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Opening gifts solo?

ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
in Registry and Gift Forum
Our first registry gift arrived today from one of my wonderful in-laws. My fiancé is currently deployed in the Navy and won't be home for another x months (lol, finally down to x months!) I have asked him what he would like me to do - open it or wait for him to be home, and no answer yet. In the meantime, I'll keep it unopened until or unless I hear otherwise. 

But I was just curious. What have you or your military friends done with registry items?
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Re: Opening gifts solo?

  • manateehuggermanateehugger member
    2500 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary 5 Answers
    I think you should open it and send a thank you note. Otherwise the giver might think you haven't received your gift. 

    FI is active duty, we are long distance, and I'm sure gifts will get sent to my house long before he can be there to open them with me. I fully plan to open each one and send a thank you in a timely fashion. 

    I'd open it and send a note ASAP. Or at least ask your in-laws if they'd like you to open it now or wait till he's home.  
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  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    Eighth Anniversary 10000 Comments 500 Love Its 25 Answers
    You should open it and then write a thank you note.  It sucks that you both can't open it together but the gift giver should be notified that you received the gift and that you appreciate it.

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  • allispainallispain member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary First Answer
    DH and I were living together while we were engaged - I still opened 75% of the gifts that came to the house without him being home, so that I could send out thank you notes right away. When he got home, I would then show him what we had been given and tell him who it was from. He didn't mind in the least that he wasn't there for the opening part - in fact, he seemed a bit put upon when I had him help me open all the boxed gifts from the reception :-)
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  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    Eighth Anniversary 10000 Comments 500 Love Its 25 Answers
    I opened all of our wedding gifts/cards the day after with my Mom while H slept off his hangover.  He really didn't care that I did this, he was just happy and grateful for how generous our guests were.

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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Awesome, thank you! 

    He said he wasn't sure either, and that writing his uncle a note when we haven't opened it yet might be a little difficult. He also suggested to call him to see what he would like us to do, or if anything let him know the box made it safely. Fiancé added that I could call his mom (she and I get along wonderfully) she thinks since the uncle is on her side of the family. 

    He is unable to Skype at the moment due to being out at sea, and we're not allowed to know ahead of time when they make port. He does have access to email when he's "at work" in the shop. He doesn't like me sending photos to his work email, but if I do open it without him, I may be able to look up the link online and send the link to his work email, which he hasn't had a problem with.
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  • manateehuggermanateehugger member
    2500 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary 5 Answers
    CSkahan148 said:
    Awesome, thank you! 

    He said he wasn't sure either, and that writing his uncle a note when we haven't opened it yet might be a little difficult. He also suggested to call him to see what he would like us to do, or if anything let him know the box made it safely. Fiancé added that I could call his mom (she and I get along wonderfully) she thinks since the uncle is on her side of the family. 

    He is unable to Skype at the moment due to being out at sea, and we're not allowed to know ahead of time when they make port. He does have access to email when he's "at work" in the shop. He doesn't like me sending photos to his work email, but if I do open it without him, I may be able to look up the link online and send the link to his work email, which he hasn't had a problem with.
    Yeah, I wondered if that was the case - Skype is a massive letdown during deployments, isn't it? :(

    Sounds like you have a good plan worked out. Best wishes for his safe return!
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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    PDKH said:
    CSkahan148 said:
    Awesome, thank you! 

    He said he wasn't sure either, and that writing his uncle a note when we haven't opened it yet might be a little difficult. He also suggested to call him to see what he would like us to do, or if anything let him know the box made it safely. Fiancé added that I could call his mom (she and I get along wonderfully) she thinks since the uncle is on her side of the family. 

    He is unable to Skype at the moment due to being out at sea, and we're not allowed to know ahead of time when they make port. He does have access to email when he's "at work" in the shop. He doesn't like me sending photos to his work email, but if I do open it without him, I may be able to look up the link online and send the link to his work email, which he hasn't had a problem with.
    Yeah, I wondered if that was the case - Skype is a massive letdown during deployments, isn't it? :(

    Sounds like you have a good plan worked out. Best wishes for his safe return!
    Yep, though he WAS in port until a short time ago. It was only the first port for this cruise half, but I know for a fact he has at least one or two more because he's getting the groomsmen's suits at one of the ports, and it's usually not too long in between port visits. Gotta love the military life, right? Skype can be a massive letdown but being able to talk to them with it is such a blessing! What branch is yours in? 

    Thanks, and I hope yours is being safe too! 
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  • manateehuggermanateehugger member
    2500 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary 5 Answers
    Mine's Army. Good on you for dealing with the hole in port/cruise thing - I think I'd go nuts! Mine actually picked up his favorite suit in Cambodia on a cultural training thing lol. 

    And thanks! He's good - just doing random training for now. Hoping a deployment doesn't decide to pop up before we can managed to get married haha.
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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    edited October 2013
    Where is he stationed? Mine's Japan. It's crazy how massive the carriers are, which is what mine is on when they're on cruise. It's SO cool that he gets to travel. In the first half of cruise they went to Australia, which I was a little jealous of haha. It sounds like everyone had fun though. 

    I know you'll get to marry him soon! :) 
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  • hoffsehoffse member
    Fifth Anniversary 1000 Comments 100 Love Its First Answer
    Well... my mom opened most of our gifts because that's where we had them sent.  I didn't want to get crazy-behind in thank you notes, so she opened them to tell me what it was so I could write them.

    We still had a large pile to open for ourselves after the wedding - she held off opening any gifts for the last two weeks to let us do it.
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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Yes, and any gifts we receive during the wedding, we'll keep at one of our parents' houses and write the notes after we're back from our honeymoon. As for the package, I'll call the uncle tomorrow and ask him what he would like us to do. If he says it's my/our choice, I'll ask my fiancé what he would like me to do. 
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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    I'm terrible in the delay of thanking him, but I was able to get the address (the uncle had moved, which I'd forgotten) and plan to hopefully send a card soon, pending hearing whether my fiancé wants me to wait for him to get home in x months or not. Usually I'm very capable of making my own decisions, but since this is our first registry gift, I really wanted to give him the option of being there to open it. 
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  • mbrooke2008mbrooke2008 member
    10 Comments First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited October 2013
    CSkahan148 said:
    Our first registry gift arrived today from one of my wonderful in-laws. My fiancé is currently deployed in the Navy and won't be home for another x months (lol, finally down to x months!) I have asked him what he would like me to do - open it or wait for him to be home, and no answer yet. In the meantime, I'll keep it unopened until or unless I hear otherwise. 

    But I was just curious. What have you or your military friends done with registry items?
    We had a similar situation. During our engagement I was in Texas and my fiance was stationed at Quantico. Since I opened gifts at bridal showers, I waited for him to open some when he finally made it up before the wedding. After seeing his excitement when opening wedding gifts for the kitchen and such (I guess he doesn't get excited over bowls and plates like I do) he told me he didn't care to open them. I did want to make sure he felt included, but based on our conversations it didn't seem that he was too interested.
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  • ceclardy14ceclardy14 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Both times I've asked him, so we're winging it. :) I love the idea of trying to save some for him to open later if he so wished.
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