The answer to this question is not easy it seems – we have spoken to many friends and family members who have different opinions on the matter. We had to… no, let us say we needed to, extend the discussion to our wider audience for some feedback and comment.

Growing up this writer would have seen, like all of you out there, the numerous festive window displays, posters, magazines, movies and tv adverts showing Santa on roof tops, in the fireplace, at the tree and in the sleigh. The red sack is there and sometimes it’s open and you get a glimpse of presents and yes, they are wrapped. That unmistakable square box shape, in brightly coloured festive wrapping paper with either a ribbon or a bow. Presents under the tree in every Christmas picture I know are wrapped?

Then, you see the likes of perhaps a tricycle, dolls cot, the wooden soldier and many other toys that are not wrapped. Is it because they are too big, too difficult to wrap and so it makes no sense to wrap them?, or is it intentional to leave them unwrapped so that you can see can actually see what they are ? Hmmm, the discussion continues…

I came across some other articles online and it seems that opinions are fairly split down the middle. One Irish web site had a poll running last year that showed 53% of people who took part say that Santa does not leave wrapped presents for children on Christmas morning. That’s fairly even Stephens.

I recently watched the movie ‘Arthur Christmas’ (one of my favourite Christmas movies!) and every present seen in the movie is carefully wrapped with a ribbon or bow.

Bryony the elf, actually goes to extraordinary lengths to get the bicycle wrapped that Arthur is physically cycling to the girls house – surely it would have been easier to just rock up the house and park it under the tree as is? The finale wouldn’t have been as exciting!

My own daughter expressed concern that the wrapping paper would of course have been soaked through with all the snow and not have lasted the journey. I had to explain that it was special elf paper – waterproof kind and this brought a nod of agreement but also the statement that it might just have been easier to give to give it a quick wipe down and park it under the tree. (didn’t I just say that!)

Similarly, the movie ‘Polar Express’ shows kids inside the big red bag – again all wrapped presents.

1. A quick Google of ‘Christmas presents’ returns typical images of…..
2. Went to see Santa last weekend and the Winter Wonderland leading up to Santa had lots of trees and yes, wrapped presents all around.
3. Our tree in the office has wrapped presents at the bottom.
4. Shopping centres have wrapped boxes hanging from the ceiling

It’s just an aesthetic. It’s all around us. (see what we did there!)

Now, you seldom see a pile of ‘unwrapped’ presents in festive displays, except of course at about 9am on Christmas morning when everything is duly unwrapped and ‘my piles’ start to appear throughout the sitting room.  (9am is a disguised average!!)

Just back from the canteen in the office here and a super quick survey relveals very similar feelings on the matter. Here’s where we are right now…

• Santa does not leave wrapped presents for kids on Christmas morning. It makes it easier to sort the goodies, to arrange them and for kids to see ‘the global view’ of what Santa has brought them.
• Gifts exchanged between each other are of course wrapped, for obvious reasons. If you saw mammy coming at you with new underpants, you might just have to step out for a minute!
• Presents between family and friends are also wrapped, again for obvious reasons, except when it’s a bottle and you know it’s a bottle, although some people still wrap a bottle. See there you are – we’re back to square one.

Help us out here please by commenting below….the DayOut office is taking on a ‘Lord of the Flies’ mood here…..can’t wait to do the unwrapped Kris Kindle later on!