Christmas day - new family tradition suggestions

Hi ladies

Firstly, yep I know the lovely PP has another thread about Christmas lunch - I have checked and hers is different in that she is catering for 20 people etc.

This will be the first year over the past decade that my DH and kiddies have not gone back to our hometown with all of our family for Christmas - Ballarat - 8 hour drive. I have decided to be realistic that this year it is too much for me to do with a relatively new bub - lugging my kids pressies around etc - and honestly when my DH gets there with his family for the week it's like he just sighs and sinks into the couch and I feel like I am running around doing all the stuff for kids and us in other peoples houses which is reeeeaaalllly hard.

Anyway, getting to the real issue LOL :lol:

So, we are home by ourselves for Christmas day. I have no idea what to do or cook. My kids don't mind a roast, so I am not fussed about a hot lunch - but we WILL have ham off the bone and I WILL make a plum pudding.

For those of you who have christmas with your immediate family or partner and kids, what do you do and serve for the day? Have you separated from the traditions you grew up with as a child to create your own?

I am tempted to do finger food for lunch and some salad and a turkey roll or something, but would love any other suggestions - I really feel like a novice!

My dad and his wife and my sister and her hubby and kids are coming up on boxing day so we will have a Christmas lunch on 28/12 and I will do the full bit then.

Thanks in advance!!

Sam

do what makes YOUR family happy. if you're happiest sitting on the floor having a picnic lunch while your older children get excited over their presents, do it!

my DH is very much a "traditional" kind of Christmas day - up at 6am, first (and ONLY) morning Crownie while cooking breakfast or putting lunch on if Christmas is at our house. then breakfast, presents, let the kids (my brothers kids) play with their new stuff, lunch, chill for a while to let it settle, and up to a friends for dinner (he is like DH's bro)

if we're going out, then it's a bit different. up, shower, into the car to my bro's place. brekkie and presents with him and his kids. if lunch is there, we keep chilling, if it's at my folks, we head around there. after lunch, if we're at bro's we chill while the kids play - if at the parents, we go back to bro's for a while, then home, and out for dinner

our biggest tradition as husband and wife is the fact we always stay up past midnight (even if it's only a minute) to wish each other a merry christmas. even if it's just us home, presents go under the tree.

after all that waffle - all i can say is make it perfect for your family. realistically speaking, your kids won't care what they eat. Santa has been, he's left them presents - that's the main bit. just enjoy your day, take food pressure off yourself, and be a happy family...


ooh, i almost forgot. until they "died" my DH had a pair of blue and white striped shorts he ONLY wore on Christmas day - and a mrs claus hat with the plaits on it. as you can imagine, i was devastated when they were too sick to be worn again...

Sam, well I am going back to my hometown - Ballarat - for Christmas :D (but it's only 1hr away for us).

Some things that we have started doing if we have Christmas at home are to have drinks in the morning while opening presents eg. champers for the adults, with a fruit & danish platter. We have named Christmas stockings that hang over the fireplace. Then we might go to the park after everyone is dressed and have a play.

For lunch DP often does a roast on the bbq and I do the veg in the oven and we will also have salads and crusty bread. I don't like pudding but will have ice-cream and custard instead.

We moved to Vic away from our families in Nov 2001. Over the last 7 years we have NEVER been back for Christmas Day (logistics, time etc) and have only had family over once (lots of reasons for that). Last year was our first Christmas with a little one but we have always done pretty similar stuff.

Breakfast is usually Bacon and Eggs.
Lunch is always entree of prawn ****tails followed by a roast pork with ham off the bone and turkey. Dessert is always apple pie with ice cream.
Dinner is whatever you feel like if you're even hungry.

Throughout the day we chilled together and go for a walk Christmas night to check out the lights.

Last year we started a new component to our tradition with the little one. Getting up and opening presents, DH trying to madly put together said presents and hope the toys are just as much fun without the batteries we inevitably forget to buy (:wall::doh:), me cooking lunch, us all having an afternoon nap.

Having said all that, we are hoping to do something a bit different this year. Still presents in the morning and a Christmas Lunch but perhaps a different menu. I'd like to have a picnic somewhere for lunch weather permitting but we will see...

We were hoping to go home this year but my roster doesn't allow it so hopefully IL's can come here. And we will still be going for our evening walk to check out the lights...

I love all this talk of Christmas! so much fun and good times!

We normally start off the morning with presents whilst sipping on a champagne or champers and OJ or just OJ for me this Xmas!! Then we have croissants for brekkie and then get our act together and shower and get out of our pj's. We normally have some xmas music on as well.

For lunch do what your family likes but if you dont want to spend the whole day in the kitchen slaving, it might be worth having some cold meats (esp as you are having big xmas lunch on boxing day) like a ham in the fridge, salads, breads, prawns.Then you can chill in the arvo with your fam.

Have a good one whatever you do! :)