Who did you spend Christmas day with?

[VillageFete]

Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy this period between Christmas & new year. I plan on eating loads & watching all the Christmas films i've recorded.

Just want to know who you spent the big day with? Just your own immediate family or did you celebrate with friends and lots of extended family? Did you host? Or did someone else? Just intrigued to know how your day went & would you do the same again next year?

I hosted Christmas breakfast for the inlaws, then had lunch out at a restaurant with DP, DM & DD. The afternoon was spent visiting family, which was nice but a little hectic. Unfortunately most of my family don't really "do" Christmas.

Next year we'll eat out again - possibly at our local Indian and then I think i'll do the traditional Christmas dinner on Boxing day and invite a couple of members of the family.

We hosted, us four plus 8 extended family. It was lovely :) would definitely do it again. It helped having bought the m and s preparedness

merry christmas to you.
I spent it with my husband and children.

I cooked a lovely christmas eve meal for my parents, sister and her family. We opened gifts, played trivial pursuit, laughed at how thick we all are and ate drank and were merry. christmas morning the kids opened presents then we called my husband's family (they live overseas) and chatted.

It was really nice. In previous years we've hosted on either christmas day or boxing day but we all agreed that there was something really nice about doing it on christmas eve, so we're going to do it that way again.

We hosted, it was our first time hosting and we really enjoyed it (despite a turkey related mishap). It was me, DH, 14 month old DS and my parents. I reckon we'll host again next year, maybe even have the in laws if MIL isn't at work.

We spend Christmas at home just me, DH and our 5 DC. We see our parents in the days running up to Christmas but from the 24th onwards it's just us.
We've never spent Christmas with extended family in the 20 years we've been together.

Spent with DH, DD (13 months) and my parents who have been divorced (not particularly amicably) for 14 years. DH, DD and I were at my dads as usual, DM asked if she could join us 2 days ago as she has split with her partner and had nowhere else to go. My dad is absolutely lovely and said yes despite her treating him pretty appallingly over the years. It was very odd!

Well they all sound lovely in their own way!

GotToBe - how lovely of your Dad. That's true Christmas spirit!

We are going for a 3 course Christmas meal tomorrow (we as in me & DD) with a couple of my friends and their kids. I think we are going to make this tradition as it's like another mini Christmas.

This was first Christmas of being separated so I had my dc Christmas eve night and Christmas day morning,after I dropped them off to ex I went to a friend for chatter while she prepared dinner and then went home to eat my own dinner alone before going with my dp to take her dc to her ex.
We went to my dm home for tea and played games before going home. Ds2 then got dropped off just before 1am as he doesnt like staying at ex house over night and had got upset.
Was very different day to used to but mostly enjoyable.

We hosted. 16 in total including 6 staying. It was a mix of my family, dh's family and BIL's parents. We have 4 young dc. We had a really great time but it was bloody hard work! I work in retail at the moment so have been very busy in the run up to Christmas. I won't host next year as we take in turns but I was super organised so it went well and I had time to enjoy the morning with the dc. Looking forward to doing nothing for the next week!

Ex-H came over in the morning for breakfast and Buck's Fizz and to watch DC open their presents (v civilized innit). Then, after he left at 1ish, it was just the boys and I for the first time ever and it was great! I usually have them in the morning then they go to exPILs for Xmas dinner (and I crack open a bottle of champagne by myself) but Xmas was hosted at SILs house this year which was too far away.

Hope to do the same next year but I usually leave it up to DSs (16 and 14) to decide where they'd prefer to be which is why I'm so thrilled they chose me this year!

We met friends for a walk in the morning (local hill; we had hot choc/ coffee/Christmas cake at the top), then just DH, me and our three children (14, 16 & 27 - last one just home for 2 days).

I was lucky in that all of my children were able to be here apart from one SIL who was on standby and called into work 10 minutes before his standby was up, and one of my D'sIL and youngest grandson who are abroad due to a family emergency. We had a fabulous time and I hosted as always. Two of my sons invited a mutual friend along with his wife, MIL, and their 2 children. I had never met them before but they fitted in with us perfectly and I felt as if I'd known them for years. I was really touched when the MIL said she hadn't had such a good Christmas since her husband dies 3 years ago, and that she hadn't laughed so much for a long time. I also had one of my DIL's parents here. All in all we were 27 people in total which is less than we usually have but work commitments for some of our usual visitors didn't work out on the day.

It was just a really good day and everyone went home happy.

Just my husband and I. No kids. No relatives. No inlaws. No rows. Bliss.

Just DH and the kids. That's how we always do things. :)

My Dsis hosted this year. Her family, my family and it was bliss. We had a wonderful day, this year has been sh*t for a variety of reasons. Christmas Day was a day for being together, acknowledging this year and moving forward as a family.

As a bonus Dsis lives on the coast so we had a wonderful walk along the beach in the sunshine too. Here's to 2015

I hosted Christmas for the first time in my 37 years. Was really stressed beforehand, particularly after reading threads on here about how people were part cooking this and freezing that. Was also working on Xmas eve.

11 of us in total. DPs, Dsis and family plus us. Pleased to report we had a fab day. It was great being more in control of the proceedings. DM is quite relaxed about timings and her Christmas lunches have been getting later and later - resulting in drunk , hungry and irritable guests.

Just me, DH, 3yo DS, and 2yo DS :) It was perfect!!! DH and DSs played in the garden while I made dinner (roast beef with roast potatoes). We then watching Disney DVDs all afternoon :)

We h hosted, me, dp, 2dds, mil and 2 of dp's colleagues from work who couldn't go home for Christmas. Or was a very international affair! After dinner they said they had to go as they had a second Christmas f dinner to go to. How on earth they managed to eat again I'll never know!

Big all family thing on Christmas Eve afternoon. Then on Christmaa day, DS and I got up, had salmony bagels for breakfast and opened his stocking, then his dad came over and we opened presents, played then went for a sunny but cold walk while lunch cooked. More playing after lunch until ex left just before my parents came over for tea. Lovely quiet evening. Best Christmas ever! I even enjoyed the sprouts

Just dh and me in the morning then to dd's at noon to spend the rest of the day with her, her dh and the two boys. Her fil and his dw were there too with dw's elderly mother.We all get on really well and had a lovely time with dinner cooked by dsil. Home by 9.30 feeling very happy indeed.

It was just us 5 until about 11am when Mil, Fil, Sil and my dad arrived. We exchanged presents and had a drink. Then the in laws went home and my dad went to collect my brother and they had lunch here with us. My dad left about 3.30, db 8.30.

Just DH and DS this year - we didn't have much time off as I worked Christmas Eve and was back at work by Saturday . Didn't meet up with any family (elderly parents went to another sibling's home).

I make a 'thing' about doing Christmas differently each year - sometimes we go overseas, sometimes to family, sometimes host and we have all volunteered as a family before at a Church event.

I would hate to get into a 'routine' at Christmas - this arrangement suits us well. .

12 of here from 5 to 62. Everyone in the three sets of adults contributes cooked food so one pair isn't doing all the work.

Was lovely but was exhausted at the end of it.

Played Kim's game, a quiz and just let the kids run riot.

Everyone had a great time.