Christmas with adult kids....new traditions?

[JudgeRindersMinder]

This will be our first Christmas Day without the need to consider family members beyond us and or adult kids (23,18)

My dad passed away earlier this year, he was always here for Christmas, and whilst I didn’t grudge a bit of it, our day was always tailored around him due to disability, and we always had my sibling and family here too.

This year, it’s just going to be us!

We have a huge hot tub booked for Xmas week (shut up haters, I’m not listening, it’s happening 😂) and plan to decorate the gazebo with lights etc so it’s like Santa’s grotto 😂(dh doesn’t know about that part yet😁)
My daughter and her partner are going to stay over on Xmas Eve, as although I’d love to have them here for dinner, I have the feeling her partner’s family will make a demand of them, which I don’t want her to stress about.

We’ve had a very stressful few years, especially round Christmas for various reasons, and without wanting to sound twee about it, I want to create some good memories going forward.

So when you have adult kids with you, and only have to please yourselves, how do you do it?

If you like Bailey's then it's a great addition to a white russian....but I can't drink too many of those!

We like champagne cocktails which is just a sugar cube soaked in angostura bitters dropped into the bottom of a glass of fizz.

I'm also eyeing up some festive sangria recipes this year (essentially red wine, cranberry juice and brandy with some clementine garnish.)

We have some drinking games based around Christmas films. DD and I love to watch a really cheesy Hallmark Christmas film while drinking cocktails and eating vast quantities of chocolate.

We usually have a board game evening either on Christmas Eve or the weekend before Christmas.

My parents do Christmas well but it's all very relaxed. On Christmas Eve we watch Christmas films whilst wrapping presents; head for a drink at the pub and then go to a carol service. We have gammon for dinner every year.

On Christmas morning we wake up late, have special smoked salmon sandwiches for lunch, hand out presents and then have our Christmas dinner and drinks in the evening. Until I was about 20/21 my parents still did stockings but they were mostly filled with chocolates and miniatures.

My parents have grand-babies now so things have changed in a lovely way but I've enjoyed our grown-up Christmases over recent years.

What I enjoyed (as the grown up kid) was taking part in the cooking, as in doing one of the meals not as in being an assistant. It helped shift the dynamic towards enjoying Christmas together rather than being a 20something reverting to dependence. Similarly it was good to have a bit of a say in what our schedule would be - eg my parents want us all to go to church but are fine with switching to Xmas Eve rather than Xmas day, or whether Xmas dinner is at lunch or in the evening.

Go out for late lunch on xmas eve. No cooking for you, and it's a nice way to start the holiday. Then home for last minute wrapping and a movie dance round the kitchen. That's our new tradition since my son was 18. Sometimes we go for dinner with old family friends that we've both known for years. We look forward to this bit more than Christmas Day.

We have a raffle. Sort of.

It started when we were late teens, Mum bought a load of bits and pieces, wrapped them and raffle ticketed them.
Then we each get to choose a folded ticket in turn, bit like a stocking lucky dip.
So it could be anything from chocolate to smellies to socks to anything!!
Oh, there is always a rubber ducky of some sort!

Then once we got older and married etc. It continued but with us each buying £10/15 of bits wrapping them ourselves and then going to my parents to ticket them.

I always try to find the tackiest thing possible

And my DH somehow always ends up with the floral/female smellies

At the end you can do swaps if you want.

Always a giggle.

And now its expanded again because we've got children and they get included too.

How about a white elephant gift exchange game in the evening.

Loving this thread.

DS is 19 and it may well just be us three for Xmas.

We are about to move house to a complete new area so I think it is a good time for some new traditions. We are now waking distance to a nice village pub so will be going there for a quick drink on Christmas Day.

DS likes our current tradition of lasagna on Xmas eve although I’d love to change that. It’s been a tradition for years - started by my mum.

We do board games. Trivial Pursuit is a favourite. We have various versions and I just bought a set of Friends (tv show) questions for DS’s stocking. I think I’ll have to rewatch to refresh my memory. He’s watched the whole series more than once.

A bit worried this Xmas could be a real let down and feel flat with restrictions etc. so it’s nice to have some ideas of some fun stuff to do.

This year we'll probably be three adults, but a slim chancechange well be 5 adults and a nearly 4 year old. We really still do what we did when the kids were younger. Mince pies and tea/coffee whilst opening presents. Smoked salmon and bucks fizz for breakfast , Orange juice for DD who doesn't like wine, or cava for DD who doesn't like Orange juice. If there's only three of us we may have something other than turkey, or chicken. We've had home made Peking duck, confit duck legs ( my personal favourite) pheasant. We usually sit down to dinner late afternoon so just a chilled evening with supper if wanted.

We go for a hike after breakfast; have an ordinary roast dinner with a few special bits at around 3 (rather than a turkey that takes hours to cook). We play a couple of games around the table (once we’ve cleared it, and then open presents after that.

I’m going to do Christmas Eve boxes for the “kids”. So far I’m at pyjamas...😂

Christmas bingo with cheap wrapped presents which can also be useful, so things like a bottle of wine or loo roll! Different prize value for a line or a full card and each person brings a prize for each for the winners to pick from.

@bodgeitandscarper that sounds like a good laugh