Christmas Traditions

alfriedeck

I know a lot has been mentions but was hoping to get them all on one thread.

What are your family Christmas traditions

We have rattle boxes that we get to open on Christmas eve.  this is the only present that you can pick up.  If you can guess what is in the box you get to pick another present to open.  I only got it correct once. And we watch the cartoon versions of Rudolf and how the Grinch stole christmas

Christmas morning we have homemade cinnamon rolls from my Great Great Grandmothers recipe (I make them so much better then the hockey pucks my mother used to make) then open presents.  We have a big meal around midday with Family. 

Anyone do the elf on the shelf? DH thinks its creepy...But I kind of want to do it once she is older

SurpriseAt39

Christmas Eve at Home. DH works until 5 or 6pm. We have dinner then chill watching Rudolph or some other Christmas movie.
Christmas morning we open stockings then fancy breakfast (may be less fancy this year). Then open what's under our tree.
Afternoon we go to IL's house for dinner.
Boxing Day (Dec 26) we visit my family 2+ hours away (if the weather is good it's just over 2 hours), visit my grandparents' graves (if we can get into the cemetery). Stay the night in a hotel then come home on the 27th.
Chill on the 28th then DH returns to work.

myfriendscallmemeg

My SIL hosts a Christmas Eve dinner & has THE BEST prime rib. There's also a family Christmas party on MH's side where we exchange family gifts & Santa comes & brings a gift for all the grand kids. I'm SO excited to get a picture of Holland with Santa this year!

mfarmer0811

I'm so excited to start Christmas traditions this year with DS! First, on Christmas Eve we will go to DH's grandparents house for a dinner and exchanging of gifts. Sometimes we go to the candle light service at church, but not sure if we will make it this year or not. Then after we get home, DS will open his Christmas Eve present, which will be pajamas. When he's older, I'd like to have a box with a movie and hot chocolate, popcorn, etc. 

On Christmas morning, we will get up, start the coffee and I'll put in a breakfast casserole I prepare on Christmas Eve. While the casserole is baking, we will open stockings and gifts under the tree. We will spend the rest of the day "playing with new toys" watching movies and napping! 

When he's older, there will only be stockings and one gift from Santa, and the rest will be from us! I really want to incorporate the Something to read, something to wear; something he needs and something he wants. 

angelsnight

Since my grandparents passed MH and I have hosted my family for christmas eve.  We usually do a non-traditional type dinner (one year we did fajitas, last year was a burger bar) and we exchange presents.  Not sure what we're doing this year tho since SIL and I are feuding a bit.  Her and brother wanted to start trading off hosting xmas eve, which I was fine with.  But I asked if we could still do it this year since LOs bedtime is right about when everything starts.  But then I found out they are hosting her family every xmas day...so I don't want to give up the only holiday we host (and chance for LO to have holidays at home) every other year since they do still get a holiday to host. 

Anyway, this year we will start the christmas eve box (jammies, movie, popcorn, candy, etc).  Of course she won't really know what's going on and the movie and food will be consumed by MH and I, but I want to start it this year.  Xmas day we get up and exchange presents and we usually cook something yummy for breakfast.  Then in the afternoon we go to my MIL and FILs for dinner and MH's sister and her family are there as well.

alfriedeck

Does anyone do or are thinking about the elf on the shelf?

linzerd

When I was a kid we would get up and we would all open our stockings on my parent's bed and then head to the living room to open presents. My mom would make pillsbury Orange sweet rolls (still does for every holiday). Then we would head to my dad's parents house for lunch and presents then to my mom's parents house for dinner and presents.

Since MH and I have been together we go to MIL's Xmas eve, eat Chinese and do presents over there w/MIL, SIL and her fam, then Xmas morning we do our own thing, then head downstairs to my parent's place. I always make this heady Paula Deen quiche for b-fast that is so delicious! Then we have some time to relax in the afternoon before heading out to FIL's aunt's house for dinner and gifts there.  This year no one wants to exchange gifts over there and only wants to buy things for LO.  Also, this year we are probably adding FIL and step-MIL coming over the day after Xmas so they can do presents with LO.  It's way too hectic to add them in on Xmas day.  We used to do that and they would come over in the afternoon but since she has had grandkids, they go to her daughter's house then meet us at the aunt's house. It's better that way anyway, I can't deal with all the running around, plus them coming to our house and looking at the mess with their judgey eyes.

I'm also psyched that my mom just told me that we get my grandmother for all holidays now!  She is 96 and remarried and they used to switch off, but her H has alzheimer's and his kids are pretty asshole-ish when it comes to hosting him for holidays.  So I guess my Oma told them that she is going to be with her family for all holidays going forward.  Heck YEAH!  Love that little lady.  She's the cutest human on the planet. Hands down :x

kimberpoo

I agree that elf on the shelf is creepy. Honestly, if I had more time and LO was old enough to understand we might do it....just because DH is such a jokester and I'm sure he would come up with some really funny things for the elf to be doing.

for our xmas, we spend Christmas eve with both of our families at DH's grandmother's house (we've been together since high school and my family is so tiny it made sense to combine). we eat a huge meal. they used to wait until midnight to open presents with all the extended family, but we've been doing it a bit earlier each year. it's sweet, everyone sits in this huge circle and everyone goes around and opens just one at a time. mostly just the kids get stuff, but the adults have one or two things too. after that, we go to DH's mom's house and open lots of presents with our immediate families. we do stockings and the works! goes pretty late into the night and it is so fun! we drive home, sleep in on Christmas, then go back to MIL's house for a huge family dinner Christmas afternoon.

Now that we have LO, we will keep doing the above but we will start our own present-opening-with-lo on Christmas morning. for these first few years I'll put LO to bed while the rest of us open presents...good thing both yiayia and mil have pack-n-plays at their houses for him to sleep in. I'll bring the baby monitor so I can try and block some noise from family with the doors closed and putting him in a room upstairs.

talee1989

mfarmer0811 said:

I'm so excited to start Christmas traditions this year with DS! First, on Christmas Eve we will go to DH's grandparents house for a dinner and exchanging of gifts. Sometimes we go to the candle light service at church, but not sure if we will make it this year or not. Then after we get home, DS will open his Christmas Eve present, which will be pajamas. When he's older, I'd like to have a box with a movie and hot chocolate, popcorn, etc. 

On Christmas morning, we will get up, start the coffee and I'll put in a breakfast casserole I prepare on Christmas Eve. While the casserole is baking, we will open stockings and gifts under the tree. We will spend the rest of the day "playing with new toys" watching movies and napping! 

When he's older, there will only be stockings and one gift from Santa, and the rest will be from us! I really want to incorporate the Something to read, something to wear; something he needs and something he wants. 

I just did my boys Xmax eve boxes today! For DS1(3) I did Jammie's, movie popcorn and a matchbox car for LO I put in jammies, a baby snack box and a sippy cup. This is my first year doing this and I am excited to start the tradition!