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Christmas

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Original poster

Advice for a family who doesn’t do the ‘go out for a walk on Xmas day’ thing…

33 replies

sweetmelody · 08/11/2013 09:26

For the first time in a few years, most of my extended family are having Xmas dinner together – at mine! There will be 25+ of us including a fair few children. We have a lovely park at the end of the road and thought it might be an idea to include a walk as part of the day. We tend to eat around 3ish. How do others fit this in around the day? Before or after eating? Everyone, or kids plus some supervisors to give the kitchen staff me a bit of breathing space to set up/tidy up/whatever?

Keen to do something a bit different this year to avoid the eat/open presents/flop in front of TV or Wii scenario (although we will definitely do some games)

All suggestions gratefully received!

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 08/11/2013 09:31

We walk to the pub before lunchWink

Rollermum · 08/11/2013 09:34

We tend to do this with my family (18 people inc 7 children), though depends where we are. It's fairly casual but whoever wants to go does and older relatives or people who don't fancy it stay behind.

We got after big Xmas lunch and before the tea. I think after presents otherwise children would mutiny!

It's great, I love an Xmas walk.

Rollermum · 08/11/2013 09:35

By tea I mean giant second dinner (cold meats, salad etc). Do other people even do that?

bigTillyMint · 08/11/2013 09:36

Rollermum, we eat our Christmas dinner in the later afternoon and are then too full to even stuff a chocolate down!

mistlethrush · 08/11/2013 09:37

We do Christmas 'dinner' in the evening so we have plenty of time to go out in the morning and have a good walk etc before starting cooking at 3ish (no, we don't cook turkey)

raisah · 08/11/2013 09:41

Open presents in the morning & give kids a light sandwich lunch or brunch and then take them to the park from 12pm. They can have a run around & with any luck be tired enough to be subdued to eat without fidgeting too much.

Some of the adults can take them to the park, while others can stay behind to help you or watch a film.

The key is lots of prep the day before and write lists and assign tasks to people so you don't end up doing everything yourself.

ImaginativeNewName · 08/11/2013 09:42

We also walk to the pub. Grin

Aeroaddict · 08/11/2013 09:46

We always used to be dragged out for a walk after dinner by my Dad. I hated it as a child and just wanted to slob in front of the TV. The idea sounds strangely appealing now though. I am tempted to take the DC's for a walk to the park after dinner this year. It has to be after dinner though OP, to help the food go down apparently! Grin

SweetSkull · 08/11/2013 09:53

I'm envious. My extended family will plonk themselves in front of TV all day long and expect 5 stars hotel service.

attheendoftheday · 08/11/2013 11:01

We do two walks! In the late morning (after presents have been played with a bit) either me or dp takes the kids and dog out while the other one gets on with cooking. In the afternoon we all go together.

soontobeslendergirl · 08/11/2013 11:44

We do dinner about 3ish but it's usually just the 4 of us, so not as fraut maybe.

We do presents/breakfast and then a bit of a clear up. then we prepare all the veg etc, I cook the Meat the day before (Turkey/Duck etc) and I pop that in the slow cooker with the gravy. I'll pop the oven on so it's all fired up and ready and then we go for a walk about 1ish for about an hour to get some fresh air and to build an appetite - it's good when the kids are a bit younger if you can make sure they have some sort of gift they can take along. One year they took their lightsabers and attached the long grass for example.

We get back fire the roasts in the oven and then get everything else on as and when it needs to be and eat about 3.

soontobeslendergirl · 08/11/2013 11:46

aside from a bit of a snack maybe later - usually our pudding, then we don't have another meal, we just get cosied in, play a game and watch a movie with a drink.

wordfactory · 08/11/2013 11:50

I send everyone out mid morning to walk the dog.

My Mum usually stays behind with me to prep veg/gossip/drink champagne.

We eat at 1.30-2pm ish.

Peetle · 08/11/2013 11:50

Going out for a walk allows the dinner preparations to continue without interruptions or "assistance". If any outside toys have been received they may get an airing but we try to get some fresh air in.

DW grew up in a house where all presents were open by about 7am and dinner served and eaten by noon so she insists on an afternoon dinner and holds off on many presents until afterwards.

Christmas Day TV us usually awful anyway - every year I scan the listings and thing "is that the best they could do ?"

soontobeslendergirl · 08/11/2013 11:51

When we were kids though (large family) my Dad used to take us outside for the "Christmas Olympics". This mainly consisted of him inventing competitions that seemed to involve us running round the block while he timed us with the mantle clock and shouted encouragement from his position at the gate :o

It got us out the house, fresh air and exercise and gave my mum piece to pull some sort of dinner together.

Maybe you could get some willing adults to do the same? I'm 47 now and still vividly remember the running about more than I remember the meal or the presents tbh.

Peetle · 08/11/2013 11:51

think not thing...

soontobeslendergirl · 08/11/2013 11:52

Blush peace obviously, not piece

Meglet · 08/11/2013 11:55

We eat a bit earlier than that (1:30 ish) so we can fit a walk in around 3pm. I'd go insane sitting inside all day.

soontobeslendergirl I love the Christmas Olympics idea!

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 08/11/2013 11:59

we go after dinner, and have two camps

  1. park with the DC
  2. washing up, and tending to GMIL, who can't walk far. Usually two of us stay behind. we eat earlier though, about 1-1.30. No-one bothers with breakfast. We just eat tree chocolates all morning instead.
AbiRoad · 08/11/2013 12:02

If at our house, we eat at around 2.30. Apart from stockings, kids dont open presents until after lunch. I find sending everyone else out (apart from anyone I need to help me cook) around 1 works well. Gives me space to get everything finalised, and fills a bit of a gap for the DC who might otherwise start angling to open presents.

When at my parents, a walk does not seem to feature. At my PILs, time of day can vary depending on who else is there (eg BIL likes a walk to the pub in the next village after lunch).

Original poster
sweetmelody · 08/11/2013 13:39

Ooh - soo many replies (I've been working and no chance to post)!

Many different ways of doing the timing, but this is helping me think through the day and what has worked/not worked in Xmases past.

Individual families tend to do big breakfast at home and then come together for Xmas lunch at 3ish - and are hungry and ready to eat so Im not sure a pre-food walk would work?

Lunch is leisurely and adults are then forcibly dragged to the tree (between 5 and 6?) by the kids to do present opening. Like rollermum says, I think there would be mutiny if we went for a walk after lunch/before present opening.

Present-opening seems to take forever as there are so many of us. By time we are done, would it not be too late and too dark for a walk (early evening?).

Maybe the answer is to start earlier, but I think people like to leave out late-ish from home so that they can do their own present-opening and have their big Xmas breakfast tradition.

Aaargh!

OP posts:
soontobeslendergirl · 08/11/2013 14:02

our present opening is done pre breakfast - then we have a slightly bigger than normal breakfast and then the walk and then 3 o'clock (Dunch or Linner as it's called in our house :o) when everyone could happily gnaw off their own arms - that ensures that everything put down gets eaten. Pudding is generally saved for later.

girlywhirly · 08/11/2013 14:11

If you eat at 3pm it will be dark by the time you go out for the walk, plus the walking conditions may be dangerous. Last year our pavements were like skating rinks and it was freezing. We only managed half an hour. Do the park before the meal, and any latecomers can join you there.

CambridgeBlue · 08/11/2013 14:19

We do things differently each year depending who's where but as a general rule, if we are here (and it's often just DH, DD and I for dinner) we have a decent breakfast (usually smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with a bottle of bubbly) then go for a walk mid morning to work up an appetite for lunch which we have a bit later - say 2ish.

We have done the walk after lunch when we've been at my Mum's but tbh I'm usually a bit full up to go far - I prefer going earlier when I can enjoy it and I love getting back feeling really ready for my lunch.

We don't make a massive deal of Christmas dinner mind you, it's just a glorified roast, no starters or anything. I can see if you were doing a more complicated meal disappearing mid morning would not be that practical.

cathpip · 08/11/2013 14:29

We all walk the dogs at about 8am after stockings have been opened, then I sort lunch (prepped mostly from night before) and we open big presents, we have lunch at 2pm then meet up with friends for a dog walk at 3pm. Then everyone back to ours for cake/choc/alcohol etc, feed kids a light tea at 6pm then all children through bath before friends and their kids go home at 7.30ish