How do you do YOUR Christmas?

[OceanPrincess]

I love Christmas. I love the time of year (days getting longer and warmer), I love shopping for presents, I love decorating the tree, I love how people get so nice and friendly (mostly!) and for me, Christ and the religious side is important too, and church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

DH and I generally spend one Christmas day with his folks and the next with mine.

With my folks we do the traditional roast dinner at around 2pm, then after dinner we'll try and catch some of our extended family. Usually on Boxing Day we drive down to our in laws beach house then and have a delayed Christmas dinner!

With my in laws, we head down to the beach house and do Christmas down there. This year, DH's auntie, uncle and cousins will all be there on Boxing Day so we are doing a massive celebration - it'll be the first time all six cousins and partners are together in about 5 years!

Instead of making the sisters (MIL and auntie) do all the cooking we are doing a tapas Christmas - bssically we all bring two finger food dishes and share!

And we're each bringing stuff for one ****tail too! Should be great fun!!

So how do you do YOUR Christmas???

What's important to you? Religious or not, I don't care! How do you spend your day? What traditions do you observe? Or do you do something completely different?

I'd love to hear!

[Beach Mama]

I love it too! Something about being on holidays, the warmth, being with family and just having fun!!! We generally do Christmas Day with my family and the IL's on Boxing Day but this year my sis and niece have to work on Christmas Day, so we will be doing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! We havne't had Christmas here as we have only been here for a year ont eh 6th December so we are putting our hand up to host this year! Can't wait to do everything but have to say a tapas sounds awesome!! We have done brunch in the past!
My BIL, SIL and nephew are going to be here from Canada too - first Christmas with them for quite a few years now so that is super exciting as well!! Squueeee you have me all excited now!

I want to take the kids to see some lights this year and maybe to a local carols night as well.

[Teeki]

Oh your Christmas sounds divine! I might hide myself in your car!

Ours are getting harder and harder. I only get the pubic holidays off work, so it's usually a bit tight. We travel 2 hours to my family, and 3 to DH's. We go to one for Christmas Eve then stay for lunch Christmas Day, then go to the other for Christmas dinner and Boxing Day. We decided we'd just alternate years that we do this, but they always fight over what day we go where, and it sucks. They all want us there for lunch, and if we not they're sulky at dinner.

Then there's the gifts. We buy for:
My Mum
My Dad
My brother
His girlfriend
My Papa
My Nana
DH's Mum
DH's Dad
DH's sister
Her boyfriend
DH's niece
DH's nephew

It really adds up, but no one will have a bar of a Kris Kringle type thing - everyone has to buy for everyone, which makes for a lot of wastage

Christmas used to be really important to me but it seems to have become about fighting for attention and gifts in our family

[~Lashes~]

df never had great christmas's growing up, & the only ones i realy remember as a kid always ended with mum fighting with her inlaws or my step dad id often spend the rest of the day at the river just for quiet! when i moved to my dads, it was a huge family do, every one (dads one of 12) even extended family would randomly show up to grandmas for lunch, dinner or both, so we still do that, and its great watching the kids run arround with there cousions. as for presents, we only buy for the kids, the kids get something small for the grandparents that make a effort to know them, df and i sometimes get each other something small. my family do kriss kringle (sp?) but it is optional. if we didnt have the kids, wed probably pop into grandmas say hi, and then it would be like a regular day, so its more a thing for the kids here!

[Mum2Romone]

our family usually spend the day at my mums for lunch with nana and pa and my brothers and their girlfriends then dad comes to ours for dinner as they have been divorced 12 years and he's still single lol

it makes it hard to fit everyone in but this year is different because we have just moved.... Five hours away so this year

We will be getting into the festive spirit as a little family, with decorations and lights and Christmas cookies and carols and walking the streets as it gets dark to look at the lights and show ds what christmas is really about.
We get a photo with Santa though last year we missed out as every time we tried ds would freak out.

His first Christmas he was 6 weeks old excellent picture with Santa. so hopefully we will be able to get one soon..... They are doing them FREE at our local big w , so that got me all excited the other day

pops forgot hubbies family. MIL usually comes up for the Christmas day with hubby though she is recently separated. They have attended Christmas at my mums for the last three years.... And FIL we don't really get along with, so cards there

We put up the tree as a family, and each yea buy a special decoration to add to our tree, it's our tradition.

The first year it was our star, ds picked
Then last year metros of tinsel
This year I'm sure he will pick a CAR or motorbike decoration if there is any lol

it's a great age for him, and we are going to stretch out the Christmas season as long as we can..... sooo excited already

now I need to get a jump on my Christmas shopping stat....

[Daydream Believer]

We always go to the Carols near mum's place, the first weekend of Dec. That's generally with my Aunty, Uncle & cousins. My mum & stepdad are on the fire trucks there so we see them too.

The Sunday before Christmas we go to my Aunty's place for the Santa tour, the local CFA bring round Santa on the fire truck. My mum & stepdad do this as well, so Santa normally stops for a drink at my Aunty's.

Christmas Eve we watch the carols on TV, DF's parents come round & sometimes a few friends drop i

Christmas morning we have breaky & the kids can open their stockings & DF & I open ours (If we have any, sometimes we buy something big close to Christmas so we don't actually get anything on Christmas)
Then for lunch we do something we my family, my mum & my aunty take it in turns having it at their houses. That generally turns into dinner as well.

Boxing Day, we spend as a family & the kids do their presents. People are welcome to come over but we don't go anywhere.

We generally go away from the 27th or 28th & come back after New Years.

The weekend after New years we do a Christmas thing with my extended-extended family (The ones we only see once a year) & all the people that were there Christmas Day

As far as presents go we are told to only buy for the kids, but if people don't have kids I like to get them something. I still get my mum & stepdad something, and usually have something small for the parents (there's not many of them) but I also try to hand make the gifts when I can.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Christmas as kids was always great, even though we didnt have very much money and we only got a few gifts each we didnt care it was the one day we spent as a family eating our chrissy lunch telling our mum how much we loved our pressies. Then when i met my DP i did chrissy at my mums first and then at his. His family are into the big loud crazy christmas's which are sometimes fun. Then my mum met her partner and she spent chrissy at his parents so it was me and his family. Then last year me and his family had a falling out and because i was horribly sick with morning sickness we didnt do anything, i actually dont even remember christmas as i was in bed all day. This year is another crazy loud big chrissy and i'm so glad as being Kaileys first christmas i want it to be special (even though she wont know whats going on) and its even more special as its DP's first christmas with his dad in 17 years so its very special.

This sounds weird but at christmas its as if the air smells different, the smell of the tree mixed with tinsel and christmas lunch/dinner cooking the smell of summer time mmmm they need to bottle that smell!!!

[OceanPrincess]

This sounds weird but at christmas its as if the air smells different, the smell of the tree mixed with tinsel and christmas lunch/dinner cooking the smell of summer time mmmm they need to bottle that smell!!!

I know exactly what you mean!!!

I am seeing strong themes of family, giving and love here! Love it!!

I think it was Kaytee who was saying about families fighting over their presence and sulking?? (On my phone, can't see... But I know exactly what you mean.

The part I didn't mention was that my mum sulks if we spend Christmas day with NOT her, so every second year she sulks! We've just had to put up with it lol!

Keep em coming...

[luna moth]

Because we live in different states to both of our families, we end up doing something different every year.

Last year Christmas lunch was me and DH eating Japanese curry at Nagano train station

Year before that it was his family's turn, we were at the ILs house, SIL was 39 weeks pg, and we had an enormous vegan gluten free feast, then slept it off in the garden.

This year, my mum will be up here, probably with my bro and sis, and we will just play it by ear. Probably a beachside picnic though, with a teeny tiny baby!

[OceanPrincess]

Oh and forgot to add for presents with the ILs and cousins we are doing a Russian Kris Kringle, which means we buy one present, to the value of $20 I think we are going. Can be anything, wine, choccies, something naughty, something practical, vouchers... Whatever!

Then we draw straws to start... And the first person pulls a present at random. They choose a person to go second... And the second person picks a present and then gets the option to swap with #1. If #2 wants to swap, #1 has to swap! No choice!

Then #3 can swap with either 2 or 1, but only once. And so on! So the last person gets the pick of everything!!!

Negotiation always encouraged

[ladybird11]

Wow - you're all so lucky to have so many family and rellies to spend Xmas and Boxing day with. I'll be by myself with my kids on Xmas and Boxing Day as DH will be working.

I just want to make the day a special day for the kids.

[toomanyshoes]

I've always loved Christmas.

As a kid it was always breakfast with my Auntie who hated everyone else, then lunch at my nan and pops (mum parents) with everyone (15ish adults, 10 kids) and then I went to dads to have dinner with him and his mum. Such a busy busy day but I loved every minute of it.

Now we have the kids, we use to spend it with DH's family but after xmas '08 we will never ever again (one of the most awful days of my life and they unforgivably hurt my children).

Last year mum came to our place and this year we're going to hers (unless I convince her to come here, which is what we're hoping for)

As for traditions, always spend the day before cooking treats for santa with the kids and we always dress up even if we're staying at home.

This year I bought one of my friends 2 children, my mum and her partner, DH, the kids and myself, thats it. Might send something to my eldest Auntie.

My best ever Christmas was '03, I wanted to go home and spend it with my family but we couldn't afford it. So mum and dad paid for DH, DS and I to go home as our present. Mum and her partner couldn't make it back but we spent the day with all of mums side of the family plus my dad and his mum. I've never seen my father happier, we were at my Aunties place in the country and it was a magical beautiful day. Our DS was the only little kid at the time, first grand/great grandchild for both families and he had a wonderful day. 3 months later I lost my dad, I'm truly forever thankful we got to spend Christmas at home with him.

I'm not religious at all but just because I don't believe in a god doesn't mean I can't be thankful for what I have and celebrate life and everything worth living for at Christmas, for me it's about our children and seeing them believe in something and have a truly magical day that helps them to believe anything is possible.

[SugarDust]

My family does Christmas twice.

We do Christmas with mums side the weekend before Christmas. This involves my Nan & Pop, Aunty D & Uncle M, Aunty S & Aunty J, Uncle G & Aunty V, Mum & Dad, Aunty A & Uncle G, Uncle L & Aunty G, Cousin C & Cousin K, Cousin S & Cousin K, Cousin R, Cousin E, Cousin M & Cousin B, Cousin G, Cousin H, Cousin K, Cousin D, Cousin J, My sis & partner, My bro and fiance, DF, Master J, Master M, Master L, Cousin J and partner and myself!!! So 38+ people for lunch. We buy presents for all that are under 18 which is 7 this year. The adults do

A Russian Kris Kringle, which means we buy one present, to the value of $20. Can be anything, wine, choccies, something naughty, something practical... Whatever!

Then we draw a number out of a bowl to see who goes 1st... And the first person pulls a present at random. Then #2 goes ... And the second person picks a present and then gets the option to swap with #1 or keep it. If #2 wants to swap, #1 has to swap! No choice!

Then #3 can swap with either 2 or 1, and so on and so on! So the last person gets the pick of everything!!!

We also drink lots! w always have a punch bowl made up and drink until it's tim e to go except for the designated driver!!!

At 1st we were all against this type of KK but it is so fun seeing what people get even if they don't want/need it!

On Christmas day we have my side over! we do the big lunch with left overs for dinner and drink heaps while the kids run riot and play with all there toys!

We won't be doing anything with DFs side this year because they have pretty much disowned him!

[Jaycee]

Wow - you're all so lucky to have so many family and rellies to spend Xmas and Boxing day with. I'll be by myself with my kids on Xmas and Boxing Day as DH will be working.

I just want to make the day a special day for the kids.

That really sucks hun. Will you be seeing your dad and brother? I hope you can make it really special for the munchkins

As for me, DH's family all live interstate so we're not able to see them for xmas.

Last xmas eve we took DS up to the Lobethal lights, it's a little village in the hills and the majority of houses do their houses up in lights, it's really beautiful. I'd like to do that again this year, or at least look at some more local lights as it makes for quite a late night on xmas eve. I also love watching the carols on the tv at home with my family.

We start the day at home opening our presents, just DH, DS and myself. I usually cook bacon and eggs for brekky. Then we head over to mum's for xmas lunch, which is the whole big roast dinner, it's so delicious. Then we either go home for a bit of an afternoon snooze or snooze at mum's for the afternoon lol. At dinner time we usually go up to DH's step father's house which is a good 1.5 hours away and catch up with them.

So a very busy day, but very enjoyable too! Next year our house will be finished and I'll be hosting our first xmas!

[briggsy's girl]

i have an ideal Christmas, and what we actually have lol

Ideal Christmas - decorate the house (starting soon) - lights, huge tree, deco's everywhere. Santa photo for DD if we can manage it.
depending on DD's fascination with the lights, we'll go and look at some of the places here in town (some people go all out with yards you're encouraged to go into, fake snow etc)
Christmas Eve we will be here at home. Sopdet is coming over late, Santa will visit, we may have some stuff to assemble out in the yard, so we'll chill once DD goes to bed
Get up Christmas morning and let DD have some of her presents - not sure if she'll get all of them at once
Lunch with my family at my brothers house. (mum, dad, aunt, us, bro's family) - everyone happy and sharing the work
we do a family KK for the adults - the kids are open slather for people to buy for
after lunch, we'll likely head to the town we've just moved from to catch up with DH's bestie for a few drinks and let DD run wild in their back yard to burn off some energy

Actual Christmas - all that - except for the "everyone happy and sharing the work" - my bro has become a selfish twit lately. last Christmas was our turn to host Christmas so we decided rather than put all expense/work on one family (we had a 7 month old!) we'd divide the work, and just heat and eat kinda thing. my bro paid for stuff, but did bugger all - he turned up at nearly 1 (lunch was being timed for 1) with COLD food and we had to microwave it rather than cooking in the oven as it should have been. he then took the bulk of the leftovers (WE were the ones with zero income at the time) because "we're going away with friends, we can feed everyone". i think for so long they were the only one with kidsthey gott used to everything revolving around them and hate it that DD is here now and pedople expect them to pull their heads out of their butts and be a bit fairer!