How Do You Spend Christmas Day?

[FallingStar]

Hehe, I love everyone's stories.

Well my sister and I wake up at like 7am, and then we wake up our parents. Then we seperate all of the gifts. (Because on Christmas Eve we get gifts from our family and friends). Then we all open them up, looking at all of the gifts and such.

Then we start cooking a Christmasdinner for when family and friends start coming over, usually around 12pm or so. Then if they haven't gotten their gifts from us or they haven't gotten their's from us, we give gifts and open them.

After everyone leaves we usually keep dinking around with our new gifts and all.

And I usually have a little gift for my bunnies (or a special little salad thingy) and give it to all of them in the morning. And it will be Sampson, and Winston's first Christmas this year! But Noel was born on Christmas so...



Karlee

 

[pinksalamander]

Woah you all have presents first thing? How horrible. I'd hate that. Nothing to look forward to! Mine are spread throughout the day! I get my stocking when I first wake up, then I've got presents after dinner at about 3 or 4pm, then when I get home at around midnight I have more presents!

Oh and I have Christmas with my other family on New Years, and my Nan always cooks banger and mash.

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[Becca]

Gosh I cannot wait until Christmas :shock:

Is everyone set to start their advent calenders tomorrow?

 

[Elf Mommy]

Nothing has been a "normal" Christmas for us since my divorce 8 years ago. It all depends on the boy. My entire family actually schedules itself around the boy. We alternate years. When my son is an odd age (like this year he is 11 years old), he spends Christmas vacation with me from the day school lets out until noon on Christmas day. When my son is an even age, he spends Christmas vacation with me from noon on Christmas day until the day school goes back. I prefer the even years.

So every year it is different. We used to drag all of the presents down to my mom's house, because my sister would fly in from California, bringing all of her presents and then we'd all open them together. Then she started bringing less presents, which meant more presents under the tree for my kids than hers, which caused some problems, so we stopped bringing them to grandma's house.

There have been years that we've celebrated Christmas a few days early, like Wabbitdad, so that my son would have a few days to play with his toys before going to his father's house. It was always such a disappointment for him to open the presents Christmas morning, only to have to leave that day at noon, without much time to play with anything.

Of course, the even years aren't THAT much better, because the same thing had just happened at his father's house. He opened a bunch of presents and then had to leave them to come to me. You can imagine what kind of mood that put him in. I have had a surly son every Christmas, except one that I can remember.

Speaking of surly, my dad is always a regular old grouch during the Christmas holidays. Christmases growing up were always a stressful affair. Dad would growl and stomp around the house, glaring at us and not talking to anyone. 5 or 6 of my childhood years I can remember my mother sitting down with my sister and I to tell us there would probably not be any presents this year. Dad always seemed to pull out of it for the day itself, though. He may not have given us the Christmas presents he wanted to be able to afford, but I was never disappointed on Christmas day.

Anyway, there's always a big dinner in there somewhere. The day will depend on when I have my son. This year it will probably be Christmas Eve. My daughter agreed that we didn't have to put a big Christmas tree up here in our house this year (they will each have a little on in their rooms), if we'd go to Grandma's house for the actual day/present opening, etc. So we'll do that. I'm not sure when we'll open them. It will depend on what we get for them and how much time we wantthe boychildto be able to spend playing with them.

My sister will join us and we'll exchange gifts with her as well.

Lately, my brother in law has been coming down from Chicago with his son right after Christmas. He is doing so this year and we're all going to Tampa for a stressful family get-together on my husband's side. He hasn't had a good conversation with his father for over 5 years, so that will be quite an excursion. My daughter hasn't seen her great grandparents since she was an infant, though, so we're going. If I could think of a way out of it, I'd escape.

So...that's my holidays. Maybe it makes sense why I'm so scattered this year and don't really want to do Christmas in any big way. ....sigh....

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Christmas at my house has never been as good since my brother and sister grew up and moved out. We used to all have the little kid excitement of running downstairs together on Christmas morning and opening all our presents before our parents had even woke up, however it isn't really the same when you're asingle child....:?

Now Millie and Ollie accompany me on my Christmas morning present raids.It's not really the same...but...meh - what can you do!Not to say that my Christmases are bad now, because they're not in any way, they're just not as good now my family is scattered across other places.:?

Bless my mum though, she is being so sweet this year with including the pets. She is making Millie, Ollie (my cat) and Smokey (horse) their own Christmas stockings - and Smokey is getting his own horsey santa hat if I have my own way!I'm trying to make animal Christmas cards this year with our petsto send to all our animal loving friends, although I'm not sure it may work out as well as I want! ha ha.

 

[Michaela]

Aww it's really nice to hear about everyone's Christmas!

Well, I am the oldest of 5 children in my house, so I still get all the Santa excitement! I love that I'm the oldest, as it will go on the longest for me. Anyway, on Christmas Eve morning we open small presents from each other and friends. And then around mid-day we go out somewhere for dinner, usually McDonald's as my brothers always seem to be the one's to pick, lovely, not, but it's a little tradition we have so I don't mind really. Then when we come home I'll do the bunnies presents, not that they really take much notice! lol But it's nice to do.

Then in the evening around 7 we go to church, a little church that we only go to on Christmas and it's always such a nice service with carols and stuff, really nice. And then when we get home mum and I will prepare some of the next day's dinner, she does the turkey and I do the desserts. And mmm the smell of turkey cooking on Christmas Eve night I just love it! And then before bed my brothers and sisters and I will watch a Christmas film in front of the fire with hot chocolate! Also throughout the day does anyone use the santa tracker online with small kids? It's really nice to do, and when Santa is over Europe it's like look how close he is you better go to bed!

There is always someone who wakes up at about 4am, and wakes the rest of us! And mum and dad don't let us go downstairs until 7! Haha I just go back to sleep but some of them can't. Then when it's finally 7 we can go down, and then we spend the morning opening presents, looking at what each other got etc. Nothing like seeing the face of a small child on Christmas morning. Afterwards, when we finally get dressed some family will come and visit. Around 2 or 3 we have Christmas dinner yum yum! And the rest of the day is spend setting up toys! I always get lumbered with that! And just relaxing watching Christmas tv and eating turkey sandwiches, and boxing day is much the same!

 

[Michaela]

Becca wrote:

Gosh I cannot wait until Christmas :shock:

Is everyone set to start their advent calenders tomorrow?

Yes! I have a Lindt one and get a chocolate reindeer on the 1st! :clapping:

 

[Leaf]

mouse_chalk wrote:

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

I'm sure I will. Not early in the morning, but late afternnon for sure.

 

[JadeIcing]

Leaf wrote:

mouse_chalk wrote:

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

I'm sure I will. Not early in the morning, but late afternnon for sure.

I am sure I will. Honestly I am coming to hate the holidays. I just want to stay home.

 

[Becca]

I forgot to say about Christmas Eve :shock:

Our village church holds a little get together thing called 'A Christingle', it starts when it gets dark. Everyone walks to the church in the dark and we all sit down, we hear people speaking, the school band plays carols that we all sing to and then they have prepared oranges with a candle in, the orange has a red ribbon round it (can't remember what it stands for) but the orange stands for the earth, candle stands for light then there are 4 cocktail sticks out the side one with a jelly baby on representing people, 1 with a raisin representing fruit, then theres sometimes a peanut and anothe rasion or jelly baby.

They light the candles and everyone goes and gets one, then they turn off all the lights and we sing a final carol then everyone eats their jelly babies and raisins and starts to walk home, we all try and keep our candles alight as lnog as we can on the way back. Then we have dinner with the room lit with the candles only.

After that we are gonig to go and get Fluffball while we read 'The night before Christmas, or some other Christmas related story' then I get the Santa Tracker up on my laptop from Google Earth and we watch him visit other countries around the earth.

Before bed we put out a letter for Santa and leave Rudolph a carrot and Santa a Mince Pie and an alcholic drink

Then we try in vain go get to sleep which is very difficult!

Thats Christmas eve

Also, the time has come to get out my annual christmas hat. It is a Santa Hat that says Merry Christmas on it and has a bell on the end that jingles whenever I move and I wear it constantly from the start of December until days after Christmas - everyone can hear me coming becuase its so noisy :shock:

 

[irishbunny]

On Christmas eve my aunt usually visits and gives us presents, then when she's gone we usually change into our pyjamas that mynana gives us (a fluffy one every year) and watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. Usually the young uns go to bed then, me and my older sister stay up with my parents and watch christmas songs on the music channels on telly.

Then, I go to bed, which is the worst part of the day. I lie there awake all night, maybe getting 2 hours of light sleep. My bed always feels really horrible and hot. I'll have to remember to bring something to bed with me to keep me occupied, like a nintendo DS or something

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Ahh, I love Christmas eve! We have a family tradition that my mum and dad always get me, my brother and sister Christmas eve presents. This stems from when we were little so it is usually pajamas (as that would usually bribe us into going to bed.)

WhenI was younger me, my brother and sister used to share a room and then open our stockings together on Christmas morning. Although I really miss that tradition, one plus of being older means that I get to go out to a friend's Christmas eve party which is great as it really gets me in the christmassy spirit - although I always get in bed before midnight as I don't want to still be awake on Christmas day.

I also have to watch "A Muppets Christmas Carol" at some point on Christmas eve! I love that film - it brings out the big kid in me!

 

[Becca]

I used to have a little stocking in my room but then one Chritmas when I was little I opened all my presents and started eating the chocolate at 1 in the morning :shock: Santa never left my presents in my room after that

I like that idea of Christmas eve presents!

Hmmmm

 

[Becca]

The fact that Christmas is 25 days away and that we start our advent calenders tomorrow AND we put our tree up next week has just hit me and now I'm super excited OMG

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Oh my gosh - tomorrow it will be 16 days till I am 18.:shock: I am soooo excited!!:biggrin2:

 

[Elf Mommy]

Bunnys_rule63 wrote:

Oh my gosh - tomorrow it will be 16 days till I am 18.:shock: I am soooo excited!!:biggrin2:

You're only 17??? I never would have guessed that!

 

[Luv-bunniz]

Usually me and my brothers all wake up at about 5AM, sit innmy room and open stocking presents (left at the bottom of ours bed in guess what - a stocking! lol) then our mom and dad wake up usually from us laughing at someing (last year, my brother kept falling off the bed, the year before he couldnt open one of his presents and 2 yrs before that he couldnt find the light switch and tripped over every single little thing in the room) then they light the coal fire, make a cup of tea or hot chocolate, put on the x-mas lights and lets us in, then we take it in turns to un-wrap ournpresents, hopefully this year casper can join in since its his first xmas with us.

PS. Whos doing "RO TODAY" on x-mas day?!

 

[Becca]

I think Thursday is Jen's day!!

 

[pinksalamander]

I'll be doing RO Today on Christmas Day, If I can post! I'm having such difficulty recently. If I can I will try to plan something special. There probably won't be that much new news so I'll have to think of something else!

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[Becca]

pinksalamander wrote:

I'll be doing RO Today on Christmas Day, If I can post! I'm having such difficulty recently. If I can I will try to plan something special. There probably won't be that much new news so I'll have to think of something else!

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

I bet it will be super anyway