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?

There are so many. But one that stands out for me is Christmas morning, always around 5/5:30 AM, and all the kids are on the landing outside my closed bedroom door, and I can hear them all whispering to eachother “you go in and wake them up! Do you think santa has been yet? Shall we sit in my room for a while I think it’s too early!” I always open the door silently but quickly and scare them🤣
Got a tear in my eye reading these💙

The other thing I love is the evening dog walk, looking through the windows at the end of Christmas day.

A very old memory which I'm not sure I'll ever experience again: popping out on Christmas Eve with my Dad to buy something like sprouts and, typically of my Dad, instead of coming straight home we'd stop and do something mad like crawling under a hedge to get some holly for a wreath he suddenly wanted to make, or calling in to see a friend and ending up staying for a drink, or there being a brass band playing in the street which we'd stand and watch for ages. I'm probably mixing up several different memories there but it's a strong feeling of Christmases as a child and those feel more precious than ever now that my Dad's not around and my Mum's very unwell.

This thread is indeed so lovely and heartwarming and also tinged with sadness for those for who Christmas is a tough time of year.

My best bit is Christmas Eve when I’ve cleaned the house, the food prep for the next day is done and I have a shower and we go to Christingle. We meet friends there and go back to one of their houses for drinks and nibbles. For me that’s when I start to enjoy Christmas knowing that all the hard work building up to the big day is over and the celebrations begin.
Last year we couldn’t do this due to Covid and this year my dear friend has just lost her dad so won’t be hosting understandably.
Not sure what our Christmas Eve plans will be!

The smell of a church. I don’t go often and am not at all religious but the smell of an old church can transport me back decades and it’s like I’m in school doing the nativity in front of my family (many now sadly passed away) again.

For me it’s having my DDs opening their stockings on our bed, they’ve grown up now and 2 are still at home but will still come and open them on our bed

This year it will be getting into my car Xmas day morning after working a nightshift. 30 min drive home, very quick shower and then 3.5hr drive to the inlaws and grandchildren which hopefully I will spend sleeping!

Aw guys ❤️ I'm so excited to start making memories with my new little family. These are so lovely to read and making me feel all festive!

My favourite is the passing down the plates at big Christmas lunch, and just piling on bits of everything and no one knows whose plate it is. Then someone hands you yours and immediately pulls one of those party poppers right across it ❤️

Chinese on Christmas eve after leading Christingle and being able to relax either at DMs or home.

Playing cards with my grandad and watching TV as everyone falls asleep.

Cooking the party food on Boxing day and setting the buffet so my mum gets to sit down. Been doing it since 13 and love it.

Seeing my Dad relaxing having his once a year cigar after Christmas Lunch.

I have two. The first one is Christmas Eve, when DH and I have finished watching It's A Wonderful Life while DS is asleep upstairs, and we put out the last few presents under the tree. The crackly sound of the wrapping paper, and the smell in the darkness takes me right back to being a little girl with a tummy full of excited butterflies for the excitement of what was inside them.

The second one is waking up very early on Christmas morning, throwing open the bedroom window before anyone else is up and just leaning out and listening. It's usually still dark, and all cold and clear, and there's birdsong from the first few early birds. It feels so full of hope and anticipation, and I love being the only one, in that moment, to be privy to it. It just always feels special.

• the smell of them - wrapping paper smell!

I love the day that I decide to do the Christmas wrapping as I sit down with carols playing, a cup of mulled wine and presents around me on the table.

When I was little it was the feeling of the stocking on my feet and now I'm grown up then I hope it will be seeing my DD opening hers on our bed (new tradition as she is only 2.5).

Family tradition to peel all the veg and prep all on Christmas Eve. We all sit there with a glass of sloe gin and peeling duty commences with a very cheesy CD of Christmas music playing.

Christmas shopping with DD a few days before the Big Day - last trip, nothing to buy really, just looking at the city lights and stopping for hot choc and a mince pie. Lovely x

When I lived at home my jobs for helping with Christmas dinner were wrapping the bacon round the sausages, making the prawn cocktails and laying the table. My mum still reserves these jobs for me if we go round for Christmas dinner and I get upset if she's being organised and does them before I arrive!

Tomorrow into town for covid booster but a Christmas coffee at costa I love it Christmas menus.

Walking downstairs Christmas morning behind the DC's, dragging their stockings, knowing just how excited they will be when they open the living room door.

I have two main favourite moments:
Watching the muppets Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve all in our matching pjs.

Going for a walk on Christmas Day and smelling everybody’s Christmas dinners in the air

Our DC have always been 'way too early' risers on Xmas morning. So in order to get them to try to sleep a bit more, we told them they couldn't come down until they heard 'the song'. So since around 1990-ish we've loudly played Mannheim Steamroller's 'Deck the Halls' as the signal that it's 'time'. Of course, once they hit their teens it was to wake them up rather than to keep them in bed. They're now in their 30s and we still play it Xmas morning if they're staying over. In fact, DS2 is living back at home for a bit and just said the other day he hopes we'll play it, just maybe a little later than usual.

So for me it's DH and I getting up and having a quiet cup of coffee together first then blasting that song and hearing them yell and head for the stairs.

Last push on Christmas Eve, DC asleep in bed (I still have little ones at home as well as adult ones who moved out last year), presents all laid out, glitter thrown here and there for extra magic. I sit for 10 minutes or so in the silence, tree lights still on, and have a think about the past year. And how thrilled the kids will be in the morning. It's another of my favourite moments.

For me, one is when DH gets home from work Christmas Eve and we know that we’re all done, home safe and Christmas can begin.

The other is when he gets up at 3am Christmas Day because he can’t sleep. And I can hear him pottering about in the kitchen until 6am, trying his hardest not to wake me up. Then by 6am he can’t wait any longer and comes to get me up so we can put the turkey in the oven and open our presents.

That moment when our DDs unwrap a gift that means all unwrapping has to stop and they have to bring it to their playroom to play with right away, and they disappear for half an hour. There's nearly 3 years between them (4 and 6) yet they play so beautifully and will gasp constantly at each others most recent observation of new toy and how it relates to their current toys.

DM arriving Xmas morning all loud and excitable! Always so sweet.

Presents wrapped and under the tree, relaxing watching Carols at Kings before bedtime.

Firstly, I’m so sorry to everyone who finds this time of year hard xx

One of my favourite times is when DC are settled in bed on Christmas Eve and I am downstairs in front of the fire, with a glass of something, wrapping all the presents. I have a stencil for “Santa’s footprints” which I do every year, so it looks like the big chap has come down the chimney and walked around.

The look on DC face on Christmas Day morning is simply spellbinding!

If I’m the one cooking; I love being in kitchen on my own for a bit, with everything going, listening to music and drinking champagne.