What is Christmas morning like in your house?

[slipperypenguin]

What is the typical Christmas morning like in your house? If you have children are they up super early? Do you open presents first thing or get food first?

For us DS7 and DS5 will grab their stockings from the hallway landing and bring them in to open in our bed as we wake up. We have DD1 who just turned 1 this year too. In recent years they have slept til around 7.30 but they are both at very excited stages this year so who knows.

We then head down stairs after making sure the fairy lights are all on for a nice festive glow and the boys open their gifts from Santa and family, in between several
Cups of tea and bin bags to
Collect the rubbish!

Grandparents tend to turn up around 8-9am and have breakfast (for some reason we have a tradition of French toast) whilst the kids play with their toys

When Ds was that age
He woke around 7 and we'd do stockings in our bed.

Then down stairs go and check out the tree. Open one present. Have breakfast. Wait for family to arrive around 9. Open presents. Lunch. Chill

DD(4) wakes up about 6am,we then wake her teenage brothers up, they all run downstairs and tuck into their presents, as you can imagine 4 kids = absoulute mayhem christmas morning! They normally leave their stockings until after all the presents are open.

When kids were small they were up early and we all went downstairs to open presents. Then breakfast and tidy up and my husband would start prepping for Christmas meal and I'd lay the table/deal with kids. Then my parents would arrive, more present exchange then dinner then a few games or what have you.
Now I'm a widow and my kids are teens. My parents are long dead too. Up mid morning down to open presents then brunch and I cook the main meal, fit in a dog walk at some point. Afterwards a couple games then a Christmas movie. Every other year we go abroad to my sisters and it's pretty much the same but more of everything!

Now my daughter is old(er) our morning is very calm. By 10:00ish we are drinking fizz and orange juice and opening presents.

When she was young I recall one Xmas morning when the young couple who lived next door, saw our light on (about 3:00 am) when they were in their way home from a club so popped in to watch daughter open her presents. Oddly, that's a happy memory. But I love our calm carry on now too.

Chilled!
DCs were up at 7am last year (it may be a little later this year as we've booked the evening panto instead of the matinée, so will be home late 🤞🏻). They bring their stockings in to open on our bed and have a 'first breakfast' from the sweets, chocolates and satsuma in the stocking.
Then we go downstairs about 8 and get the lights on and fire going. The DCs will check out the presents under the tree then go and watch a bit of TV (and eat the rest of their chocolate/play with their stocking gifts) whilst DH and I start a bit of gentle food prep and crack open the Buck's Fizz.
We usually have breakfast about 9, but are doing away with both that and a lunchtime starter this year, having a trickle of (shop-bought) canapés throughout the morning & early afternoon instead. Presents are usually opened after breakfast, but I haven't worked out quite when it will happen this year. It will probably be around 10.30am.
The rest of the morning is spent pottering in the kitchen whilst the DCs play with their presents. That part of the house is open plan, so we can chat to the DCs and pop back and forth between helping/playing with them and doing the next stage of the dinner. We eat the main meal about 3, so up until about 2.30 everything can be done at a very leisurely pace.

Me and dd (25) will prob get up10.30 ish, open some presents. Get ready to go to my partners for lunch. Get back after lunch and seeing my parents about 5ish. Open the rest of the presents and watch tv till bedtime.

That's Christmas over.

We will be woken up by "he's been" probably for the last year

Stockings in our bed and then downstairs for presents. Then food, drink and visitors. Love it.

3DC but never been early risers, usually have to give them a bit of a nudge by 9 because we have a busy day ahead! Stockings used to be done on our bed but we now do them downstairs, go straight down, dh or I will have lit the fire and candles already and turned on the lights, he will be on the tea having been tinkering about in the kitchen already. Stocking presents usually done by 10. breakfast and a bit of a clear up, get dressed and back downstairs for tree presents at about 11. Dh usually suggests cracking open a bottle of fizz at this time (I don’t drink it!) but we don’t start on that until guests arrive. Tidy up again and have a look at all the presents again, I will start laying the table and sorting the kitchen out around dh who will be in full cooking mode, guests start coming from about 1.

I think this year we may be woken early as it's the first year that DDs are old enough to really get the concept that there'll be presents downstairs.

Normally wake up and straight downstairs. DDs open stocking presents and DH and I have a coffee. Then breakfast (smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels) with buck's fizz.

More present opening and then I pop in and out of the kitchen to prep Christmas lunch, always with Carols from Kings on. DDs play, DH tidies up.

Once lunch is done we have a walk then home for an afternoon of TV. Friends always pop over in the evening with their DD for a drink and a mince pie for a couple of hours.

From tiny (now ex) h and would be waking eagerly for them to bother to get up, both liked a lie in. Once they started as choristers they sing midnight mass so we switched to gifts after lunch except for stockings so they slept in until 9 or so then went straight to church

We get up around 8 am. DCs come to our room to open stockings.

Then downstairs fairy lights and heating on for the cosy vibes.

Freshly brewed coffee and then opening of the presents followed by eggs benny/smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels and more coffee.

We get showered and dressed and then prepare Christmas lunch for around 3pm.

I've kept the same Christmas Day timing traditions as when I was a child and I love it

Up early for stockings from Santa in the lounge with hot drinks. Breakfast and then start lunch prep while kids play with small stocking presents. After lunch is prepped we all head out for a dog walk.

Lunch at 1pm and the after lunch we open presents. My friends are always horrified by the wait for presents but I love it! As children we went to church which is where the timing came from but I keep it up as makes the day last such a long time

Ours dds will wake up around 6-7am and wake us, and we will trail back to their bedroom (then normally both choose to share dd2's bedroom on Christmas Eve) to watch them open stockings.

Then downstairs, open some more gifts, have a strong coffee and some croissants for first breakfast.

Play with toys etc for an hour, then a choice of chocolate or bacon sandwiches for second breakfast, and the first stage of getting things in the oven (but all the food is preprepared on Christmas eve to reduce the cooking faff).

DM, dmil and dbro appear late morning, presents will be opened a few at a time over the morning as suits, we will get dressed at some point. One parent will take the dog and DC for a walk at some point while the other parent cooks.

DH and I are actually usually awake before the DDs but we wait till they get up. I go down first to switch the lights on and have my camera ready to capture the looks on their faces when they see the tree. Then it’s a free for all, they all dig in and spend as long as they want playing with toast or pancakes being handed out until we are ready for brunch.

I have 2 boys, 2 & 9. They don't get up super early, it's usually about 7am my eldest will wake us up. He knows he's not allowed downstairs until I've been down to 'check everythings ok and turn the lights on', then I call them down (so I get to see their faces, I've put too much effort in to miss the initial reaction! 🙈😂)

They go through their stockings while we make a brew and then we make a start on tree presents. Eldest likes to open everything then spend time going through and having a good look at everything, but then he's always done way before the youngest who wants everything unboxed as we go. Going to try to encourage a middle ground this year, though we mostly follow their lead.

Once it's all opened we finish unboxing, get rid of the paper and think about getting the dogs out for a walk

Up early to put turkey in…
If they’re not already up wake up DH and DCs. Father Christmas sacks of smaller gifts (mix of toys/clothes and other things they want/need) are opened all sat together on our bed. Then all get washed, dressed and eat breakfast. Then time to play downstairs while I get on with cooking and grandparents/guests arrive.
Sit down for an early ish lunch and then abandon the washing up/tidying in favour of opening large gifts from under the tree. Do this until teatime, children have nibbles and to bed. Then sort out the kitchen, eat leftovers and nibbly bits and crack out a board game.
Perhaps worth mentioning too that Boxing Day is sacred in our house for playing with gifts and looking in more detail at presents. No travelling unless everyone wants to. Any guests who have stayed over usually leave sometime after lunch.
Im sure plenty of people wouldn’t like our Christmas but it works for us!

Its evolved over the years but still sort of the same-ish. Is only me up before dawn now!
I have always come down first to check he’s been, put the twinkle lights on and haul the turkey out of the fridge.
Bells are rung and I shout up he’s been. Everyone still rushes straight into the dining room to see if Rudolph enjoyed the carrot and what cereal Mrs Claus has sent for breakfast and we are all far too old for that really.
There are still a couple of stray presents (one is always a selection box) dotted around to open whilst the breakfast picnic is gathered. Nowadays the picnic is more elaborate and takes me longer to prepare and the bells not rung until it’s all ready to take into the lounge around 7 to 8amish.
Doors to lounge are flung open to discover the over stuffed stockings and more presents under the tree. Stockings are opened first all together then we hand out the gifts under the tree some of which are from Santa mostly from each other and relatives all whilst enjoying a long leisurely breakfast.
Nowadays some household members go back to bed, others “play” with their toys. I clear up the breakfast things and Dh insists on clearing up the wrapping debris, which gets hidden in a cupboard to recycle another day.
Dh then dons his festive chef hat and myself and any guests staying sit and potter helping in the kitchen/dining room. Out of town guests start arriving from 10.30ish and we serve morning coffee and a fresh pot of tea with mini biscuits in the sitting room and exchange gifts. From 11.30ish to noon we have local friends pop by with more gift exchanging and we serve sticky chipolata’s, devils on horseback, bowls of nuts and dried fruits with virgin Mary’s and ginger beer. Someone will pass a hip flask around. Then I notice I’m still in my loungewear and disappear to dress for the day.

I’m normally up waiting for the kids! I have 5 - 22,19,18,14 and 7. The older ones come home Xmas Eve and everyone stays over. Xmas morning I get up earliest and love to sit there with my coffee in front of the tree before it’s all over. I strangely dislike Xmas day as it feels like the end of Xmas not the beggining. When everyone’s awake we all get coffee and then everyone takes there presents and puts them in piles and they just crack on. Then it’s opening a few toys for the youngest and making breakfast. Last year everyone was fully dissatisfied I chose a continental breakfast so this year it’s back to the full English,

Dc usually wake up around 5.30, we try to get them back to sleep, but eventually they come sneaking into our room about 6.15 with their stockings. I try to get them to open one at a time just to waste some time. We usually go to see if Santa has been around 7.15am. By 8.15 all presents are usually opened.
we have breakfast (usually bacon rolls or sandwiches)
then we get dressed and start dinner....

I'm usually awake early as I do get excited for dd to wake! That is usually quite early, then she prints her stocking in, dh goes and gets tea and chocolate biscuits (and turns on the Christmas lights secretly). Normally pause then downstairs, however this year it will be dressing before downstairs as we need to go to the garage to discover the trampoline FC has bought!

Silent. There's only me here.

The dcs (8, 10, 12) will all sleep together in one of their bedrooms the night before and dh and I will wake at about 530 to their whispering loudly whether Santa has been or not. Straight down to open stocking gifts. The room will become a sea of wrapping paper, yelps of them begging to eat chocolate and there will be a row between the girls. Then breakfast. Then we open tree presents one by one. Between them and lunch dh and I will take it in turns to lament who is more tired (I will win this argument) and then we eat around 2pm. Then just playing watching films etc.

Middle child is asd and is very easily over whelmed which means we have to keep a particular eye on that. She's also not good with plans going wrong so we have to keep the whole thing ticking along making sure it at least vaguely meets her expectations of what should happen and when.

It can be lovely but can equally go horribly wrong. I'm keeping all my fingers crossed this year is a good one 🤞

This will be our first year at home for ages having been prisoners of zero covid for the last two and away for the previous one, so not really sure what to expect tbh. Mine are a bit older -12 &10 so they usually do stockings around 7:30. We will then have a longish break for breakfast and possibly a very quick and token sea swim and so DP can walk their dog. Will probably do main presents about 10 and then lunch 1:30/2.

This is a lovely thread 🥹
ours depends on what we are doing for dinner/where we are going for dinner. Last year and this year we are hosting, so it went something like this:
DD awake at 1am(!), told to go back to sleep numerous times until we gave up at 5.30am 😁
downstairs, lights on, and the kids open stockings while one of us makes a drink.
kids do their main presents with DH helping out where needed, usually means opening everything the kids want opening.
me & DH will then exchange gifts and someone suggests breakfast.

it’s so lovely and amazing. You really do see the magic of Christmas again once you have children of your own. i love it, it’s my favourite day of the year hands down.