Xmas Morning Traditions

G

Gigahurtz

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The big day will be upon us soon and I wondered what xmas morning traditions you have in your house i.e. present opening, breakfast traditions, morning tipples & present opening order etc

In my parents house as children we had to sit at the top of the stairs at wait for our father to get up. No breakfast traditions and all presents opened in one go.

Having a second child now I feel we should have some xmas traditions.

What are yours?
 
Kids get up
Open stockings at top of stairs
Downstairs open presents
Play with kids
Wife makes me a breakfast and cuppa tea
Tidy up
Go to pub for 1 drink while she cracks on with dinner
Dinner, settee, bed

Boxing Day - football
 
Unlike when I was a boy my kids don't wake up at five and drag us downstairs. They will be up 7.00 ish though I expect.

They have sacks at the end of their beds and main presents get left under the tree by Santa. We will all gather in the living room with a cuppa and sit down to opening presets up. Christmas dinner is always prepared the night before so we have breakfast and then all get washed and dressed. Then it's time for a drink !

This year SWMBO has Christmas Day and Boxing Day off ( all 48 hours). Last year was the worse with SWMBO working Christmas Eve night through to 7.30 a.m. She didn't want to have a kip so was pretty knackered by the end of Christmas Day.
 
Christmas day traditions change as I get older.

Earlier today, us old timers had great fun taking grandsons to see Santa. Here's one excited boy on his way:

DSCN3002.jpg
 
I'm first up in our house about five ish drag the kids out of bed. do the present opening thing.
Toblerone and beer for breakfast Its christmas day so why not start early.
Play with the kids toys, bit more beer in moderation make dinner,then afternoon nap.
 
We always used to go to my nanny and grandpa's for Christmas until last year, when we went to my mum and dad's instead. In fact, last year was the first year my old man hadn't spent Christmas up there (he's 52).

None of us are particularly early risers, so it's a staggered arrival in the living room at around 10. Presents are done with everyone taking it in turns to open one-at-a-time, with the traditional Champagne and pork pie for breakfast. Everything's then tidied away fairly quickly before getting on with dinner and attempting to keep ma out of the kitchen. She never has really bothered to learn to cook, bless her, so it's in all our interests to keep her glass full of sherry in front of the fire for as long as prep-ing dinner'll take. Once the turkey's in, we all pile out for a moderate walk before eating at around 4 or 5. Once everything's cleaned and cleared, we'll settle down to the fire and tele, books, and presents for the night. With plenty of wine and leftovers.
 
We used always have our daughter and children and husband here (we only live a few miles apart), but now that they have five children and we have nowhere to put them all, last year we went over to their house.
Where-ever, for sure the first thing that happens is everyone opening their Christmas presents in the living room which are piled under and around the tree. With all the children involved this is somewhat chaotic, despite daughter trying to impose some order, and always ends up with the youngest being happier than the rest of us put together playing with a box and some wrapping paper.
After that, HWMOM hides in the kitchen and makes the lot, with a little help. He's not big into Christmas, so I think he prefers to do the chore than have to partake over and above watching the consumerist nightmare unfold, which he feels duty bound to do.
Other than that in the morning it's eat what you want - lots of goodies around obviously - but not so much that you're not hungry for dinner.
After dinner it's the search for something worth watching on the telly....or in last year's case putting together some flatpack furniture grandson had got as a pressie - desk to encourage studying for GCSEs.
 
Gigahurtz said:
Having a second child now I feel we should have some xmas traditions.

What are yours?
Click to expand...

We play the blanket game which involves putting all the tree presents under a sheet and taking it in turns to pull one out and see who it's for. They then get to open it. Just makes it more fun on Christmas morning for the kids as we've prepared the blanket the night before when they're in bed. It also stops things getting too chaotic as we always seem to have loads of presents to open.

This happens after breakfast. The boys open their stockings as soon as they get up, sat on our bed.

Oh and on Christmas Eve our tradition is to watch Muppets Christmas Carol and let the boys open one present each. There's probably more, and I haven't mentioned food, but that's something we do with the kids anyway.
 
Wake up whenever about 8ish usually after staggering home from the pub Xmas eve with my dad. Cup of tea, open the presents, more tea. English breakfast for lunch. Then ill drive over to the girlfriends for the afternoon/ evening meal.
 
Wake up, sort out fire, walk dog, home, shower and shave. Champagne and croissants for breakfast, then open the presents. Male family members then go down the road to a neighbour's at 12 who has a bar. Home in time for dinner, then a lazy afternoon and evening.
 
I mentioned earlier how our "traditions" change. An unwelcome new feature is far less TV being replaced with silent looking at personal computer devices. I recall last year walking in to the lounge when there would have been a lively chat about the action on top of the pops. There were seven laptops/tablets on the go in total silence. I wandered off to my study to read my latest Asterix book before nodding off. Some traditions never change.
 
Al H said:
Kids get up
Open stockings at top of stairs
Downstairs open presents
Play with kids
Wife makes me a breakfast and cuppa tea
Tidy up
Go to pub for 1 drink while she cracks on with dinner
Dinner, settee, bed

Boxing Day - football
Click to expand...

Exactly the same.
 
Glad to see a fellow muppets christmas carol fan, love the film. Blanket game sounds fun.

Pig Cat said:
Gigahurtz said:
Having a second child now I feel we should have some xmas traditions.

What are yours?
Click to expand...

We play the blanket game which involves putting all the tree presents under a sheet and taking it in turns to pull one out and see who it's for. They then get to open it. Just makes it more fun on Christmas morning for the kids as we've prepared the blanket the night before when they're in bed. It also stops things getting too chaotic as we always seem to have loads of presents to open.

This happens after breakfast. The boys open their stockings as soon as they get up, sat on our bed.

Oh and on Christmas Eve our tradition is to watch Muppets Christmas Carol and let the boys open one present each. There's probably more, and I haven't mentioned food, but that's something we do with the kids anyway.
Click to expand...
 
Fido you always make me smile.

Fido said:
I mentioned earlier how our "traditions" change. An unwelcome new feature is far less TV being replaced with silent looking at personal computer devices. I recall last year walking in to the lounge when there would have been a lively chat about the action on top of the pops. There were seven laptops/tablets on the go in total silence. I wandered off to my study to read my latest Asterix book before nodding off. Some traditions never change.
Click to expand...
 
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