Making Christmas Special just our Family

[Twilightstarbright]

It’s the three of us- DH, me and DS who will be 7. In laws have chosen to go abroad, my parents are with DBro but we aren’t invited (long story but SIL is a drama queen).

Any ideas to make it feel special?

We will have Christmas dinner- DH is a brilliant cook but due to various dentistry/medical issues we have to avoid sweets/hot chocolate/desserts etc so no walks with hot chocolate etc.

We do already have matching pjs so they need to make an appearance.

I would love to clear off abroad but DH and I both have to work.

We always have the 25th at home alone!

Christmas bed sheets on all december
christmas pjs on Xmas eve

then on Xmas day itself:
unwrap stockings in bed
fancy breakfast with fizz and carols on the Alexa
Long shower in new shower stuff from
stockings
dress up for the day - sparkly dresses, Christmas shirts, jewellery etc the full Monty
presents with more fizz
christmas dinner with festive table cloth and dinnerware
Christmas music on all day
pjs on with a movie in the afternoon
board games/toy playing
Bedtime whenever we like

we love having the day to ourselves with our own routine and traditions. No hosting to worry about and just ourselves to please.

Ask your 7 year old what they'd love to have as a new tradition e.g. icecream for breakfast, ANYTHING, the randomer the better!
I love advent so we do one nice thing each weekend in the build up to Christmas e.g. go ice-skating, sing carols together, have a marshmallow fire in the garden

Following as I suspect we might be in a similar situation. We have a roast dinner most Sundays so thinking how to make Christmas Day feel a bit different - especially for the children.

We are a family of three and had our Christmas Day just the three of us most years when my son was small. We usually have lunch about 4ish when it’s starting to get dark and he really liked helping to set the table ‘posh’ as he used to call it. We would have candles and fairy lights as well as the tree and Christmas music. He liked the to choose the starter and we would have crackers, Christmas napkins etc.
After lunch we would clear away and the dining table would become the ‘lego table’ and my son would get out whatever new lego set he had and build away. He would keep it there until new year most years, adding and taking away other toys or playing board games ect.

as it was just us we didn’t have all the usual rules and tidying up, just enjoyed the time together. Playing with new toys, watching movies ect

Ooh stealing the idea of fairy lights, you could have gazillions that you put up and plug in on Christmas eve and then have on from Christmas day onwards to make it more sparkly/magical

We love having the day with just our little family at home.

little things make it feel special for us but obviously that’s different for everybody.

we have Christmas music on from when we wake up, we also last year had the cracking fireplace screen that was on Netflix (we don’t have a real fire! lol)
Christmas Eve the kids had beds made up on our bedroom floor (like a sleepover) so we were all in the same room when we woke up- it meant we all went downstairs at the same time together to see the Christmas tree and the presents laid out. Dh snuck down first the check that Father Christmas had been (and turn the tree lights on etc)
The first thing we do is open stockings (that’s all that Father Christmas brings in our house) and then have breakfast and try and delay opening the tree presents as long as we can (without torturing the kids too much)
and then it’s just a leisurely day, playing with presents together, sometimes we go out for a walk to get some fresh air if we fancy.
we have a relaxed low stress Christmas dinner that we have at about 4pm, we watch films in the afternoon, play board games and pick at chocolates in the evening. Sometimes in the evening we all dance around to Christmas songs like a mini disco- the kids are at an age when they love that still.

Well, I think for your 7 year old the fact that Father Christmas will have brought him a stocking full of presents will make the day feel pretty special to begin with! We always do Christmas with just us four and we never feel shortchanged. Our kids always climbed into our bed to unwrap their stocking presents - we didn’t do matching pyjamas but that sounds pretty cute - and I believe some people stretch to Christmas duvet covers so if you’re worried things might feel a bit flat a new duvet cover might be worth a punt. A special Christmas breakfast can be fun - maybe make reindeer pancakes from BBC GoodFoods or copy some of the Advent Breakfast ideas on Pinterest. If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen table and a dining room table it would be a good idea to get the Christmas-themed kitchen breakfast table and Christmas dinner (dining room) table laid out the night before. Play Christmas music in the background for ambience and switch on the Christmas tree lights as soon as you go downstairs. Don’t forget to check if Rudolph took a bite out of the carrot you left outside and check if Father Christmas drank his whiskey/milk and ate his mince pie - empty glass and plate with a few crumbs left beside the fireplace (or wherever works best for you). Going to Church might not be up your street, but it really can be a lovely experience on Christmas morning and definitely helps you to feel more part of a community especially if you’re feeling like your family is a bit isolated: so it’s something to consider. Personally, I think it makes the day feel more special if you get a bit dressed up so maybe try and figure out what clothes you’re all going to wear in advance and then, once you’re dressed, have fun opening the presents under the Christmas tree. I prefer it when people take it in turns to open presents and really take the time to appreciate each one. It’s a good idea to have planted a couple of games amongst the presents so you and your partner can take it in turns to play with your son while the other one sorts the Christmas dinner. We always pull out all the stops with the best china and wine glasses, proper serving dishes, napkins, candles, Christmas table cloth, sparkling table mats, table decorations etc and we pull our crackers at the beginning of dinner (served at about 2) so everyone’s wearing colourful crowns and reading out jokes from the off - how could this not feel special? We always have a traditional turkey roast (why fix it if it’s not broken) and have a tradition of switching off the lights and carrying in the Christmas pudding alight (bathed in blue flame) singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. I recommend getting all the family (including your son) to help clear the table, load the dishwasher etc but it might also be worth recording a Christmassy kids programme for him to watch while you and your husband finish clearing up and enjoy a coffee and mint chocolates together. A Christmas walk after lunch is always a good idea. No one ever wants to go, but it’s worth pushing through this and getting yourselves out there - hopefully there’s a park or a good route locally where you will meet other people also walking off their lunches and can exchange Christmas greetings; trust me, it’s heartwarming. We play games like charades in the late afternoon/evening and watch some Christmas TV together. When my children were young like your son we’d give them a light supper then do the usual bath and bedtime routine, nice and calm, and get them tucked up in bed as early as possible so we could settle down together in front of the telly with the cheeseboard and a bottle of wine. Bliss.

We've done it before and just tried to make the day different. After some presents and breakfast I've packed up a picnic and we've gone somewhere for the day - the beach, hill walk, nature reserve if open. I take flasks of hot drinks, smoked salmon rolls, mince pies, cake etc. Will take a couple of small gifts for DH and DC to open over our picnic. I've even been known to take a tiny Christmas tree for effect.

We're usually back late afternoon and save some family presents for when we get back. Some years we've not bothered with a traditional Christmas dinner and have had a curry instead. Board games, a movie and a cheeseboard... They are usually really lovely days, very relaxed and minimal fuss.

Thanks all. I feel sad for DS and he is very sad he’s not with his cousins and grandparents- so hard to explain family politics.

I love the fizz idea as I can get non alcoholic fizz for DS as a treat. And decorating the table.

I’m sure we will have a lovely day. I’m just hurt no one wants to spend it with us.