How do you do yours?

[bobsgirl]

Just wondered how everyone starts their Christmas Morning.
Do you run down stairs and rip open the presents, or do you take your time and all have turns to unwrap.

When I lived at home with my mum, we just opened parcels one after the other and never took much notice of what anyone else got. Find it quite sad now actually.

When I met my hubby and spent the first Christmas with his family, I was surprised that they sat down to their dinner at about 1pm, then took turns to open pressies before starting on pudding!!

But now, hubby comes down, gets camcorder, watches us all come down the stairs and one by one open pressies, taking turns. I find this a bit better as we all get to see the reaction of others and it is more loving.

Also do you just pick the pressies from under the tree or do you put it in piles? We do the seperate name piles so that it is easier to take turns.

So how do you do yours??

[paris]

Well Bobsgirl, first i feed and let my dogs out, put kettle on and wait for the others in the household to get up , then its opening prezzies !! We get dressed about 10ish and my day then starts prepearing the xmas dinner. We eat about 1pm then i again clean up from lunch then chill out for the rest of the day and people help themselfs to food from the kitchen. This year may be a little on the hectic side as i have 10 adults and my 2 grandsons staying on xmas eve ready for xmas day. Wonder if i get much help this year !!!! jan x

[changilass]

In our family no one is allowed to touch their pressies till EVERYONE is up, this has resulted in bags of frozen peas being put in bed with folks in the past.

We take turns at opening pressies, which santa has previously put in nice neat piles for each individual.

Then its time for gammon butties and champagne (or Asti in my case).

The timing of the main meal depends on what shift hubby is on, but he prefers boxing day, we have beef wellington - his favourite.

[Through]

Lie in bed as long as possible until the kids get up. Our two are kind to us as they don't get up anything like as early as I used to or suspect most do. Then it's mainly a matter of watching them opening presents and trying to remember what came from where to say thank you. Sometimes the camcorder gets an outing and sometimes it's a few stills.

[EDDIE]

When i was a young lad i couldnt sleep on xmas eve for the exitement and when santa has been we used to creep down the stairs at about 5am at latest and santa used to leave the presents in seperate piles and come lunchtime some of the presents were broken or the batteries went flat back then i had 2 brothers and a sister so santa used to leave one big present between us all.
And my grandad used to come across for xmas dinner and that for me is what xmas was all about having all the family over for dinner leaving no one sitting have xmas by themselves.

[badger]

Here's a picture of a really old-fashioned Christmas from my childhood. We opened our stockings first thing in bed - and they were stockings, not pillowcases. Then down for breakfast before going to church. Back home for a big traditional Christmas lunch with usually someone invited who would be on their own and the finger bowls had their annual outing. This was followed by the Queen's speech (and we all stood up for the National Anthem!). Then, and only then, did we start opening presents from under the tree with my mother busily keeping a list of who had what from whom. We didn't have many presents and they certainly weren't expensive but that didn't diminish our pleasure or excitement and knowing we couldn't touch anything under the tree until the right time just made it more fun.
Tradition :)

[wifie]

I love how everyone has different rituals on Christmas day. Our children have got into the habit of rushing downstairs to see what Santa has brought, opening this and then racing upstairs to our bedroom to show us what they have received. Hubs and I are usually awake but like to wait in bed for their arrival. We all have a bit of breakfast and the present opening begins (with me scribbling down who got what for the thank yous). Hubs usually does Christmas dinner (I love him) and I help. My daughter and I do the table and we all sit down for a big nosh. Now the wee ones are not so wee we all join in the washing up, etc and then it's time for a flop on the sofas watching TV or playing with pressies or reading books. A fab family day is had by all!

[lelebo]

I can't wait for Christmas .... we're going to my parents on Christmas Eve for dinner - everyone gets to open one present each on christmas eve - santa get a baileys and a mince pie and a carrot for rudolph. My little girl always has a new pair of christmas jammies. In the morning (this will be her fourth christmas) I go through and wake her and she takes her stocking through to us. Everyone hangs their stocking on the bedroom doorknob (hubby and I have one too.............of course) - we all open our stocking presents in bed then go through to the living room where Santa has left a pile of presents (always in santa wrapping paper) - my mum and dad then come round and santa leaves a present for them too - we have scrambled egg, smoked salmon and bucks fizz for breakfast - we then have turn about opening presents under the tree (I try to keep a note who from but it all gets a bit frantic)......then early afternoon everyone either arrives at ours for christmas dinner or we go off to theirs....love it - old christmas movies - loads of kids screaming and hitting each other with boxes - bliss!!

[porshiepoo]

We pretty much do it the way my family did when I was growing up.

Hubby has usually made sure that the fire is kept in all night and so is roaring in the morning when we get up.
We ALL get a stocking to open in bed, and like badger we use traditional stockings, then we'll all get up, put xmas songs on and then hubby hands out the pressies one at a time. We don't put the pressies in any order but he tries to give us all one at a time and then we'll all open each one but we don't hang around taking it in turns.
Dinner is usually around 1pm and tea about 5 or 6pm. Once we've had tea and tidied up there'll be one more pressie to unwrap for each of us (this pressie is put on the tree when it first goes up - although they aren't on there yet this year. Eek!).

During the day it's usually a case of listening to every cd given or watching every DVD given, pigging out and belching. :lol:

[emszxr]

this is my oldest's 3rd christmas and my youngest's 1st. christmas is so much better once you have kids, imo.
we tend to get up , which aint too early as oldest aint really into christmas yet, which is good on the bank balance. the presents from sants will be sat on the floor, then we will sit round the tree and i will usually hand out the presents. i keep a list of what the kids get from who so i write thank you's later.
then once i have stuffed my self with chocolate i will then get myself and kids dressed. then think about making dinner which we have about 3pm ish. i tend to prepare it all day before so just a case of cooking it.
this year we have my dad and partner, my brother and my sister and law and her partner, so it be busy.

[danc1ngwitch]

i wake afore the children i scream outta me that santa has come and beat em to the pressies... then i clean up all the papers and relax wea the smell of cooking and the mess well hell you canna have so many kids wea out mess lol

[cuddlepop]

I prefer christmas morning when the kids were wee.There now all teenagers and get up when they feel like it,usually with a hangover:( .
Pressie's are under the tree,including one each for the dogs.They've both got flashy collers which apparently are embarasing.These are opened and then breakfast is seved.
Yougest has offered to help with the dinner this year hope she remember's she's not at work so cant boss us about.:lol:
Dinner should be for 3pm ish and then its a walk with the dogs hopefully in the snow which they love.

[mums angels]

Usually day starts with hubby being really excited lying in bed waiting for the kids to get up, eventually if there not up by 7 he can't wait and goes and wakes them up, then its rush downstairs... 5 sec pause as they take in the sight of all the pressies and the crumbs Santa left after eating his pie...then they all dive into santa pressies and i go and start breakie...usually a fry up. After Santa pressies and a break they then they take turns with opening the pressies under the tree, enjoying reading each tag to see which one belongs to who. Meanwhile Hubby is usually struggling to get everything out of the packaging for them. I start dinner and we usually eat Christmas dinner with my folks around 1pm. rest of the day is usually us all sitting around playing with the new toys.

Unfortunatly Hubby and my folks won't be here this year for xmas so I won't have to do the fry up and sadly will have to fight with the packaging myself..:(. Other than that the rest of the day will go much the same , the kids will just have to be a little more patient for things to be opened and with any luck without hubby to wake them up i'll get a wee sleep in :roll:

[squidge]

When the kids were little i told them that santa was magic and so were their presents and that if they got up and looked at them before it was daylight then the presents would disappear so i never was woken too early. We ll get up about 9, open presents and then have dinner about 3. Fab day

[northener]

Get up fairly early, lazy breakfast, go for a walk on the beach (usually to clear the head), go back to a nice quiet house crank the coal fire up and then chill out for the rest of the day.

Ah, the joys of having all your family on Shetland or in Yorkshire!

[obiron]

boys wake up get changed, then hubby puts coal on the fire and kettle on. watch boys opening their presents then its the oor wullie/broons till its time to make the dinner. then its waiting patiently, me and the youngest till dr who starts. ah the excitement

[Ricco]

I get up at about 6.00am and prep the veg and turkey. Then I have a cup of tea and some toast. Later we usually have some smoked salmon on bagels or something. Start the oven and get the bird in, etc.

This year, well - up at 7.00ish. Travel all the way over to Crawley to sister-in-law, prep the veg and the turkey. Breakfast on whatever I'm given. Say 'Hi!' to the nieces, etc. :eek:

[airdlass]

This year will be very laid back and chilled - just my daughter and myself so we'll eat whenever she surfaces and can face some food. No doubt have a few Baileys to pass the time.:D

[Lolabelle]

We have no kids living with us so we get up when my sister rings at around five am and then we go to her place for a breakfast of coffee and lollies. The Dave, Gina and Shaun (sister and brother in law) all wait and wait and wait for the kids to wake up.Shaun won't let us wake them up! So we bang and clang and try to wake them discretely;)

Then they open the pressies and we all eat lollies and watch. Then we go to whoever's place the lunch is that day, and have a lovely baked dinner in 40 degree heat, get under the hose or in a pool then everyone lays in the shade for a snooze, then we have leftovers and cake for tea. 6 gazillion calories later we roll home and sleep and then go to the beach on boxing day and get burnt to a frazzle and spend rest of week till new year recovering from sun stroke. [lol]

[The Pepsi Challenge]

... like Billy Idol, usually check out of hospital.