To ask what your Christmas day looks like?

[TheLostNights]

We seem to do it all by 2PM and just wondered what others Christmas days looked like

Our changes depending if we're with my parents or my husbands. However, now that we have a little one and will be at home, ours will largely be:

Wake at 6.30 with toddler, stocking in our bed, downstairs to put tree lights on in the dark and see if Father Christmas has been.

Breakfast about 8, treats and 1 present each.

Get dressed and ready for the day.

Carols on, coffee on and then present opening at about 9.30am.

Playtime for toddler and daddy.

Lunch prep for me, eat about 1.

Walk in the afternoon, home for Christmas movie then leftovers for tea.

Bath and bedtime for little one, something like TOTP2 for us as I like to reminisce about the 70s and 80s!

We have my in law over every other year so sometimes busier than other but usually we do cuppa tea for grown ups, stockings, breakfast, presents. Kids play with toys, Christmas dinner, family board game or Christmas film usually some present left to open while we tidy up a bit! Xx

Few drinks and supper once kids are in bed!

Every Christmas for the last 20 plus years I’m up at 6 out the door by 6.30 to get to my shift at 7 to allow the night nurses with kids to get home in time to see their kids open their presents Christmas morning then do a 12-13 hour busy shift then home, sleep, same again the next day. No proper breaks as such but we break the rules on Christmas Day and have nice nibbles out on the nurses station so we can grab and go.

BUT

After over 30 years in the NHS this year I left.

So this year i get to do what everyone else does. See my kids open their presents and spend the day with them, eating, relaxing, doing family kinda stuff.
Cannot wait.

5am Wake up
5.05am Get coffee
6-7am Presents, champagne and croissants
FaceTime family
10am Get lunch going
2-3pm eat lunch
4-5pm family friends come over, kids hang out and play, go in the pool etc
6pm cheese, crackers, Indian platter
And continues on until everyone is drunk, happy and ready for bed (about midnight)

Stockings and presents when everyone gets up (maybe 8/8.30)
Get dressed (after presents as we might get something we want to wear)
Tidy up a bit and breakfast
Peeling of vegetables / Turkey in/ that kind of stuff
Walks for anyone who wants/ play with toys for kids etc
Some years people who want might go for a drink at the pub if we’re with extended family as their village has a nice pub
Cold meats or similar to keep people going til lunch
Other elements of cooking around this time
Drinks pre lunch/ alongside cooking
Lunch is about 3.30/4
TV/ possibly another walk in the dark for those who want
Turkey sandwiches/ more tv

There’s a lot of “for those who want”!

Oh we do also speak to other family between breakfast and the first walk! And sometimes after the main lunch too

Just Me and DS18 here now so it will look something like this

Get up whenever to open Presents and have some Breakfast (I usually do a fry up as I don't cook many of those during the Year).
Son will then usually go to his room to go online and/or speak with his mates.
My eldest two Children will come over at some point mid morning or early afternoon for a while.
Christmas Dinner around 3.00ish that me and DS18 will eat together for once.
Evening I will watch the soaps and some other things that are on and DS will either go to a friends or the friends will come here for the evening as they would have spent the Day with their own DPs or DGPs.
Oh and as its Christmas I will be having a large Bailey's around 11.00 in the morning

We do stockings in the morning with a cup of coffee in bed.
Breakfast at 8.30/9am ish.
Walk to church for 10am service.
Home by 11.30 for fizz and canapés whilst lunch is cooking. DS plays with stocking toys.
Lunch around 2.30pm.
We open tree presents in front of the fire around 4pm ish and that usually lasts until 6/7pm ish as it's all very laid back, lots of breaks for drinks/people to enjoy whatever they've just unwrapped. I don't like wildly tearing open everything as quickly as possible, and DS seems to have inherited the desire to savour the gift opening from me.
DS is usually off to bed for 8/8.30pm and then we all play board games and watch Christmas TV so the festivities keep going.

I love Christmas. I know opening presents after lunch doesn't work for everyone, but I like the fact that it spreads the day out and then there's always something to look forward to.

Wake up when dc do, now teens so later.
Stockings then nice breakfast.
Dc usually have family to spend time with but won't this year.
Cook dinner during morning.
Eat lunch 1-2
Presents after lunch.
Then walk dog.
Then chill.

xmass day in my home is just me get up when i want youtube all day eat junk all day oven dinner if i get hungry i dont do xmass no decs or tree no gifts no cards.and wait on mumsnet for all the xmass drama stories lol.

Boys will sleep till at least 10.
Open stockings.
Eat scrambled eggs and smoked salmon
Open Tree presents.
Walk dog.
Go to pub at lunch time for one or two.
Cook and eat lunch.
Mooch about, watch tv.
Eat more.

stockings first thing then breakfast is a movable feast - people come down and help themselves to croissants toast etc and as long as the dining room is cleared by 11.00am that's fine. There's quite a lot of us so there's some help with setting the table and organising drinks, glasses etc while I cook. We have a glass of champagne about 1.00pm and I finish off lunch for eating at 2.00pm. We then do presents after lunch, some people have a nap and others go for a walk. Supper of leftovers about 8.30/9.00pm. Some play games and others chat. It's a nice relaxing day

• Wake around 7 (but depends on toddler DD)
• All open stockings in our bed, dogs included
• Downstairs to make coffee and feed pets
• One of us will walk the dogs while the other one sorts breakfast and DD potters around playing with the contents of her stocking
• My parents will arrive to watch DD open her under the tree presents
• Breakfast around 9:30, probably bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, maybe scrambled egg. Oh and champagne obvs!
• Chill with new presents for a bit, get DD dressed, DH & I will shower and get ready for the day!
• Decamp to MILs (hopefully DD naps in the car) where we open more presents with MIL, SIL, BIL and nephews.
• Christmas lunch at 2ish
• Walk dogs again
• Then spend the afternoon and evening enjoying our presents, playing games, eating chocolate, watching the Kings speech etc, probably more champagne!
• Home around 7ish, bath and bed for DD
• DH and I will slob in front of the television in our PJs, eating cheese and drinking wine
• Eastenders Christmas special at 9:30pm, the highlight for me according to DH 😂

Get up about 8am, youngest wakes around 8.30am, we ask the teen if he wants to open his stocking and he will say give me half an hour.

They will sit on our bed and open stocking. Then I'll nip downstairs and stick the kettle on and make sure the fire is on. Go downstairs and open the rest of the presents. We take turns going in the shower and I'll get ready. 7 yr old will be playing with his new toys.

Have breakfast which I think will be various pastries from M&S with tea and fresh orange juice.

Speak to the dads on the phone and thank them for the presents.

Have chill time with the kids and their new things. Then about 1pm my stepdad will come and pick us up and we'll go to mam's. My brother, sis in law, baby niece, a friend of my brothers and an ex of a cousin who has no one to be with will also be there.

The house will be lovely and warm and cosy. My mam will have champagne and nibbles ready. The lads will eat pigs in blankets as a snack. We exchange presents in the front room.

About 2.30 we'll have a beautiful dinner with turkey, beef, roast potatoes, mash, roasted carrots, parsnips, homemade stuffing, Yorkshire puds and gravy. Then chocolate cake, eves pudding and Christmas cake.

We then might play a board game or just chill and watch telly. The ex of my cousin will leave and my cousin and her son will arrive and we'll have more champagne and exchange presents.

I'm attempting to book a taxi home for 7, if I can't get one we will walk the 2 miles home. Then probably have turkey sandwiches or another dinner from the leftovers. Have a baileys and watch telly before bed.

Wake up around 9/9:30 have a bacon sandwich usually whilst opening presents downstairs, taking it in turns so we can see what everyone gets. After we're done usually around 11 we take our presents up stairs to be put away and clear up plates/ wrapping paper. Then it's time to shower and get dressed - usually using bits we have got as presents (perfume, makeup, clothes). If we're hosting we start dinner, if going someone else's we usually get there for 1. Dinner at 2/2:30, dessert and then clear up and afterwards we have nibbles out, alcohol and games usually till around 11 at night.

Christmas Eve is my favourite. Nice breakfast first thing and then we see Father Christmas. Long walk and a day of films, bake some cookies for Father Christmas. Baths, Christmas pjs, cookies & carrot out for FC and Rudolph.
Dh and I then have a fancy buffet and watch an Xmas film together, open the champagne.

Christmas Day, up at around 7ish. Dc open stockings in our bed. Coffee in bed for us.
Down to open rest of presents from us and FC. Buck's Fizz and special breakfast around 9.30ish,

Dress up and head to in-laws/my family (alternates) for lunch around 1pm. Afternoon of games, chilling.

Fancy buffet for Xmas tea- lots and lots of cheese. Drinks, good tv and games. Home around 9/10. Dh and I watch Christmas tv with chocolates if we can stay awake!!

Kids up between 6.30-7am, and bring their stockings into our room to open them and eat chocolate on our bed.

Then we head downstairs to open our presents to each other and to the DC, and have "first breakfast" of coffee, croissants and brioche. Presents from other family members have to wait till we see them to be opened - so sometimes are received before or after Christmas, which I like as it spreads out the excitement a bit.

We slouch about for a couple of hours, have more coffee, enjoy our presents, watch a bit of telly. I usually start the veg prep whilst listening to Christmas carols.

Mid-morning my DM arrives and we have a second breakfast of smoked salmon bagels, bacon rolls and Buck Fizz. More presents are opened.

After that I'll probably get dressed, and start cooking. We never have a set "time" for lunch, it's ready when it's ready, usually around 2pm.

After we've eaten we slump for a bit, then FaceTime other family members to say Merry Christmas, then it's usually time for Christmas Strictly and some pudding and cheese and crackers (we never have room immediately after lunch). Mum goes home after that, and we just relax with wine and chocolate till bedtime.

We have a dog now, so for the first time will have to factor in a dog walk - I'm thinking probably between first and second breakfast.

It's a very relaxed day, because we only really have room to "host" my mum - and if we didn't she'd be on her own, so there's no pressure to invite anyone else. DH's parents are divorced and remarried, so we see them separately, either before or after Christmas, sometimes with DH's sister and her family. They're usually quite pleasant, relaxed days too - the only time we've come close to a Christmas "family row" was the one year we all tried to stay at MIL's!

This sounds bliss

DS (11) will wake up about eight I imagine it we will wake him up about then.

We will go downstairs and see if Father Christmas has been and open presents and a bottle of Buck’s Fizz. Then I’ll make smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast

My mum will pick us up to go to my sisters house about 1230 and we will do more presents there and then eat about 2pm. Maybe a few games and then probably fall asleep in front of the fire, then turkey sandwiches and leave hers about five or six and then that’s it really - we might watch a Christmas film or something then bed

7:00 - Wake up at in-laws, make tea
7:30 - Stockings
8:30 - Breakfast (pork pie, croissants, and coffee)
9:00 - Presents
10:00 - Playing with presents
11:00 - Family walk with dogs, maybe stop at the park
12:00 - Playing with presents
2:00 - Christmas dinner (drives me insane because I would much prefer this to be at an actual meal time instead of DC's nap time, but it's not my house)
3:30 - Playing with presents
4:30 - Family film
6:00 - DC dinner
6:30 - DC bath
7:00 - DC bed
7:30 - Picky bits and leftovers for dinner if wanted
8:00 - Board game
9:00 - Mindless tv until bed

Stockings at 7am (kids, DH and I)
Small breakfast - I prep dinner. DH takes the dog for a walk.
11am Open champagne, nibbles and open presents under the tree.
"play" with presents whilst my mum and I finish making dinner
2/2.30 Eat Christmas lunch
3/3.30pm Watch film/queen's speech
3.45pm Fall asleep.
5pm Play board game
7pm: Make sandwiches
8pm: Eat turkey sandwiches and play card game.
10pm: Go to bed

Other than the 3pm speech which will be by the King, we're all done by about 2.30.