What are your Christmas plans this year?

[seasid]

I love this little community on mumsnet as it involves so many people from many different walks of life. I also LOVE hearing people’s stories and I also love Christmas - so what better question than asking what you all are up to this festive season? 🎄

No plans whatsoever.

And I'm fine with that.

Me too. No plans & no cooking

I'll be ignoring it, as I do every year.

None at all at this point. No doubt the adult DC will initiate a conversation in the next few weeks but are probably going to their partners families. If that is the case it will be with our blessing, I refuse to be the sort of parents who can't cope if they don't see their family. We can see them another time.

Either a small family meal, or a long hike if the weather is good.

Solo travelling in asiak

Smallish Christmas day with 4 adults and my 3 kids. Then chaos on boxing day squeezing 20-25 into my house, just need to source some emergency chairs. I can't wait.

it’s just me, my DD and our dog so we’re having unconventional food as I’m fed up of missing the great things about the day. I will still make my mum a mini xmas lunch though. I don’t really like Christmas Day but Dec is filled with seeing friend and doing great things so I just make the most of Christmas Day and it’s soon over!

Christmas Eve a buffet at our house for dd, dsil, dgd and ds and girlfriend.
Joy of joys Christmas lunch at dd house then Boxing Day ds and gf go home, dd and family stay at their house and dh and me lie in, stay in pjs all day and eat lots of treats. Bliss!

Just my husband and me (plus dogs and cats). We do and eat whatever we fancy. There won’t be a traditional type of dinner. We’re vegetarians and, even without meat, the traditional dinner isn’t our thing. We do like a bit of Christmas pudding, so we may have some after one of our favourite home made dinner’s. We have family visiting on Boxing day. We’ll do a vegetarian Christmassy buffet. The tree with come down when they have left, or the following morning.

No plans as yet. Need to see how it plays out as this is the first Christmas in almost 20 years that I'm not working. I used to work in retail so fitting in Christmas shopping, seeing family, planning food/presents among all the shift changes and extra hours was a huge undertaking. Now just have nothing going on and I love it. My finances have taken a hit so cheap present buying is going to be a new experience, I considered inviting my Mum up but my husband, while not against having my parents here says if we do, his parents will expect an invite next year and he does not want that.

I am doing Early Xmas I do every year for all my DC, partners and DGC on 12th and 13th of December. Today my youngest DS told me he will come to me for Xmas lunch joining me, DH and 2 foster sons. We will all go to youngest sons for Boxing day buffet in evening where eldest DS and his gf will come too. DH and I are invited to elderly Mil on 27th and 28th. DH and I going out on NY eve and I'm cooking on NY day lunch and buffet dinner.

I don't know yet as I've just started a new job and am yet to find out my Christmas schedule.

The rough plan is takeaway and quiz night at my family on Christmas Eve, quiet Christmas day at home just the two of us with roast beef, wine and Die Hard, then boxing day dinner and cocktails with his family. That's the general order of events every year so hopefully it'll be that again this year!

Just dh and I in a remote cottage by the sea. No traditional Xmas food. Lots of walking, reading and Netflix.

Last year living down south, so staying home and having a quiet one. May see DS2 and his g/f but its their first christmas living together and think they want to do their own thing so will be DD, the dog and I. Don’t like Christmas anyway so i’m happy with that. For years I had to drive 500 mile trip for Christmas but can no longer stay there due to dogs so quite glad as the drive was always a stress.

I'm petsitting. I'll either be alone with the cat, or I might visit my daughter. Quite fancy being alone with the cat and ordering in takeaway tbh.

This will be the first Christmas I shall be spending away from home with one of the DC. Normally, I host and it’s manic! So we’ll see DH’s DD and family before Christmas, my DS and his family for Christmas, my DD2 and her DH on Boxing Day, my DH’s son and family on the 27th, then my DD1 and family will come to ours on the 28th - which means I have to be super organised on the 27th re shopping and cooking in between seeing stepson and family. Not sure what will happen for the NY. The timing is tight, so no doubt something will go awry along the way!

It's just DH and me this year. We've had a hectic year and can't face either travel, or hosting. I'm really looking forward to it.
I love December and always decorate the house nicely.
DH will cook us a full roast dinner because we'll then be able to eat the leftovers for days (bubble n squeak!).
We'll open our presents and have smoked salmon, blinis and champagne for breakfast, then go for a hike. Then we'll eat our roast and watch a Christmas film. In the evening we'll play a board game (I always buy DH a new one as a present).

I’m in work. I’m a Nurse Practitioner in Urgent Care. I’ve got Christmas Eve and Boxing Day off though so I’m not moaning. Christmas Eve we always bake mince pies and hopefully Boxing Day we will get out for a walk.

Lost my mother in law on the 27th of December last year so it's going to be a tough month I feel.

I have four children aged 11 and under so we tend to stay at home and anyone else is welcome to pop in/stay for dinner.

My daughter will be a week awake from her due date, so we are planning a very low key Christmas. :)

Apart from opening presents and going to church, it'll be a pretty run of the mill day for me, my twin DC, 2 cats and 2 dogs!

We have the week off from the 19th this year so hopefully do some pre-Christmas festive things which I’m looking forward to. We have booked tickets to ice skating and uv mini golf at a Christmas wonderland place (too old for fc now) which will hopefully be fun. On Christmas Eve we always go for a walk somewhere and go to the carols. If up to me I would hibernate completely for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but I do understand it’s nicer for the kids if we see people. So we will most likely host my family on Christmas Day and then hibernate Boxing Day! I was quite unwell last Christmas and to be honest I haven’t had a great year with my mental health so I am looking forward to just being in with my dh and kids and shutting the world out a bit.

We'll be going to an extended family member's house this year. It was at mine last year & all the interstate rellies decided to come too! So it was squeezy! We're a summer Christmas place so everyone brings a plate - usually cold meats, salads, desserts, and a god awful punch everyone else loves. Or fake wine.🙄

This year is looking a bit disastrous, though. FIL & his DW usually come to my family for lunch but he's decided he probably can't this year due to health issues. I don't want to rush off from lunch to sit around FIL's tiny unit & miss the fun, which is what we'll be expected to do. SIL won't help out - recently decided she doesn't do Christmas anymore (including no more gifts for her young DC!).

After Christmas Day, all the other rellies descend - this year SIL and my DB will appear at some point. And new years day is a tradition now, apparently, at my aunt & uncle's. All. Day.

It sounds fab, but in reality I just was break, or to get things done at home that desperately need doing. Our employer, like most here, shuts for 2 weeks & we're forced to take almost half our annual leave. We go back to work exhausted.

Tbh once FIL passes, I'm hoping to travel instead. My DP's have plenty of places to go so don't mind if we're not here.

Hosting a big group of friends mid December then in laws coming over Christmas Day, going home Boxing Day.
Christmas Eve go to the village sports club for the kids disco/santa.
Might go to the village pub Christmas Day evening, Boxing Day there is a village walk to raise money for cancer so we’ll do that, NYE we’ll go to the sports club again for the disco.

On Christmas Eve we will be at home (me, DH, three teen DC). For Christmas Day we alternate between families, this year it is my family's turn and there will be 15 of us with my cousin hosting. Then on Boxing Day we'll drive to see MIL and stay near her for one night.