What are your Christmas Day traditions?

[AimeeM]

Until these past two Christmases, we'd typically spent xmas in my husband's home state with FIL, until he passed. We're really struggling to create any new, meaningful traditions here at home, because the days leading up to, the day of, and the days following at FIL's were just filled with this lovely flow of friends, family, food, and quiet traditions. Here, we have no extended family.

 

We DO host a traditional Seven Fishes Dinner on Christmas Eve (this year was the second year). This year it was lovely -- all our friends and our one semi-local family member came, and the house was filled to bust with laughter and food. It was different than being at Dad's, but it was very nice and a tradition we plan to keep. Every year we add to my Christmas village, and that's a nice tradition, but is really only decorating.

 

But Christmas Day? It's really little more than opening gifts. The kids are up so late the night before, with the party going on around them, and so exhausted by the end of it that we can't even fit in reading The Night Before Christmas any more. It's kind of depressing. 

 

It's entirely possible that traditions will make themselves and we just need more time getting used to a "normal" that doesn't involve FIL directly, but I thought I'd ask. I miss the Philly holidays something awful this year.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Once the kids were old enough, maybe the last six years, we go to a late afternoon movie. It kills that award time of day. So brunch, presents, shower, movie, picking at dinnerish foods, maybe a game and bed. Our Christmas Eve is always church followed by Charlie Brown then night sledding or a walk. These have developed during these post Santa years.

 

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[Pippen]

I grew up having Christmas Eve at an aunt and uncle's home that was much like you described at FIL's--a steady flow of food and friends. Because of the distance, my own kids have grown up with a quiet Christmas Eve with church, our traditional foods, and a movie when the kids were small. Christmas Day we do gifts at home and have dinner at my in-laws. Ours is a small family so not a lot of people--a very quiet celebration. Small traditions I started throughout the years and thought might stick wound up changing as the kids outgrew them. I always had this nagging feeling I'd be robbing them rich traditions, but it's turned out fine at the other end. 

 

My kids are all young adults now, and what's important to them is spending time at home around the holidays, enjoying foods they grew up with an associate with Christmas, finding good quality chocolate in their stockings, sitting in front of the tree, enjoying a movie together, maybe going out for breakfast the next day. And whenever my three are together they are sure to head out some night to Taco Bell.  :auto:   We just stay flexible.

[scholastica]

We spend Christmas Eve with my dh’s side of the family. We either attend Midnight Mass after that or 8:00 a.m. Mass. Either way, we have brunch. I cook while the kids open their stockings in the kitchen. If food isn’t ready, they will exchange their Secret Santa gifts with each other. Then we eat. Next we open the gifts under the tree. Everybody takes a breather and does whatever they want for a while and then we open the gifts from my side of the family. (We live far from them.) I make dinner. The past two years we’ve had build-your-own calzones and a salad. We usually watch a movie after dinner. It’s really quite nice to be able to spend the day with just each other.

[ScoutTN]

Christmas Day is just relaxing at home, enjoying and playing with gifts, and having a nice meal. (Usually beef tenderloin or standing rib roast.) It is not the high energy day that Christmas Eve is and we are ok with that. It is the slide into the week after Christmas, which is our most leisurely of the year. 

 

My mom spends the afternoon and eats dinner with us. 

We often watch movies in the evening. This year, the kids chose a LOTR marathon for Christmas Day and the the 26th. 

If the weather is nice, we go for a walk through the woods at a nearby park. 

Sometimes we play a new board game or work a puzzle. 

Sometimes we have neighbors over for cookies, eggnog and cider in the evening.

Sometimes we make a special dessert or cookies that we didn't get around to earlier in the season. 

 

We often close out the day with singing some Christmas hymns/carols. Or with Dh and dd just playing them on the piano. Restful.   

[happi duck]

Christmas morning:

Our breakfast tradition

Open gifts

Meet up with another family for an outdoor activity (some surprising things are open and sometimes free)

Simple meal

Christmas movie or visiting (depends on whether or not we have guests)

[LifeLovePassion]

Christmas Eve we go to church and cook something relatively easy. Sometimes the in laws will join us. (We do our family celebrations the weekend before spreads things out more for the girls, one who would get overwhelmed if we tried to pack it all in couple of days). We stay in pajamas all day Christmas. Food is easy, the girls get sugar cereal (a rare treat) so that is often breakfast. I made gluten free monkey bread this year too. Other food is easy and more like appetizer/munchie stuff. We play games and watch movies. It is lovely.