The unusual moment you look forward to most?

[penguinwithasuitcase]

Chatting to a friend this morning and she said that of everything about Christmas, the one moment that she loves most is:

Opening the front door to her extended family when they arrive on Christmas morning –the noise and madness of way too many people crammed into the hallway trying to get their coats off while juggling presents-stuffed-under-arms and kissing the kids at the same time and handing over a bottle of wine to put in the fridge and someone calling "Can you move the car over a bit so I can pull right in?" all at once.

I thought it was just the loveliest thing – that THAT's what she looks forward to most! Not presents, not lunch, not turning on the lights of the tree, but a cramped, chaotic moment of cold air and shoe-wrestling in the hallway

What are your unexpected favourite moments of Christmas?

My newish favourite time is going to pick my child up from uni. Huge hugs, car boot full of bags, chris rea singing ' driving home for Christmas ' on the car stereo, driving through the countryside and seeing all the lights twinkling on the distant houses.

The last day of term once the children have gone home and all my team gather in one classroom and exchange gifts and have a mince pie or whatever.

Walking home from midnight mass in the cold, quiet frosty air, hopefully seeing all the stars in the sky. A real moment of peace before the busyness of Christmas day.

Lying in bed on Christmas Eve after putting everything out. The children are asleep and everything feels quiet and still. I then spend half an hour on my phone reading the #clergymaltclub posts on Twitter. I'm not clergy, I don't go to Church, don't believe - but it is just a lovely, lovely Christnassy thread full of vicars and priests who are having a drink, having just got home from Midnight Mass.

@Santaischeckinglists

When I have persuaded my adult dc to sleep here and have my dc under my roof again and going to bed smiling Xmas eve - usually 1am Xmas morning!

This is so cute 🥲

We had a game every Christmas (instigated by my grandpa) of who could keep the party hat from the cracker on the longest. People would leave at the end of the night, still with party hat intact. There’s even been facetimes after people are in bed to check if they still have it on 😂 My grandpa won the competition two years ago but died that year. We then didn’t have a big family Christmas last year because of covid and I think now smaller groups of family will break off for Christmas rather having the big one altogether.

I did suggest at his funeral everyone should have got a cracker and played the game but my family weren’t for it 😂

I actually love how quiet the roads are and how they’re busy earlier in the day as people are buzzing about at family’s houses but so quiet by night because everyone is all cosy with their families

These are lovely posts, so heartwarming

For me, it has to be decorating the tree. As I carefully unwrap and re-discover each decoration and bore the family shitless with stories for each, and everyone sharing their memories of Christmases gone by (all repeats of course!). And always telling the tale of my very first tree as a grown-up - just after I'd bought my first flat ( I'd left a shitty first serious boyfriend who'd been horrible) - bugger all money so decorated it with just white lights and gold toffees tied in with cotton, it looked beautiful 🤩. It was s sign of hope and happiness for the future, which is exactly what a good Christmas should feel like.

I love Christmas and its traditions. Hearing all of yours (love the bin one!) is very special , and in some cases, poignant.

Place marking

Watching The Snowman… done this every year since I was a kid. I am in my 40s and it still feels magical.

Christmas Eve: no kids and I am self employed. I give myself the day off and relax watching Christmas movies with a few chocolates. Then make something special for dinner. The anticipation waiting for my husband to get in from work, knowing we have a lovely few days together just the two of us. Then after dinner I go to Midnight service at the village church. I love the emptiness and quiet as we come out again early Christmas Day: feels so magical looking over the fields and seeing the lights off in all the houses, knowing that many have an exciting, fun day to wake up to.
I also love watching Christmas movies in the evenings with just the Christmas tree lights on, and maybe the fire if it is really cold.

Thank you to those that have acknowledged how hard Christmas can be for some of us, reading about the family chaos makes me so sad as this was us once but family losses/illness have changed everything.

What a gorgeous thread OP and your friend sounds super.
That brief spell when all is calm and contented, the Santa (yes Santa in this family, so there!) presents being played with and all grownups just contented and present, before the madness of lunch and undertree present giving begins.

There's something very special about waking up early on Christmas morning before the dc ( crazy, I know).

The past few years I've woken up about half hour before they have and just enjoyed the calmness. There's something magical about it.

Just the five of use going out for dinner on Christmas Eve followed by coming home to a tidy house and opening our Christmas Eve books for a snuggly evening before the craziness of the next day.

Lots of these resonate with me but there's a single memory that always brings a lump to my throat.

Around 20 years ago now I was out early on Christmas morning with the dogs, and walking back home passed a young girl aged about 9 or 10 on an immaculately turned out pony with Christmas ribbons attached to it. She was being led in a brisk trot by an adult and there were several others taking photos of her. She looked utterly delighted and thunderstruck and to this day I can close my eyes and see her face and it melts my normally cold heart.

Shockingly now I think about it, she's probably 30 now with kids of her own

@ToffeeNotCoffee I'm a tinsel sniffer too! My DH thinks I'm mad 😂

My favourite bit is that hour or so after lunch where we all just sit on the sofa, too stuffed to move and watch a Christmas movie.

@Helpimfalling

Why am I crying... god I love this thread thanks OP.

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Same!

OP, your description of your friend greeting her family had me in bits and is something I can absolutely relate to. I guess it's just something that never changes, so becomes a touchstone of every family Christmas.

The anticipation and promise of a lovely day spent with our loved ones - ahhh, I'm feeling all warm and cosy now (as I battle Covid and keep my fingers crossed that we can, actually, have a family Christmas this year)!

When the DC are happiest, which is on the way home from Winter Wonderland. They've been ice skating, been on several rides and had lunch, they're all happy even if they've been stressed while we've been there.

I'm welling up at these!!

I'm NC with my family and have been for years, so many of these traditions are so alien and beautiful to me.

To me, I've got three kids aged 2, 4 and 6, so it feel like for the past 6 years I've had a baby and/or toddler at Christmas. Their faces when they see the tree (I always put it up when they are out) is a picture. I still love the tree as an adult, but there's something magical about all the lights to little children.

When the kids wake up one by one and sleepily stumble into mummy and daddys bed to open their stocking presents, the calm before the storm of heading downstairs and being drowned in wrapping paper lol (no one goes downstairs until everyone is awake) the last child generally gets woken “by accident” by the other children lol xx

Bringing in some greenery from the garden and the smell of the outdoors indoors.

Carols from Kings. And this year, I'll be singing with the distant Mumsnet choir.

The new tradition of family Zoom over the Christmas period, with total chaos, half sentences, laughter and the retelling of family tales. I love it.

There's just DH and I, so we have a tradition of a picnic Christmas lunch in the car at a spot we love, usually surrounded by lots of walkers.

Sweet memories of my mum...always full of childlike wonder at the magic of Christmas. I miss her incredibly, but the memories are golden and precious.

The end of the day, either we have got home or extended family have left, kids in bed, house tidied up and DH and I sit down in the call after the storm and watch some Christmas telly with a selection of Christmas snacks.

Definitely taking the filled stockings upstairs when DH and I go to bed, and then sitting in bed with DH knowing that everything that can be done has been done. By me, obviously, not by DH

Favourite overall as an adult is when my lovely Dad and brother and his partner arrive mid morning - the hugs, the bustle of it all and then I make our traditional to my dads recipe of champagne cocktails and my Dad is in his usual spot by the tree.

Another is waking up on Christmas Eve with everything to anticipate still and finding my time to lay the table and decorate it for the following day

The kids climbing into our bed in the morning with the stockings from their bedroom doors. Watching tv all cosied up together and eating our stocking chocolate while me and husband drink tea/ coffee and come around a bit before the mayhem of the presents downstairs.
We have a newborn this year too so extra cuddles.

I love coming home with the Christmas food shop and fitting it all in the fridge. It's usually the last thing to tick off the to do list so when it's done I know I'm ready and can relax.

I love this thread. It's made me quite emotional reading some of the replies.

My nana died last month, and my dad's best friend died a few weeks after so it's been a tough few months and I've not been feeling very festive so far. All these lovely comments have helped to remind me of some of the lovely Christmas moments and why we do it all for the children. So lovely!