How do YOU keep Christmas "not about the gifts?"

[leadfootlevi]

I'll admit, I'm not very good at this.

We open gifts first thing in the morning. We watch the parade. We cook. Maybe watch a Christmas movie or two. We don't have any traditions ON Christmas day. Most of our traditions are leading up to Christmas (baking cookies, Christmas Eve Church, advent calendar, adopt-a-family, reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas ) I think this year we'll add another volunteer "thing."

I feel like Christmas Day is all about the gifts though. We don't have family near, so it's not like we're spending our day any differently than most weekends (except the weekends are usually more hectic than a laid-back Christmas).

So, what do you do ON Christmas Day to make sure the spirit stays alive?

 

[DVCLiz]

I'll admit, I'm not very good at this.

We open gifts first thing in the morning. We watch the parade. We cook. Maybe watch a Christmas movie or two. We don't have any traditions ON Christmas day. Most of our traditions are leading up to Christmas (baking cookies, Christmas Eve Church, advent calendar, adopt-a-family, reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas ) I think this year we'll add another volunteer "thing."

I feel like Christmas Day is all about the gifts though. We don't have family near, so it's not like we're spending our day any differently than most weekends (except the weekends are usually more hectic than a laid-back Christmas).

So, what do you do ON Christmas Day to make sure the spirit stays alive?

I think all those things ARE "keeping the spirit alive." I love the traditions of my family's secular celebration.

We also have religious celebrations but I'm perfectly comfortable keeping the two separate. If you are a family who chooses to participate in the secular part of Christmas - the presents, the tree, the meals and movies and caroling, etc. - I don't see any reason why you can't have it all!

Find a church service on Christmas Day or help out in your communtiy if you think it makes Christmas better for you.

 

[luvsJack]

We always enjoy spending time playing the games the kids got for Christmas--at least one board game is always given as a gift for this very reason. A board game isn't "Christmassy" but it gives us something to do as a family.

Christmas night we go around looking at Christmas lights. A couple of big displays close that people can tour through are available that night.

 

[Justsyd2]

We do a bit of it all. We go to Christmas themed activities, we donate to international charities, we do the Angel Tree, we adopt a family for Christmas, and we buy each other lots of gifts, and get together with our families for Christmas. We also take a donation to the local Orphanage, and always give to the Salvation Army, and our local soup kitchen.

 

[DebMcDonald]

You mean it's not all about the gifts....


I try to have our time after the presents be about family time and just enjoying the time together, we have a big breakfast and then everyone gets dressed and then it's playing with toys, relaxing, dinner later followed by one of new videos and I'm normally crashed on the couch by 7.

 

[koolaidmoms]

I guess this is kind of about the gifts but we open things slowly and appreciate them. I have a DS (7) and DD (10) and we spend the entire Christmas day opening gifts. No they do not get an obscene amount but we open 1 or 2 gifts and then have a nice sit down breakfast. Then after cleaning up we open 1 or 2 more gifts.

They can play with their gift if it is a toy or read the book or watch the DVD and appreciate that gift. Then an hour or two later we may open another gift or two.

We do this all day long so that we are all enjoying our gifts and using them rather than just opening them and throwing them aside. Last year we opened the first gifts about 9 am and the last gifts around 7 pm. In all each child only gets about 10-12 things but they love spending the day with all of us watching movies, playing games or reading.

I can't wait to do this again this year!

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

We don't go overboard on gifts. Our Christmas Day is pretty low key and we love it. We open gifts, eat a yummy breakfast, play with gifts while we clean up a little. For the past 4 years, we go to a Chinese restaurant for an early dinner. My kids LOVE this and look forward to it each Christmas. Very laid back and we spend most of the day in our pj's. Works for us.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

We do gifts in the moring, then breakfast, then we go to grandmas for awile. Usally play a board game and roll in the snow.

 

[Fyrefly]

I think there is nothing wrong with secular traditions. Particularly if everyone is together and having fun. More than any individual *gift*, certain things have been happening since I was tiny and make the day feel special and Christmasy to me:

-My dad always plays his mix CD of all of his old Christmas albums. The Boston Pop's Christmas one is always first, and the fanfare before "Deck the Halls" is sort of the Christmas day trigger.
-My mom has a special french toast cranberry casserole we have for breakfast part way through opening gifts
-We always watch "A Christmas Story" in the afternoon
-The yearly game of "How many people got the same thing in a different color from Grandma?"

And we generally just enjoy each other's company and relax, quiet like. After the madness that is preparing for Christmas, why not take a breather on the actual day and just enjoy special time with your family?

 

[ah1126]

We have always read the Christmas Story from the Bible before we open any gifts. This gives us a reminder of why we are celebrating!!

 

[scribega]

One thing that we do at our house every year is my DW makes a birthday cake and we sing happy birthday to Jesus and blow out the candles.

 

[zoemurr]

open stockings right away, then make monkey bread and have a nice breakfast. Don't open gifts until 9 or 10am.

Then we get all dressed up and head over to a local assisted living home. (Kids are 9/11 but we have done it since they were babies). They walk around to all the tables and hand out chocolate. My DD gives out hugs (DS won't) and they visit and tell about their gifts and such.

We have had such wonderful feedback from the staff and residents, and we talk about how nice it is to visit with people that have no family to visit.

We're in and out in less than an hour and then we go home and play.

 

[JamesMom]

We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas day doing the whole nine yards of both secular and religious: advent candles & carols. We go to Christmas Eve family mass and put baby Jesus in his crib on the Nativity scene at home. Christmas morning is a gift free for all and I don't waste any time with guilt. We spend the day lounging around eating, playing and spending time as a family. We'll go to Mass on Sunday as usual and sing more beautiful carols and live out the 12 days of Christmas.

 

[PatMcDuck]

The last few years I try and pick up a fun Wii game. It is the only day of the year Mom and Dad play too. We always seem too busy on other days.

With the cousins, we now do the gift exchange thing, with $10-15 gifts. It is hilarious, and certainly not all about the gifts. We seem to get a random assortment of odd stuff (a pewter Effiel Tower anyone?), to boxes of chocolate (usually grabbed by several people as the game progresses), to useful stuff like umbrella, Star Wars light sabres, recent DVD release, etc. (this year I bought a few Tervis Tumblers to thrown in the heap, don't tell anyone!)

 

[Jennifer in MI]

I haven't read all the responses, but Advent is our religious celebration of Christmas. We have an Advent wreath and light a candle each night. We read a bible verse and sing a song. We read passages from a book each night that is very religious - Bartholomew's Passage (I think that's the name of it!). We buy gifts for families that cannot otherwise afford it. There's more. I just can't remember right now.

We attend Christmas Eve services as a family. We come home and have a simple dinner with a birthday cake for Jesus as our dessert. We open gifts that night that are meaningful - usually an ornament from mom and dad that has some significance for the year. We talk about why it was significant and put it on the tree. The kids go to bed. Then, we start the secular holiday. We stuff stockings!!!!

 

[Cdn Gal]

Christmas Eve- Midnight Mass
- deliver gifts anonymously to families in our community- we knock and then run like heck!!!

Christmas Day- fried bread- Native favourite with maple syrup and bacon- Canadian bacon that is!!
- watch the parade and I wish we were in Disney
- make dinner for family and friends that come over!

 

[IluvDonald!]

We do a variety of things!

We start at Thanksgiving by adopting a family who we provide Thanksgiving dinner for. We ring the bell for the Salvation Army and then we provide Christmas dinner and presents for our "adopted family."

We have a stuffed reindeer who "flies in" from the North Pole every Thanksgiving and every morning he's stuck or crashed into something else! (ceiling fan, stuck in dresser drawer, found in the fridge hugging the milk.....)

In our house we celebrate both Jesus' birth and the gift of giving.

 

[mom2t]

Our activities leading up to Christmas center around the reason for the season. We do no Christmas parties and focus on our family. A couple of years ago my parents consolidated from 2 houses (one a vacation home) to just one home around the end of November. We decided to buy only for the 5 kids in our family because our family was so busy helping them move during those weeks. It was the best Christmas to that point. We have continued it only buying for kids. We are more relaxed and enjoy the holiday more. We as adults are blessed and do not really need anything. We enjoy just being with our family for the day. Some years we have extended the holiday by traveling to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area to enjoy the Christmas decorations. This year our trip will be a little later the end of Jan. to stay at OKW for a week - a welcome belated Christmas gift.

 

[J3nn78]

We also have birthday cake and sing to Jesus. We have the cake for breakfast-which the kids get a kick out of eating cake for breakfast. We also keep our gift giving to a minimum so that it is not about the gifts.

 

[apnep]

I feel like Christmas Day is all about the gifts though. We don't have family near, so it's not like we're spending our day any differently than most weekends (except the weekends are usually more hectic than a laid-back Christmas).

So, what do you do ON Christmas Day to make sure the spirit stays alive?

I wanted to make sure my kids knew why we celebrate Christmas in the first place...we celebrate Advent and every night during Advent we light a candle before dinner, say a prayer, and try to remember each day to be more giving of ourselves to others in whatever way we can. Then on Christmas morning the last candle gets lit after the kids open their presents (cuz they are up early), they enjoy the day and their gifts, we go to mass, and spend the day with family.