Does anyone else with DC have a low key Christmas?

[purplespink]

We have 3DC but I feel like our christmases are low key compared to most others I’ve read about. I think that we do go a bit OTT on presents but apart from that, it’s just the 5 of us, have a Christmas lunch etc but it’s not a whole massive thing with lots of people. Christmas music/films on during the day, board games, enjoying our new things, having good food etc we have all of that. I’m very happy with how we do Christmas but just wondered if anyone else with DC does the same?

Same here, 3 DC me and DH. Pjs all day, lovely posh takeaway for dinner, lots of sweets, lounging about watching christmas movies and playing games. DC playing with new things. Bliss!

Yes! I sometimes think we ought to be more sociable - it feels like there's pressure to be. But none of us wants to be. We do all the family and friend stuff before and after but the day itself is just me, DH and DC.

Yes, we have 2 DC and a very quiet Christmas. My DM passed away last year but even then she'd come over and it'd just be the 5 of us. We don't have much family so not really anybody to visit or to visit us. I'm quite happy with it all tbh!

We open presents, have a buffet style lunch and then a small roast dinner at our normal time. It's lovely.

Same!

We do similar most years.

Yes!

We do the same. None of us like noise or chaos so it suits us.

I envy you all.

Ours is presents, breakfast, kids play. We make a stress free meal, eat, board games, a long walk, tandoori roast for dinner, maybe a movie. We don’t even do a lot of presents. I think the kids are getting 4-5 each including from the grandparents who live very far away.
It’s a ‘holiday’ with some Christmas TV thrown in!

Your Christmas sounds like our Covid Christmas which was my favourite!
However everyone else in my house prefers when we are allowed people in to hang out with us hence every year before and after 2020 has involved 20+ people arriving - we do have lots of fun, there are games; people
relaxing by the fire, a feast, music, a buffet in the evening and lots of general merriment.
It’s a lot of hard work for both dh and I to be fair but they all love it and it’s my family we see on Christmas Day (dhs either Christmas Eve or Boxing Day depending on what his siblings are doing with their respective in-laws).
Your Christmas Day sounds lovely op.

Love a quiet snuggly Christmas!

It's just me, DH and the 2 DC. They don't have oodles of gifts, we have a roast and bum about for the rest of the day. So glad we don't have family drama. It's just a chilled family day with a few video calls.

Tbh we're all so tired from work and school we just want the day off 😅

We always do. Memories of my poor mum worn out trying to ensure we had a wonderful Christmas made me want a simple family life so we could all enjoy our family time together and that’s what we have. We all enjoy locking the door and the time together. It’s lovely.

We don't have a huge family Christmas. I dread the question 'what are you doing for Christmas?' . DP parents are both dead, we see my mum for a couple of hours on boxing day to exchange gifts, my grandma died this year so that will be even more subdued as she would usually join us, and she was my favourite person.

Just the 4 of us for Xmas day, the DC enjoy their gifts but it's all very chilled. No getting dressed up or pressure to do much. Cooked rolls or pancakes for breakfast. We don't even do a Xmas dinner anymore as we realised nobody really enjoys it so we have Chinese takeaway food (we like it!). Zero prep and minimal dishes!

DC can game there hearts out, we might do a board game or something Xmas TV. Dp and I will have few drinks and a cheese board later. It's a lovely day but in no way resembles these big, busy family Xmas I hear everyone else talk about or that I remember from when I was young.

I do - we have 3 DC who are all teens now and have always spent Christmas Day just me, DH and the DC. My older siblings started it when they had children of their own, so we started having extended family on the days around Christmas but not on the day itself. So when I had my own DC that routine was already in place and it suits us really well. Neither me or DH have particularly great parents or are overly close - plenty of issues that I wouldn’t want to encroach on our Christmas Day. That said I do wish sometimes that we did have better relationships with them and could enjoy the big extended family Christmas that others enjoy.
We have our own traditions though which I love. Presents then Christmas crumpets and Buck’s Fizz. Then we take the dogs out for a walk. Come home and I get Christmas dinner ready, in amongst playing games, looking at their presents etc. Followed by playing a new board game and some Christmas tv. I love that it’s relaxed and there isn’t any tension.

Yep.

Christmas Day is just us (Me, Dh and kids). Boxing day is when we have people over or we go visit. Mostly I host as it's a way of saying thanks for leaving us alone.

Same. We flank with family days either side.

But 25th is always just the 4 of us. Presents. Lunch. Easy afternoon and evening enjoying our gifts/watching Christmas telly.

Sounds lovely

Yep, my family is all 3.5 hours away so we see them between christmas and new year instead, FIL does come round from about lunchtime but he's easy and we're not 'hosting'. Dinner is just a roast with extra stuff, takes no longer than a regular roast so OH isn't cooking all day (he's the cook in the house), we might not even get dressed unless we fancy a walk! (Like I said, FIL is easy and we used to all live together so us in PJs is not something he or us would be bothered by)

Very chill in our house. Just my dad, daughter (toddler) and me.
DD and I will open her stocking together on bed. Same breakfast as normal. We open some presents together under the tree. Go for a walk to see the first daffodils. We all cook Christmas lunch together which is basically Sunday lunch and takes less than an hour to prepare and cook. No TV in our house. I will probably take DD to the park in the afternoon and we will all go for a walk to see the Christmas lights. We have dd friend's birthday party on 28th and apart from that no plans until NYE. 👌

Your Christmas is my Christmas and it’s perfect! I don’t think of it as low key, I thought that’s what most did. So much better than rushing around etc

Every Christmas is quiet as it’s only me and my children, we have nobody else. It’s lovely: I get brought a cup of tea in bed and we open stockings all together piled in my double bed somehow, I make a roast whilst they play together, we open tree presents mid-afternoon once the washing up is done and I can sit down and enjoy it with them, we go for a walk on the beach. There’s not a huge amount of food or presents but we all are happy with the specialness. We really enjoy each other’s company.

3 people here : DH, DD and I.
Breakfast, opening presents, cooking, lunch, walk, tv, snacks and games.

It’s just us five in our house, no getting up ridiculously early as the kids are good to wait til 9/10am, then it’s a nice breakfast and watch the kids play with their gifts while we chill. Might go for a walk to the park in the day then home for Christmas dinner at about 5/6pm. Evenings are dedicated to board games and chilling out together. Other than a call from the Nana’s (both live far away) we won’t hear from or speak to anyone.

Same here. DH, 2 DC & I.
No family nearby. Some years friends invite us, but not every year. When it's just us, I find it quite boring and not really festive, but the rest of my family seems happy with it.