Topic: A Holiday Public Service Announcement

The holidays. Cheer. Joy. Good tidings.

And danger.

Let's get serious here for a second. Now, I'm no Scrooge, so don't think I'm Grinch up your holiday cheer like some sort of Heat Miser. I love the holidays as much as the next person. But there's one thing that you might be tempted to do around this time of year... something that you never should do, something that may really Scrooge up your until-then-ungrinchlinke holidays, like some sort of Heat Miser.

Kids, I'm talking about peeking at your presents before they're wrapped.

Let's face it, most parents aren't terribly imaginative when hiding presents. They might pick the top shelf of a closet or behind the books on a bookcase, somewhere simple. Those presents are right there, practically waiting to be peeked at. But don't do it.

How do I know that present peeking can be so devastating? Because I was once a present-peeker myself.

One Christmas, at the height of Nintendo 64 mania, I desperately wanted to know which games off my list that my parents had gotten me. Neither were home at the time, and my curiosity got the best of me. Excitement pumped through my veins as I raced to my mother's closet. I opened it, turned on the lights and saw the games in front of me. Mischief Makers and two others I don't remember... right there. And as my eyes met their beautiful packaging, the excitement vanished. Poof. Gone.

In the days between this event and Christmas, not only did I have to fake Christmas cheer, but I had to feel its absence. I knew what I was getting - it was as if the holiday season was over already. And when Christmas itself came, I had to fake surprise when I unwrapped the peeked-at presents.

I could have continued down that road. I could have sunk into a well of depression so deep that it would have consumed me. I could have become cynical, skipping to the end of every book before reading it, looking at spoiler threads on imdb before seeing the movie. But I didn't. I was stronger than that. And too busy playing Mischief Makers and two other games anyway.

The man you see before you today is a present peeker no more. I've cleaned up my act and dedicated my life (well, at least the small portion of it that it took to write this PSA) to spreading the word that I doubted for so long until I learned of its truth the hard way. The element of surprise really does make a difference. A big one. Don't be a present peeker. Don't throw your life away like I almost did. Wait until your holiday of choice, because even though the early bird catches the worm... that bird's life is empty.

... wow. methinks someone got into the 'special' eggnog a bit early? :3

^^His life, maybe... but not his stomach.

I never present peek... I've been known to shake, sniff and weigh boxes under the tree, though.

Oh yes, I encourage the shaking of ALL presents. Except when someone asks you not to.

@Zach DUDE. I LOVE MISCHIEF MAKERS.

My parents buy the games I want on a certain website and I know their username and password. So basically, I just have to log in and I can see which games they have bought, but I am fair and will keep it a secret.

I love to shake the presents. It's much more fun than peeking and is just as rewarding.

It's also fun if you know the dimensions of what you want. Then you know what to open first.

I know what you're talking about. Last year both my parents let me know they were just going to give me money for Christmas. There was no excitement building as the 25th drew closer, and I actually slept all threw the night. Thankfully this year, they have both opted for gifts and I'm extremely excited.

I snuck into a present that was already wrapped. I'm like a Christmas ninja :3
_Muahaha

That actually brought a tear to my eye.

And Mischief Makers for the win. :3

Due to my rudimentary psychic abilities I was able to detect what all my Christmas presents were beforehand anyway.

@Wildvine53 My mom did me one worse one year... she took me to the store with her to buy the gifts and then was like "Well, I'm going to give them to you anyway," and gave them to me then. Well, I don't know that it was worse, but it certainly felt disappointing, even though I was getting games at the same time.

Haha, that has happened to me quite a couple times actually. It does feel disappointing, really defeats the point of gift giving when it turns to be more of a chore that you just get over with rather than actually having some fun with it

...What I don't get is that I already know what my family is getting me, yet I have to wait for it in a present anyways. xD

I'm not sure which is worse either. What made last year worse was having to watch my youngest brother ( he's 3) tear open dozens of colorful presents, as I just sat there with a small envelope.

why does it matter so much to have something to open on christmas day? y'all should be counting yourselves lucky to get anything at all... be grateful for the people who are going out of their way to save their hard-earned money and spend it on you, whether they hide away their purchases for you to rip open day-of, give you an envelope of money to spend later (on whatever you need or want, no less), or whether they take you to a store and have you pick something out then and there. it's the thought that counts, and they're thinking of you.

One year I decided I wanted to find my Christmas presents. I searched all through my house, but still I couldn't find them. Zach's "Let's face it, most parents aren't terribly imaginative when hiding presents" line apparently doesn't apply to my parents. I probably spent an hour searching for them, yet couldn't find them. Eventually I figured out where they were though. In the room where my Wii is, there's a closet. Honestly, it's probably not used for ANYTHING else. Before you say that that sounds obvious, there's one other smart thing about it: There's a couch in front of it. So forgive me for forgetting it was even there. Anyway, it was only a few days before Christmas so the only thing in there was Guitar Hero World Tour, so it wasn't too scarring, but a present peeker I am no more.

Exactly TBD. Have some respect people. Bad enough this day has turned into a huge greed fest, but lets have some decency and patience before christmas. That being said Zach lol @ that story.

My mother bought my gifts when I was in the store with her, so I already know everything I'm getting.

@TheBlackDragon Of course I'm grateful, I'm just having fun. This is all relative. I wasn't as grateful for what I had when I was younger, and that's unfortunate, but I didn't want to make this about that. Of course I'd rather go to the store with my mom than have no presents at all, but that goes without saying. I do count myself lucky to have had what I had.