whats your fave part of christmas?

[zazzabeans]

for me it has to be the run up to xmas... people putting up xmas trees, festive xmas shoppers, xmas music in the shops, smells of xmas such as gingerbread yankee candles and the xmas lattes in starbucks

[Sheeparefluffy]

Seeing my DD and DS faces when they run in to the living room and see their gifts! Just perfect.

[wfrances]

definately the run up
dd bday 18th dec and ds bday christmas eve so i find the last week a hectic blur ,i dont breath until boxing day.
dh has already seen a decorated house saturday (hes a postie)

[olibeansmummy]

Christmas Eve :)

[JemimaMuddledUp]

Christmas Eve.

The family candlelit carol service late afternoon, then home to eat the ham that has been in the slow cooker all day. Snuggling up together to watch a Christmas DVD. Tracking Santa on Norad, insisting that the kids have to go to bed when he reaches a certain country. Then waiting till they are asleep to do Santa duty.

Love it!

[ShowOfBloodyStumps]

Christmas Eve. The anticipation.

[starrynight19]

Another for Xmas eve the anticipation is always better than the expectations you put on the big day itself.

[Yama]

New pj's on Christmas Eve, leaving out whiskey, carrot and mince pie for Santa and Rudolph. Can't wait.

Putting the tree up is good too.

[Draculasbride]

Oh I love it all! All the build up and anticipation then watching dc's faces light up when when they see their gifts under the tree

[pigsinmud]

Christmas Eve.

[Draculasbride]

Oh and the FOOD!

[RobinSparkles]

I was going to say the run up but actually it's not.

I love everything about Christmas!

The decorations, twinkly lights, preparations, frosty mornings, wrapping presents, TV adverts.

I suppose if I had to pick one it would have to be the expressions and the excitement on the DDs' faces when they see their presents. Last year DD2 was nearly 2 and she didn't really understand what was going on. She knew that "that bearded man" was "Santa" but she didn't realise that he was going to bring presents. The look on her face when she was walking down the stairs and saw her new bike! She couldn't get down the stairs quickly enough.

I can't wait for this year!

[Raddy]

I think it's Christmas morning - our trusty Christmas cd on (even though it's quite dodgy), champagne for breakfast, the long dog walk we do to break up the present fest, roaring fire even if it's not cold.

[timidviper]

My DCs are grown up now so my favourite thing of all is having them at home and spending time together.

I sometimes wish we lived in an age when children stayed nearer to home rather than moving away to work. Having said that, today being Remembrance Sunday, I'm just glad I've only waved them off to work and not to war

[Yama]

Oh, and this Mulled Pear and Cranberry Punch

Be warned - it doesn't last long.

[timidviper]

Sorry about that, feel like I've just put a downer on a lovely Christmas thread! Please ignore me!

[Chottie]

I'm another with grown-up DC and this year for the first time in 3 years both DC will be at home for Christmas :)

I just love being with my family. I love Christmas Eve and also that special moment on Christmas Day when the meal is served, the wine is poured and I look around the table and see everyone I love most in the world is there with me and DH. Life doesn't get any better

[Chottie]

timid please don't apologise, today of all days is the day we should spare a thought for those who will have a loved one absent on Christmas Day......

[CloserLook]

When I was a kid it was seeing the christmas lights out of the car window on the way back home from my aunts on christmas eve.

Now it's the squeal of delight my ds5 gives when he finds the stocking at the foot of his bed!

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

All of it, the build up, the excitement, the windows in big shops, the warm buzzy pubs with fires. the decs, the carols....Possible the decorations though...

[zazzabeans]

I just love EVERYTHING about xmas, infact I get pretty down the week before knowing it will be soon over .....

[lucysmam]

oooh, where to start??

The lights going on in town.....the Coca Cola ad (not to everyones taste but I love it ) ....buying new decs with my girls...putting them up...baking the cakes.....all the preparation and faffing about looking for the perfect gifts.....the girls faces on Christmas morning when they open their stockings and get excited over socks and pants and toothbrushes ....cooking a roast with all the trimmings....the chocolate.....the sweets......the ..



In fact....ALL OF IT!! Christmas, and the run up to it, is my very favourite time of year

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Oooh where to start...

winter clothes (though with the old hot flushes going on, it's a case of layers now)

My new winter/ Christmas duvet cover and sheets (to go on Dec 1st)

Christmas cushions and throw to snuggle up with a film

being unreasonably excited to see Lakeside had it's lights up at the door and The Grotto (though I honestly cannot remember if they had the decorations inside)

planning days out for the DC and not trying to do too much at the last minute.

baking with DD (and DS eating the 'rawcake' )

going to Sainsburys to get the big shopping in (using my Nectar Points)

opening up the £2 jar with a canopener (ok, it's a tin, not a jar ) and counting it up.

We've got a couple of trips out this month.
Young Driver for DS and DD
Ballet (Nutcracker) for DD and I

We'll go to the Toby Carvery for DS birthday (his favourite) and whatever he decides he want to do.
Decorations don't go up before his day.


Kew Gardens

we usually do a trip to London but it's so busy , the shops are mobbed and I really CBA with the rude people and the boiling hot shops.
We might just go to see the lights on Oxford Street.

Then this year there's a the weekend before when the DC finish, then Christmas on the Wednesday. Much better than when they finish a whole week before and get bored and fractious.

[ShowOfBloodyStumps]

I love every single little bit of Christmas. Christmas Eve is still my favourite day but it's so many things on that day that make it what it is. Steaming the pudding, taking dd to church, going for a long walk, lamb casserole, friends round for mulled wine and a sing song, little traditions of putting out things for FC, sprinkling reindeer food, new pyjamas, reading The Night Before Christmas etc. So many lovely things. The anticipation isn't better than the actual day but I enjoy it most.

Other little things I strangely enjoy are...

The Christmas Radio Times. I can't tell you with how much glee I skip home with it in my bag. I buy a new highlighter and I sit down with a cup of tea and a mince pie and I read it from cover to cover. The children then come and have a look what's on for them. We rarely watch television but the joy of seeing what new things are on is something I remember from my childhood.

Opening the boxes of decorations from the loft. They smell of Christmas and the children have always forgotten we have some of it and there are squeals of 'remember I made this last year?' and 'oh look the angel from the tree and her wonky arm'.

Going to get the tree. We go on a Sunday and we stuff it in the car. It leaves no room, tickles the children's legs and it smells amazing. We take it home and decorate it while eating warm, freshly made sausage rolls and soup and listening to Christmas music.

Christmas light switch on in town.

Christmas markets. We have several excellent ones locally and we go for a wander wrapped up in 78 layers each.

Going to collect fircones and holly and drift wood and then spending a weekend making decorations, drying out cinnamon and oranges etc.

Oh all of it. I love ALL of it.

[ThreeMyselfAndI]

I love sitting with a take away on christmas eve, twinkling Christmas light's, christmas movies, dds playing with their Christmas eve present.... it's perfect.

but hands down seeing their faces when they see all their presents makes every single penny worth while.