If it's just your immediate family on Christmas day, whats the one thing you do to stop it feeling like any other day?

[bytheMoonlight]

Christmas day, for the first time, will be just us (dh, dd1 4yo and dd2 1yo)

So what can we do to make it a really special day and not just another day after the initial excitement has died down?

We always spend Christmas Day just me, DH and DD. DD is 9y now. Dh and I have always had Christmas Day alone since we moved in together. We see family - who we get on fab with btw - Christmas Eve and Boxing Day but Christmas Day is our day at home, no routine, no demands, no pressures, no nothing.

We get up when DD wakes up, but no going downstairs til after 7, even if she wakes before.
I go down to see if FC has been and grab my camera. Then DH leads DD dowstairs with her eyes shut. FC is always unwrapped waiting first.

Then it is present time. We sit round the tree nd DD takes it in turns to hand us a present each, which we unwrap, look at, etc before the next person's turn. DD always ends up with way more, so once me and Dh have finished we have a little break. DH makes some tea and breakfast and then DD will continue.

Later we will have some fizz and DD will have a drink, etc too. We will then phone family/friends to wish everyone a merry Christmas and to say thanks for gifts.

Then a bit later again we might decide to actually get dressed. We may go for a walk.

We have a late lunch around 3ish. More wine.

Then we will settle down and watch a film or Christmas telly, play a game, watch DD with her gifts, play around with our new gifts. More wine. We might even get back into PJs earlish!

Then later on we might have some dessert, instead of proper food. Probably more wine or something like Baileys.

DD will go to bed around normal time. DH and I will watch some telly/fim and chat. More wine :)

We have stockings & a cuppa in bed, come down & open tree presents, nice brekky although haven't decided what that'll be yet. Play with the kids with their new toys with a bit of xmas telly, xmas dinner & chill. Not much exciting, just a relaxed family day.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we do in fact get dressed , usually something a bit 'posh' . . . party frocks for dds, smart trousers & shirt for dp & I don't know what yet for me

We have only ever celebrated as a family, and I love it that way - no having to try and please relatives who are very set in their traditions!
We spread the presents through the day - stockings and a big present in the morning. Then church. Lunch. Probably a couple of presents whilst lunch is cooking. Presents after lunch. If it is a nice day we may go for a walk. Or we play the games the kids have had. Picnic tea in front of a new film/tv no sandwiches as the kids don't like them so lots of crackers and cheese, crisps etc. Final present off the tree at tea time.

This is the first christmas for 5 years that it will be just me, DP, dd and dstepson.

Presents in the morning (not too early)
Mince pies and clotted cream for breakfast
Mulled wine
Muppets christmas carol
The huge lunch.
A drink at a pub in the Cotswolds.
Pictionary
Cocktails

I was going to say 'a little alcoholic beverage in the morning'. Then I remembered that we will be at my parents' house so you are not really asking me.

Booze for breakfast :o

I must say that I soend it in a low simmering semi-tipsiness all day.

It's like when you are a bridesmaid and start drinking champagne for breakfast. The whole day somehow has a glow

basically champs/ wine all day interspersed with prezzies, playing with the DC cooking the lunch and some snoozing if at all poss. DS2 (nearly 2) may prevent that though!

That makes me sound like a raging alcoholic

My post does too getorf! :)

We are always 'just us' as well but that is Dh and I, 4 kids and 2 dogs so there is always something going on.
Kids come into our bed to unwrap stockings, we get dressed ( nothing flash) then down for breakfast. After breakfast we start un wrapping presents and then I clean up while DH starts lunch.
Then I'll take the dogs and who ever wants to come to the park. The others will watch tv.
I'll get home and we'll do a few carols until Lunch ( about 2 ish) and then we'll watch a film. No one eats much dinner, mainly pudding, then more TV, playing with toys, cleaning up and then bed.
MIL and her DH usually come over for boxing day.

I can't wait - it is pretty exhausting to drive about to relatives, and spend the day at someone else's house, even if it is family.

I much prefer to eat my own christmas dinner as well.

Christmas day with other people is not fun, it is stressful.

I don't really like other people.

So the key is lots of alcohol spread throughout the day

Lots of anything that you would like to have but normally don't because it's unhealthy/expensive/not the done thing.

For kids, this means chocolate for breakfast.

alcohol sounds about right. bucks fizz for breakfast, wine all day, G&T's in the evening and all topped off with a baileys.

and a raging hangover migraine for boxing day!

something sparkly for breakfast to drink
wine/beer on tap whenever
no nagging at the dc about how much chocolate goes in their mouth
no laptops/computers
me not flapping about the mess in the kitchen/house
don't get dressed if you don't want to
dc having snowballs if they want them (v weak ones though)

getorf am stealing your idea as I want mince pies and clotted cream for breakfast,usually have homemade sausage rolls but yours sounds much nicer :o

We have always done Christmas Day just as a family. The girls open stockings together in one of their bedrooms while DH and I open ours. Then they look to see if we've taken our stockings off of the landing and if we have they come into our room sit on the bed and we al take turns to show what we have got. DD2 almost 22 and DD3 19 still do this. DD1 did this until she was 21 then she got married Although when she and her DH stayed with us the first Christmas She did go up to her sisters room to see their stockings. Also her and her DH showed us their stockings when we went down stairs.

We never have breakfast on Christmas day.

Wake up with children (7ish), do stockings etc
Downstairs, FC pressies
Breakfast, usually bacon butties made with naice bacon for a change
Remaining pressies
Play with pressies, ring rellies
Mahoosive dinner, cooked by me, I love cooking mahoosive dinners and will listen to the radio whilst doing so
Groan on the sofa while a film is on
Throw something in general direction of the children at around tea time
Play with children before bed
Maintain a steady state of not-really-shitfaced-but-not-actually-ever-sober all day

Tis fab, not like any other day at all even though it's jsut the four of us :)

My mum always has trifle for breakfast on Boxing Day. Family traditions are very important at this time of year.

Is that a boose laden trifle Four?