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 (late) grandma peeling a mountain of potatoes while listening to the carols from Kings. Now I'm an adult, I appreciate how hard she worked to make it magical and cater for three families while remaining cheerful. The sherry might have played a part.

Not one I looked forward to as a child as such, but it was a significant moment.

After my mum served the dinner and we all sat down, my Dad would make a toast to 'absent friends'.

We have never discussed it but my DH makes a point of doing the same in my dad's honour now he's no longer with us 💙

What a gorgeous thread. DD is 3.5 this year and is very excited so it feels like a proper magical event this year.

The night I wrap all the presents - just me, some crappy TV, a bottle of red to keep me going

The 22nd/23rd/24th when you wish everyone a merry Christmas in shops, pubs, cafes.

Christmas night when every where is all tidied up, presents all in a pile to be sorted later on, me & DH open a bottle of something nice, do a plate of cheese and crackers, and watch something on the TV in the quiet.

Boxing day walk in the cold and coming home to a coffee, more cheese and crackers and a slice of cake.

I thought of another one....the sheer delight of little children at the little things. My 3 year old looked out of window this afternoon and saw the neighbors had put their tree up and squealed in delight "mama ho ho ho lights"

Oh to have that child's delight!

My MIL one year suggested that she plate up in the kitchen to save space on the table and me and BIL shot each other a look and shut her down immediately. We were love the BEST Part is the crammed table, odd chairs and asking "pass the potatoes Trev" or such like half a dozen times till you've got a bit of everything. Cannot wait.

DH lives and works in a different country …. So the plane touching down and knowing we’ll be together for Christmas. I can’t wait!

My mum once took the turkey out of the oven and dropped it straight into the washing up bowl, full of soapy water, thankfully it'd just been filled so no dirty water, there was just the two of us who saw so we still served it and didn't say a word to a soul. We laugh about it every single year, joking on about "be careful with that turkey" etc etc. We snort giggle, even now, probably 30 years on. There are loads of little stories throughout the day, usually about the time things went wrong, I just love those stories.

When I was younger it was going for a swim on Christmas day.

Late Christmas Eve / really early Christmas morning when everything is done.

I just sit with a drink and watch my Christmas tree and look forward to it all kicking off in the morning.

I feel that soo much. We lost my DFIL right before Christmas. DH and I wanted everyone to be together; we needed it, but MIL house I just soo small. So we offered to host. Us 5, plus 10 house guests. It was chaotic and stressful in the lead up to the day but when everyone piled through the door; there was just soo much love and relief and happiness. It was the most lovely Christmas. Especially for all the kids.

On a normal year- taking the turkey out of the oven. Once that's done; everything else is just simple. Eat, drink and be merry.

That and maybe taking my bra off at the end of the day 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤣

When my DC were born, my dad threw himself so much into the roll of gramps that he bought himself a Santa suit. We always used to go to my parents for Christmas dinner and sleep there until Boxing Day. He used to don it after the Christmas Day buffet in the evening and dish out little gifts to everyone from a Santa sack.

My older ones have fond memories of that, growing up, but he died when my younger ones were tiny so their memories of Santa Gramps are scant. He's been gone 5 years now, and I've taken over as host to the hungry hordes and maker of the Christmas dinner, so as a nod to him I always save a little present each to hand out after Christmas Day tea 😊

Making cookies with my little boy for Santa to eat and finding the perfect carrot for Ruldolph to eat.

I just love the wide eyed wonder when he comes down Christmas morning to see them gone!

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername haha she caters for anything between 12-20 people so it needs the time, plus the free space to cook the rest when its done!

maybe taking my bra off at the end of the day

@MummyMayo1988 AMEN TO THAT!

Sitting down Christmas eve with a glass of baileys next to Dh, all the presents set out, Christmas songs on the TV and talking about how excited the kids will be once they wake up, it's just a lovely feeling after working hard all year, we all get up at silly o clock and walk into the living room together to see what santa brought. Family is everything at Christmas

It's something I miss actually because my Dad did it and he's gone now.
But he used to wake me on Christmas morning with a cup of tea and excitedly exclaim "He's been!!!" Even when I was in my twenties!
I do miss that.

I can still remember the weight of my filled Santa's sack at the end of my bed, the sheer excitement! My brother and I would run to our parents room to tell them Santa had been! (I now know that they'd usually only had a couple of hours sleep as they'd been up so late wrapping presents and we always woke up ridiculously early!)

As an adult I think it's Christmas Eve, when the kids are in their pyjamas ready for bed and we sit watching The Snowman with the Christmas lights twinkling.

There's also something strangely emotional about finishing work for Christmas, knowing I won't be back until after New Year. Always have to play 'driving home for Christmas' in the car!

It's changed over the years.
When the children were small:
Getting Santa's snacks ready not forgetting the carrots for reindeer

Taking them to see Father Christmas

Listening to my eldest son finding his stocking at the end of his cot & shrieking with excitement. 😍

Now they're all grown up I love taking the dog for a late walk Christmas Eve & imagining all the excited children tucked up early.

All tearful now ❤️

I absolutely love the day that I come home from work and our lovely cleaner has done extra hours and put the tree and decorations up. I really enjoy the finished result but for years hated putting it all together then found out she genuinely loves doing it so its a win for us both!! Walking in and seeing it all done signals the start of the festive season so roll on 6pm Friday🎄🎄

Couple - the last pootle to the supermarket on roughly the 23rd or the 24th depending on when Christmas falls on my own just to look at the last minute bits and get some extra tasty bits that we really don't need and probably don't have space for but it's become a tradition to have that hour or so to myself. It's usually early in the morning (around 7/8am) but last year I went on the 22nd at 8pm as my friend had been and said that the shop was dead so it was easy to get round so who knows this year haha!

4pm Christmas Eve - it was traditionally when the shops shut when we were kids and so was when Christmas started and the roses/quality st were able to be opened etc.

Making my Christmas morning fry up! Seeing my kids so stuffed at the end of the day also makes me the happiest. They’re fed, warm and had a lovely day playing games and opening gifts. That’s not weird though is it?!

Crying now too. DH just died in August.. appreciate your loved ones while you can

I love that bit when everyone arrives too, but my favourite bit is when we sing O Come All Ye Faithful at the end of church on Christmas morning and I feel a bit emotional and teary but hide it from everyone because I don't want to look like a wally, but my youngest notices anyway and squeezes my hand tightly. Then the service is ended and everyone is saying Merry Christmas to each other and asking our little children if Father Christmas came. The day is full of promise and we have joy in or hearts.

Love this thread

Gathering greenery from the garden and lane to make a table centrepiece with a candle and florists foam. It reminds me of going out with my Dad to gather holly, ivy and mistletoe as a child. (I always asked the trees if it was ok to take a piece because it seemed like the right thing to do - and I still do because it still does.)

DS climbing into our bed at silly o’clock on Christmas morning with his stocking. DH makes me a mug of tea and I sit in bed eating the boozy Hotel Chocolat truffles that are always in my stocking and watching DS open his presents.

On the day after Boxing Day, when the relatives have gone home and the house is peaceful, I make Christmas-dinner-leftovers bubble and squeak for supper. I add the cold meats, pickles, coleslaw etc. leftover from Boxing Day and eat it in front of the fire in my pjs with a large glass of wine and some good telly.

I do that last bit of shopping too on the 23rd, but I take my mum and dad too and we all push our own trolleys around buying various things. If my Dad and I see each other in an aisle, we always say "A very Merry Christmas to you Sir / Madam" in increasingly silly voices each time we meet.