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

I hope you have the best Christmas EVER!

I should have added that we all open presents under the tree in the afternoon, which has always worked for us. So it's only the stocking (and whatever Santa has left when Dd was younger) in the morning.

We always do Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. We found once we had children, prepping dinner just ate so much into the day when all we wanted to be doing was putting toys together, playing and eating cheese and chocolate! Much more chilled this way, and the older of my children continue to request we keep the routine like this.

So much love for this comment. Wishing you all the Christmas magic in the world, I hope it's your best ever!

This sounds like a scene from a film, how I always imagined Delia Smith to do Christmas. Wonderful.

I do Christmas morning for my kids the same way my parents did it for me ( and my husband likes it this way too ).

Nobody is allowed downstairs until 7am ! I will go downstairs early to make coffee, turn on the Christmas tree lights and put on some Christmas music . Then when I say it’s okay we all go downstairs as a family .

We don’t have family living in the same country as us so if we have family at Christmas then they are staying at our place . This year my parents will be flying overseas for their first U.K. Christmas 😊

I love seeing the kids reaction to Christmas morning: the pile of presents, Santa’s cookies /milk gone, the carrots eaten , the over stuffed stockings . It’s magic and my favourite moment every year.

Stockings are out in front of the Christmas tree. Everyone opens their stockings first ( even the adults and pets have stockings ). Then we have breakfast ( usually a spread of jams/scones , banana bread & left over cheese from the night before).

After we eat , it’s presents time . We open presents one at a time so it takes a long time and it’s so lovely.

I usually stay in bed until the DC wakes me up. DS 1 and 2 (11&10) usually don't wake up until - :8-9am - :but we have 6 months old DD this year, so we might be up around 7-8am.
We always open stockings on my bed first. It's always really chilled out, and we all ooh and ahh at all the little trinkets in our stockings.
Afterwards, we head downstairs to open gifts from santa. That's always a free for all, wrapping paper everywhere. I'm usually trying to shovel the wrapping paper into bin bags in-between sips of bucks fizz.
I make breakfast and coffee, and we have a little break from the gift opening and tidy up a little. DC will get changed for the day and play with some of their things. After breakfast and everyone's ready, we'll sit around this Christmas tree and open the gifts, DC will take turns choosing a gift from underneath the tree and hand it to the recipient to open and we contuine like this until all gifts are open and that's our morning.

DS (2.8) usually wakes up between 7- 7.30am & waiting for him will be his stocking & gift from Santa in his room, under his own little tree ☺️
Then we"ll open the presents under the main christmas tree from eachother and extended family who posted gifts.
Then we"ll get ready and head to parents house with siblings, cousins etc for breakfast & opening presents after that 😇

Very calm and peaceful ... we have an only DC and I have realised that we have never had one of those 'busy' Christmas days with lots of DC around thank goodness. We would often have to wake DS and he would then open his stocking; leisurely breakfast - usually bagels and smoked salmon - Church, main meal around 2ish, Queen's speech, presents in the afternoon ... board games, film later. If DGPs were joining us they would arrive in time for the meal.

Reading these make me tear up a bit. I long for a UK Christmas with lots of family around. It's just not the same 10000 miles away!

DS wakes up at the crack of dawn and brings his stocking to open in our bed while we drink tea. Then downstairs, he plays with whatever is in his stocking and we have breakfast together- usually croissants or something nice that we don't usually have and requires no cooking.

Then we put all the presents under the tree into bags, decamp to one set of grandparents (alternate years) and put all the presents under their tree. If we're with my parents, mum and I sort out the Christmas lunch while everyone else brings us alcohol and entertains DS. We don't have tree presents (everything that isn't a stocking) until after lunch.

I'm loving this thread! Making me feel so Christmassy 🧑‍🎄

Love this, DD is 1 so we haven’t really had Christmas mornings with a little one yet but looking forward to it, I especially liked reading about those with one child as I don’t think we’ll have more.

My pre child tradition that I hope to carry on is pain au chocolats for breakfast on Christmas morning.

DS8 and DS4 are early risers generally, usually wake between 6-6.45am, at Christmas it will likely be between 5-6.30! Stockings in our bed, I try to make a cuppa to have in bed and keep the boys upstairs until closer to 7 but it’s very difficult!!
mayhem whilst tree presents being opened, I try to get them to stop for breakfast after Santa gifts before opening any family or friends bits.
then tv on, play with presents whilst lunch is prepp’d (this year I’ll be working so need to leave at 1.30, Christmas dinner will be on Boxing Day), shower with new smellies, new pants and socks on, new clothes, and just chill out until lunch is ready about 2ish. Then after play games, watch film and fit a walk in to get the kids to burn off some energy.

Is it an English thing to open your presents later in the day?

I'm Scottish and all the presents are laid unwrapped in the loving room. The kids walk in and they are all just there.

I’m English and we do it the same as you. Gifts laid out and opened first thing after stockings.

Most people I know do it this way.

My kids are 17 and 21 so we don’t have stockings anymore.

I go up to my yard early to sort out my horses, then by the time I’m back at around 9:30am everyone is up and we take our camper van down to the beach, meet up with friends, a big dog walk, then cook bacon sandwiches and hot chocolate, maybe calling in the pub on the way home.

Home for presents.

Last year we did Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve - made the dining room all twinkly and pretty and got dressed up and it was lovely so we’re doing the same this year so no dinner prep to worry about. We’re having lots of left overs with mash, pickles, cold meat, etc

Sounds lovely! Mine are 22,20 amd 16 and still get stockings 🤔

@Janieread we only stopped last year. They both decided they were a bit too old for it now so the stocking budget is added to the present budget.

Father Christmas only ever bought stuff like new pants, hair stuff, notebooks and new pens, etc. Main presents have always been from us/family

His elves still deliver new pyjamas on Christmas Eve though

The stockings that Santa delivered were legendary. Over the years they have become more practical - this year the oldest has expensive razor blades, pants, crispy chilli, a book, dairy free chocs and booze.

I second that! 🎄

Our Christmas morning starts when my DC wake around 8/9 and then we go down to a twinkly tree with presents underneath and stockings full. The DC open their stockings from FC. We then have breakfast. After breakfast we open our presents from each other and then after lunch we open gifts we've been sent from wider family. We have a very, very chilled Christmas. However, this year we are actually going to stay with my brother, sis-in-law and nephew. My youngest (10) doesn't ever remember being anywhere other than home at Christmas as last time we did it she was 20 months or so. But DB's family are quite chilled too so hopefully it will work ok!

It's seen as an English UC thing I believe - the later you open your tree presents the posher you are.

Lazy. Kids are teens. Eldest is nearly 21.

we now have a relaxed morning. I go for a walk or a run. Home for a shower about 9am, i have a drink. Kids get up, open presents. Lunch, drink, rest, play a game. Its chilling,

ive done the driving, fetching elderly relatives, taking them home.
its time to have OUR Christmas now, done with doing Christmas for others and receiving no thanks for it

Not sure what time we will be up this year! DS4 isn't an early riser but he's very excited about Santa this year, so we will see. Probably about 7ish! Then we open stockings in our bed and dad goes downstairs to turn on Christmas lights and throw some tree crumpets in for the kids. We all open presents then I'll make some bacon and sausages, we never get dressed on Christmas Day🙈 so fresh pajamas will be put on then we head to my mums (round the corner) for more presents and food! Home about 7/8ish for bedtime for the kids. Then me and DH will have more food and watch some Christmas films.