To ask what you do at Christmas

[hmmjustwondered]

I know it's ages away but I just wondered do you spend Christmas Day as just your family unit? Or with your parents and adult siblings and all the kids?
We usually spend it as all our family taking turns who hosts but if I'm honest I'd rather host every year as love doing Christmas. We also have dogs so makes it tricky as can't take them with us but also can't leave them for long.

We host every year with all the family, parents, siblings, aunties, uncles - My cousin and my brothers families take it in turns to which side they go to. So we have ~10 one yr and 18 the next, and then back to 10 etc.
I love it, we have dogs and young kids too so it’s just (selfishly!) easier to host!

I go to my parents’ on Christmas Eve with my sister and two older brothers. We have a meal that night then my sister and I sleep over and we all gather again at our parents’ on the day. My sister and I usually stay for up to a week.

That won’t be happening this year.

We host. DH, DC, DSC and me. Mum, dad, step mum, siblings and spouses all come. It’s brilliant.

Currently living with the parents do it's me, dd and the parents.
Would love a big family Xmas, but unfortunately the family is getting smaller. This could possibly be my mums last Xmas too so that's going to put a dampener on things.

We stay at home, just me, DH and the kids. When we had our eldest we decided Christmas Day would be a relaxed affair at home. 20 years later I can honestly say it definitely works.

We do a mix - something we spend it just with the 4 of us (DP, me and 2 DCs), sometimes we have my parents over for Xmas Day, and sometimes we go away for a couple of weeks on holiday with the 4 of us. If we go away we don't really have a Xmas Day as such though.

We either go to DH family or mine. Either way involved a lot of travelling and is a pain tbh.

We do Xmas eve dinner with Dh’s family, And Xmas morning at home just us. We used to do my family for Xmas dinner, but none live local now, so sometimes we stay home, sometimes we see Dh’s family again.

Mil comes to us for 4 days. Suits us just fine.

We stay at home Christmas Eve night (started doing this when first DC was born) but then go to my parents around noon, we stay two nights there then (DC has Boxing Day birthday).

In laws pop over to see us and DC Christmas Day morning before we head to my parents'. My adult sibling goes to my parents up until this year but they now have a small baby so we'll see what they do this year!

Thinking of going back to basics this Christmas as money is tight,will obviously buy gifts for children but am fed up with trying to find gifts for adults that have more money than me!(lighthearted)! Have lots of time but little funds. Thinking of homemade gifts eg Sloe gin,chutneys,pickles etc.... any thoughts... naff or not? What would you like to receive if any thing?

Dh and I hire a cottage in the middle of nowhere with a ton of tasty food, booze and play cards or go on long walks. We'll visit family between Christmas and New year

Usually head for sunnier climes but don't want to get involved in booking something and it get cancelled.

Will do something at my house for Sister, nephew, Bil and parents. We've just moved house so it'll be nice to be at home for a change, I suppose!

It varies. DH has family who ive abroad so if they come over we have a big Christmas at our house. Otherwise it's just the four of us.

We go to inlaws Christmas Eve. Christmas day just us an DD. Boxing day my parents. We started that once we got married. Then everyone was used to it by the time our daughter arrived.

Christmas Eve we go to a get together at a friends. Have done this for 30 years or so, kids born, grown up and it still continues. Then Christmas day at home just us (3 grown up kids and us and in recent years a widowed friend), church, pub, home. And then a family get together with brother and sisters and families (parents and one brother sadly no longer with us) some time between Christmas and New Year. Works for us, no travelling on the actual day, fairly chilled day though that said there's usually something that gives me a 5 minute melt-down!

Single parent, so alternate years of dd with me. DF is elderly and v high risk so this year, I will be on my own in my house and he will be alone in his. It will be an odd day, but it's just a day.

I always host, as my house has the most space, and my sister and other sister's partner both drive, whereas I would find it impossible to get to their houses by public transport on Christmas Day, and we have more dietary criteria than them so it's easiest if we provide most of the food and they just bring a couple of things.

Though we are actually celebrating Chanukah, we just do it on 25th as everyone is off work then.

@justhetwoofus

Thinking of going back to basics this Christmas as money is tight,will obviously buy gifts for children but am fed up with trying to find gifts for adults that have more money than me!(lighthearted)! Have lots of time but little funds. Thinking of homemade gifts eg Sloe gin,chutneys,pickles etc.... any thoughts... naff or not? What would you like to receive if any thing?

I think that's a lovely idea not naff at all, I actually think that Christmas present buying can get a little out of hand. I love to buy for people but always spend way to much and then have to pay catch up afterwards. It's the thought that counts so thoughtful gifts will be welcomed I'm sure.

Thank you so much for your replies everyone. It sounds like you all have it sorted

Now with the new rules though I don't know whether we are all going to be able to have Christmas as we usually do depending on how long this lasts.

We normally host. Everyone flies in and stays a week. My parents, DH’s parents, my DSis and her family and DH’s DSis and her family. It’s brilliant but due to the travel restrictions it’s likely to be a very different Christmas this year.

I only have a small family as they all keep selfishly dying.

My mum will come to us on Christmas Eve, and we'll do some kind of big roast (duck is a favourite). Christmas Day we're going for a running buffet idea again. We tried it last year but we were ill so I ended up binning lots of food. Games, walks, puzzles and reading. Pork on Boxing Day. Mum goes home then we go to hers on New Year's Eve

We do usually do activities like a local Christmas lights show, custodian Christmas at a NT place and outdoor skating and markets but that seems highly unlikely.

Victorian not custodian! We don't get locked up...