What happens on christmas day in your house ??? ..x

[Honeyme1980]

Hello , I would really apriciate some feedback on how ur xmas morning afternoon and everning is spent as i feel were stuck in a rut and would like to fab it up.. I have DD10 and DD9 and a DS who is 3 and feeling very excited for santa ... xx please share ur day with me im quite nosey so would find it interesting yet u could help my day get abit brighter :)

Math If that was to me, I dont hate wrapping, I love seeing them unwrap, I just wish I were more organised and didnt leave it to the last minute!

I couldnt not wrap TBH, it wouldnt be the same.

Not much. Over here the big Christmas meal is in the evening the night before. Xmas day is for presents, leftovers, maybe another cooked meal but smaller than the one from the night before.

In the afternoon we wrap up very warm (minus 15 last year) and walk the dogs in the forest.

Wake, stocking of tat on bed to buy us a few minutes extra. Reality is I will be awake excited from 5 and boys won't wake until 7 or 8, this is a family trait- first eyar I was with my ex he was astounded when my sisters called at 5am asking where I was as they were sick of waiting LOL (they were in their twenties). get up, go downstairs to find out whether FC has been, open presents.

Breakfast- this year croissants with home amde fig and plum jam I think. My family all do Bucks Fizz but I don't really like drinking that early.

Dressed etc, family gifts.

Play / read etc whislt I make lunch; we might have some canapes at mid day in lieu of a starter. Eat around 2 / 3, do not do Queen's Speech, watch a film, dose and pick for emainder of day.

Last year DH took the boys ice skating on Christmas day, I hope to get him to doa few circuits of village this year as we need to buy ds2 a bike so he can cycle to school next autumn.

Dad is Danish so Christmas in our house starts on Christmas Eve.

Eve:
Out for big christmas lunch
Treasure hunt for children as last number on advent calendar, eventually leading to new PJs for christmas eve.
Home to mulled wine and one present each under the tree.

Day:
Stockings opened in bed with us.
Downstairs to look at unwrapped presents from Santa Claus - takes about an hour.
Get dressed and then breakfast of fresh fruit and freshly baked croissants and possibly bucks fizz.
Open presents under tree.
There will always be a game of some sort - play game.
Kids play whilst we cook dinner.
Before dinner - pull home made crackers which have the bits in for some kind of after dinner game.
Crash out in heap.

All a bit different here this year, first Christmas for 2 years I'm not pregnant! No more morning sickness on Christmas Day!
So: up at 7 with the DC. They are both too little to understand so DS1 plays with the wrapping paper and he and DP play with his new toys.
DS2 I imagine will be in his bumbo just watching!
Christmas Day is open house here, sausage rolls, nibbles, mince pies, bucks fizz is available and 2 sets of Grandparents will come over.
Boxing Day; we all desend on the MIL for a proper spread and I eat my body weight in food!

Food wise DP and I are having a romantic 3 course Christmas dinner:
Baked Camembert with veg sticks and crusty bread.
Full Turkey dinner with all the trimmings
Christmas Pudding with Delia's rum sauce
Baileys in front of a Christmas film/tv

DH goes to work most Xmas days

Xmas eve we do something as a family during the day then in the evening the DC (4 and 2) have a bath, put new pjs on and watch a Christmas film then some family come round to our house, we have a buffet supper and open a Christmas Eve pressie each. The DC leave a key out for Santa and a mince pie and glass of sherry then go to bed when they hear the sleigh bells. The adults listen to carols, have a few drinks and then the family go home. Me and DH put the presents out under the tree and the stockings on the end of the beds and go to bed.

Christmas Day we are up about 6 am and the DC bring their stockings into our bed to open. DH has a stocking as well (and so did I last year) and we take it in turns opening them together. After that we go downstairs put a christmas programme on the tv and take it in turns to open the presents all around the room under the tree. My DM, DSF and DGP come round then and we have champagne and bacon and mushroom sandwiches. Once they have left I start cooking lunch and DSS comes and opens his presents. We have turkey with all the trimmings, the DC play with their toys and me and DH get ready and we all go to DPIL for a buffet, games, drinks and stay there.

Boxing Day we do whatever we feel like on the day.

I can't wait

We start the night before with christmas pjs, a film and hot chocolate. And last year as we lived in leicester before that we went and walked through town seeing all the lights and listened to the night before christmas read by fil.

This year thankfully I'm back home, almost, on the border of suffolk :)

Christmas morning.

We have sacks left by the fire, dcs will only be 3 and 4 this year so are yet to have self control and I like to see them open pressies. Downstairs to open sacks, then being soft we let them snarf down chocolate coins and unwrap all the other presents.

Then breakfast is something diFferent, whether its fry up/naughty cereals (ds words for frosties etc) egg and soldiers or tons of exotic fruit.

The past few years we've then gone to a friends/my mums/aunts/grandmas for dinner. This year no idea!

Boxing day is then the opposite side, ie inlaws because they basically cba with our dcs christmas day (major favouritism for sil and dnephew)

CHRISTMAS EVE - DH works til 5.30pm :( so DDs and i spend the day doing nice activities that we find in our christmas eve hamper! This year we have baking to do and some christmas colouring books and new felt tips! I usually potter around doing some last minute tidying and lighting my lovely christmassy yankee candles :)
As it goes dark i take DDs out for a short walk to look at some christmas lights. Then back home, prepare buffet food for tea and wait for DH. When he gets home we start eating and drinking
We all play a new board game that we find in our christmas eve hamper, this year it is Pictureka the disney version! Then DDs get into their new pjs and we all settle down with hot chocolate sweets/popcorn and a new DVD also found in hamper After that DDs go to bed and DH and i slob out on the couch with munchies and baileys/beer! We go to bed around 11pm

CHRISTMAS DAY - DDs get up around 6am. DD1 comes into our room and jumps all over us one of us gets up and gets DD2 out of her cot and we all have a cuddle in our bed. DDs open stockings. After that I nip downstairs and video DH bringing DDs downstairs, and their little faces as the light is switched on in the lounge :) Then it is just madness. DH runs to switch on the kettle, i grab a notepad and pen to record who bought what for us all for thankyou notes later. DDs dive in and open their gifts! I take millions of photos while slowly comng round with a cup of tea. DH sorts out all the annoying plastic wires and gets toys out. We spend until midday opening gifts!
Then i start the cooking while DH clears all the paper and boxes. DDs play.
We all enjoy the atmosphere, i pour DH and i some we play with DDs all day until dinner around 3pm.
Then its tidying up while DDs play, sorting kitchen out and then pjs on for all of us, more playing for DDs and christmas telly and for us. About 8.3pm DDs go to bed. More christmas telly for us then bed.

BOXING DAY - we have to spend this day visiting relatives on DHs side. We also see my mum and have a big dinner with her. Then home which i can't wait for!! Home, PJs on for us all, more playing with DDs and christmas telly for us!

Love love love christmas!!!! Can't wait!!

DCs clamber into our bed at 7ish (pretty good for xmas day methinks) to open their stockings.
DH goes downstairs to make a cup of tea and brings it back up with a plate of buttery shortbread fingers (something I only ever had at xmas as a child)
DCs take turns in opening their stocking pressies - about 15 each I think.

About 8ish we have breakfast, usually scrambled egg with smoked salmon for the bigguns and a normally strictly-verboten cereal for the DCs (coco pops etc)

The opening of the BIG presents under the tree begins, this is spaced out over the day.

Parents and in-laws arrive at middayish, dinner at 1 then cold buffet at 7ish.

DCs usually kerknacked by 8, then games for adults, then everyone can go home!

Bloody marvellous, counting the days!

At about 7am dd runs into us with her little stocking and opens in our bed. Then we all run downstairs to see if Santa has been

Then follows a flurry of present unwrapping and squeals of delight etc while in-between all this DH makes big mugs of tea.

After the first burst of excitement settles we have bacon and mushroom butties ad more tea while we unwrap the remaining prezzies.

Then I put in the turkey and we all get dressed at some point- putting on appropriate Christmas jumpers, sparkly tops etc.

After we are dressed then it's on with cooking the trimmings to go with the turkey and dd plays with her toys (DH has to extract them from the packaging with numerous industrial strength tools). There is also the paper to dispose of along with all the instructions and bits we will need later but never find).

Always sausage rolls for lunch!

Then family all arrive at around 2pm (my mum bringing half of the dinner with her including sprouts from the garden!).

More present swapping follows.

Then we all sit down to Christmas dinner at around 4 pm .

After dinner we chat, drink, play games etc. (and later the nuts and crisps come out along with a big box of choccies)

At around 9pm we have turkey sandwiches and Christmas Cake.

Then family go there own ways, we put dd to bed and DH and I have a nice quiet drink in front of the tv and reflect on the day.

what a fun question! our christmas changes slightly every year depending on who in the family does the dinner but there are several things that always happen:

christmas eve (very exciting): housework, food prep and last minute wrapping while kids watch movies (we love fred claus) and help out a bit too, simple dinner, mass at 7pm, home, pjs, hot choc, bed and story "twas the night before christmas...". then me and husband chill for an hour or two and then set up livingroom. possibly have a bicker whilst assembling stuff (ha ha). def in bed for midnight.

christmas day:7/8am rise. no one allowed downstairs til ive put christmas tree lights on, kettle, radio 2 for christmas music etc then all into livingroom and its very exciting. we all open everything at once, no one can wait turns so we just go for it. it takes about 20 mins then my favourite bit-kids eat sweets, play with toys, watch new movie or whatever, me and hubby have more coffee and just watch them and we all potter around basically til about 11. breakfast isnt a big deal, cereal, toast and fruit, we save ourselves for christmas dinner later. have showers and get dressed up for 1/2. visit 1 set of parents for an hour (cava, mince pies and swap presents) and have dinner at another parents house (or ours) eat about 4/5. sit at dinner table for hours, eating and drinking. clear up, taxi home, bed, heaven!

boxing day: chill chill chill. possibly go a walk? visit family or be visited, whatever we feel like.

can't wait now! good question whoever started it!

Oooh, what a nice thread.

Christmas Eve
-All shopping etc done in time to shut the door and listen to carols from kings while making mince pies etc.
-Nip to nice neighbours for a glass of champagne at their lovely party
-Home for supper: DH, me, DB and DS(10)- always fish and rice because my parents will insist on meat and potatoes every meal for the next few days
-Wrap presents and swear to be more organised next year

Christmas Day

• Stocking and one big present at about 7. Wind DS up by suggesting that he still believes in father Christmas. When he was smaller we did the whole thing with footprints, half eaten carrots etc,

-Large black coffee for me and DH

• Hot bath for me and get dressed. Bully DH and DS into the same

-Over-excited grandparents arrive. Open champagne for sake of sanity -Cook lunch accompanied by very cheesy Christmas music -Other DB, SIL and nieces arrive.

• Drinking and mini sausage rolls
• Lunch at about 2
• Silly games, quizzes, crackers etc between courses

-About 4.30 Christmas tree presents. Youngest competent child has to be "postman"

• About 6 make some attempt to clear mountain of packaging
• All help themselves to cold turkey, cheese, more drinks etc etc
• tired nieces, DB and SIL depart
• bit of light telly

Boxing Day

• Clear up!

Christmas Eve:

Crib service
Drinks party with friends
Home for putting out carrot/pies and warming beverage for Santa

Christmas day:

7 am Present frenzy
10am start dinner
10.01 start on sherry
12.00 family arrive
12.01 Present frenzy
2pm Dinner
4pm Present frenzy
5pm games and general grazing of all foods
8pm DC in bed
8.01 booze frenzy

Boxing day:

AM chill after frenzying of previous day
PM start madness again with great friends

I LOVE Christmas!!

I LOVE Christmas too!

Xmas eve -
I get a wage on 24th so get up early and into town at 9am for anything I still have to get (I will have a list and be done for 10am).
Off to the garden centre to meet a friend and exchange our wee gifts over coffee.
Home to tidy up and then back into town with DH and DDs to go to cinema. Then to a restaurant for the set Xmas menu and some wine and back home, bath for DDs, we always watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, some TV, have another couple of drinks, DDs get watered down snowballs, stockings up, biscuits and milk for Santa, Rudolf's carrot and girls off to bed.
DH and I watch TV, the biscuits mysteriously get eaten, once we are sure the girls are asleep the pressies come out and we watch more TV.
At one minute past midnight I open my presents cos Ive already been a really good girl and cant bear to wait a minute longer to see what Ive got so that I can concentrate on the girls in the morning.

Xmas day -
Up usually about 6:30. Girls open presents; we drink coffee and take photos.

Breakfast is usually pancakes and bacon and maple syrup, or something else nice, with bucks fizz.
We assemble toys, compare things, etc.
We watch some of the new DVDs.
We have some drinks.
We get a chinese takeaway delivered.
MIL and GMIL come round at some point, have a drink and a home made mince pie/ some of my Christmas cake. DHs uncle might come too.
Eastenders/Corrie/whatever is good on TV happens.
We get a cheese board and crisps etc out to pick on in the evening along with the Christmas sweets. We have a few more drinks. We go to bed bloated and happy.

Boxing Day-
We go to the sales for a day out.

27th -
DD1s birthday, shes not usually big on parties, but we do something with a few of her friends, have cake, ILs round again, fun.

28th its all over for another year :-(

it doesn't need to be all over on the 28th!
we drag it out all week til hogmany!
for example: for me, there's nothing nicer than watching a good movie during the day between christmas and new year and having a baileys or glass of wine (or 2)- its so self indulgent but it feels great! and then you're hungry so you make crackers and cheese and on and on it goes.... ha ha
i watched a couple of woody allen movies last year on tcm by accident and was surprised how much i liked them!
kids were still happy playing with new stuff so it was a win win situation.

Totally agree MrsM. For us Christmas lasts a week :-)

We have Xmas morning at home / end up at my parents on Christmas night.
Spend the first half of boxing day at mum's then come home.
Dhs parents over on 27th
New year spent with a set of friends.
Every other evening is spent with friends / family at parties. Either we go to them or they come to us.
Plus at every party we host there are little 'tree presents' for the children. Nothing expensive, but little things I've picked up all year. For example, I managed to get a pair of yoyos for 50p each. That sort of thing.

Then Christmas ends on New Years day with going to the Panto followed by a Curry.
Tree comes down on the 2nd.

Christmas eve Do the last of the shopping and give the house a good clean. 3pm go to the local church to watch all the small children do the nativity play which finishes with a rousing Happy birthday to you.
Then to the bar for a drink.
Home by 5 prepping all the veg, cooking the gammon, DH gets fish and chip. When the kids are in bed bring the presents down & put under the tree. Large glass of wine.

Christmas day
8.30 up
9.00 breakfast
9.30 christmas phone call
11.00 meet all my family at local woods to walk the dogs.
1.00 put dinner in oven
1.30 family & friends pop in for champagne
3 - 4 dinner
5.00washing up
6.00 open presents, very slowly
9.00 stop for a buffet then back to present opening
12.00 bed
repeat for boxing day with different guests

Christmas Eve, we have lunch, a trip out to feed the reindeer and a walk.
Back home for a film and a bath ( PJ hampers for the DCs)
Late night buffet supper.
DD does the Father Christmas tray.
This year we plan to write their lists on sky balloons to light and release.(Yes they will fly to the North Pole)
Set the table for Christmas Dinner

DH and I watch TV then off to bed, put the DCs stockings and presents out.

Christmas Day. Wake up to the sound of DCs in DD room, trying to quietly open their stocking gifts.
Then they come through to us.
Light breakfast (I've given up trying to have a civilised breakfast with DC)

Presents, TV (must see The Snowman)
DH will take DCs to the park while I get on with dinner preparation.
We have dinner when it gets dark. And all done before Dr Who.

I used to be a real soap-a-holic so my Christmas Day was peppered with Corrie/Stenders/Emmers. Now I only watch Emmerdale but I might watch the Christmas period soaps.

Phone calls from parents, MIL, brother

Xmas Eve:

• 8am, Start of the day, full of excitement & xmas spirit.
• 8.30-11am, Clean house whilst Xmassy films & cartoons are on for the children with lots of tasty nibbles.
• 11am-12noon, Xmas food shop gets delivered.
• 1pm, Prepare buffet food & food for the next day.
• 3pm, We do what we call 'the rounds' (delivering pressies to family & friends).
• 5pm, Pizza delivery for tea. Then we all sit down and watch a nice Xmassy film (usually Jingle all the Way) as the children love it.
• 7.30pm, Showers/Baths then Xmas eve pressies are given out (usually PJs & a DVD). The children then put a mince pie and a glass of milk on the fireplace for Santa, then they go to bed. Then we get the drinks out for us :P
• 10pm, We make sure the children are asleep then we bring the presents down and lay them all out nicely under the tree. Then me and DP watch a Xmassy film together.
• Midnight, We make sure Santa has taken 1 bite from the mince pie and drinks the milk then we finally go to bed.

Xmas Day

• 7am, our house in bouncing!! After all Santa's been! :D
• 7.15am, I go downstairs first and turn all the lights on. Put kettle on and put the Xmas songs on.
• 7.30am, the children come down and open their stockings & presents. We usually try to get the children to take it in turns, this works for the 1st ten mins then they just can't hold back and go wild.
• 10am, we have breakfast. Spend the next 2 hours taking toys out of the packaging. Visits and phone calls from family & friends.
• 12noon, make a start on the dinner.
• 3pm, Xmas Dinner :P
• 4-7pm, more films, playing games, mini buffet, drinks, etc.
• 7.30pm, children go to bed exhausted from the day. Then I relax with a glass of wine and watch all the Xmas Day soaps.
• Midnight, bed!

Boxing Day

• I sneak out at 7am and leave DP and the children fast asleep in bed. Then I go to Boots with my friend and go and buy 'next years' Xmas shopping, half price, for the adults.
• Then the rest of the day is just another crazy but a relaxing day. We have a small family gathering. The children play with their toys, the adults get merry, play music & we have a huge buffet.

27th Dec

• NEXT sales!!!! Then I spend the rest of the day sorting the childrens bedrooms and trying to figure out where everythings going to go.

Then we wait another few days for New years eve and New years day and the party starts all over again!

2nd Jan

• Very depressing, Xmas is over for another year and we take the decs down!! :'(

2nd of Jan?? no no no.

new years day is special too so you need to relax again on the 2nd or visit someone or go shopping or walking or out to lunch surely?

im a 4th kinda gal.

night for now.

Yes unfortunately it's the 2nd hun, sometimes the 3rd :(
My children return to school on 2nd Jan this year (well next year) so once that happens, we're back to the same old routine and it feels like all the festivities are over. :'(

Christmas for us is over by the 30th Dec, that is our last day because it is DD2's birthday on new years eve so i take the decs down on the evening of the 30th, and replace them with birthday banners and balloons

I have to do this, because we always said we would try and avoid having a baby around christmas time that didn't work! I like to make christmas and DD's birthday two seperate events.

can totally understand that, birthdays are so special. i know someone whos kid's birthday is on christmas day. they celebrate it somewhat but also pick a date halfway through the year and give the kid gifts and they do something fun that day. quite a good idea i think.

well ive decided im going to tell MIL straight, but in a very nice way, that the children really want christmas in their own house this year and that we'd love them to come too if they would like. you cant get more diplomatic than that (except for blaming it on the kids, tee hee)

Salivate by the kitchen door waiting for the delicious dinner to be ready :P (cooked by my mum).

After we have eaten, we then lounge in front of the telly :D