I've never, ever done this, because I love to wait--it just makes it that much sweeter come sunrise December 25th!!!

One of the most self-defeating things you can do. My mother never had to worry about this because my sister and I, like HistoryFan, thrived on the suspense. Good grief, that's three quarters of the fun! I guess I'm too selfish to ever want to spoil that for myself and I can't understand anyone who would ever want to.

My friend and her brother used to do this (as kids) until they were caught; unwrap their gifts to see what they got and re-wrap them again to "hide the evidence." Their mom caught them one time and she promptly returned the gifts they had opened "prematurely." My college buddy did this when his mom was out of town a couple of years ago. He and his older sister opened their presents about a couple of weeks before Christmas. Fortunately, their mom never knew (and she will never read this). I, on the other hand, thrive on the suspense and the surprise of it all. Opening them before Christmas spoils the excitement.