Christmas morning or Chanukah night can be delightful or dreadful. In advance of the big day, there are some things you can do to make it more fun. Well, the kids always think it’s fun, but here’s how you can enjoy the holidays too with these three tips for Christmas morning or Chanukah night. In actuality, the tips have to do with what you do beforehand.

tips for christmas morning

Do pre-holiday prep: In the days before your holiday, open packages, cut the tape and those pesky ropes and undo the screw ties. Open carefully, so the packaging is still intact in case you need to return the item. Yet, going through these steps before the festivities will make it so much easier. The kids can open and start playing with their toys hassle-free, and all the little packaging pieces can be safely tucked away (while you can sit back and enjoy that candy cane.)

Get out the holiday kit: You should have a little basket of the following items in the room that you open presents: a small and large Phillips screwdriver, a small and large flat head screw driver, a selection of batteries (AAA, AA, C and D), scissors, and a box cutter. You will be able to tackle any problem that comes up, without having to run around the house looking for the tools. Keeping it in a basket ensures that you can find the scissors without having to do a seek and search through the wrapping paper rubble.

Put in the time: If you can, start assembling toys NOW. Not only will you be able to have that dollhouse ready with all of the furniture inside, or that bike put together (horn and all) to make Christmas Day a relaxing one and not an assembly line, but you’ll also be able to see if there are any problems with a toy before the big day. There is nothing like having a child start playing with a toy to realize it doesn’t work (Cue the tantrum!) and then having to spend the post-holidays in the long return lines. So put the items together now and trouble-shoot in advance.

With these three steps, you just may be able to have (and actually enjoy!) that cup of Christmas coffee after all.

About the author

Charlene DeLoach

Charlene DeLoach

Charlene DeLoach is a contributing editor at The Toy Insider where she primarily covers parenting topics. Charlene has been featured in print and on television more than 100 times. Before joining The Toy Insider, Charlene was an attorney, real estate broker, and interior decorator. In her current life, she has vowed to get grownups using toys as decor and to teach parents and toy companies to think outside the toy box at her websites playroomchronicles.com and totaltoycreative.com. Follow Charlene on Instagram where you'll see that her account is mostly dedicated to pics of her cute dogs, kids, and fun finds.

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