I’m not everyone, though, people are different.
It sounds like you’re talking about children though and yes I’d say all of their presents are probably saved to open at the same time.
MattinglyDineen@reddit
I'm not Christian, so no, I'd open it when it arrived.
Oldskywater@reddit
Our family rule is that you may open it . That was because most of us lived close by , so there would only be one or two gifts coming . If I was the person who lived far away I’d likely save them so I’d have something to open on Christmas Day
Expensive-Day-3551@reddit
I open it and if they sent it unwrapped then that’s on them and it’s an early Christmas gift.
Bluemonogi@reddit
In my house we probably would not really wait to open a single mailed gift. My mil would mail my daughter gifts sometimes and the gift was not wrapped just sent from wherever it was ordered. We did not make my daughter wait for that gift.
When I was a kid my aunt lived abroad however and would mail a box with gifts for the whole family. Inside the box everything was wrapped so the box was opened and things were put under the tree with the rest of the gifts to open on Christmas.
This is all just going to depend on individual households.
Silt-Sifter@reddit
Some do.
I've had a few family members who sent me gifts and they got upset I opened it early, so now at our house, we open them when we get them but text or call them on Christmas to say thank you so they think we waited.
Like it's not a huge deal either way but apparently it does kill some of the spirit for those who do care.
thymeofmylyfe@reddit
I think the information you're missing is that many Americans have friends or family members living too far away to receive gifts by hand so many gifts come in the mail. Most packages that arrive just before Christmas are gifts.
Idahotato21@reddit
For my family, we've always communicated when we're expecting gifts to arrive.So there's hardly any mistake as to what's not a gift, and what is
backbodydrip@reddit
Unless you open it Christmas Day, it's not much of a Christmas present.
Current_Poster@reddit
I mean, if I ordered it myself, it's not intended as a present and I know what it is, I'd open it.
If I were a kid, and a mystery package arrived before Christmas with my name on it and I did know what it was, I probably would have to wait.
houndsoflu@reddit
My family opens them Christmas morning. But my dad grew up opening family gifts Christmas Eve and presents from “Santa” Christmas morning before going to Christmas Mass.
tcrhs@reddit
I save packages to open on Christmas Day.
platoniclesbiandate@reddit
Haha my dad sent my cousin a cake for Christmas a week before Christmas and she abided by the unspoken “don’t open till Christmas” rule and it was stale. So generally yes, but if you send something perishable please tell the recipient.
Relevant-Ad4156@reddit
Trust me, they were talking about Christmas gifts.
The trope is that someone will ship you a gift and tell you not to open it until Christmas (often depicted with a tag on the package that says so)
Though there is a common case where members of a household may be ordering gifts for each other, so there's a rule around Christmas that no one opens any packages that aren't addressed to them, specifically. (At other times of the year, a husband might open a package addressed to his wife, or vice versa, just to be helpful)
lefactorybebe@reddit
100%. I live far from my parents and some years we do Christmas apart. I address my mom's presents to my dad, and vice versa; they open it and do the gift wrapping. Everyone in the household knows to only open things addressed to them around Christmas.
Sometimes they'll send me something straight from Amazon. If I get a mysterious Amazon package addressed to me around the holidays/my bday I know not to open it before Christmas or my bday.
2Pollaski2Furious@reddit
I'd be interested in seeing the context here but if its believed to be a Christmas present you would generally wait until at least Christmas Eve to open it, unless you were specifically told to open things early.
If its not a Christmas present, you would open it immediately like you would any other package.
GoodQueenFluffenChop@reddit
Usually the person receiving the package knows which ones are supposed to be a Christmas gifts so they'll save those for Christmas. They're not saving every package for Christmas because again the package receiver probably knows what they ordered and tracked so they're going to open the package containing cleaning supplies for example the day of.
Secret_Number_420@reddit
save some to open on the day, but not most
but it's an all adult Christmas here
LadyNajaGirl@reddit
I’m not American but my American friend sends me Christmas stuff in a package to my home in England and I always wait. I love opening stuff and having the element of surprise 🥺
BigMacRedneck@reddit
Christmas morning at 9:00 am - not a second before.
Nodeal_reddit@reddit
My company sends a Christmas box to every employee and retiree. I got mine last week, but I’ll wait and open it on Christmas morning.
IrianJaya@reddit
If it's an actual gift, then yes, I'll put it under the tree and open it with the other gifts on Christmas. Unless it's baked goods that my mother-in-law sends. In that case can dig right in. But she always tells us that it's coming.
mykepagan@reddit
In my family, yes. That is the more common tradition, IMO. But I think I recall friends who would do differently.
Wartz@reddit
Lets flip this around and ask you a question.
Do Non-Americans that celebrate Christmas in the western fashion open their Christmas gifts whenever they want to?
Open_Philosophy_7221@reddit
They were probably talking about gifts mailed from family
sleepygrumpydoc@reddit
They were 100% talking about christmas gifts. It just makes no sense otherwise.
LIke if my husband orders dish washing soap from Amazon and it arrives he's not going to tell me to wait on opening that soap until christmas as it's needed now item and it is not a gift. The only packages that I can't open are gifts not just everyday packages.
Loud_Insect_7119@reddit
I didn't in the past. My close family isn't Christian so Christmas was never a huge deal for us; we celebrate it, but it's more like a holiday for little kids for us (the main reason we celebrated is because my parents didn't want us to feel deprived when all our friends got visits from Santa, lol).
So I don't have a lot of traditions around it, although I do exchange gifts with some friends. I used to just open them whenever they arrived.
My wife loves Christmas, though, so now I hang onto them because that's what she does. We put all the gifts people give us under the tree and open them all together on Christmas Day. It is pretty fun to do it that way, gotta admit.
Prowindowlicker@reddit
I’ll decorate for Christmas, sans tree and anything remotely religious, but I won’t give presents or whatever.
MarbleousMel@reddit
I was raised Christian but in a church h that doesn’t celebrate Christmas (or Easter). We always had Christmas, but it had never been anything other than family time and presents. Very important for family relationships but no church connotations at all.
SnowblindAlbino@reddit
If it's a Christmas gift it goes under the tree with all the others until Christmas Eve. We would never open a gift early unless it was by mistake.
liberletric@reddit
They’re talking about Christmas gifts.
rerun_ky@reddit
Yes.
Caranath128@reddit
Usually. If it’s obviously a present( from family or whatever, already wrapped, etc) then yeah it gets tossed under the tree for the cat to shred the bow and eat the ribbon.
cwsjr2323@reddit
By my family tradition as a child that I carried over to adulthood, is we open one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning, but NOT before 9 AM! Christmas evening we do the stockings as that often has a piece of hand fruit, good for supper time.
IntrovertedFruitDove@reddit
Those were Christmas gifts that happened to arrive early.
A lot of people have relatives in distant places. There is a flood of mail getting shuffled around during the holidays, so if you are a grandparent who lives three days away from your grandson, you don't want to send his present exactly three days before Christmas as you normally would--your stuff risks getting caught in the holiday rush and not actually ARRIVING until New Year's Day, so you'd probably double the package's travel time to a week before Christmas. If you can't send it sooner and know your present will arrive late, you're gonna warn the parents about it, so they can assure Grandson that you didn't just forget.
If parents find unexpected packages in the mail before Christmas, especially if it's been gift-wrapped, then those are clearly meant to be opened on Christmas.
rawbface@reddit
Does everyone in your country behave exactly the same in extremely specific situations?
I have never received a Christmas gift through the mail, besides a card. Packages that arrive on your doorstep are typically opened right away.
If someone receives a Christmas gift through the mail, then when they open it is going to depend heavily on the implicit agreement between them and the person who sent the gift. I have no idea what people do in that situation, but I have the feeling it varies.
RowdySpirit@reddit
Our exchange students' families have shipped presents to our house and I always verify whether we need to open the package NOW (if food is involved), or whether we should wait to open the box on Christmas morning. Even when we opened the box with some ham in it, there were wrapped presents inside that we put under the tree to open later.
If you meet your friends or cousins for "Christmas" on December 10th, you could exchange presents with them then and open those presents together.
wormbreath@reddit
I save up all my mail and packages all year and open them on Christmas.
But no. They just meant Christmas presents
BakedBrie26@reddit
Yes- my mother will also send me an obscene amount of texts reminding me not to be a sneak and open early. "Santa" will also harass me about this via email via... my mother.
"Dearest BakedBrie! This year I had to delivery some gifts early to keep up with demand, but your kind and loving mother tells me you are considering opening your gifts early. I wouldn't recommend this or you may end up on the naughty list next year- S.C."
Y'all I'm 36 🤣.
ElboDelbo@reddit
If it's sent in the mail, wait until Christmas.
If it's physically handed to you, you can open it. Although the giver might say "Don't open this yet," in which case don't open it.
_alittlefrittata@reddit
Or “go ahead, open it!” and be all excited. It’s cute
TopperMadeline@reddit
I know that some families open presents on Christmas Eve. Just depends on your family’s tradition.
Technical_Air6660@reddit
If it’s for a kid, a parent is probably going to have them hold off until Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
If it’s for me, I’ll probably wait until Christmas because I never get presents.
I_am_photo@reddit
When it's a Christmas gift I try to wait until the day but I didn't wait last year since my sister sent me coffee in the same box accidentally. Since the contents of the boxes were mixed I just opened all of them a week or so early.
Vachic09@reddit
That's usually in regards to a Christmas gift sent to you. For example, I spend Christmas certain years with my in-laws who live in a different state than my side of the family. I might ship their gifts to them instead of waiting for the next time I come back into the area.
mytextgoeshere@reddit
Most people wait, but I say why wait??? Have a little fun and open the present early! You can spread out the Christmas fun over more days.
No_Inevitable_3241@reddit
Not my daughter!!!
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
We open the shipping box right away. If the presents inside are wrapped, then they go under the tree. Sometimes people send things that are meant to be enjoyed right away, like fudge or cookies. It's not uncommon to get a package of gifts with sweets or decorations included. The gifts wait, everything else gets enjoyed right away.
bulbaquil@reddit
If the package is a Christmas gift, then yes, we'd wait to open it when we're doing our Christmas celebration. (That may or may not be actually on Christmas Day.)
If it's not a Christmas gift, then why wait?
capsrock02@reddit
As a Jew, no
lavasca@reddit
I would wait. Why would I open it early unless the person won’t be there on 12/25 and wants to see my reaction?
Agile_Property9943@reddit
The whole point of Christmas gifts is to open them on Christmas unless there is a specific reason why you wouldn’t wait lol
gingerjuice@reddit
Some Americans open gifts on Christmas Eve. Our family has always opened gifts on Christmas morning. Our (out of state) family send a package and we put the gifts under the tree for Christmas morning.
old-town-guy@reddit
Impossible to give a definitive answer. Over 330 million Americans, about 225 million of them Christian. Some do, some don't.
blueponies1@reddit
We open Christmas presents on Christmas with a few exceptions. If it’s just a random package you ordered then no we open it right away. I think you might be getting confused with package vs present. We wouldn’t call wrapped presents packages.
OceanPoet87@reddit
If its a Christmas present, most will wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to open. But there are always people who open right away.
DOMSdeluise@reddit
Yeah usually. In some families a present is opened on Christmas Eve
Building_a_life@reddit
Yep, we put it under the tree till Christmas.
FivebyFive@reddit
Yes they are
asiangunner@reddit
Christmas traditions may vary for each household. Growing up, my family would open the Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. We did our family Christmas party on Christmas eve so it made sense. Most American families actually do open Christmas gifts on Christmas day.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Assuming the package is likely a Christmas gift, yeah...you would wait.
I wouldn't wait to open something in general though.
tropicsandcaffeine@reddit
I rip that package open as soon as it hits my table. Some of my relatives will keep the boxes unopened.
BB-56_Washington@reddit
If they say "wait till Christmas to open it", it means it's a Christmas gift.
EmeraldLovergreen@reddit
I have no idea as I’ve never asked this of my friends, but in my family, no presents were ever opened before Christmas. If we were sent a package it went under the tree.
However I sent a package to my SIL a couple years ago, and it arrived on the 17th and the next thing I know she’s blowing up our phones about how much she loved the present. Which great yay! But also I was mildly annoyed that she didn’t wait.
virtual_human@reddit
If it is a Christmas present, then yes. If it is not a Christmas preset, then no.
OhThrowed@reddit
Do you open presents before Christmas? Because that's the pretty clear implication there.
NorwegianSteam@reddit
They were talking about Christmas gifts, probably from distant relatives.