What’s your plan for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

[HeatherC]

We are going to my nieces house on Christmas Eve and then we will be hosting about 20 people on Christmas Day.

Will be exhausting, I’m sure. Christmas Eve will be an hour and a half drive each way and probably a late night. Normally we would stay home, but she just got married and moved into a new home this fall. In addition, my parents who are in their late 70’s are now close by and we want to celebrate with them every chance we get since the years go so fast.

I’m planning on making a brisket and turkey ahead of time along with a bunch of sides I can have in the crockpot and dessert. I told everyone else they can bring an appetizer to keep it simple.

What are your plans for the holiday?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Christmas Eve:

• Daughter works until 4:30. Rest of us will probably relax a bit. Do last minute things. Maybe do some food prep work for Christmas.
• Show up early at church for choir/bell choir practice before service.
• Attend service.
• Have dinner. Either lasagna at home or we will go to a fondue place.

Christmas Day:

• Open presents (in pajamas)
• Make brunch. "breakfast casserole", cantaloupe, apple walnut salad, some other stuff.
• Bring my parents over for brunch and presents then take my parents back home (they don't drive anymore)
• Cook dinner. Honestly we haven't figured out what yet.
• Have SIL's family over for dinner.
• Sleep until January 2nd.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our festivities start Friday. All 4 of our kids and our dil will be home. We'll get Chinese take out or head to a restaurant Friday. Saturday afternoon, we celebrate at Dh's dad an step mom's - dinner and gifts with them and dh's step brother,sister kids, and grand kids abt 20 people.

Sunday morning Mass with our kids. Go home, breakfast and 'Christmas morning' gifts with our 4 and dil. Then my family 20 plus people will be over for our local pro football team's game, dirty Santa, food and gift exchange.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be quiet this year. Ds and his wife will leave Xmas Eve morning to go to her family's activities. We will go to Christmas Mass, may go to the in law's for lunch and otherwise relax for Xmas Eve and Day. Maybe take in local light shows or a movie.

**We've backed up all our big celebrations to the weekend this year to help ds and his wife enjoy the holidays with both sides. Made no sense for ds and his wife to drive 2 hours each way over 3 days to celebrate on the given day.

 

[design_mom]

I'm not sure yet.

Christmas Eve:
We normally go to my mom and dad's for dinner (heavy apps and "party food") and gifts. We used to go to Christmas Eve Mass together, but my Dad always seems to get sick in crowds, so we have our own little service at home now.
My mom usually does the grocery shopping but my sister and I go over during the day and do most of the food prep.
My mom fell last month and broke her femur. She's doing pretty well recovery wise, but I'm not sure if any changes will need to be made to our normal plans to accommodate her. So far we've been concentrating on getting her home from Florida (where it happened) to Ohio. She couldn't travel for a month, so they just got home on Sunday.

Christmas Morning:
We usually get together for Christmas breakfast and watch the kids open their Santa gifts (my sister's family, mine, and my parents). My sister and I alternate hosting. It's my sister's year this year. We started that when the kids were little so the grandparents could watch the grandkids open. I have suggested doing our own thing several times (my kids have never had the "rush down and open your gifts" experience) but, surprisingly, it was the *kids* who objected to changing the tradition. I am not sure if we'll need to make any adjustments this year to accommodate mom's leg. She has trouble with stairs... my house has 2 steps up into it. My sister's has 5. My parents house has none, so we could potentially go back to their house... but it hasn't been discussed yet.

Christmas Afternoon:
We go to my inlaws for dinner/gifts.

 

[Klayfish]

The only family we have is DWs, and they're 800+ miles away. So it's just the 5 of us. Not really sure what our plans are. I know we ordered a pre-made dinner, so we don't have to cook. Beyond that, I think we're just going to relax, maybe rent a movie. Sleep in, eat and enjoy quiet time as a family. Bliss....

 

[Meriweather]

My year to host.....so the family (DS, DDIL, DD and 2 grand kids....and grand kitty) will be over early on Christmas Eve......dinner, etc.
Spend the night and stay for all of Christmas Day

 

[mrodgers]

Christmas Eve, instead of the kids coming to my place, the ex said her house is more festive if I want to go out there for the evening. We get along great now that we're divorced and do a lot together with the kids.

Christmas will be at my mother's. My brother doesn't have a car and I'm volunteered every holiday to drive down to the city and get him. It will be 5 hours of miserableness and my brother will spend the night. We'll have a good time Christmas night and the next day before I run him home. The 5 hours at my mother's though...... I'd rather be with the exwife.

 

[luvsJack]

Christmas Eve is always at Nanny’s (my mil). We don’t really do gifts anymore but we gather and eat and play games and have a nice time.

Christmas morning it will just be me and dh and a lazy morning. The kids will be here about 3/4 and we will have our Christmas then. Food, gifts and fun with the grand babies.

And we will do it all again in January when ods gets home.

 

[mamamary]

This year is up in the air. Every year my mother in NY has both days and we always visit at least two days. This year my elderly dog is not doing well at all so he can't travel. So we are working on a sitter for him for either the 24th or 25th. Hate to have to ask someone to come and let him out a few times but bro in law doesn't mind so we are finalizing with him today which day he would prefer and that's the day we'll visit my mom.

 

[ronandannette]

We’re travelling out of town to family on Boxing Day, but other than a couple of hours at church Christmas Eve we’re completely available if anybody is asking...

 

[mousefan73]

We are in Germany so for us presents are Christmas Eve.


Christmas Eve:

Going out for brunch with friends and all our kids
2pm : Village meets up; band plays, mayor gives speech, Glühwein/Glogg/mulled wine is served ( think Gilmore Girls town like)
3:30: go to SILs.. coffee, cake cookies.. I then run home "to check on things"( 2 min drive), actually put presents under tree ( kids are old enough to know what is happening but it's tradition now). We then open family presents at SIL

5pm: DH and I argue if we go to mass or not.. I say too stressful, I need to get dinner started, we argue and then either we go or not go... our mass is from 6-7pm kinda a damper on dinner and getting the evening started.

7:30 we are home or coming home... ohh and ahh the presents and tree. then we do dinner in front of the tree. either something easy.. Filet and salad, or raclette.

RULE is we eat first and then open gifts.
open gifts... and then I spend with the rest of the evening drinking red wine, dark cholocate, cheese and nuts.

Christmas Day.
Sleep in
Kids do stockings. ( As an American I had Santa stop by and do stockings)
noonish. our main Christmas meal. either at home or we go out. this year I am doing a venision roast with chocolate sauce. Prezel dumplings.

Christmas Day2 ( yes Xmas is officially 2 days of HOlidays, no work by us)
this year we are going to a China buffett at noon and then afternooon the public pool with hot springs and slides ( stores are closed but public pools/ movies open).

This is where boredom/ dreary weather hits and I fantasize each year of skipping christmas and lying on a beach some where.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We have lots of family around us, so we will actually be "Christmasing" for 4 days.

Saturday - 22nd - Brunch at my sisters with my mom, stepfather, sister, brother in law and will do presents.
Sunday - 23rd - Lunch at my dad/stepmoms house with them and my step siblings and will do presents. Dinner that night at my aunt's house with a small group of us from my mom's family who are the closest (mom is from a big family and not everyone gets invited to this get together
Monday - Christmas Eve - Lunch at my cousin's house with all of my mom's family (everyone gets invited to this). Dinner - DH and I will go out to eat before going to 8 PM service at church.
Tuesday - Christmas Day - Breakfast at home and presents. Lunch - DH's parents house with his brother and nieces. Dinner - My Aunt's house.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

My husband’s family has a huge Christmas Eve party. There is lots of food, lots of booze, lots of screaming kids running amok, and lots of yelling (NY “talking”?) We all love it though! Everyone really looks forward to it.

My husband works midnights so on Christmas Day the kids open their stockings while they wait for him to get home. Then we open gifts, have breakfast, relax, and eat dinner.

 

[soccerdad72]

Christmas Eve - brunch at our next door neighbor's house, church at 4pm and then dinner at our house with about 12 of us (including the neighbors). I cook prime rib and all the fixings for Christmas Eve. MIL stays the night.

Christmas Day - presents in the morning at some point (teenagers ), then breakfast casseroles we make ahead the night before for brunch. We have a small group that comes for Christmas dinner - turkey and stuffing is our traditional dinner for Christmas.

The 28th of Dec., we head to my parents' house for Christmas Part II with my siblings and niece and nephews. We'll spend a couple days there, then come home before New Years.

 

[easyas123]

Did tree decorating & our traditional Christmas Eve meal early this year, this past Sunday, with eldest son & his girlfriend. They are going to her folks place this Christmas. We decided about a week ago to head to Florida for a few days over the 23-26th, and we will catch up with my parents who are going to be stateside for a few days. From there we will head to Georgia where our youngest is stationed, and visit with him for a few days, before returning up North for a long, quiet New Years weekend. No plans for NYE, and I think we will enjoy a few days of doing nothing after a whirlwind week of travel.

 

[KPeterso]

Trying some new things this year, but will be a long few days...

12/23 (Sunday) - family party at my cousin's house that is about 1.5 hours away. Big family grab bag exchange. Always funny to see what is given in the grab bag.

12/24 (Christmas Eve) - just my parents and I. Will be doing a standing rib roast with some sides. Church if we get our act together. Day will be mostly relaxing and will probably still be wrapping and organizing gifts.

12/25 (Christmas) - Mom and I want to hit Disneyland for a few hours Christmas morning. Our passes are good during this time and we have never done this. Decided it would be fun since we have no family commitments on Christmas this year. And then we have a reservation at Benihana for dinner. Also something new to try for dinner this night. We were going to do that last year, but could not due to my Mom having her knee replacement too close to Christmas last year and being on lock down. Not telling the rest of the extended family in case they try to invite themselves! Although, I have our reservation --- they can try to get their own if they want.

12/26 (Wednesday) - Christmas with the family at my cousin's house that is about 15 minutes away.

And then back to work Thursday!

 

[bjscheel]

I'd like to do our immediate family gifts on Christmas Eve afternoon because it's about our only chance. Trying to talk DD20 into leaving work at Target at 11 as scheduled instead of asking to stay late for more holiday pay.

Because then we have the children's program at church at 6:00 and the carol service at 9:00. I play organ for both, and since church is 11 miles away, we'll probably stay in town at my parents in between rather than go home. Church again Christmas morning at 9:00 and then make tracks ASAP to DH's parents for the rest of the day.

 

[Hikergirl]

2 of my kids are working on Christmas Eve so I'll order pizza or Chinese for dinner, we'll watch a Christmas movie and they will open their 2 gifts the get every Christmas Eve.
Christmas day will be just as low key, we don't travel anywhere and have one visitor for sure, maybe a couple more.
Our busyness comes during the week. We travel to see family and try to get together friends who are in town seeing their families.
Before you know it the week is over.

 

[klacey1]

We decided to spend Christmas out of town, in Vegas. Christmas Eve we'll be dining at an Italian restaurant and having the feast of the seven fishes. Christmas Day we're checking out of one hotel and into our favorite resort, with a dinner at our absolute favorite steakhouse on the strip.

 

[RedAngie]

For the first time I won't be seeing younger daughter for the holidays. She lives in California with her father, graduated college in June, has a new job, but can't take time off for the holidays yet, and it was too late to arrange to visit her. ExH is still coming to visit his parents and other family members.

Saturday the 22nd is dinner at DH's sister's house. There will be plenty of his extended family present.
Sunday the 23rd is an afternoon get together at an aunt's. Plenty of my extended family.
Christmas Eve dinner at older daughter's home.
Christmas Day brunch here with older daughter and DH's son. Dinner at a cousin's house.

There may be another party or two on the weekend of the 29th and 30th. Plans not definite yet.