Ours is never an all-out thing when we have an “at home” year. It will be a bit different this year but...
Dd used to see Santa at the Christmas party for her sports club (the club organised a day of parties for the different age groups, which involved a craft activity, singing activity, snack and drink, and a visit from Santa for the entire group with jokes, carols and chat - no presents, that group would leave while helpers tidied up and then the next age group would arrive).
We visit the “Live Crib” outside the Lord Mayor’s House in the city, and I bring dd for a shopping trip to buy her presents for DH, DGPs etc and we always stop for a hot choc and bun in a coffee shop and watch the people shopping, and enjoy the magic of the lights in the shopping district after dark before getting the bus home. All of that is likely to be different this year but we’ll manage somehow.
In the couple of weeks in early/mid December, I will drive around different routes locally to check what houses are lit up for Christmas, nowadays dd wants to see them as we’re doing jobs generally So we just drive home different ways but when she was small, it was nice to bring her out one evening and do a drive specifically to see the different lightS.
Making decorations and festive baking have also been part of our celebrations always. And some years, carpet picnics with a movie in the afternoon after school. (I have a collection of festive books and dvds that appears in early December).
We do a Christmas Eve fundraising swim, and there are a number of swims and runs on Christmas Day locally as well. But we have always got out in the fresh air on 24th for a walk, and often on 25th as well after mass. So even if mass can’t happen, we’ll likely do a walk.
We only eat in late afternoon. So we have a good breakfast (usually fresh OJ, pastries, bacon butties and proper coffee) and dd raids her stocking for sweets. We put the turkey into the oven when we get home from mass, walk and a couple of extended family visits locally. We have some M&S nibbles as our starter while we open presents as turkey cooks. Cooking is relaxed, and we have all worked together on prepping on 24th so it’s mostly a case of turning on pots or swopping things in/out of oven at intervals. In between presents and relaxing in front of the fire with a nice drink (wine for DH and I, a fizzy drink for dd).
After dinner, we generally watch tv or a movie and head for bed. All relaxed and happy. That slower relaxed pace is such a treat for us because life is normally so busy here.