Do you do a second Christmas?

[CactusLemonSpice]

A question for those who alternate Christmas and boxing day contact each year.

If you have SCs and also resident DC, what do you do on the years SC are with mum for Christmas day?

Do you do a second Christmas dinner on boxing day? Or not do another as SC had the dinner with mum?

Also what about Christmas stockings? Do you only do them for SC on the years they are with you on Christmas day, or do you make them one and save theirs for boxing day even though they had one at mums? (Kids who no longer believe in santa)

Trying to get my head around the details. Wondering what others do!

[quote Suzi888]@Bubblty
I (pre covid) get all the family over, cook a roast, play games, have a few drinks, some might watch a film or a soap, chat and do a countdown. 🎄
New Years Day I take the decs down and tidy up.[/quote]
Ooh that sounds nice! I might get a ham in.

@Bubblty

Option c. Not a roast something else nice. Stocking (from santa he knows they have two homes) and gifts

Yea this one

We always have the SC on Boxing Day as mum likes to have them Christmas, we always go to in laws for Christmas dinner on the day, and then do a full Christmas dinner for the boys on Boxing Day with all the trimmings with present opening and stockings from Santa 😁

@Lorw

We always have the SC on Boxing Day as mum likes to have them Christmas, we always go to in laws for Christmas dinner on the day, and then do a full Christmas dinner for the boys on Boxing Day with all the trimmings with present opening and stockings from Santa 😁

What do the children want?

There was a thread somewhere on MN a while ago where a couple of different posters who never saw their father on Christmas Day as children eventually spoke to their fathers as adults. The posters were upset they never saw their fathers on Christmas Day there as the fathers thought they, the children would have more fun with their mothers side of their families as there were cousins their own age.

I think this is a good point. I think my own father and mother decided it was 'right' for me to spend the day with my (abusive) mother just because it was the done thing, whereas I hated it and would have preferred to have a nice relaxing day with my father. This may be why I am a bit too invested in getting this right!

We split Christmas day so DD gets to see both parents. One year she'll spend Christmas eve with Dad the next with me. She has Christmas dinner at the house she sleeps at on Christmas night. Stockings in both!

We live close to dsds. For the past few years they've had Xmas Eve and Xmas morning with their mum then Xmas dinner and boxing day with us.

I like it this way as dp and I have a lovely adult Christmas Eve with oysters and champagne then get a lie in on Christmas morning!

We do a second Christmas Day; DSD gets her stocking whether she’s at ours or at her mums. When she was younger we used to say Father Christmas left it on Christmas Day and as my in laws join us for the second one we keep the presents from them to open with DSD so she feels involved and so that our DC don’t feel upset at not getting presents. It works quite well to space the presents out I find too.

@Kbyodjs

We do a second Christmas Day; DSD gets her stocking whether she’s at ours or at her mums. When she was younger we used to say Father Christmas left it on Christmas Day and as my in laws join us for the second one we keep the presents from them to open with DSD so she feels involved and so that our DC don’t feel upset at not getting presents. It works quite well to space the presents out I find too.

We address some of the gifts 'from' each of the children to each other (and get them to help wrap) so I was thinking of saving the gifts between the children to open on boxing day when DSD opens her presents and stocking.

When I first met DH, I was introduced to the concept of "second Christmas". He and his ex alternate Christmas and do a handover a few days later.

On our "on" years, It used to be the whole thing - come back, put out mince pie and stockings and just pretend it was Christmas Eve. Then wake up in the morning and do Christmas again. Supposedly, DH had contacted The Big Guy earlier in the year to "arrange it".

I have gently exerted some influence over this as the children have become older. We have ditched the roast and the Father Christmas coming again business.

Now we say he left their stuff when he popped in on real Christmas Eve, I cook gammon and we do a buffet and we relax.

I felt that what DH was doing did work when they were toddlers but it wasn't working as they grew up. I think it was more about what DH wanted than what was actually working for the children.