What do you do on Christmas day?

[RangerPooh]

We're not near family so we have a low key Christmas Eve at home. Christmas morning we're up by 5am. I feel spoiled if the kids let us sleep until 6! Then it's stockings followed by presents. At some point coffee is made. then breakfast. DH or I will spent the early afternoon cooking a big dinner to be eaten early. The kids play with their presents all day.

This year we'll be at WDW so things will be slightly different, but I know that Santa will still find us

 

[aristocatz]

We wake up when our kids wake up, stay in our jammies, run downstairs to see what Santa brought us, and open gifts, & play with our toys all day I usually make eggnog & coffee, quiche & bacon & cinnamon rolls. Light snacks & stocking treats during the day. Some years, we have a turkey dinner; other years we each pick one favorite meal. We watch classic Christmas cartoons & shows all day. I love Christmas!

 

[Poohforyou]

I'm amazed more people don't attend a Church service, especially given that the last figure I head said that one in three people identified themselves as "Christian".

The question was about Christmas Day. We attend church on Christmas eve.

 

[SueInBoston]

Thank you for starting this thread, as my family situation changed last year. I'm also looking for ideas on best way to split up holidays between two households. In the past our tradition was:

Christmas Eve: All presents are wrapped and house in order. I cooked a big prime rib dinner. After clean up, DD's friends (mostly Jewish or Asian) come over and make Christmas cookies. This tradition started when DD23 was a preschooler (it was quite a moment when I realized I no longer have to drive them home or when they have beer instead of milk with the cookies...lol). I go to midnight mass at 11pm (I'm not religious, but I really enjoy the peacefulness and music of midnight mass)

Christmas Day: Probably only day of the year where DS19 gets up early, I put on coffee, my Manheim Steamroller music, make Pillsbury cinnamon coffee rolls, put the breakfast casserole in the oven. Then we sit down and opens presents. After presents, we eat casserole, clean up and chill in the afternoon. In late afternoon or early evening, we go out for Christmas Day dinner, we've been going to the same restaurant for about 15 years, kids don't want to change, so we continue to go back.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm amazed more people don't attend a Church service, especially given that the last figure I head said that one in three people identified themselves as "Christian".

Well, we're Christian, but not Catholic. As Baptists, we don't have a Christmas Eve Mass. Our Christmas service is usually whatever Sunday is closest to Christmas Day - most of the time, the Sunday before. If Christmas Eve or Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, then we typically attend church that morning.

Many churches might schedule a special Christmas Eve candlelight service around 6ish or 7ish in the evening (especially if Christmas Eve falls on a Wednesday or Sunday), & I would LOVE to attend a Christmas Eve service. However, since both my parents & DH's parents schedule our family Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve, we can't attend both a Christmas Eve service AND our family celebrations unfortunately.

 

[indimom]

I'm amazed more people don't attend a Church service, especially given that the last figure I head said that one in three people identified themselves as "Christian".

Around here, churches tend to have a Christmas Eve service or Midnight Mass.
I love the Christmas Eve service at our church. It's the best part of Christmas for me. I hate when I've had to work and miss it, it just isn't Christmas without it.

 

[Domo]

Around here, churches tend to have a Christmas Eve service or Midnight Mass.
I love the Christmas Eve service at our church. It's the best part of Christmas for me. I hate when I've had to work and miss it, it just isn't Christmas without it.

I adore midnight mass. We used to go to the Christmas Day service, buy I quickly stood to prefer the late night mass. Our local church is quite liberal with the candles and incense and it's quite beautiful. I especially love the carols and the crib It's just a generally happy time to gather around and "offer one another a sign of peace"

Of course, you don't have to be religious to enjoy Christmas As Illuminations says, we all have our own individual story to tell Goodwill to all!

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

I adore midnight mass. We used to go to the Christmas Day service, buy I quickly stood to prefer the late night mass. Our local church is quite liberal with the candles and incense and it's quite beautiful. I especially love the carols and the crib It's just a generally happy time to gather around and "offer one another a sign of peace"

Of course, you don't have to be religious to enjoy Christmas As Illuminations says, we all have our own individual story to tell Goodwill to all!

Ah yes, it's been many years since I was forced to go to midnight mass but I do remember the smell of incense (gave me asthma) and alcohol (which thankfully doesn't).

 

[Domo]

Ah yes, it's been many years since I was forced to go to midnight mass but I do remember the smell of incense (gave me asthma) and alcohol (which thankfully doesn't).

Ach. No-one should be forced to go to Church. It ruins the point. I'd rather have a secular society than one that adheres to a religious story and yet doesn't believe in it.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Ach. No-one should be forced to go to Church. It ruins the point. I'd rather have a secular society than one that adheres to a religious story and yet doesn't believe in it.

I understand and respect people of religion, as long as it's not forced on me. Which it was as a child. In more ways than one.

 

[maxaroni]

Growing up, for me, was to get up early, open presents and play a bit. Hesad off to church for the latest morning Mass and then to my grandparents. I only had one living set of grandparents and they lived 10 minutes away. We continued that untl my grandmother was no longer able to have Christmas, by then I was an adult and married. When first married, DH & I split up the day if we could, depending upon who had it on his side.

When DS24 was born, only one set of living grandparents, 10 minutes away, so continued the tradition of how it was for me. When my mom passed 3.5 years ago, my dad wanted Christmas still at his house.

Not sure what is going to happen this year as my dad (nearly 82) just moved to FL....alone, no family there. That is for a different thread...lol. Anyway, DH can't get off Christmas week, not sure of DS. Most probably, it will be the 3 of us in a new

 

[Domo]

I understand and respect people of religion, as long as it's not forced on me. Which it was as a child. In more ways than one.

I'm sorry you had to go through that

Religion is meant to be something you discover on your own, not something rammed down your throat.

 

[belleatdisney]

We gave up trying to please everyone and satisfying no one (including ourselves). We started going to Disney at Christmas and I have to say coming out of the mountain on splash and seeing the mk all lit up brought tears to my eyes. We go every Christmas we can, if not keep it to just our little family, and do whatever we please.

 

[Pugsly]

DH and I have been married 5 years an don't really have any traditions. All of our children are grown. My step-daughter embraced her Jewish heritage, so we don't necessarily celebrate with her/her family.

What we do depends on whether we're visiting DH's family out of state (every other year). His family gets together on Christmas Eve for a huge potluck. There's not really a gift exchange. On Christmas Day, we just hang out with his sister/brother-n-law while their children go to their in-laws.

If we stay home, we celebrate with my family at some point - might be Christmas Day, might be some other day. Including my DS, my step-son and my parents. That basically consists of lots of snacking, eating a huge traditional meal, and opening gifts. Then watching football.

This year, not sure what we'll be doing and when. DH and I will need to pack since we leave for NYC on the 26th.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Christmas Eve is our big celebration time when we go out for a nice meal and open gifts.

Christmas morning when the kids were little we'd have cookies for breakfast (becuase everyone picked a type to bake for Santa and we ate the extras then) and their big "Santa" gift was set up, unwrapped under the tree. They'd play with those and go through stockings and mostly chill out and play all day.

Now that they're older, we usually travel over the holiday. Christmas morning we go through stockings and then head out somewhere fun---theme parks are top of the list. This year we'll be near Barcelona and plan to spend the day at Porto Ventura

 

[design_mom]

Christmas Eve is spent at my parents' and my sister's family is there too. We usually start off with a Christmas Eve Mass, then eat lots of yummy snack food and have a family gift exchange.

We spend Christmas morning with my parents and sister, too. It started when my son was the only grandchild. Everyone wanted to see him open his gifts, so everyone came over for breakfast then he opened his presents. (He was adopted as a toddler and was capable of unwrapping his own presents on his "first christmas" [with us].) When my niece was born my sister suggested switching off -- one year at her house, one year at mine. That's what we've done ever since. The kids take their (wrapped) Santa gifts to the house where we're opening.

My kids have never had a rush-downstairs-to-open-their-gifts/stay-in-your-jammies morning, which I kind of regret. I've asked my kids several times if they'd prefer for Christmas morning to be just the four of us... and the responses have been "what?! Why would we do that?!' so this is what they're used to and what Christmas means to them.

After everyone goes home, they have a few hours to play with their new toys (Okay, fewer "toys" these days but new stuff). Then we go to the in-laws for dinner and a get together with that side of the family. (My niece's birthday on that side of the family is Dec 22 and my MIL's is Dec 27, so we get together *lots* with them in December... but Christmas Day is pretty low key.)

 

[leebee]

I spend the entire day on Dec. 23 making sure everything is ready- presents wrapped, shopping done, etc. I'll stay up all night if I have to, but I want the running around done before the 24th. I spend Christmas eve day mostly relaxing, but I also make Christmas dessert (usually red velvet cake or cheesecake) and get the food in order for the next day. I also do Christmas Eve dinner- which is usually some form of seafood (we used to do the 7 Fishes, but now that it's just DH and me, that's too much). The last thing I do is put out cookies for Santa and throw together an overnight casserole for the next morning (if I didn't buy bagels). On Christmas day we get up, I'll turn on the coffee and put the casserole in the oven, and we do stockings and presents- sometimes breaking for breakfast, sometimes eating Christmas goodies and waiting. DD was never an early riser, so sometimes it's lunch time before the presents are opened and the mess straightened. I decided about 12 years ago that I was sick of spending Christmas in the kitchen, so I NEVER make a big Christmas dinner anymore. Instead, we graze on guacamole, chicken wings, nachos, leftovers from Christmas eve dinner, maybe smoked salmon or shrimp cocktail, chips and dips, etc. (often on paper plates so no clean up, either!). Fortunately most of this is easy to make, and easily made IN ADVANCE! We spend the day watching TV, movies, doing jigsaw puzzles, etc.

 

[Klayfish]

Of course, you don't have to be religious to enjoy Christmas

Exactly. As I posted earlier, I'm full blown Clark Griswold and go hog wild at Christmas. Yet I'm as hard core "atheist" as you'll ever see. I just love the holiday spirit.

 

[Tattylou]

Christmas Eve we usually get thai food with my parents and visit my 94 year old grandmother.
Christmas Day the kids wake up at the crack of dawn. We come down and see what Santa gave everyone. Then it is a free for all of opening toys and trying everything new out. Later in the afternoon we go to my parent's house with my aunts, uncles, cousins, my bff and her family - we have a huge meal, tons of desserts, plenty of drinks. It is a fun time- lots of laughing. Then we open all the presents for the kids from everyone and then we do a Yankee swap for the adults.

 

[aprilgail]

This year Christmas will be much different- my daughter is away at college and won't be home until a few days before Christmas so all things we usually do we won't be doing- I don't even think I am going to put up a tree this year- -just not Christmas to me without kids in the house, I would rather just skip it.