Christmas 2 days in a row, how to make both special for 9 and 13 year old

[Monr0e]

I have had the rubbish news that I am working a long day on Christmas day, so 7am start - 8pm finish. To say I'm gutted is an understatement.

We are a small family, only DH and 2 dc's and my dm who joins us every year.

We have decided to have a Christmas day do over on boxing day so we can enjoy it all together. But just need ideas on how to make both special. DC's are old enough to know when Christmas day is so I want them to still have their stockings and gifts.
But selfishly I also want a bit of Christmas magic on boxing day with them without having to buy double of everything!

So any ideas on how to make it work? Please 🙂

you could do stockings and 1 present on xmas day, and then the rest on boxing day? x

Split everything into two? So say that Santa (if the 9 year old still believes) is bringing things in two batches cos Mum wants to see everything? Or give them the choice of which day to have it- again with Santa, you could explain that sometimes Santa can wait a day if a parent has to work, using the examples of medical proffesionals/ police/ etc (not sure of your profession, yours could be a good example too)
If they don't believe in Santa then just tell them that you can't be there so you are doing a 'token' christmas day and the next day will be the full celbration, so Christmas day itself could be new PJ's, christmas films, buffet of their favourite foods, a small gift each?

I hadn't considered not doing Christmas dinner on Christmas day but favourite buffet bits sounds nice and much easier for DH and DM to sort on the day. Plus there will hopefully still be lots left for me to nibble on when I get home.

I think I might keep the bulk of their gifts till boxing day. DM always spoils them rotten so they will still have plenty to open on the day itself plus maybe a couple of gifts from Santa (DD still believes)

The stockings are my favourite part of the day. I won't deprive them Christmas morning but I think I'll try and get them a second one each for boxing day too, tell them the elves felt sorry for me missing out!

I work in the hospital so they know it's a 24 hour job, we usually do a few gifts from Santa then they know the rest are from us. So they can have Santa gifts on Christmas day and then ours on boxing day.

Lots of options!
You could go out for a walk/church service Christmas Eve and come home to the stockings that Santa had to deliver early
Let them have their Santa gifts Christmas Day and the rest on Boxing Day.
They will also be awake on Christmas Day when you get home so they could have a present then too!

I admire people that work over Christmas especially when they have a family. I think you’re a great example to your children of putting others before yourself.
Hope it works out well with lots of Christmas magic [santa]

For the younger one that still believes could you do a dropped present that fell out of Santa’s sleigh? At the front of our house the roof dips lower on one side and one year we left a present up there. Easy enough to knock down with a long pole but from a child’s point of view, very much on the roof.
Every child that passed our house on the way to mass was pointing at it and it was the talk of the whole school.
In your case something less public might be better so you could “find” it on Boxing Day - maybe a parcel stuck up the chimney or dropped in the back garden?

You could pop some christmas stocking fillers into a Christmas Eve box, and enjoy that together?

I’d try and make Christmas Day stress free for you and them so a buffer sounds ideal. Make sure you keep back some extra special treats for you at night - food, a film, a present to open etc . Boxing Day could have a special breakfast, do the Christmas dinner etc. Then make the 27th or whenever you’re next off as your Boxing Day with relaxing and eating leftovers.

Also don’t imagine that everyone is having a perfect Christmas Day because the day itself can often be really stressful x

I would be tempted to wake them up in the morning (they will probably be awake anyway), say you saw he had been. Do stockings and then they have a lazy day, maybe a few DVDs/books in stockings then main lunch etc on Sunday.

Thank you so much everyone

I was feeling really down about it but starting to think it might not be so bad after all

I'm off Christmas eve and boxing day so will make the most of those days with them.

I like the suggestion of doing stockings on Christmas Eve I'd probably go with that, then keep some presents back (personally, I'd go for one of the bigger presents each - the sort of thing that you know they'd go daft for but isn't necessarily the main thing they've asked for if you think they'd be disappointed to not open that on the 25th) and do Christmas Dinner on Boxing Day.

And yes, don't depress yourself imagining what "perfect" Christmas Days other people might be having - very few people actually do!

Do you do elf on the shelf? My DD spends alternate Christmas' with her dad so the years she's at his, the elf leaves a box of stocking fillers in a box (each one wrapped in brown paper to make it more exciting). I fill the box with snowflakes and Xmas confetti and it's lovely. Could you maybe have the elves leave something like that on boxing day (even if you don't do elf on the shelf, you can still have the elves leave it for you). I get in her favourite foods and buy a special board game to open at breakfast and play later in the day. One year I bought bingo tickets and had a box of prizes (chocolates, scratch cards, small toys) for the winners. That went down well.

Oh, and both my parents were nurses and one or the other had to be at work for 7am. We still opened our stockings with them first thing before they left

I would celebrate on Xmas Eve if I were you. Asking small children to wait another day is hard, but bringing it forward could be really exciting!

Then just do what you normally do on Xmas day, but on Xmas eve. Then treat Xmas day a bit like Boxing Day.

Pretty unusual for s 9 year old to believe in Santa.

@mydcaremarvel (i love your user name!) I know quite a few 9 year olds who still believe so I don't think it is that unusual [santa]

Mine must be cynical then, wish they did believe for longer .

Boxing day is always my favourite as my df always seemed to work Christmas day. We used to open stockings early then spend Christmas day at grandparents opening gifts from family. Father Christmas presents were saved til boxing day as we didn't get home from grandparents until evening, it also meant df didn't miss out.

Are you off Christmas Eve? Do the whole thing then and have 2 boxing days!

We have done it on different days before and the only difference was life going on as normal outside of the house!

Just wanted to thank you for working on Christmas day. I know that it's not ideal for you, and that it can be thankless.

Thank you Liquorice, that's very kind.

I have spoken to DH, DM and the DC's. They are more than happy to have a buffet picnic meal on Christmas day so going to get all their favourite things in and then I can join in and hoover up the left overs when I get home. I am hoping by the time they open gifts from DM, play some games and eat I will be home soon after with still time to join in.

We are going to stockings and gifts from FC as normal on Christmas day plus a main gift or two from us. Then on Boxing Day, I'm going to do stockings again (because that's my favourite part) then some gifts that we have kept back for them then Christmas dinner.

We do have elves that arrive on the 1st, one each, not elf on the shelf exactly, they just decorate the tree with underwear and tip cereal out in the kitchen, stuff that makes DD laugh. I will tell her they felt sorry for me missing out so did a second stocking for them both to make me happy. Not feeling too bad now, thank you so much everyone

Have Xmas day on Xmas eve

I'm giving my opinion as a nurse who has worked many Christmases - I think you should let christmas day go on as normal without you there. I understand that you want to share the Christmas magic, but imagine how your family will feel having a miserly christmas because the dinner and most of the presents are being kept back. I know it is rubbish (I have been there many times) but you can still have a lovely family day on Christmas eve and boxing day.

To add - when I work Christmas we celebrate by a family day out on Christmas eve followed by a buffet and christmas film together. Then on boxing day dp cooks a nice dinner (but not the same as Xmas day) and I sit around eating chocolates and helping the dc build lego. I do normally hold back a single family present (generally a board game) so we can play it together.