How Do You Spend Christmas Day?

[Becca]

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How Do You Spend Christmas Day?

Whats your Chrismas Day tradition?

Me and my sister wake up and run downstairs really loudly, we go and get a bunny and run into the lounge.
Then we sit down and open our pressies, I try and do it slowly so they last longer but I can never go slow LOL!

Then we spend all morning looking at our pressies, playing with them, checking out each others ETC, then at about 11 am my nan comes round and Mum cooks proper Christmas dinner and we have that and show our grand parents our toys and stuff.

Then later on we go to our Aunties house for a drink and chat and everything.

It's really fun!

Can't wait to hear about everyone elses.


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[irishbunny]

Well usually I lie in bed all night waiting for morning because I can never sleep, no one is aloud get up until 7am. As soon as 7am hits I jump up, everyone is usually already awake so I tell them they can get up now.

We go into the sitting room to open presents, there is usually a sea of presents because there is six kids. We open them all and look at each others. Then mam and dad spend forever trying to set all the little un's toysup, I usually help aswell. Then around 2pm mam will start xmas dinner, it's our turn this year to have my nana for christmas dinner so dad will collect her. By the time that's all done it's getting dark so we turn off the lights, cuddle up and watch christmas films

 

[Bassetluv]

For me it's changed over the years. When I was a young child we used to lie awake at night, trying our darnedest to stay awake...but inevitably falling asleep anyway. We'd wake up around 3-4 in the morning and sneak downstairs, then sit by the tree and pick out our presents and shake each one in an attempt to guess what we got. As soon as mom and dad got up, we'd sit around the tree, hand out gifts and open them.

After my mom passed away it changed; we'd still get up early, but my dad would inevitably be obsessed with having the turkey prepared on time for dinner that evening. So my sister and I had to make him his coffee, then get the turkey ready for the oven, making the stuffing and such, and then after all that was done, be allowed to sit down and open presents. Believe me, that was torture for a young teen...we just wanted to open gifts!

As a mom, Christmas mornings changed a lot. My son would be the one to wake me up, very excited and saying, "MOM! MOM! Santa was here!! Let's go see what he brought!" So I'd get up and I'd put some coffee on, and while it was brewing we'd go and open presents. You know, watching my son with his face so lit up with happiness has always been the best gift I've ever received.

And now for the past few years it's been just me and the animals. And while I miss 'the old days', it's still fun. My dog gets her own stocking and I swear she gets just as excited as a child, digging down to the bottom to see what Santa brought her. The bunnies come out too, but they don't tend to get excited over their gifts; they just sniff the tree and ho-hum back to their room, or get curious and explore the left-over wrapping paper. My cat gets a bit excited, even at his now-geriatric age of 14-1/2, if any of the presents contain the slightest hint of either catnip or fish. But he only plays for a few moments, then it's back to his favorite spot to lie down and have a catnap. My Christmas mornings are very quiet, but I do tend to like it that way, as the afternoons can get hectic when The Dog and I head over to my sister's for a family dinner.
This year though, will be a bit different; my son is coming home for a few days and bringing his girlfriend. Must say I'm excited about it, as it will be nice to wake up on Christmas morning with family there.

 

[Leaf]

We do our celebration on the 24th and usually spend the night (when its done at Mom & Dads). Christmas morning we sleep in some, get up and check under the tree one last time... have breakfast, talk - pack up and head home.

I usually work Christmas Day, Dad is usually on call.



If I happent to not have to work I try to take the dogs out for a good run so I can wear off some of the food clogging up my arteries.

 

[mouse_chalk]

Since I've been living with Steve, this will be our 3rd Christmas together. Actually our 4th technically, but the first one I stayed at my parents on Xmas Eve and he went to stay with his mum and we spent the day apart, and I didn't see him until I got the train up to his mum's on the 27th! That was 3 months after we'd got together and we decided that we didn't want to be apart again and decided that day to move in together!

Aaaaanyway lol, me and Steve wake up at about 8am ish, and open our own presents together in the living room. Last year we did it with Mouse and Chalk running round Then we'll give the bunnies breakfast, have showers etc, and pack up the presents and Wii and go to my mum and dad's. They live about 1-2miles away- my mum will usually pick us up so Steve can have a drink and we just walk back in the evening. My brother will be there too. Then we exchange presents etc, and chill out for a bit.

I'll help mum cooking the dinner, although this year I'm cooking it by myself because mum is working the night before and will be in bed for the morning! :shock: We usually start drinking at about midday lol, and then it's kinda free-flowing from then on. Lots of wine is polished off We have dinner at about 2-3ish, sometimes a bit earlier, then we have Christmas Pudding. Then we usually sit at the table talking for a couple of hours or so. Last year we all played on the Wii together, and probably will this year too. At about 8ish we usually have some salad, cheese and biscuits, pickles and maybe cold turkey or something Me and Steve will usually walk back at about 10ish, feed the bunnies, watch the Christmas episodes of Eastenders and Corrie and go to bed! Boxing Day we will usually go up to his mum's and stay overnight.

I must also mention that every Christmas Eve me and all of my friends go to our local pub. There's usually about 15 of us... We exchange our Secret Santa gifts and have a few drinks. We usually stay there past midnight so we all wish each other a Merry Christmas before we go home Steve comes as well...


I LOVE Christmas! I'm so excited this year!!

 

[Becca]

Everyone's days sound great!

I'll take lots of pictures of our day :biggrin2:


B.

 

[Happi Bun]

We don't do anything special for Christmas Day. We do all the celebrating the night before. That's when we have a big fancy dinner and open presents! :hyper:

 

[mouse_chalk]

So is anyone gonna make it onto RO on Christmas Day then?? :biggrin2:

 

[NZminilops]

Usually find a nice beach and take a barbeque and salads and things and spend a day in the sun with family eating and drinking. Then later on christmas dinner with cold foods from the fridge and lots of yummy deserts.

There are no children in my family so no fun present openings.

 

[Becca]

mouse_chalk wrote:

So is anyone gonna make it onto RO on Christmas Day then?? :biggrin2:

Me ..maybe :shock:

God thats sad :?

Or i might wish everyone merry christmas the night before

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

We spend Christmas eve with my hubby's family opening gifts and having a big dinner, then we get home late christmas eve and get all the kids into bed. Reminding them that when they get up they are to come in and get us and not go down stairs,lol. When christmas morning gets here we all get up and make the kids stay at the top of the steps while we let the dogs out and turn on all the christmas lights, and the tree, and start a popt of coffee,lol, trying to make them sweat it out,lol. Then after the kids tare through thier gifts we make a big breakfast and they play with thier toys. By mid morning my fi ngers are killing me from turning the one zillion twist ties that are holding the toys in,lol, and thier are boxes everywhere. If i am cooking dinner then by early afternoon i will start dinner, if we are going to someone elses house we will head over to thier house.

 

[mouse_chalk]

Luvmyzoocrew wrote:

When christmas morning gets here we all get up and make the kids stay at the top of the steps while we let the dogs out and turn on all the christmas lights, and the tree, and start a popt of coffee,lol, trying to make them sweat it out,lol.

Ooooh you meanie!! My mum and dad used to do that to us lol.... Some years we'd wait until 9am for our presents! :X And then halfway through mum would always want some more tea so we'd have to PAUSE :shock::shock::shock: the unwrapping whilst they made another pot.... Plain cruelty if you ask me lol!

 

[pinksalamander]

mouse_chalk wrote:

So is anyone gonna make it onto RO on Christmas Day then?? :biggrin2:

I will!

Its been me and my Mum on our own together since I was 3, but I've still never eaten Christmas Dinner in my own home! And I never want to!

My Mum is the eldest of three sisters, we've never been able to afford a house big enough to have the whole family over. One of my Aunties has a decent sized 4 bedroom house and its a squeeze for us there. My other Aunty has a nice house. We can just all squeeze in the kitchen but there living room is almost the size of the floorplan of my house so its good for present opening. My Grandparents live in a 15th century Manor hall so there is plenty of room!

So yeah, we always go to one of my Mums side of the family. Obviously none of my Dad's family are there.

I wake up at around 9am. I go and get my stocking from downstairs and take it up with my Mum's stocking to her room and we sit on the bed and open our stocking presents. We always get chocolate in our stockings so we eat that for breakfast (well, if not on Christmas Day, when can you eat chocolate for breakfast?)

We get all our presents from family friends, and presents that we don't want to open in front of the rest of our family.

Then we get ready, pack all the presents and food in the car and go to whoevers house we're going to. My Nan always does the turkey. Then the veg, the snacks, and the puddings are all divided between the three sisters. Last year we did snacks, and I made bread and stuff. I want to do puddings this year!

So we get there, me and my cousins (there are 5 of us, I'm second oldest, we're aged 11 - 19) all go and play Playstation. Or rather me and my only female cousin Lizzie sit and watch the boys play Playstation...

Then we eat loads of snacks and stuff, my Gra dad puts on his Father Christmas hat and musical tie (yes, he has one every year) and becomes bar man. There is a special book that has all these cocktails in, and every year you write the ones you had before so you know you liked them!

Then at about 1.30 we sit down and have lunch. Yum. Lots of food!

Then after dinner we all play The Name Game, where you write down a name on a piece of paper, like of a famous person, they get passed around, and you have to try and guess who wrote the name. We play that a couple of times. My Grandad is a gunsmith, and likes making those 'table bomb' things that explode glitter everywhere. (Except one year he made one with too much gunpowder and almost blasted a hole in the ceiling). Then we pop party poppers on each other and make wigs out of them......

Then we open presents! Someone gets designated as the 'present giver' and we all go round and give out presents to each other.

Then we sit down and watch Eastenders.

I usually get home at about midnight. On Boxing Day we all go round to my Grandparents house and attempt to eat all the leftovers....

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Your Grandpa sounds like a real hoot, Fran!
Maybe he can send some exploders by mail? Thye sound like a lot of fun!
I especially like the fact that you guys are writing down the best drinks

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

mouse_chalk wrote:

Luvmyzoocrew wrote:

When christmas morning gets here we all get up and make the kids stay at the top of the steps while we let the dogs out and turn on all the christmas lights, and the tree, and start a popt of coffee,lol, trying to make them sweat it out,lol.

Ooooh you meanie!! My mum and dad used to do that to us lol.... Some years we'd wait until 9am for our presents! :X And then halfway through mum would always want some more tea so we'd have to PAUSE :shock::shock::shock: the unwrapping whilst they made another pot.... Plain cruelty if you ask me lol!

lol, we get up when they get up so we dont make them wait long, and it only takes a few minutes to get the coffee started, and the dogs out,lol. I love to look at them sitting there like they are going to explode with excitement,lol

 

[PepnFluff]

Usually we have a brunch with crossiants, ham, suasages, salmon and copious amounts of alcohol is consumed! after that the youngest grandchild, cousin etc puts on the fairy halo and becomes the "christmas fairy" and delivers the presents to everyone reads out the cards etc. More alcohol is consumed then we usually leave Grandma to go have more drinks with Grandads partner (shes a cow!) who refuses to have anything to do with Grandma :grumpy:. This year tho i'm having 3 christmases!!! as i'm at dads aswell:biggrin2: thats just a BBQ at the beach with a years supply of alcohol bought on special and dads made some wine this year :shock: then one on the 21st before Grandad goes to Aussie to be with my other aunties. Then the actual christmas too:biggrin2: I think I may ,ake it on to RO on christmas day too:biggrin2:

 

[Brandy456]

Usually Christmas morning I wake up late from staying up so late due to excitment. I havnt had Sparky for a christmas yet so this is how I think It will go.

I'll get up, Let sparky out for a walk if it's nicce.. or in the bathroom on his pee pad while mum starts the Coffee. We'll each have a cup ( The only day that i'll drink coffee )

I'll unload Sparky's stocking, then mine. Eat breakfast.. and then open Presents

 

[wabbitmom12]

At the wabbitmom and wabbitdad household, Christmas-ing is a long, drawn-out affair! When our children were preschoolers, they would get SO upset if we had to leave for Grandma's after opening presents. So, we made a tradition of having "OUR" family's Christmas on the 23rd!! Every year!! No matter what day it is. In fact, a couple of years ago, the kids were supposed to have the last day of class before the Christmas break, on the 23rd (!). We asked them, "Do you want to go to school and have your class Christmas parties with all of your friends? We could do our Christmas at night?" They said NO!!!! So they skipped school and we kept our tradition!

On the 23rd, we wake up to see which extra gifts Santa has put under the tree, and in the stockings. (Everyone gets one gift from Santa, and the family gets a collective gift.) We turn on the Christmas carols and open stockings, filled with chocolates andlittle gifts. Then we take turns openinggiftsto and from each other. Last year was so weird! It was the FIRST year that the parents were up and waiting for the kids. That's when you know that you have all teenagers!! (The boys were 19 and 15, and sissy was 13.) I think they all rolled out of bed at 10 am or so. We stay in our pajamas all day, and play with our new items and just generally spend time together. About 4 pm we get dressed and go to our favorite restaurant, Applebees, and have dinner.

The 24th, we go to my mom's for the day. We read the Christmas story from the Bible, and open gifts and stockings after a light supper. One of our traditional dishes this day is my dad's oyster stew, yum! Christmas Day, we head over to Dave's parents andhave brunch and gifts.

The 26th, (Yes, it's not quite over!!)...is our middle son, Josh's, birthday. So, we are all exhausted, but have ice cream and cake mid-afternoon, and he opens gifts wrapped ONLY in birthday paper. Usually he wants to go to the store right away and spend any money or gift certificates he got. He actually really LIKES having his b-day on the day after Christmas, believe it or not!

Then, on the 27th, WE COLLAPSE!! AND LAY AROUND LIKE SLUGS THE ENTIRE DAY!! LOL.

 

[Brandy456]

Oh wow, thats a long week.

 

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

NZminilops wrote:

Usually find a nice beach and take a barbeque and salads and things and spend a day in the sun with family eating and drinking. Then later on christmas dinner with cold foods from the fridge and lots of yummy deserts.
\

ahh! the classic summer kiwi christmas!