What is your family tradition at Christmas?

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Our family Christmas tradition, (started by me because I am too lazy to do the 5am Xmas morning stint) is that the kids bring us breakfast in bed. When they were younger, 4+, it was bowls of grapefruit (prepared the night before) and a glass of orange juice, as they got older it progressed to juice, grapefruit, cereal toast and tea, in bed with all the kids. We still do it even though the 2 eldest are 21 and 20, it a bit of a squeeze. At the same time they get to pick a (minor) prezzie each out of the pile for one other member of the family (the major prezzies are labeled so that they don't get picked) with the youngest getting to pick the two for Mum and Dad extra. So we get to open 1 prezzie each to stem the flow whilst having breakfast in bed. (Luxury).
Once we have finised breakfast we all get washed dressed, etc. and go down stairs, where we take turns opening a prezzie to drag out the prezzie opening time to over an hour instead of a quick 10 minute blart where nobody has time to give or receive thanks, or appriciate what they have received.
So that is how I start my Christmas morning, how is your 'TRADITIONAL' Christmas organised?

my ds's and i always sprinkle reindeer food on the ground outside before they go to bed so the reindeers can see where to land.it's just birdseed mixed with glitter but it sparkles beautifully in the streetlights.(i always sweep it up after they are asleep so they think the reindeers have eaten it!)i also cut a simple footprint template out of card and sprinkle fake snow through it making footsteps from the chimney to the presents.i love christmas eve more than christmas day.

We always were given new christmas pyjama's or nighties to wear on christmas eve because you had to look nice for santa!!

Then we had mince pies and hot chocolate for supper, and i only recently found this out... apparently our dad used to go outside at bedtime with a load of bells and ring them so that my mam could say "hurry up santas coming you'd better get in bed because he cant leave prenents if you're still awake" ..it worked every year

Fights and arguments are the norm with my family

Dear Charlee, I have been in that position but once you start new traditions they seem like old ones. Lots and lots of people have to do new things.

The important thing is the children.

When I was little I always ran down stairs and we opened presents asap. Then my Dad got remarried and my stepmother made everyone wait until after lunch ie about 4pm (she doesn't have any children). Still haven't forgiven her!

Christmas Eve - We always have an Open House with lots of friends and neighbors and my husband always reads The Night Before Christmas to the kids.

On Christmas Morning we wake up and open presents. We have pancakes and champagne for Breakfasts. We then go to church. Chrstmas Lunch follows at Mine (this year) or at In-laws. We go for a walk on the beach weather permitting then come back and open more gifts. We then have a lighter dinner then put the kids to bed. The adults play board games and have drinks and nibbles rest of the night

This is the first year that dd's been old enough to understand the concept of stockings, presents, father Christmas etc, so it should be interesting...

Our traditions up til now:

Pre-dd (and will be re-established as soon as she's old enough to stay up for it): Christmas Eve chippy dinner (our greek chippy gives out glasses of retsina to its customers on Xmas Eve, quite a party atmos while waiting for your chips!), then home for "It's a Wonderful Life" on dvd or telly with a glug or two of Baileys, walking to Midnight mass and coming home for warm sausage rolls and hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Post dd on the day itself: up for 8.30am Mass (I suspect this year it will be more like up for 6am stocking opening!), then home for unwrapping the prezzies by the tree with chocolate croissants and pink champagne, carols on the cd while the bird cooks. Grandparents over at 10am to exchange prezzies before they head off to favoured BIL's for lunch (they tend to get booked up in February so we don't even bother asking!). If SIL is coming for lunch with her brood (we take it in turns) they arrive around midday and dd goes into 'bursting with pure excitement' mode (she loves her big boy cousins), SIL and I tend to retire to the kitchen with stiff gins/wine and peel veg/gossip while DH manages the children (usually involving football), lunch at 2-3pm depending on how organised/drunk we are... then dd has a nap (not sure this will happen this year!) while we play poker & newmarket (for Quality Street), Cluedo and charades.

Turkey sarnies at 6pm and a general collapse to watch a film.

Bliss....

I love Christmas, love it love it love it . Christmases as a child were particularly grim as nobody in the family like it, so no decorations and a lot of miserable faces.

Traditions include the same old crappy baubles as I had for my first Christmas in my own flat, at 16. They are really ropy now but love having the same ones out year after year.

DD gets a satsuma and a handful of nuts, she thinks it's a crazy tradition of mine.

Make pomanders - love the smell.

Christmas day - stockings in my bedroom, bacon baguettes for breakfast with bucks fizz, present frenzy, mulled wine, mince pies and clotted cream, then disappear in the kitchen to cook turkey and all the trimmings. When eaten sit in front of the fire with all our pressies. Evening buffet with meats, cheeses etc. Continuation of wine.

Boxing day a big long walk and find a pub, then home in front of fire again and more buffet lovelies. I always buy ridiculous amounts of food and goodies.

I can't wait!!!

DS was four last year and bless him, he was so pleased and excited by his stocking, which he opens on our bed, that he thought that was IT! His face was a picture when he saw all the presents under the tree downstairs afterwards

Now he is a worldly wise five year old school boy, I'm sure it will not be the same this year!

Our traditions are spookily similar to Moogly's; though we also go out for a 4pm ish walk on Christmas Eve, to look at the lights in our village, then we have dinner at a local cafe, then back for new PJs and hot choc

I am considering going to visit someone in the afternoon on Christmas Day, though, as even if we go for a walk I still get that slight anticlimax feeling and I don't want ds to feel that.....

Ooooohhh, can't wait!!!
My traditions start before Xmas eve!!! i ahve my Xmas wrapping night wneh DH has to go out and I put on the tree lights, fire andMiracle on 34th St, then pour meself some wine and geton with the wrapping!! I love it!

We have a lovely big T bone steak dinner on Xmas eve - then go for a walk to see evryone's Xmas lights and get dd and ds all excited. Then it's the official sprinkling of the reindeer food and the sorting out waht food to leave Santa (if my parents are down it also involves much excited polishing of red apples for Rudolph and Santa tends to get an extra whisky! ).
Kids then get to open a parcel which always is new pyjamas! Watch Mickey's Xmas carol or Polar Express. Early bath and bed so Santa comes quicker.

Then my fave bit - setting out the pressies in big piles around the tree, all jumbled in together, none of this organised setting out in piles type thing - lets me 'hide' things from dh!

Next morning early there will be a screach of 'IT'S CHRISTMAS'from one or both kids! Eevryone up, no chance of geting dressed or anything although an adult will have to go down first to sneak into the lounge to pop on tree lights and get dvd camera ready. then 2 wee excited faces at the lounge door suddenly scared to go in incase he hasn't been!! Then
MAYHEM!!!

love it love it love!!!

We all open all our pressies but make sure I keep a note on who gave the Dcs what. After pressie opening (by this time this year dh will be happily plugged into his new PS3 so we can forget about him for the rest of the day!!! ) it's breakfast and dad and dh (not this year obviously - PS3!) sometimes BBqw the bacon and sausages to keep the kitchen tidier and we have them in crusty rolls etc. Play games and play with new toys while Granny tries to watch tv and eating too many choccies before falling asleep and snoring on the couch!

Usually eat around 5pm as it aalways suited kids best when they were younger but may change that this year. After dinner we'll have a walk and look at Xmas lights before bed.

This year they are gettng new bikes so Grandpa and daddy (with PS3 withdrawl sysmptoms!) will no doubt ahve to go out and supervise!

Then adults collapse on couch and eat, drink, watch TV, fall asleep on couch type thing!