how do you start doing Christmas when you've always gone to your mum's??

[ernest]

That's about it really. We've always gone to mine or dh's mum's for Christmas. This is my first year of having to 'do' Christmas for my little family (3 boys 5, 4 & 1). Don't really know what to do.

eg Christmas dinner. On one hand want them to have fond memories of the day/season, and for me that does include special food but on the other dunno if I can be arsed making pudding a month b4hand, when only me & dh will eat some, plus all those hours cooking proper Christmas dinner, when boys have v. small appetites. ( but don't want them looking back & thinking, mum only roasted a chicken with a bit of boiled rice!)

Don't know when to do pressies/ what to do with ourselves (previously stayed with tv adduict families & sat around boozing & atching tv all day) but this isn't our scene really, but dunno what to do to make the day special.

Dh gets stir crazy if he sits around house. Starting to dread being the grown up in charge for the 1st time.

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

ernest - don't have kids of my own yet but here's what we've always done in my family:
christmas eve - go to 6pm service - just to remind us of why we have christmas. during the day we cook the turkey and prepare all the veg and sausages and stuffing ready for cooking.
christmas day - get to open stockings when we wake, we were encouraged to go into each others rooms to see what santa left them and to compare presents and play. not allowed to wake mum and dad until 8am when we would go into their room and tell them what santa left us. (we still do this - yes, at 28 my mum still gives me a stocking - and this bit has become a bit like the generation game where you ahve to remember absoluttely everything santa left you!) once mum and dad are up (after much prodding) we all go downstairs - the presents under the tree are not allowed to be opened until mum and dad have been made a cup of tea by us kids - so one of us does that while the others sort the presents into piles. the present opening has to go slowly so that everyone watches the first person open the first present and so on. this encourages the spirit of it's good to give as well as receive as you get to enjoy the persons reaction when they open their present. it also ment mum could keep track of who gave what to whom. the rest of the day then blurs into playing with presents - mum and me preparing the meal and laying the table - other relatives arriving and everyone opening the presents from and to them. the queens speach is always watched and then we have dinner. when we were younger my mum always gave one of us a board game which we played as a family aftre dinner - many fond memories of this since it's not something we did usually. then we would usually gather round the telly for one of the family friendly christmas day films.
i can't wait for christmas now!! hope everything works out for you on the day ernest and you get to enjoy it.

We go to my Mum and Dads for lunch every year, its not far and then on boxing day its over to my brothers, then a day at home, then off to visit dh's parents who live a long way away. Part of my secretely wishes that I could have it at my house and really go to town. My Mum doesnt push the boat out so to speak, we have a nice lunch, but no candles or table decs and its all very cramped and no one really makes a big effort. Same at brothers really. I would like to make every part very special, a lot of work I know. I wish someone in our family would visit us for a change. I was moaning about this to dh last night that its always us that have to pack the car up and go. Our children are 4 and 2 now and I think it would be nice for them to stay with all of the their new toys for a few days. I know I could say we are staying at home for dinner this year but I havent the heart.

Last year we were 13 on Christmas day. The bird (well it was one of those 3 in 1 things with no bones - gammon inside duck inside turkey) was in the oven on timer night before and cooked v slowly at low temp (actually cooked for about 14 hrs covered in foil for nearly all time and was so moist and delicious and no worries about whether cooked or not! Do this with chickens too - not 14 hrs but tend to cook for twice the time at lower temp).
Kids came downstairs early and watched Christmas film until all adults awake - then went into room to discover FC and rudolph had been and stocking full - which actually was post-brekkie not sure how that happened - probably too young to realise!
All then went to park apart from my brother, my mum and myself who got all veg prepared.
Lunch was cold meats/salad/etc buffet type that all had contributed too. After general clear up big pressie session then main meal in evening (but early enough for little ones). Good fun and not stressful.

Well we tend to go to granny but this year they are coming to us. So my plans are as follows.
Christmas eve night - prep breakfast (Nigella Christmas muffins) and veggies.
Christmas morning - kids awake at whatever time and stocking to open. All of us in our big bed (about 8ish). Put on TV film or new DVD and leave kids downstairs to eat chocolate while we drink champers in bed.
Breakfast about 9ish.
Put lunch on to cook and take dog for a walk.
Come home, watch more TV, open wine and drink
In Laws arrive around 12 ish
Lunch about 1.30 ish
3pm Queeny
3.15pm Cup of tea and PRESENTS!!!!
5.00 whatever film is on with Christmas cake and more tea
6.00 move onto wine
7.00 start eating lunch leftovers and watch more crap TV
etc
etc
etc

christmas suggestions to add to the mix:

think carefully about presents. They can really help determine how you spend christmas day and if your dh is likely to be grumpy, think what giftt is most likely to lift his mood - a good book, music, dvd, computer game, alcohol...

This year both my sons are getting bikes so (weather permitting) we will take them to the park on christmas day - always assuming dh can stir himself into assembling them in the morning.

Active, outdoors presents give your children something active to do on the day - footballs, scooters, etc and make cold winter parks that bit more intersting. If your dh is restless, but quite active, buy him some roller blades as a christmas present. Just a thought!

If you know any other familes with children nearby, arrange a christmas day football match in the park or just arrange to see them in the park - bring mulled wine in a flask.

Hire some favourite films, TV series, anything that you know your children and your dh will enjoy. That way you don't have to watch the scheduled stuff on TV unless you want to.

Think of non-christmas but special event stuff:

Buy some fireworks - let them off when it gets dark. Even some sparklers would be fun.

Make some cocktails - non alcoholic for the children, alcoholic for your and dh.

When the children have crashed for the evening, run a special bath - candles, music in the bathroon, bubble bath.

But don't do all the above otherwise you will be too exhuasted to enjoy it all!
HTH

what are Nigella's christmas muffins?

Copper I will look at the recipe over the W/E They are in her Domestic Goddess book I think. Basically it is an orangy, cinamomy muffin with dried cranberries in it. Not too sweet, lovely warm with butter and bucks fizz.

Evening before you prepare all the dry ingrediants in one bowl, measure the liquid in another jug and leave in fridge. Christmas morning turn on oven, pour jug into bowl stir a bit. Whack into bun cases and cook for 15 mins ish. YUMMY.

Jude, where do you get one of those turkey/duck/ham things??

Hi Crunchie - local butchers. (But this year we're having turkey/duck/pheasant) for a change! Never sure on sizings....but to easily feed 13 + left overs for a week or so + "Care packs" for the relatives cost approx £60

Crunchie
sounds lovely - and easy too. The recipe would be great

earnest - this thread is loooong so haven't read it all and may repeat others...

1. get dh to take kids out at some point (either morning - gets them out from under your feet whilst you do dinner), or afternoon - you can crash out for a while!
2. re what exactly to do - pick all the best bits of your Christmases growing up and create your own christmas traditions....make it what you want it to be.....BUT also make dh help otherwise you'll be fraught and knackered by 1.00...

We've had Christmas Day at home since DD1 was born 9 years ago.

Typical Christmas Day in our house :

Get up around 7.00am - we all opens pressies together, getting them out from under the tree one at a time, watching everyone else open theirs.

Shove turkey (pre-stuffed crown from M&S) in the oven, the veg I prepare on Christmas Eve. We all get showered and dressed - apart from DH who jumps into his swimming trunks!

We walk down to the beach for the Swimming Club Christmas Day "dip in the sea" - then walk back to our neighbours (friends Inlaws who organise it all) for Christmas drinks - with me running backwards and forwards to our house to check on turkey. Kids have their friends to play with whilst we're there.

Come home - mum and partner should be arriving soon after. Exchange presents, by which time dinner should be ready.

Have dinner, sling everything in the dishwasher, and we usually go out for a walk along the seafront. Come back for a Hot Toddy, kids play with pressies, may rustle up some "nibblies" depending on how hungry everyone is. DD1 gets out one of her board games (Monopoly, Game of Life, Pictionary, Cluedo etc) and we have a game of that.

Kids go to bed at some point, mum usually leaves around 11pm/12am then DH and I collapse on the sofa for a cuddle and a drink

This is our Christmas Day - couldn't entertain the idea of eating out or spending the day at other peoples - maybe when the kids are older.

Boxing Day is similar (without the swim and neighbours!!) but with my dad and stepmum, brother and girlfriend.

We had a 3 in 1 bird last year as well, it was a pheasant/chicken/goose combi and lovely...we have got the same again this year
Ours came from Seldom Seen Farm which also do goose, they are at Borough Market some weekends if in London, or can do mail order

I will look the number out for you if interested???

Recipe for Christmas morning muffins.

200g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp bicab of soda
75g demerara sugar
good grating fresh nutmeg
small oragne or clementine
50ml milk
60g butter (melted - quick blast in micro)
1 large egg
150g dried canberries

topping
2 tsp demerara sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

oven at 200 or gas 6

Combine flour,baking poedwer, bicarb, sugar, nutmeg in a big bowl.

squeeze ornage juice into a jug, add milk upto 150ml.

(I usually do this night before)

Add melted butter and egg to liquid and beat.

Pour liquid into dry and stir a bit (don't worry about lumps, lumps mean lighter muffins)

Fold in canberries (this amount make vey fuity muffins, could use less)

Fill muffin cases or cake cases.

Spinkle over sugar/cinamon mix and bake for 20mins.

Yummy with butter and marmalade (and bucks fizz)

Why don't we start a christmas recipe thread asths one and the 'tree' biscuits I love to make. Also Nigella does an amazing Iced um Sauce that is a light creamy vesion of brandy butter which I find too rich.

Crunchie
many thanks - it sounds lovely. Will try this Christmas