Christmas day............

Ruby Red · 12-21-2010, 03:32 PM

So how do you spend the BIG day? Do you get up and open all your pressies first of all, do you have a fancy breakfast? - what? Maybe you get up and start preparing the dinner [or do you do that the night before?] Who does all the cooking and what will you have for dinner?

OK, at mine, we get up and have our usual breakfast - mixed fruits and berries and natural yoghurt. We then take the dogs out for a good 2 hour walk. Once we get back from the walk, I go to Church and leave Graham to start the cooking. The night before I peel the spuds [potatoes], carrots and parsnips and prepare the sprouts for him. We don't eat meat, so we will have some type of fish with it - whatever looks good come Thursday morning when I do the main shop. Our starter this year will be half a red grapefruit with lots of sugar sprinkled over it and then grilled until the sugar melts. Desert is a very traditional Christmas pudding Christmas pudding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia with a rum sauce. After dinner, we open our pressies and at 3pm we listen to the Queens speech - a 10 minutes prog where the Queen talks about her year and about the country etc Royal Christmas Message - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Once the telly goes on it stays on really and we then spend the afternoon picking at chocolates and sweets and talking to friends and family on the phone.

Later on in the evening we might have a glass of mulled wine - seasoned red wine - Mulled wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and maybe a mince pie Mince pie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia with cream and that's it for us, day done.
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Doreen · 12-21-2010, 03:54 PM

We don't usually do anything for Christmas day anymore. Times have changed as the kids got older and out on their own. Now they have in-laws to tend to also, LOL. We all spend Christmas Eve here, starting around 5:30 PM. Eat dinner, then open gifts so the kiddies can go home early enough to go home and get ready for bed and Santa usually around 9 PM, which is late, but it's Christmas, LOL. Then I can relax.

I think I will make a meatloaf since it is hubby's fave. We will have leftover side dishes, so I won't have to worry about that. Leftover desserts too. Hubby may go down to his sister's to see his family. I think I will stay home with all 5 dogs, especially since my daughter has her lab puppy, even though he is bigger now, she is still a trouble maker yet (big chewer), maybe about 8 months old by now? And my daughter will be at her in laws.

I went down to my Sister in laws last year. After a long ride there, spending the day with all of her in laws, in laws... it's like being with strangers to me.... I'd rather be home where I can lay around with my shoes off in comfy clothes and not all dressed up, tight shoes sitting on a hard folding chair for hours, LOL. It's not like the old days when it was just our immediate family, but then she started inviting extended and beyond extended families... just got too out of hand for me.... just not like family anymore, more like going to a wedding, LOL.

I am tired by Christmas day, so I am happy to do nothing for Christmas... my Christmas gift, LOL.

purplelori · 12-21-2010, 04:07 PM

My sister-in-law and her husband do a big Christmas Eve do at their house and invite friends and family and friends of family---sort of an open house. Those who choose to can take part in a 'white elephant' gift exchange (well, really just a gift exchange) where you draw numbers and then pick either a new gift or one someone has already opened. It can get really crazy if there's a special one that everyone wants! It can change hands twice--the 3rd person to get it gets to keep it. They also have a TON of food.
We usually open our gifts either when we get home Christmas Eve, or after dinner on Christmas Day. Christmas day has gotten much quieter--I used to cook for the entire family (12-16 people), but in the past few years it has been just hubby and I, and my Mom and brother. This year (carnivores that we are) we are having prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, and what we call Layered Salad (lettuce, frozen peas, bacon, onions and cheese, with Best Foods Mayo sealing the lot--assembled in layers and then mixed up just before serving--a family favorite) and of course Mom's pumpkin pie. Then I will collapse in front of the TV, and Wally will no doubt be right next to me!

Erin251 · 12-21-2010, 06:24 PM

this year we will be getting up when little bran decides to. then go down stairs and empty out the stockings, Bo will be getting his bone first so he stays out of the way. then we will have a small breakfast, then presents. then relaxing, then an early dinner at hubbies family. then more relaxing....

this is how i want it to go but this will be brans first x-mas that he is actually aware of what going on, last year he was only one so he just wanted to play with the wrapping paper. and this is also Bo's first x-mas too.... so i guess we will see how it goes.

Spyglass Sally · 12-22-2010, 05:34 AM

We don't have a set pattern yet, but like others with grown kids & grandchildren, our schedule revolves around arrivals from out of state, co-coordinating with in-law get togethers and nap time for the little ones.

This year, our daughter's family will be coming into Michigan on Thurs, but staying for the first night with our son's family. Then we're all meeting up for breakfast Friday am in a private room at the Alpen Rose - a local favorite.

Our daughter's family will then be staying until Sunday with us. I'll make open faced crab sandwiches and sides for a later day meal and I'm not sure if our son's family will also be with us then or not but my guess is yes.

Christmas morning we're all going to our son's house this year to open presents and have a spread for lunch, which I'll be bringing some of. Afterward, they are going to in-laws in the afternoon in another city so it will be only our daughter's family back at our place for the rest of the weekend. I'll make some chili and other stuff so we can all just eat as we're hungry.

Sunday morning Mike & I will head out to church and I'm pretty sure our daughter's family will start packing up for their drive back to Ohio. Monday it's back to work for Mike, although our daughter and SIL are professors so they're on break (except for a two year old and being pregnant, lol!).

Wednesday Mike's off again so Tues night we're having our 7 year old grandson (on break from school) spend the night so we can spend the day Wed with him. Part of what we're giving him for Christmas is a gift card at Chuck E Cheese so I'm sure that will be part of the day's events.

Should be a fun week coming up!

CharliesServant · 12-22-2010, 07:19 AM

Well we will get up when her ladyship deems it time (she isnt an early riser), then open the pressies, have some breakfast. Get outselves all cleaned up and dressed, and then I start getting xmas dinner sorted. I have a friend coming over this year!

Other than that its just relaxing, enjoying each other company and having a laugh!

Doreen · 12-22-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

Then we're all meeting up for breakfast Friday am in a private room at the Alpen Rose - a local favorite.

Wednesday Mike's off again so Tues night we're having our 7 year old grandson (on break from school) spend the night so we can spend the day Wed with him. Part of what we're giving him for Christmas is a gift card at Chuck E Cheese so I'm sure that will be part of the day's events.

Should be a fun week coming up!

Looks like a beautiful restaurant! Enjoy!

I haven't been to Chuck E Cheese's in many many years since my kids were little!!! I know my grandson goes there for parties and has many leftover coins still waiting to be used, LOL. I've been noticing commercials on TV for it lately.

AussieGirl · 12-22-2010, 06:45 PM

Well my brother is driving up Christmas Eve, he is going to the fish markets before he comes and picking up some fresh prawns and oysters.
We will usually eat the seafood, ham, turkey and an assortment of sides for dinner and he will then wrestle with Rubes before crashing out on the lounge and DH and I will take the kids and Ruby for a walk around our suburb looking at the lights.
The kids would usually play out the front with the other kids until just after nine (we some how end up with thirty odd kids in our street every Christmas eve lol we just stand there trying to work out where they all came from lol) but this year they may end up in the pool till we drag them out and put them to bed, then grown ups stay up and have cheese and drinks, sometimes we get friends drop by who are holidaying in the area sometimes it's just us - we never really know untill they turn up though lol.
We usually get woken up at a ridiculous hour Christmas day by DS (put it this way I was still "merry" from the night before last year) and the kids tear open all their gifts (my brother is usually still asleep ha ha) we have a hot breakfast and when we start to feel hungry again we pull out all the left overs from the night before but follow it with plum pudding and custard and/or cream, fruit mince pies, a fruit platter and if the hour is "respectable" the boys will have some port.

Doreen · 12-23-2010, 04:31 PM

My brother just wrote me an email and said he had no plans for Christmas Day. He is going to my niece's for Christmas Eve. So I told him to come here and have meatloaf with us and he accepted. He usually goes to friends houses on holidays, so I didn't know he would be alone on Christmas Day. He also has someone that moved in with him when his wife passed away and needed help before and after hip surgery, so this guy is coming also, who by the way is a Boxer lover too. He used to have one, but no longer does. He was always interested in my stories of my 2 and looked at photos, so he will be happy to be here with them.... until he sees how crazy they are, LOL LOL LOL.... Plus I will have my daughters 3 dogs!!! They will be sorry they said they would like to come, LOL. It is going to be like a doggie day care play center. I guess I will have to put them in a gated off area since neither one of these guys are young chickens anymore... don't need either of them knocked over by crazy dogs playing tag!

Rhonda · 12-23-2010, 10:45 PM

Our Christmas will start tomorrow by going to Matt (my boyfriend) mom's house and exchange gift and have dinner, then we are off to his cousins house about an hour drive from where we live. We typically talk and catch up (this year we have a new baby which will be fun). During the mingling Matt's aunt makes the adults pomegranate martinis (the best I've ever had). We then go back to Matt's mom's house and stay the night.
Then Christmas morning we will have breakfast with his mom and step dad, then I need to go pick my son up from his dads ( every other year he gets to wake up with me Christmas morning). we will then open presents. This year will be a little different and I'm so excited about it. My mom and step dad will be coming to our house for dinner, we are having prime rib roast, mash potato's, green bean casserole, and a couple other things.
The day after Christmas my whole family will head over to my mom and step dads house, where my 2 nieces and my son will open their presents from "grandma and papa" we will have a brunch, then head back home to relax.