I adore, love, pine for Christmas. I work very hard at making it special and magical for the children. I think you're not thinking big enough or long enough. You're trying to pack all of that Christmas feeling into one day. One day when you're working too hard too. Spread out the magic a bit and you'll have a cumulative effect. Christmas Day becomes the peak of a lovely, magical hill. Or, if you drink enough sherry in the run up, by Christmas Day you don't care.
We do lots of things in the lead up which sort of ratchet up the excitement in manageable increments so that the Christmas feeling is baked right in by the time it rolls round. You don't have to manufacture it on one day. That way madness lies. So, walks in the wood, story telling, visiting Christmas markets, going to lights being switched on, a carol service here and there, couple of soup kitchens and charity events, go and see the reindeer, listen out for elves in the local woods, spot Jack Frost darting round the corner in a morning. Lots of little things building up, maybe a visit to Santa on our local steam train as we get even closer. Operation Christmas Proper starts on the 24th.
Christmas Eve is The Day in my house. We get up in the morning and I put on the pudding to steam, plus bake a spiced apple pie for dinner that day. Gets the house smelling lovely. Plus the fire is banked from the night before and I start it up and put on a vat of mulled wine. Think Christmassy smells, proper ones, not eau de baked brussel and sherry farts. Then while the DC write letters to FC and make fudge/truffles/cakes, I make a couple of easy, cold starters for Christmas Day. Once done, we wrap up warm and go out into the town for a first walk. We deliver homemade fudge and truffles to friends, we pick up fresh bread and fresh baked Christmas biscuits, we look at the Christmas decorations, we tell lots of stories about Yule and pagan traditions and Christmas in other countries and Christmas of our childhood. Then we head to the beach or a local woods for a longer walk. We time this so that the dusk sets in as we finish our walk. Somehow we hear jingle bells (thank you kind, well hidden friends) and we know that the dusk is the veil between the walls closing so that FC is free to fly over. We hurry to head home, call in at the church for carols and to light a candle. Then home and whaddya know, the Christmas Eve hamper is there. While the dc have a bath and change into new pyjamas, we stoke the fire, play piano and other instruments, friends and family come and join in. We sing songs and tell tales and then watch a film. Then sprinkling reindeer food, stockings hung, books read and up to bed. DH and I sit up and watch films, set up the room with snowy footprints, stockings etc and then watch old video footage of the children's Christmases so far. Then to bed...
Christmas is a bit more relaxed tbh. We get up early and relight the banked fire before the dc get up. Stockings are opened all piled in our bed and then we go downstairs. Special breakfast, presents, playing, nibbles etc. Then we pack up the starters and the Christmas pudding, my brother packs up the turkey he's been roasting since early and we all head to my parents' house. Mum does the trimmings, DB is a butcher and does the turkey, I do starters and pudding, Grandma and aunts bring lots of nibbles and drinks. We have a long, leisurely lunch and then play parlour games. Those that didn't cook (DH, Dad) do the washing up and then we do presents. We have a £5 present limit and all try hard to get something meaningful. Then it's nibbles and drinks and leftovers and Dr Who. Then...
... we pack up any leftover food and presents and tired children and we drive to the ILs'. The DC get a half hour nap and then wake up for a big party. ILs have an open house on Christmas evening and there's always open fires and sing songs round the piano and all manner of relatives and friends and passing people. Lots and lots and lots of food and drink and dancing. The children always fall asleep in a chair and we carry them to bed and then when most people have gone home, we close the doors to the front snug, light the fire and the ILs, BILs, SIL, DH and I sit in a warm room with the fire and candlelight and we talk into the small hours.
Boxing Day is great too. We go to the coast, DH jumps in the sea (charity thing) and then we go for a long, long walk with a picnic of minced pies and sausage rolls and warm mulled wine and leftovers and earl grey in a flash and then back to ILs where FIL has always cooked a ham and a salmon and we have bubble and squeak and cheese and breads and we exchange presents with them. We watch a film in the evening, all smooshed on two big sofas, under blankets.
See, spread it out, Christmas should be days passing in a magical haze.
We do a million more things within all this. We have SO many traditions and little touches. Christmas is my most favourite time.