Will I ever sleep again on Christmas eve?

[elliejjtiny]

Honestly not complaining (much) and it's what you get with 5 dc with a big age gap. I have 2 teens, a tween and 2 little ones. Eldest finally fell asleep at midnight so we had to stay up until 12:30 to put the stockings by their beds. We have duplicate stockings for each of them that we fill in advance so we just swap the empty ones for the full ones. Then the youngest woke up at 3am. Dh got up with him as he likes to "experience the joy" (I prefer my joy at a more civilised hour). Youngest accidentally woke all the others and then jumped on me at 4am.

Does it ever get more civilised than this? I know I will miss it when they are all grown up.

😆 Yes it does get more civilised, and a lot more boring imo! 😆

I miss those days of CD chaos when the DC were small.

I would recommend instilling the idea that Father Chistmas needs children to be asleep between 9pm and 7am so he can get around all the children in the world.

But yes, they will grow out of it and get to the stage where they have to be woken up on Christmas morning!

I used to yearn for a civilised Christmas morning. Now I have it, I yearn for the chaos of those early years. Don't wish it away!

My oldest 3 are all just 2 years apart. When they were all little i did a sack each downstairs. They'd set up their sacks and carrots and pies and notes all together and then go up to bed. We'd then fill the sacks at 10 ish (our usual bed time) and go quietly up.

Means less creeping about with rustly things and less waiting for the kids to all be sound sleep at once.

Those 3 are in their 20s now but we have a 7 yo DD and we still do santa sack downstairs in the fire place. SO much easier!

Meant to say - if you don't have a fireplace you can still make a Santa Arrival Area, next to the xmas tree maybe? With a (fake flame) candle, which you can leave on all night by the stockings/sacks, tinsel, tray for his pies ect :)

I miss that. It made Xmas all these things. I used to sit and watch Christmas cartoons with my son in the morning.
He turned 18 yesterday and I had to drag him out of bed about an hour ago.
Yes it quieter. I’m sat here reading a book and my husband is cooking. But I miss this time with small ones.

I have 3 under 8 and they didn’t get up until 8am!

Also meant to say:

This doesn't solve the early getting up - only the bed time bit, but nothing in the world will keep little DCs in bed on xmas morning

I love it!! I was awake waiting for DD4 !!