To wonder what your ideal Christmas would be?

[Fallingovercliffs]

Just as an antidote to all the stressed out posts about competitive present buying, rows over where to spend Christmas day, etc etc what would your ideal Christmas be?

I have to admit, at this time of year, I start to dream of a nice quiet country village, picking holly, nativity play in the village hall, carol service on Christmas Eve, neighbours dropping in with home made gifts for some mulled wine, and Santa leaving dolls and lovingly repainted second hand bikes under the tree .

Pretty much what I've has for the last several years . We (immediate family - sibling and parents) live in a coastal village. We all get together for presents and champagne at breakfast time, but nobody spends stupid amounts on presents, then drinks at the local with all our neighbours followed by looooong and delicious lunch with lovely wines and liqueurs. Telly watching and board games in the evening. Has been lovely.
Sadly, parents' declining health is forcing changes, but we'll all be together and the main elements will still be in place.
I love Christmas.

Not to have to go to work.

I both hate and love working Christmas.

Cardibach

I will be having my perfect Christmas too as I am NC with toxic mother. This has changed everything for the past few years

Wake up with teen DC, open pressies, tea and selection box for brekkie.

DB, SIL and DNs arrive 11ish for pressies and cuddles.

Lunch

Collapse in a heap on sofa watching crap tv and eating own body weight in celebrations.

Bliss.

Funny how we are all different though - I see PP have mentioned things like "all the neighbours dropping in" Shudder

Or even worse.......BOARD GAMES!!!

We're having our first and last quiet Christmas and I couldn't be more excited! Going to spend the whole day playing with DD and eating lots of chocolate instead of waiting on 15 members of MIL's family like I have done the past 3 years! Going to have stockings in the morning then breakfast, Christmas tree presents, lots of cheesy Christmas music, cook a massive Christmas dinner, maybe go for a little walk, not going to do ANY work and then eat my body weight in cheese and crackers once DD is in bed.

A massive wooden chalet somewhere in Switzerland or somewhere, with lots of snow, the whole family there, a cook to rustle up amazing food and drink all week, all beautifully decorated with a massive tree, and loads of amazing presents. Everyone would get on really well, we would go sleighing and ski-ing, drink lots of gluhwein in the local taverns and wear amusing, cosy Christmas jumpers. Travel there would go without a hitch, the roads would be clear and the pavements would not have an inch of ice on them.

In my dreams

Just me, DH and the DDs. Somewhere hot preferably. If there's a luxury hotel involved where staff clean and cook for me, so much the better.

Lunch can be traditional, that's fine, but will be eaten we we would like it, not when MIL decides.

My present will be in a small box. Or on the driveway. DH will have been decisive about what he wants. The DDs will get lovely, well-thought gifts that they will cherish. There will be no gigantic, plastic, break-within-20-minutes items anywhere to be seen.

No having to see any relatives at all.

Oh and in lieu of anywhere hot, I will be allowed to watch Carols from King's when broadcast, instead of Nativity for the 200th time

Mines a total fantasy - old fashioned Christmas in a big mansion with the family, huge tree, candlelight, carol singers and staff/Michelin starred chef to cook and serve beautiful food
Slightly more realistically a little cottage with an open fire, just the 5 of us, a few presents and a long walk in crisp white snow.

I want cardibachs Christmas.

Instead I get to get up, open presents, drive the 2 hours to MIL's, spend a few hours there with other members of the family popping in 2 here, 3 there. Then about 3 I will drive to my parents (about 15 mins from MIL) where we are staying. The Christmas dinner will be ready some point before 7 (my mum insists on doing it all herself, but spends a lot of time drinking so not really getting round to doing much too quickly so its always late. She refuses to let anyone else help though) then the DCs will eventually go to bed and my parents will fall asleep while we try to watch a film.

Im living in Christmas now. We have carols in the village tonight and the nativity tomorrow night in the village hall. I have Christmas eve planned to not leave the house all day and to sit around and eat crap. We are watching Christmas fillms all day as a family. Im looking forward to that, but Christmas day itself I will concentrate on the DCs and the fun that they are having being spoiled by their grandparents. Thats the only good thing about the actual day to be honest, the DCs enjoy it, as they should.

My ideal is what we are having, at home just the 5 of us, relaxed day in our pjs. Open stockings with DC in mine and DH's bed then downstairs for bacon rolls and present opening in front of the fire. Christmas dinner at three then out to walk the dog. Back home for a nap before nightshift.

Ok, I'd rather forget the nightshift and sit with cheese and wine but there will be plenty time for that over New Year.

We live 3 hours away from relatives so do our visiting after Christmas.

I've had lovely village Christmasses for many years just like cardibach describes. .

If I am totally honest, and hope my family never reads this - I would like Christmas alone, I have enjoyed volunteering on Christmas day so I would choose to do this again (have done it with my family, but it's not their favourite thing) - I would go to the Church service of my choice rather than having to find a 'family friendly' one and would enjoy reading, watching my favourite tv/films without having to compromise .

I guess that makes me sound very selfish and in fact I do have a very nice Christmas planned, with no real stress and no visitors .

I have what I want in terms of people etc - we have a huge family and Christmas is a week long affair here due to that.

However I would like a different location I would love to have one of those premier luxury lodge things at Centre Parcs, with loads of snow, no cleaning to do, minimal cooking, cosy wrapped up with everyone. (We'd probably have to hire every single lodge to fit us all in...)

pretty much having it - day with DH and the children ' christmas eve with best friends until mid evening, new jimjams for all, christmas stories with the children before bed; last minute wrapping with a glass of port with DH. Christmas morning stockings in bed, prosecco and present opening, breakfast, playing with toys, christmas songs, late lunch, games, walk in the park, christmas films.

Boxing day will visit with friends or have visitors over, not decided for sure yet, and a day or so after boxing day, christmas drinks, leftovers etc.

I would love to see the family within all this, but mine live in North of England, or in USA, so this year, not galavanting around the world or country to visit.

Large family that I like and get on with - to a degree, am not totally OTT

lots of other cousins for my dc to play with, lots of local ish houses to visit, coming and going a party....

as it is, its just us .

We are lucky enough to have a cardibach Christmas - I wonder whether we live in the same coastal village!

Beach on Christmas eve with DCs, home for soup dinner, hot chocolate in front of the fire.

Christmas morning with DCs, down the road to mum's for lunch.

I'd love to decorate a palm tree for Christmas. Have fireworks on the beach. Drunkenly sing carols with strangers from all over the world. DD goes to bed at a normal time and my DH enjoys himself instead of watching the clock and rolling his eyes at everything.

That's the dream...

Lots of people squeezed around a table, walk in the woods, film on a big screen, kids covered in chocolate, a happy dog running around.

The one I've got, except with a bit more space to have it in!

We host Christmas every year for me, DH, the DC, DM and MIL (who are both single) and both my brothers if they can come. We get up, have a cooked breakfast, open the not-too-extravagant presents, have our big lunch and then sleep or go out for a walk in the afternoon. It is always the best day of the year, just to have everyone around us. They all help with the kids and cooking and everybody pulls their weight. The only thing is that our house isn't that big!

Bacon butties at our house in the morning, mum, DP and I then go to the cemetery to 'see' dad. DP goes to see his kids, mum, sister and then back to my mums for Christmas dinner, just the 3 of us. After lunch we'll take the doggies for a good run, back to mums to chill in front of the telly and then later on we'll have a snack on left overs, pork pies, pickles.

Leave mums around 9 and then make sure we've got every ready for our holiday, which we leave for on Boxing Day.

I've got mine within the limitations of my blokes. I'd love to have people without autism who want to do the things I think are cool but I'm OK with how the day will go. We get up, have a lovely breakfast, open presents (mine are fab as I chose them all), great lunch, swim in the pool if I nag them enough to join me.

The best part of Xmas is that I told my parents I needed to be NC with my sister after my horror year (and her personality disorder) and they were all cool, fine we will do a meal with your family and it's OK. So no listening to my BIL telling us how Muslims don't belong in Australia and how the 'Abos' have privileges while his Aboriginal SIL sits and listens to him.

We live in a small Norfolk village, and we have what is for us the perfect Christmas. We get up fairly early and open our presents and have a cup of tea and some mince pies. We go to church, then have a simple chicken dinner followed by pud. We might go out for a toddle by the sea or the Broads or the woods if the weather is fine. We get back for the Queen's Speech, then watch whatever we want on TV or put on our favourite dvd's, or just doze. Tea is seafood salad, home-made Christmas cake and more TV. Candlelight carols in our village church in the evening. Our three cats will be stuffed with goodies, chicken, prawns and so on. Neighbours may pop in during the day,and we'll go round 'next door' for a cup of tea. It may sound tame, but we're the kind of people that adore peace, tranquillity and relaxation. Out of all of it, I think it's hearing the church bells (our village church has a fine ring of bells) on Christmas morning that is my favourite bit. It always brings tears to my eyes.

I'm actually really looking forward to this Christmas; it'll just be me, DP, and DS1 (very nearly 4) and DS2 (18 months)
We're going to get up and open stocking presents while we come round, have Nigellas Christmas morning muffins and selection boxes! for breakfast and drink a coffee from my lovely new tassimo (was just my birthday)
Then we're going to walk to a local lovely pub/restaurant for Christmas lunch and have a nice glass of wine.
Then head back for opening the rest of the presents, watch some Christmas tv or a film, hot chocolate and light dinner for the kids before bed, then board games, more wine and some yummy snacky bits for me and DP!

Funny, some of your perfect Christmases don't sound great to me, and I'm sure mine sounds dull and boring to some of you.
Just goes to show there's no such thing as a perfect Christmas

We're having it this year.
Two kids, one of whom is old enough to make paper chains and get excited about stockings.
Carols on classic fm
Lots of delicious food.
A husband who has sold some dvds in order to pay for the glue to make a dolls house.
Neighbours popping in on the afternoon.
Sadly it will be our first and last family Christmas because we are splitting.
Bitter sweet this year.