this is how I want my Chrtistmas day to be:

[LibraryBook]

A series of thoughtful but inexpenisve giftlets that have been exquisitely wrapped, a series of nibbles plates, the odd glass of champagne, frequent cups of really good tea. Not much moving off the sofa apart from a proper walk mid-morning. Lots of chatting and poking the fire (even though ours is gas). Lots of friends and family calling in with inexpensive giftlets, a plate of figs and goats cheese rolled in pancetta, a bottle of fizz and a newly learned magic-trick.

I am so over the Christmas dinner what with all the getting up at 6am, peeling, sautéing and frequent basting.

Dreddin it already. Innit.

It was looking fine . . . until you mentioned the goat's cheese - yuk!

And why are you asking if you are being unreasonable? Apart from posting about Christmas at the beginning of sept, which obviously means YABU.

Please relocate yourself here until I unhide it in late November:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/Christmas

I'm over Christmas dinner prep, I've booked us into the little restaurant round the corner from us for dinner, I'm hoping the morning will be gifts, laughter, carols, snogging under the mistletoe , silly dancing and food.

Then we'll all walk round and have a 3 course meal with Champagne, then when we're suitably stuffed we shall come home, lounge in front of good tv, the kids will play with their new toys and it will all be blissful.

On a beach in Mexico, cocktail in hand with DH beside me...oh wait, that's what I'm actually going to do!

Don't get up at 6 to peel potatoes! Do all the prep the day before!

ours this year will be

wake about 9
have breakfast
load car
drive to pick did up (hour)
go to inlaws (2hour drive)
open presents
eat mils food

Thank you for posting that link, Mardy, . I was just about to do the same .....

...... I can't tell you how many threads I've posted a suggestion that the OPs post in the CHRISTMAS TOPIC at this time of year.

Now hiding the thread FruOla.

It's pretty dull anyway.

I CBA to actually read the thread, I just wanted to suggest, as you did, that there is a Christmas Topic - whilst I'm STILL WEARING MY FLIP-FLOPS

I CBA to actually read the thread either, same as you Mardy.

I just wanted to (again, as you did) point out that there is a Christmas Topic and this can all go in there - whilst I'm STILL WEARING MY FLIP-FLOPS, IN SEPTEMBER, IN ENGLAND!!

Ooops, sort of X-double-posted!

2 years ago I decided after hosting Christmas nearly every year since 1993 that we were going to spend the day to ourselves ( myself,dh and dd).
We had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve which was lovely.
Christmas Day we had croissants,toast,teacakes and lots of cups of tea at breakfast.
For lunch we had a late cooked breakfast and fresh coffee.
Then for tea I did cold meats with salad.
We spent the day opening presents,watching tv,went for a walk,drank wine,ate chocolate and just had a nice relaxing day.

Ledkr cover a large box in Christmas paper and leave it open at the top at the edge of the melee. Chuck all the wrapping paper in as you go along, then you've got no mess and just throw the box out whole once it's all over!

I have a plan, a Christmas plan! And it had better happen!

Wake up at home and do Santa presents with the dcs.
Have dad, brother, grandma round for breakfast (9/10ish.)
Prepare lunch.
Eat lunch at home, just the 4 of us.
Go for a walk/ride (dcs getting new bikes).
In laws/grandparents etc welcome to come for cold nibbles in the evening and exchange presents.
Flake out in front of a new DVD.

I will be 30 weeks pregnant and instead of running around to everyone else's houses they can bloody welcome to us if they want to see us.

Ooooh, "Librarybook"! It sounds perfect.

I gave up doing Xmas dinner several years ago.

We now eat out on Xmas eve for our turkey dinner ( so much cheaper than the next day) and in the day itself have pancakes or rolls on square sausage for breakfast, Chinese takeaway lunch and a cheeseboard to pick on at night.

I enjoy it so much more.

I like the sound of that very much. I particularly want to have some figs and goat's cheese and pancetta washed down with some fizz now.

But don't poke your gas fire please.

Frugal-I have a cousin who wears flip flops in the SNOW in New England near Boston. My sister and I refer to her as decalced, although she is decidedly not religious. Decalced nuns and monks wear sandals always.

I meant FruOla-darned autocorrect!

Hahaha, Ericaequites. I can assure you I'm not a 'decalced nun' - just someone who has had the good fortune, at the moment, to still be able to wear flip-flops in London not for much longer, I fear

I just want my Christmas to be better than last year when I was in bed with a stomach bug:-(

I would love to have Christmas with all my family. Maybe hire a huge house somewhere and just have everyone together.

Saying that, I'm usually very lucky as my MIL is an amazing cook and puts a huge effort into the food. It's sometimes a bit full on for me, but I'm very grateful to be looked after so well over the festive period and be around people who adore our boys.

I've often wondered about going away over Christmas. Maybe skiing or to a cottage on Skye or something. DH won't hear of though.

Ours (me and the husband) usually consist of waking up, showering and making ourselves look mildly acceptable as it helps space out the day. We then have a nice breakfast at the table (table set up night before) whilst we open our stockings which hang off the chair, listening to the same Chrimbo cd we eek out every year, with bucks fizz.
We then clean up and re lay table for the later lunch.
We move over to the tree and open a present each at a time with more bucks fizz.
All rubbish is immediately put into a black sack as it depresses me later on. Then the tree looks empty which depresses me even more.
We always say we're going for a walk, we never do.
The rest of the day is spent just enjoying each others company, wolfing down our dinner which took ages to prepare but seconds to eat, absent mindedly flicking throu sky to find something to watch and generally being complete lazy bastards.
Last year however we were due to travel to my in laws on boxing day but we decided that morning to just go on Christmas day when the roads were clear and you should have seen my MILs face, priceless. It was lovely and I'd do it again and again.

I like Christmas chaos! I can sit on the sofa watching films any day of the year! Games, food, family, fun. I do think the evening should be a quiet DVD affair mind. I could also join the m&s ready made things boat too.