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.

Thank you grovel :)

I love Christmas but I prefer the run up to it tbh. Dc will be 7 and 3 this year. As long as we are all well I will be happy!

My ideal Christmas Day would be:

Wake up and open stockings in bed
Breakfast
Open Santa main present
Call relatives
Play with toys
Take dog for a walk
Have lunch of nice breads, soup, cheese, cold meat etc and pudding
Go out on bikes
Have chocolate and tea
Open more presents
Have supper of toast / croissants / something easy
Kids go to bed
We watch a DVD with wine

If my parents lived closer I'd have them visiting too but they don't :( PiL do but I've not counted them in my perfect Xmas daydream.

daleybump awh you made me all nostalgic, ds was born on 23rd dec and we brought him home Christmas Day. T'was lovely!

That sounds amazing Bea :) it appears I have something in my eye...

It's like a middle class fantasy...

We spend Christmas with my family every year - because we're Americans we don't do the big Christmas dinner as we have thanksgiving for that and because we're all expats in various countries we collect lots of friends who are unable to be with their own families for Christmas. We all sleep in, start having brunch around 11am, open a couple of small presents each (we are not a presenty family and move a lot so each person might get a book and something else small) while grazing on piles of patisserie, gallons of coffee, bagels and cream cheese and smoked salmon, pancakes etc. around 2pm brunch segues naice party bites on continuous relay from the oven. Then we have a big party in the evening - think the party scene from breakfast at Tiffany's.

The one time I had a "proper English Christmas" with DH's family it was stressful beyond belief for all of us - a combination of stressful cooking marathons, boredom, eating and drinking far too much, raking up of old family arguments and opening of endless presents, some of which are lovely and useful but then also mounds of jokey stocking fillers, novelty clocks, little books like "don'ts for wives" or a selection box of pots of jam that have enough jam for for one slice of toast each and costs £30

I think the inclusion of new and long standing family friends at the holidays is important as it defuses arguments and tensions.

I genuinely thought showofhands post was someone taking the mickey. Jack Frost darting round the corner? I'm sorry - it really made me laugh.

QuizteamBleakley - Ha! I think you may be right re John Lewis.

I apologise profusely for giftlet, I did hesitate before typing it but I'm trying to convey its smallness and inexpensiveness. I don't want Christmas to be about the presents.

We haven't yet had the conversation about who is being invited for Christmas. We normally start that conversation in October. (MIL has been to us for 8 out of 8 of the preceding Christmases) and DH's brother and his wife and child (been to us for 7 of the 8 preceding Christmases)

Oh dear, that preceding post contains far too many s. It doesn't really accurately convey how I feel about the whole thing.

Mumsnet, can we please have a rictus smile emoticon?

Oh yes op I love the idea of the small inexpensive giftlets! - that would MAKE my christmas. Every year it's a battle with certain relatives to try to keep it down but they just hate me for it and ignore me anyway :(

And delicious snackettes instead of xmas dinner - I'm in.

My fantasy also includes some beautiful gently twinkling, NOT FLASHING fairy lights that will I have finally managed to source, buy and actually put up this time.

OMG showofhands I've just read yours. I need a lie down.

Come back showofhands tell us more about your magical Christmas. Love it, your Christmas is my idea if heaven!!!

I'm not taking the mick at all. Things like spotting Jack Frost on the school run sound crap to an adult but to the dc, it's great fun. Believe me, having grown up with a no-nonsense, practical, fairytale hating mother who refused to let us even phone extended family on Christmas Day, I will shoehorn as much magic and fantasy into my children's celebrations as I can. I love my Mum of course, but she was more of the spotless shoes and routine school of parenting. She thought playing was a waste of time.

Showofhands - OMG where do you get the energy? Sorry but I'm going to have to join the other Mumsnetter in hiding away from your Christmas in a darkened room. You do know your children will be writing on Mumsnet in 30 years time, along the lines of:

My mad mother with all her Jack Frost and reindeer nonsense, I'm determined to be the sort of mother who just gives it to the kids straight: there is no father Christmas.

ShowOfHands can you adopt me? Please?

I love Christmas.

I'm going to nick that Jack Frost idea actually!

We recently watched Rise of the Guardians and DD1 keeps asking about Jack Frost.

Must admit soh I also wondered if you were being sarcastic ha ha sorry!
It sounds lovely though.

My two wouldn't have a clue who jack frost was and would probably end up with nightmares tbh.
How does he fit in with the Xmas story pray tell?

Jack Frost is kind of the spirit of winter or something, not particularly anything to do with Christmas but I guess fits in to the time of year.

Have you seen Rise of the Guardians Ledkr? I'm not a great fan of children's films usually, apart from the odd one, but I thought it was quite good - that's all about Jack Frost. It's a bit scary in some places for young children though.

I'm going to be on my own this Christmas - I need ideas for an alternative, solitary Christmas, which doesn't involve volunteering (not well enough). I'm looking forward to it, I will probably go for a Christmas meal with friends on a different day before anyone feels too sorry for me!

SOH 's Christmas is exactly what I aim for every year. Unfortunately, none of my family have read that particular script, and spend the holiday ruining it for me.

I spend Christmas Eve baking and icing and singing carols and imagining all my family arriving happily for lunch (having played Driving Home For Christmas all the way)

The reality is, they all turn up late, DH disappears completely, youngest DS has a melt down because he is over excited and one of my adult children will be having some sort of major drama going on. And my parents always look as though they would rather be Somewhere Else than here. I get hot and sweaty, they all loll about, not getting in the spirit of things. Plus, DS2 who has Aspergers, will get himself in such a state that he won't be able to sleep, so I remember Christmas Day as always something to be endured through a fug of exhaustion.

By Boxing Day I just want them all to bugger off with their Bah Humbugness, preferably after I have punched them in the face...

It's not fair - I want a Christmas with songs and stories and Jack Frost

Mines similar laura I'm trying to make it traditional and magical for dds then my adult sons will be talking loudly, having fags outside and playing loud drum and base on the PC!!
My family used to all come around Boxing Day but they can't be arsed these days and if they do they leave really early and nobody has a drink cos driving etc.
it we could drive 3 hrs to see pil and sit uptight on a sofa on best behaviour making polite convo with relatives and eating small portions of food and having one glass if wine whimsy holding on my farts!! no ta.

Well, I like Showy's Christmas, so there!

Actually, Showy, if you need another idea...... my uncle calls my DCs on Christmas Eve, preteniding to be Santa. They have hardly ever seen him, as he lives in another country; last year, 8-yo DD1, when the phone call happened, muttered sotto voce 'It'll just be Grandpa' (my dad, who we weren't seeing over Christmas). The look on her face when it was her turn to speak to Santa was priceless - I wish I'd recorded it. The first thing she said was 'It's not grandpa!' and her eyes were like saucers. My uncle calls my mum first, so he can get bits of info about what the children have been up to so he seems to know all about them.

I don't think it'll work for a now 9-yo DD1 this year, but it was lovely to have that last Christmas with them all believing

We start on Christmas Eve.

Take my dad out for lunch and exchange presents with him (he has always celebrated christmas eve).

Open last day on Advent calendar which leads to a treasure hunt all around the house, grandma's house and some venues in between. Final present is new PJs or something similar.

Christmas carols outside in the village square.

Read Captain Cat and sing all of the carols - my mum on piano, dd on clarinet, ds on guitar. Not always tuneful, but fun.

Watch a Christmas Carol on DVD.

Food out for reindeer and santa. Put stockings out and bed.

On Christmas day:

Stockings in our bed.

Downstairs for breakfast and wait for grandparents to come round.

Open presents listening to the Messiah played at ear-shattering volumes.

Pop Waitrose prepared dinner in oven and nip to village pub for a drink.

Lunch mid-afternoon. Crackers always contain a game for afterwards. Last year everyone had to learn and perform a magic trick.

About 5.00 grandparents go home and we sink onto sofa to watch christmas dvd.

When the children were tiny we started having our main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve by candlelight (and the lights of the Christmas tree - we carry the table into the lounge). There is still such an air of anticipation and means I can really enjoy all of Christmas Day.

Christmas Day - stockings opened in our bed, downstairs for breakfast, washing up, opening of other presents, church if we didn't make it to the Christingle service, light lunch, walk depending on the weather, board games, etc. during the afternoon. Another full Christmas meal by candlelight in the evening, more games, a favourite DVD, etc.