What do you actually DO Xmas day...?

[QueenOfTheNaps]

Ok, usually I spend Xmas day with my parents, brother, sister, their partners and children. The kids all play with their toys together, we eat a huge Xmas dinner then loaf about drinking chatting playing uno etc.

Well this year our circumstances have changed a little and it will just be me, DH and DS12. I love love love Xmas for the family time and I just feel at a bit of a loss with what we will actually do during the day. DS feels he's too 'old' for toys as presents so won't have anything to play with and keep him entertained.
I guess I don't want it to just turn into a standard Sunday type of day...
Ideas? What do you guys do?

Unless she's Gwyneth BloodyPaltrew.

Up around 8am
Open a few pressies
Quick breakfast
Church
Start cooking dinner
More present opening
Christmas dinner
To, chill etc.

Last year was the first year we had Christmas at our house (we normally go to my sister's)and it will be the same this year.
Wake up early (dc will be 17 months and just turned 3) and open Santa presents
10 ish - my family will arrive with their presents so more present opening
11ish- croissants, fruit toast, pancakes maybe beans on toast for kids
1-kids go for nap so we'll prep food. Teenagers will play games with each other and grandad
Afternoon,- maybe a short walk. Start drinking obviously
4.30 ish- Christmas dinner.
After dinner maybe some napping for adults, drinking etc
8ish- kids go to bed
9ish- film and supper (pate on toast, pork pie &pickle, cheese and biscuits). Sister will start on the Baileys. Dad will have a whiskey.
This year I intend to put away a fair bit of prosecco as I've been 3 days post part um, pregnant and breast feeding tge last 3 Christmas Days!

Op, have you considered going out for tea? When I got to 11-12 ish we had no younger dc in the family, and only a small family so we went for a curry on Christmas Day- it was our favourite food and cost no more than any other day.

Apart from one Christmas when DS was 2 it has always been just the three of us. DS is now 11, so similar to you. Most of the things for lunch that can be done before will have been done, so day will go something like

I will probably be up first, have a cup of tea and put my feet up for half an hour , put on some Christmas music
DS gets up, (which means DH must get up) , presents opened
Have breakfast - nothing much, toast or bacon sandwich
DS usually has something that will keep him occupied (eg this year he is getting a build a robotic arm kit), so will find something amongst the presents that will happily keep him occupied
I do anything else needed for lunch, DH puts his feet up/helps DS build whatever
Aperitif before lunch at same time call/Skype a couple of relatives and friends
Lunch - always have a Chinese - made at home but with minimum of work. This year some starters and then main course of a very large crispy duck and pancakes. Dessert if we feel like it
After lunch usually we have bought a box set of something, usually films -last year it was Bond with Sean Connery. They watch the films and if I'm not interested feet up and read a book. DS may continue what he was doing before , we may play some games if he has something new
Tea - whatever we feel like but things we don't usually have but don't need any effort
Evening - more of the same and some more wine
No particular times set to do anything, just take the day as it comes

It probably sounds rather boring compared to what you are used to OP but I've always enjoyed it. It's relaxing but still festive and a 'special' day, and the best thing about being on our own is we can do exactly what we want to do

Sorry that was a bit long

Now dds are teens it's me who rushes about shouting 'He's been!' first thing before I put kettle, on feed animals and light the fire. Stockings on our bed, bucks fizz and pastries or whatever for breakfast. Showers etc Pos.visits from neighbours, then cook lunch, eat lunch, watch Queen. Visit Mil in nursing home then home for presents, tea, telly and wine with other family. Lovely.

We've done - up, presents, choc breakfast, play, walk, cook, eat, watch films/tv & eat snacks a couple of times. Last year we had chicken & chips at Disneyland Paris which was a fab xmas!

I'd have a full English, bung the turkey in, long walk in the country, home, some mince pies as a snack, stick a crap Christmas film on, serve dinner, flop on sofa, wine and more telly.

Maybe eat a selection box whilst doing the mash.

Oh yes, sorry, pressies throughout the proceedings.

Is ritual cleaning fanjo related? tone lowered

It's just me and teen DD at home, so it won't be an early start, I'll probably have had a cup of tea in bed before she stirs.

Presents and breakfast at home in PJs, my Mother will visit briefly with her presents, she usually has some breakfast with us. Then hopefully we'll have a couple of hours peace before we have to report to ex PILs for lunch.

Lunch at PILs, then home for a couple more hours downtime/naps and a walk with the dog, dinner will be whatever we fancy from the festive goodies in the fridge, we'll make an evening visit to BILs house for wine and cheese then bed.

We're always happy to lounge about in our PJs, don't particularly feel the need to be doing things.

Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day as that's when we celebrate

Morning - stockings and breakfast of rice porridge
Normal stuff - DD plays, we chill
Usually we go to OH's dad's house for Christmas lunch but this year I want to make our own so inbetween chilling I'll be sorting out food
Eat
Go to OH's dad's house for Father Christmas - one of the neighbour's dressed up and comes in to give out the presents. All open presents, chat, DD and OH's little sister play
Sauna (either there or at home)
Play a board game together (now that DD is starting to get into board games)

With a 12 year old I'd definitely recommend board/card games and watch some film you'd all enjoy

When I was little we always invited another family around for the Christmas meal and me and my brothers would perform a Christmas play cringe

Eat early and go for a long walk in the afternoon then telly in the evening!

DD and I wake up and open our stockings in bed. We sort the animals, pee, and I make hot chocolate before we do the big 'unveil' of Santa presents in the living room. I usually stick on The Snowman DVD (because it makes me feel all warm and fluffy) as she rips through them like the Tasmanian devil. Then we unwrap our family and friends gifts. We eventually have breakfast, get tidied away, shower and head to my parents house for midday.

We tend to eat a huge Christmas feast at around 3pm. The time before and after this is spent watching movies, eating insane amounts of chocolate and drinking far too much wine as we attempt a game of Monopoly. We always make turkey sandwiches at about 7pm. We're never hungry, but so much of the day is already dedicated to getting fat that we do it anyway. We usually spend the night with my folks so I get DD bathed and put into bed, and then me and my mum roll ourselves out the front door to walk the dog, spending the majority of said walk complaining about how painfully full we are.

God I love Christmas!

Stay home this year I'm expecting baby due Christmas day so my plans are staying home and being lazy

Do you live near the sea? If so there are often Christmas day swims if you're brave.

It's just DS and I here. In his 14 years, we've only celebrated with extended family twice.
Get up at 10 or 11, have croissants and coffee for breakfast, open some presents, make a few family phone calls and shower and get dressed.
Usually eat a vegetarian Christmas dinner at 2.30-3 p.m., wash up straight away after, then collapse on the sofa with chocolates and prosecco, open the last few presents, watch telly, have a nap, put the wrapping paper in the recycling, maybe some more family phone calls, cheeseboard and wine for supper and more telly, until bed around midnight or 1 a.m. Nothing worthy like walks or board games here. Oh and I'm not a big drinker normally, but I drink a bottle of prosecco and a couple of glasses of white wine over the day on Christmas Day. So yeah, booze, food, presents, lazing around and telly are what it's all about for us.

Thanks for all your replies... I think I am panicking a bit because it's going to be DS (and mine!!!!) first ever christmas without extended family.
So food, booze (not for DS natch, or DH he's working early on Boxing Day boohoo) card/board games, lazing and a walk. Lovely :)

Christmas day swim aiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Not quite brave enough for that !

Oh, go on! It'll keep you busy all day shivering

Sometimes we discuss going for a walk but going swimming really is beyond the pale. Don't panic Queen, you really will enjoy it, it's lovely to laze around and please yourself

It's always been just me, DH and DD for Christmas, and we always have the loveliest day. The trick is to make it as 'out of the ordinary' as possible. For us that means:
DD waking up at five am (even though she's now 19). I wake up an hour or so later, make hot chocolate, and we cosy up in her room to watch Olive the Other Reindeer with all her fairy lights on
DH wakes up at about 7 - I've already been into the lounge and turned on the carols, fire and got the coffee on - and we all open gifts under the tree, DD first
Lovely glowy morning while I get dinner going, cava in hand
At about 12 me and DD get dressed in new outfits (staying in pyjamas all day would make it feel wayyy to ordinary) - we love getting ready together with carols in the background, glass in hand
Then there's a lovely buzzy bit where everyone's in the kitchen, laughing, dancing (can get hairy around pans ), doing their individual dinner 'jobs'
We eat at about 3, so it gets dark as we're around the table. We have lots of candles on the table and around the room, all the fairy lights on and carols (usually classic fm) on in the background
We usually leave the table at about six, and play something daft like Cards Against Humanity or some silly game we've made up (one year we invented Foot Pictionary, where all the drawings were done with a pen between your toes. It was ace)
Then it's a couple of Bailey's or a glass of two of port and a bit of TV before bed

The most important things for us I make it not like any other Sunday are no pyjamas, no TV until the evening (it doesn't even occur to us to switch it on) and carols on in every room. We even have a little radio in the bathroom, along with battery powered lights!

Ahhh I'm soooo excited now OP, you'll have a lovely day - remember, you'll be spending it with your favourite people in the world!

Foot pictionary! I'm going to suggest that this year!

This year is mine and ds5 first Christmas just us two.
We don't have any family to see/speak to and I'm incredibly worried it's going to be lonely