Those of you who go to church...

[maldivemoment]

...how do you fit everything in on Christmas morning?

Our Christmas morning always feels so rushed as we're (husband & I & 2 small children) opening presents then trying to get out the door to get to Mass, which is at 11. Then we either go to my folks or in-laws so children have hardly any time to look at, let alone play with, their toys! Children tend to waken around 7.

I always feel rather envious of others who have time for leisurely breakfasts and putting on lovely new clothes after a lovely warm shower using new Christmas 'smellies.' Once gifts have been opened and we've had the quickest shower imaginable, we throw some toast at the children, I run a brush though my hair and we're out the door.

Sigh...how do others do it?

You don't do it all in the morning!

Stockings , nice breakfast and then church. Home for light lunch ( smoked salmon and crackers for us). Then a leisurely present opening after sticking the meat in and Xmas dinner at tea time - with the pudding cheese and mince pies stretching into the evening.

Aahhhhhh...we can't do that as we go to my folks or in-laws straight from church! Plus my children are still little (6 & 3) and far too excited to open gifts later on in the day as Santa leaves them in the front room so they'd see them when they came downstairs.

Thanks all the same...

Anyone else?

We always do presents after lunch - stockings first thing in the morning and the full Christmas lunch at about 1pm but we tend to do presents in a break before pudding!

I've done it this way since childhood as my father was a vicar and did 3 services on Christmas morning - we'd do the stockings then he'd pop out for 8am service whilst we had yummy Christmas breakfast. We'd go to a service at 10.30 or 11.

Sorry, meant to say - did it from younger than your two (and do it with mine now) - stocking presents sort of kept as going iyswim?

We go to mass on Christmas Eve,Santa comes to it and tells all the kids to have an early night!

Stockings, tea, chocolate. Mass at 9.30. Smoked salmon, champagne and presents at 11. Lunch at about 3/4pm. Don't go out visiting. Invite them to you. Or take the children to the crib service on Xmas Eve and don't go on Xmas morning x

Stockings at 4 am to 6.30. If lucky 7 to 7.30 . Breakfast, not a special one, after that. Open 1 or 2 big presents before church. If time, one more before in laws.

In laws

Return, knackered. Tea.

Open a few more.

Rest kept for Boxing Day.

All announced before hand so planned, and with pre planned answers to relatives who ring.

If far far too many, one openable Christmas Eve.

Up at about 8am (DS is 11 now so the crazy early wake ups are over) and downstairs for stockings, bacon sandwiches and Buck's Fizz. Shower and get changed then off to church for 11 (one of us will take the dogs for a quick trundle round the fields during shower time)
Church is at 11, from there it's straight to the pub for a pint. Home after an hour or so and pop the dinner on, then get down to opening the main presents while its doing its thing (we do all prep on Christmas Eve)
We normally eat about 4pm which leaves plenty of time for playing with toys etc.
TBH it does work, but only with a strict timetable and everything prepared in advance.

We've just planned our day.

Stockings
Cereal
Church
Dinner in oven
Presents
Pub
Back for dinner
Play/movie
Bed

Presents under the tree don't come from Santa, and will have been sitting there for a while (not newly arrived and exciting).

Stockings first thing, breakfast and Church. Tree presents after the Queen's speech.

You need to make sure Santa includes exciting things in the stockings, that'll occupy DC during the day until present opening time.

I suppose I just like spreading out the set piece events, rather than it all being over fairly early in the morning and then not being sure what to do with the rest of the day.

If you don't want to change the routines if your day, I suggest that each DC gets to choose two presents to take to GPs, and open any presents from GPs at their house. That could give a reasonable chance to play with new things, whilst keeping them occupied.

Definitely presents after church - I can't imagine trying to cram it all in before the service. DCs open their stockings (which Santa always ensures have enough cool stuff in to keep them excited and give them something to play with).

Traditionally, all the kids bring their favourite stocking present to church, to show the doting oldies. I don't think any families try and open "main" presents until after the service. DCs have always accepted that these will be opened later in the day. We do a few at a time and sometimes haven't opened them all until the end of Boxing Day.

If that really won't work for you, could you get away with doing church on Christmas Eve (crib service/midnight mass)? I'm not Catholic, so I don't know whether that's accepted as being OK or not - it's certainly quite common in other denominations.

Is there not a service on Christmas Eve that you could go to instead? Our local church as a mass for children and families at 4pm. Its so magical and exciting to go to church in the dusk and come out in the dark!

Or yes, tree presents in the afternoon - that's what we always had growing up.

We aren't big church goers, but we do go to the local crib service at about 4.00pm on Christmas Eve.

Presents are opened first thing on Christmas Day. Then breakfast.

I cheat about Christmas Dinner. We go out for it at the local pub.

Thank you all for your suggestions. You're clearly better at this than me!

I am considering going on Christmas Eve if there's an early enough service. I know 'technically' its not considered the same but I'm hoping the big guy might understand!

Having read over all your replies I think next year it's definitely Christmas at ours!

I'm sure a glass of fizz on Christmas morning will take the edge of things

I have young dc five little ones are 4,3,2,1 but they know they can open stockings before breakfast then two gifts from Santa after breakfast.
Then we go to church open rest of Santas gifts after church. Then Christmas lunch and relatives gifts after nap time.
Could you not put gifts in the car and tell dc you will take them to relatives to open?

We go to the vigil mass at 6.30. It's lovely to go, then go home for Christmas Eve party food and drinks, knowing there's no rush the next morning.

Oh I forgot we have a buffet on Christmas Day and go out for a proper Christmas dinner on Boxing day. It's only £12.99 pp for three course and crackers 😀🎅🎄

Mine are 5 and 3. They're up at 7 with their stockings, then I get them dressed and they have breakfast and watch a DVD while I get ready. We do presents, then church at 10, then either back home for a simple lunch with Christmas dinner at tea time or straight to a relative's house. Back in time for a 7pm bedtime and the Downton Abbey Christmas special :o

Is there a crib service at your church on Christmas eve? We always go to that then on to friends for Christmas eve drinks. Home to put stockings out and treats for Santa. That way the church part is still a part of our Christmas but not on the day itself. It is a struggle to fit it all in and it would be nice not to have to rush.
Christmas morning is then so relaxed!

We don't attend church but is there any way you could skip the visiting and get them to come to you next time? I personally think that with young dc's it's kind of unfair to spend the majority of the day out visiting and can take some of the fun out of the day (at least that's how I would have felt as a child).

Of course the big guy would understand if you went on Christmas eve. Our crib service tends to be about 4:30.

We tend to do a quick round of happy birthday to Jesus, stockings and one big present, then breakfast, church, lunch, presents from family, off for a walk, dinner. But we don't have to fit family visiting in.

Our vigil mass is actually the first Mass of Christmas, so officially "counts".

We were always allowed to open presents and take one (suitable) tp church at 11am. Home for lunch and playing thento my uncle's (about 10 mins drive) to see them and my Nana. Home for. More pressies eitj Mum's family and full Christmas dinner about 4pm

We always had ours after lunch and my DC have followed the same routine.

DS2 is a chorister, and we are out of the door before 9. Much nicer opening at leisure later