What do you do on Christmas morning?

[KateJ521]

What do you do on Christmas morning to make it special?

I get up early and take the dog out in the dark so that she's sorted. We then come downstairs and check that Santa has left and open presents with bucks fizz in pyjamas. This takes a while. We have croissants at the same time. Then eat stockings chocolate, play, eat dinner, play more. More red wine. It's just the four of us (me and DH, 1yo and 3yo).

The one thing I’ve always done since DS was a toddler, is they open thier stockings in our bed, we have 2 dc, they’ve never even tried to open it without getting in our bed first, even now DS is 16, 6ft he still wants a stocking this year and we will all squeeze in our double bed sometimes even my sister joins. Dd is 12, when I was younger we were allowed to open them when we woke up.

we usually wake up, around 6.30/7, kids jump into our bed to open stockings. We make them do one by one so it takes a bit of time. Usually get to tree around 8ish, we are joined by the rest of the family. That’s take's about an hour, bacon sarnies for breakfast. My uncles pop over for a while, we prep whilst the kids play. We have Christmas dinner around 2/3, after dinner everyone retires to rooms or lounge for afternoon nap, we all reconvene around 6, play some games, play cards for money. (That’s been a tradition since I was a kid)
watch some Christmas Tv. It don’t sound like much but that’s our Christmas tradition and we love it.

Dc come in at an ungodly hour & wake us up. We have likely only had a few hrs sleep, stumble down the stairs & watch the dc open up pressies. Have a tea or coffee & then DH makes breakfast usually smoked salmon, cream cheese bagels for adults & pastries for dc. Go back to opening presents whilst snacking on chocolate. Go to church & that’s the morning gone!

We wake up about 6am. (The kids have to stay in bed until then). They come into our room to do stockings their scared of santa going into their bedroom so he comes into ours to leave stockings while kids are opening stockings me and partner are trying to wake up. Partner goes to make us a cup of tea then the kids can come down stairs and open other presents. Breakfast is usually a selection box or chocolate coins etc whatever they open first. They Play with toys. Then I get the wine on the go and start on dinner.

❤Sending you a big hug

Whilst I'm asking for ideas of how to celebrate, I'm conscious that there is no right way to do things and that Christmas can often be actually quite a hard time.

Thanks for the responses everyone

Yes gavin and stacy will be on at ours to. Can't wait 😁

Pot of coffee….walk the dog. Back home for pigs in blankets and espresso martinis. Then we open pressies, ring the family we won’t see (quite a large family so on phone calls for over an hour whilst one of us refreshes the drinks). Pop the lunch in (already prepped the day before). Then we have a lazy day of food, playing with the pets, watching films in front of the fire and a small doze late tea time followed by a bath and a good film on the evening. It’s relaxing and cosy and not at all stressful.

Get up ridiculously early. Kids do presents immediately and then we'll have a special breakfast. Smoked salmon bagels for the adults and anything chocolate for the kids. Try to have a brief tidy around and then a dog walk, often in pjs and coats. It's the only day of the year where it feels acceptable.

Two DD’s 9 and 1. I set my alarm early and get up. Go light fire in lounge and turn all trees lights on so it looks magical. Dd9 is still asleep so I walk past her bedroom I gently slam her door waking her then I jump back in bed. She comes running in with a stocking and dh and me pretend we just woke up. We open stockings on bed then go see lounge with tree and presents. Make cuppa then get to opening gifts. After gift opening we relax, dh falls asleep again. Then by 12 we set off to PILS for dinner.

We make a big batch of batter for pancakes and have a toppings bar (the rest of the pancake batter gets used for yorkshire puddings later).

Open presents.

Have a big Christmas dinner, sometimes on our own, sometimes with friends.

Other friends show up in the evening complaining about their families 😂 we play games, watch TV and have a few drinks.

Christmas morning specifically - open stockings in bed, Prosecco and pastries for breakfast, Christmas music playing, open presents, walk the dog, get lunch on, showered and changed into fresh pyjamas! Ooh I love it 😀

Get up, open presents (DD first, then dog, then cat, then me😆) text/ring friends, have coffee. My DD’s Dad comes round to see DD. I make sure my hair looks like shredded wheat (an easy task) & I’m wearing no make up & my v large oodie on so I don’t get loads of comments from ex🤮

Then I make & eat dinner, we take some to my Mum’s then call at my friend’s house as she has kids my DD’s age.

Then home to walk dog & either play board games or watch nativity/home alone.

My sibling & niece both sadly died & have no other family local so I do feel sad my DD doesn’t have a big family day but it’s only one day & I go above & beyond the other days of the year to arrange so many things with friends so it’s all good I guess.

Edit as I missed the important bit! I then open the Prosecco!

I am so sorry @JustAboutMuddlingThrough That must be unbelievably hard 💐

Make sure all the Christmas lights are on.
Potter in the kitchen getting breakfast ready whilst waiting for everyone to get up (all adults)
Have smoked salmon on muffins with scrambled eggs or cream cheese, coffee & Prosecco or cava.
Then open presents with more fizz.
Get turkey in the oven then get dressed and walk the dog

There's a Christmas PD James collection of short stores that I read every year because they are so good.

I'm so sorry that the day brings you such sorrow.

Would it help to have a quiet moment to yourself, light a candle for them, and silently send them your love?

I'm not trying to sound trite or woo. Sometimes a 'real' gesture can help ease some of the pain.

Oh I love reading about everyone's own traditions. Can I ask though, only one person has mentioned Church. 12'OClock mass is a big thing here. Place is packed and hardly anyone misses it. Is mass/church as Christmas not really a thing or do people do Christmas Eve mass?

Wake up, dog jumps on my bed full of beans. We open his stocking (yep I am soppy). Shower, dress, breakfast, dog round the block, turkey in oven. Make myself look presentable. Go to church, give my lovely vicar friend a huge hug and tell her I am proud of her, and come on, just one more service to get through and then you can get drunk, sing carols at the top of my lungs, go home, sort the veg out, eat lunch.

I go to the 10 o'clock service!

We only know one person that goes to church at all.

We now have DD but she’s 7m so not really a change this year!
All stockings and presents are downstairs, nothing in rooms and the only presents under the tree are for family. Our presents go in our seats.

Once pressies are done we’ll have breakfast, usually a bacon sandwich but DH’s dad might come for breakfast so that will be a fry up.

Then he’ll head home and we’ll go to my parents, presents there with my sister and her partner, thus will take an hour or so. We all have piles of pressies.

Christmas dinner will be somewhere between 4-7. TV on, board games. Home around midnight.

First Boxing Day off work this year!

Me and my little one go over to my parents on Xmas eve night for a takeaway and stay the night. My 4 siblings are all under 21 so still live at home. It’s become tradition for my stepdad (who is an absolute gem) to make us all hot chocolates to wake up to, we go downstairs get the festive tunes on and do presents, have a cooked breakfast (with Buck’s Fizz for the grownups!). Get ready for the day, start Xmas lunch, play with the kids and their toys and do the family video calls whilst lunch cooks. Stuff ourselves silly and spend the rest of the day mildly pissed, with bbc one on in the background, pudding at some point in the evening. I bloody love Christmas.

Well for about 35 years, a big part of my Christmas day has been spent in the kitchen cooking the Christmas dinner.

When the kids were little, presents all opened in the morning, then dh would help build up new toys (there was always a lot of Playmobil!) and i'd get going in the kitchen. 5 kids so 7 to cook for. Meal on table for 3pm.

Rest of day scoffing junk and Christmas films, playing with kids' new toys.

Now usually 4 of the kids are here and we have 2 dogs so still open pressies morning, dh walks dogs Christmas morning and then me to kitchen cooking. Afternoon, bit tipsy Christmas film often have a nap in front of film.

Come round evening and get some games going. Charades is a must at Christmas but we often have a new one. Telestrations we have had a few years popular at Christmas. Eat lots of Qual st, heros etc.

However - big change last year has triggered what i hope can be a permanant change.

First grandchild born last October so last Christmas we all stayed in a huge rented house - me, dh, all 5 adult kids, ds's partner and the baby.

And, we ate out for lunch. Expensive but amazing. At last, i saw Christmas day!!!

I loved it.

So, this year, we are back at home and just dh, me and the 4 kids (5th and grandchild live very far away) but we are again going out for Christmas dinner.

Not only did i used to do all the cooking (i am a total control freak in the kitchen and don't like help) but i also used to do all the tidying as i just wanted it away before settling for a film and no one else was ever keen to get cracking on it so it was just easier to do it myself.

But it did mean i was in the kitchen from about 11 am til 5pm every Christmas day (apart from an hour or so eating dinner)

And in the later years, my mother in law came over so i was cooking and clearing for 7 many years.

What we will miss though is all the turkey leftovers for boxing day.

I’m up earlier than usual, shower with festive smelling soap, dress in fresh smarter than everyday loungewear, tiptoe downstairs and switch on fairy lights, fireplace and oven. Enjoy a peaceful cup of decent coffee and slice of toast with fancy jam I only buy at Christmas and listen to carols. Put on a little makeup whilst waiting for breakfast bits to warm, then assemble the breakfast. Ring a bell loudly and shout he’s been so those who want can assemble in the lounge for stocking opening and tree gifts and enjoy a long leisurely breakfast, our selection boxes and drink too much champagne. Dh and I clear up whilst others go back to bed or watch tv.
First guests arrive mid morning in time for tea and biscuits, mini shortbread shapes instead of the usual rich tea. Gift exchanging, chatting. Dh is head chef and starts his cooking preparations. Just before noon we have warm nibbles and juice or fizzy pop. Friends pop in for a quick bite and to exchange gifts before they head elsewhere. Those who went back to bed re-emerge and I go and get ready for the rest of the day.

@ImAnAutum ”Can I ask though, only one person has mentioned Church. 12'OClock mass is a big thing here. Place is packed and hardly anyone misses it. Is mass/church as Christmas not really a thing or do people do Christmas Eve mass?”

I said we go to mass and it’s packed, can catch up with everyone. When I was a teen/young adult we did midnight mass & will do that again once the dc are older. We are Catholic though so no idea if CoE mass is as popular.

Our stockings are big so used to be in the DCs room but now in the living room. Our tradition is that the majority of presents are from Santy so there will be a pile next to the stocking as opposed to just stocking fillers. Gifts from us & wider family will be under the tree but we would only buy one present for dc.