How can I make the morning more 'Christmassy'

[WipsGlitter]

Last year the morning was a bit of disaster, kids were allowed to open their presents at 7am, that was done and dusted, then it was a mess of wrapping paper and packaging all over the show, which DP can't stand so is clearing up all the time.

And then it all seems to fall a bit flat until later when we get my mum and go to my sisters. We then come back home and have lunch and that bit's all fine, its the bit in the morning that just seems... crap really.

DP doesn't get that into Christmas, didn't wrap my present (which I had picked for myself anyway) and I got really cross.

What can we do to make that bit when we are hanging about to get my mum, seem less like we are just hanging about and killing time!!

We do stockings - leisurely breakfast. - Santa presents-lunch - family presents.

With this in mind, I make sure there are things in their stocking that will entertain them for a while- a craft or sticker kit, optical illusions book, cd or dvd etc. we sit at the table and have breakfast, to keep things calm and settle stomachs for the gorging that will take place later. Santa usually brings something remote controlled or a ball so there is a good excuse for a brisk walk. If it's too rainy, we watch a Christmas movie.

I'd have a present lottery. Number the presents, and put numbers in a jar and every half hour or so you get to pick a number - it eeks it out - means you can keep track of who has given what to say thank you and it means the kids actually spend more time examining their presents. As for DP, no suggestions but plenty of sympathy. It's very hard to get into the spirit with your partner won't help.

Here Santa delivers stockings to the foot of the bed. Early in the morning we hear rustling and there's a tap on the door and they come in to show us their spoils. DH and I have a coffee in bed while we go through all the little stocking bits.

No-one is allowed into the living rom, and we hang a curtain of gold streamers over the glass door so no-one can see in. We all get dressed before going downstairs for special Christmas breakfast (ie breakfast involving some effort rather than cereal and toast!). Sometimes we go to the 9.30 church service at this point, but not every year.

Then we all go in together. Santa brings one (main) gift per child which has been left unwrapped and laid along the sofa with a huge white/silver bow and tag. Everything else is under the tree, wrapped. The girls take it in turns to hand out the presents and we watch each person unwrap each gift. I make a list as we go for thank you note purposes. The wrapping paper gets picked up between each gift so nothing gets lost/buried!

It takes a couple of hours so I'm in and out sorting dinner and providing snacks (well, sweets!) but we generally put on a christmas CD in the background and the lights are twinkling on the tree so it's really lovely.

Taking it in turns to open a present each is always a nice way of stringing it out.

Yes we string out present opening throughout the day and always take turns in any case.

Festive breakfast takes up time too. We did Santa pancakes with strawberry hat, fruit facial features and spray cream beard :o

We follow your general overall plan. Kids open presents early though we put on Xmas music while we do it, wrapping paper dumped directly into a bag as we go plus we generally take toys out of their packaging before they're wrapped so that's not an issue. They also take turns and we have to watch everyone open theirs so there's not a mad scramble.

When that's done we have a special breakfast (sometimes bacon butties and bucks fizz, sometimes croissants, or pancakes etc) Then it's time for the dc to enjoy exploring their presents while we phone round relatives to wish them Happy Christmas.

At that point it's usually time to either start preparing the main meal or go to the in laws, or go out and see relatives depending on where we're spending Xmas.

And another tip is to use loads of Sellotape. It really helps things slow down!

Lots of sellotape idea is evil genius!!!!

Maybe it didn't to my parents but Christmas morning with the Christmas tree lights on, in our pyjamas playing with toys and eating our chocolates always felt lovely. (Bit of christmas telly on too in the background)

I guess your problem comes in timing getting ready to go out - too early and you're hanging around and too late and you're feeling rushed? Can't you laze till 11am then quick into your clothes and out?

Our DC have to open stockings first and there's various random bits and bobs in there for them to have a nosy at so that takes about ten minutes. Then with present opening we encourage them to go one at a time and take a look at each present rather than just ripping it open tossing it to one side then onto the next. Also yy to extra cellotape, definitely slows the process down. DH and I open our presents last as well. The whole present opening takes between 40 minutes and an hour.

Then I go off into the kitchen and leave DH opening toy boxes and showing DC how things work/reading new books to them etc. I bake fresh muffins and pastries, usually do the mixtures the night before so they're all ready to go into the oven. And while they're in the oven I set the table up, get the coffee brewing, chop the fruit for the fruit platter and make some fresh eggnog. That takes about an hour in itself. DC are too involved with their new stuff to care about how long breakfast takes. Then we all sit at the table and enjoy the feast. Another hour. Tbh by the time we've finished breakfast it's almost lunch time!

We also split family and Santa presents. Santa only does small bits but DS in particular is a die hard devotee of small tat so it's ok.

It helps that we go to a local church for their kiddie-friendly-under-an-hour service which is basically a few songs and a line up of kids showing what they've got.

And then it's back for food followed by family presents.

If church isn't your thing or there isn't time then could Santa bring you a family board game to play together?

Christmas morning: DS wakes up and comes with us for a snuggle and a chat while DH and I have a cup of tea and wake up. Then downstairs for stockings (we all have one: I insist!) and we take our time opening those and looking at what we've got. I make sure there's always a couple of annuals in DS's for reading that morning. Then a leisurely breakfast followed by prepping lunch, Christmas CDs on in the background, sneaky bits of chocolate/glass of fizz. Once the meat is in the oven and everything else ready to go, we go out for a brisk walk to blow away the cobwebs and work up an appetite.

After lunch, we have tree presents. We've always done it like this because it means the magic and anticipation of Christmas is prolonged. We always save one gift for bedtime too, to make going to bed feel less flat after an exciting day.

I love our Christmases!

Thanks everyone! When we were little we did stocking, breakfast, church, Santa. But we don't do church!

I might try treating myself to nice bubble bath and getting ready in a more leisurely way. And maybe a fancier breakfast!

Kids are too little still to do much in the. Way of stringing out the presents, and we do family ones in the afternoon with family.

Looking at presents, make sure they have games, things that need attention, put xmas cd's on, buy your dh smething funny to cheer him up

I suppose it depends what your DC are used to - we have always done our day the same way so for DS, it doesn't seem like stringing out the presents, it's just how it is iyswim. He doesn't expect to open everything all at once!

This year will be our first just me, DH and Dd. Am going to institute stockings (for dh and dd - maybe dh will do one for me too, as I keep mentioning it!), have these in bed together first, then a nice breakfast (croissants, smoked salmon, Buck's Fizz, stuff like that) before the other presents. We will take it in turn to open these, as we always do - it does seem to make it a bit more special for dd (and us, to be fair).

Then church at 11, light lunch, nice walk, main meal in the evening! (I hate eating a big meal at lunch time - it tires me out for the rest of the day!)

Last year we did stockings, breakfast/shower (in shifts- small house and visiting parents!) church (we leave DPs behind as they are not generally churchgoers and are prone to being late anyway) pub (DPs are always ready by then :o) lunch and then presents.
DF is always very sceptical about leaving presents so late but it was so much nicer to extend the day that way. Having said that DS was 9 last year so easier to explain the wait to- wouldn't have fancied trying it when he was 5 :o

We get up, do presents, which takes a long time as we open them one by one and there will often be pauses whilst the dcs play with a present punctuated by coffee, chicolate etc. nice breakfast, all get ready, dinner on, bacon sandwiches or similar for lunch, continued present playing in afternoon and dinner about 4pm. We don't find we need to string out the presents with extra tape or opening some later. Lovely relaxed day, will watch a film or tv in evening.

Church ?

Oops, see you said you don't do church. Like you we used to do when younger and it does make the day go by quicker.

Champagne with breakfast then.

How old are your DC? Old enough to help get Christmas breakfast on the table?

For years our routine has been:
Stockings allowed after about 6.30 - lots of squeaking for a good ten minutes, then they compare notes and go off and play with/read/fiddle with stockage contents for a bit. We also have dogs who have to be walked and anyone who wants to goes on that expedition. It's usually about 8.30 by the time we move on to the next stage...(or later if some of us have gone to church - early service)
Cups of tea all round. Get DC to help set table, get eggs out of fridge etc. all sit down to enormous fry up/ham designed to sustain us until a late lunch.
Everyone then helps to wash up and tidy.
Then, and only then, do we do the presents under the tree. One at a time. It used to be that a small DC did the actual taking of the present across from the tree to the recipient,but now they are mostly thrown...
This seems to get us through till late morning.

What with the lights, the cards up, the DC trying to convince the dogs that tinsel collars are a good thing, the boxes of chocolate... it almost makes the winter worthwhile!

They're six and four. So still a bit small. They were all happy enough, it was just me who felt it was all a bit flat.

Things might be different this year anyway as SiL isn't coming to us so may see if she and her partner want to come for a nice breakfast or something.

We don't have 'tree presents', there's stuff from Santa and then we see the rest of the family during the day and give out our presents then.

We always used to go out for a walk on Christmas morning after stockings- we'd go down to the river and feed the ducks. We loved it and it was good to get some fresh air before an afternoon of eating! Could you do something like that?

I love the idea of going for a walk but we are about a 15 min walk from the park which will probably be shut, so a drive away from the nearest woods/forest.

Our mornings go like this:
Woken up at 6am by ds1 (ds2 is probably still to young at 3 to get excited).
All pile into ds1s room where the boys will empty everyone's stocking into boe huge pile. Mum statys as well so it's huge mountain of gold coins, satsumas and plastic crap!
Downstairs to open pressies. DH will put the bacon on whilst we do this. Breakfast is eaten amidst the unwrapping. Bacon roll for DH, salmon bagels for the rest of us. DH doesn't like smoked salmon. I'd eat bacon sarnies normally hut with all the meat that normally follows, I'd happily skip it on this occasion! Buck's Fizz for us, juice for the boys.

Maybe we will try to have breakfast together before the pressies but the boys will just be too excited to wait when then see the pressies!

I'd love to just lounge for the rest of the day (obviously I'd need to make dinner) but the pils are coming too so I can't relax. Will be walking on eggshells as I'm sure they think I can't deal with christmas.

Would you consider church?

We always go at 10.30am after stockings and breakfast and before the rest of the presents.

Could you ask your neighbours in for a Christmas drink on Christmas morning?

I would also suggest going out for a walk mid morning too. There are always lots of families getting ready to go out, packing presents in their cars, walking dogs and people tend to wish each other Merry Christmas, so it does make Christmas Day seem a special day.