How do the Holidays work in your home?

[CliffFletcher]

Real tree from Scouts lot.

Christmas Eve: Dinner at our place. Family and close friends come over for drinks. Kids open one present.

Christmas Morning: Nobody opens anything until everyone is up (not a problem as my wife and I are early risers). Stockings are a free-for-all at that point. First coffee and Bailey's consumed. Then presents one at a time in a circle. Then wife-saver for breakfast.

Christmas Day: Dinner at parents or in-laws.

Boxing Day: Do a puzzle or something. Read. Eat leftovers and junk.

One thing which I've noticed has changed is you don't see Boxing Day parties anymore. When I was 18-28 or so I remember there were always Boxing Day open houses - it was a big drinking day. I never hear about them anymore.

[Buff]

Growing up we would exchange presents on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas Day I would open presents from Santa until I figured out what was up, which was when I was 6 and that stopped. I am an only child so my parents didn't have to wait for other kids to know what was up.

My wife's family would do all presents on Christmas eve.

Now, we take the kids to my parents on Christmas eve and exchange presents with my parents. Then we figure out which day my sister-in-law gets her daughter and we meet on that day (usually Christmas day or boxing day) and we exchange presents. For that we draw names. Also on that day we have a big huge Christmas dinner. 7 adults and 9 kids. One of my wife's sisters (and her family) stay with us that night... sometimes two.

Then just with my wife and kids we figure out which day works to do our own immediate family present exchange.

What we used to do was do the gift opening either on Christmas day or on a day that my sister-in-law got her daughter, but then we would go to my wife's aunt's house for a huge family Christmas dinner on Christmas day with my wife's entire family (aunts, uncles and cousins). There would be anywhere from 30-50 people. Now my wife's aunt is too old and the event it too stressful for her to host so we don't get to do that anymore, but it was awesome.

Then on New Years Day my parents have their huge feast and my grandpa and a couple of aunts (not actual aunts but close enough).

One time we had a New Years Eve party, mostly so friends of ours who had just moved here from Germany had something to do on New Year's Eve. It was such a hit that my wife's sisters assumed it was happening every year from that point on and planned it for us. We ended that after a couple of years because my brother-in-law thinks that we all need to get stupid drunk like we're 18, but then he wakes up the entire house at 7:00am because he can't sleep and nobody should be sleeping if he isn't.

Edit to add: We do a fake tree. I got tired of buying a 7' tree and making it 2.5' after I was finished getting it cut and level.


We're busy over the Christmas season.

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by Buff

Growing up we would exchange presents on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas Day I would open presents from Santa until I figured out what was up, which was when I was 6 and that stopped. I am an only child so my parents didn't have to wait for other kids to know what was up.

What do you mean "what was up?" Like how high is sleigh was in the air?

Why have I never heard about this wife-saver thing before, looks like a great idea.

[CaptainCrunch]

growing up, we would have the tree and the turkey and all the fixings, we'd have family and friends over for christmas eve and us kids could open one gift. then it was off to midnight mass. the next morning we would open the gifts. Us kids would play with our socks and underwear for hours, then the menfolks would start pounding back the whiskey at about 10. We'd eat at three and then my parents would start throwing people out at 5. My old man would stomp around cursing members of my moms family and since my dad had no family my mom would curse him.

Us kids would go outside and tobaggan into trees.

Nowdays, I turn off my cellphone on Christmas eve and open my first bottle of whiskey. Normally the next day there would be christmas dinner, but I think I want to avoid it this year. I don't decorate at all, and I only buy gifts for my nephews who live out of town and my folks.

[troutman]

I forgot to add - Mom makes us hold hands and sing Silent Night before we eat the turkey. And we have to wear those paper crowns from the Christmas Crackers.

[Weitz]

This year will be interesting.

Usually we would wake up and have breakfast and then open all presents and relax for the day with a turkey dinner.

But this year, my sister and brother won't be making it home and myself and the fiance will be travelling late christmas eve to see my parents and the 4 of us will do something.. Who knows what yet.

[V]

The kids open presents the weekend after Sinterklaas, December 5. There's lots of family and eating around Christmas, but no presents. No Christmas tree, but we have some lights strung around.

It always gets exciting when Zwarte Piet (the most racist Christmas mascot ever) shows up.

[calf]

Originally Posted by surferguy

These are good as we now have a one year old and Id like to start some of our own family traditions.

.

We are in the same boat. Everyone in my and my wife's immediate family is within a 20 minute drive.

XMas eve at the inlaws with anyone and everyone they can invite
Xmas morning will be at my place, my parents and siblings and their kids can pop by. Stockings get opened right away, then the main event after breakfast/brunch.
XMas evening at my parent's place with just their kids/grandkids for dinner.

Artificial tree - too many allergies in the families that are triggered by real trees.

[East Coast Flame]

Previously it was usually just my parents and I and we never really had any traditions or anything like that. Everything was pretty laid back.

This year I am going to my partners for Christmas and it is a complete opposite. She has a huge family and a ton of traditions. All day Christmas eve and Christmas is pretty much scheduled down to the hour with activities - should be an interesting change!

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

Now:
We traditionally get out of dodge and head for somewhere warm and go diving.
Secret santa thing with my sisters and their kids. I do a yearly calendar with pics I took from the year and send that on to all that want one.

As a kid:
Real Scotch Pine bought and put up. I hucked tinsel on the tree and tried to help my dad untangle the Xmas lights while he swore under his breath.

Chinese food from Lee's Choy Suey on Xmas eve.

I opened one gift Xmas Eve.

Xmas day we started with the Xmas socks and went on from there.

"wifesaver" breakfast/brunch supplemented with left over chinese food.

Played with your toys, went out into the snow, visited with friends, while mom and sisters madly got the turkey et al prepped.

I want one.

[surferguy]

Apparently I've thrown my wife under the bus. I just asked her again and it was only the stockings they were allowed to open before everybody was up. She agrees that all gifts open before parents woke up would make for a pretty crappy morning.

[Thor]

Our Yule is on the 24th at 6pm on the dot. We sit down for dinner, and then after putting away dishes and cleaning up everyone sits around the tree, usually real, everyone opens presents, one at a time, so its mostly just watching kids open gifts which is great.

After that usually cards, or something like that, stay up late and sleep in on the 25th.

25th usually involves going to close family or relatives for lunch and dinner, the traditional smoked ham is usually the meal so you tend to get it a lot over the holidays, which is fine by me its freakin delicious.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

Now:
We traditionally get out of dodge and head for somewhere warm and go diving.
Secret santa thing with my sisters and their kids. I do a yearly calendar with pics I took from the year and send that on to all that want one.

As a kid:
Real Scotch Pine bought and put up. I hucked tinsel on the tree and tried to help my dad untangle the Xmas lights while he swore under his breath.

Chinese food from Lee's Choy Suey on Xmas eve.

I opened one gift Xmas Eve.

Xmas day we started with the Xmas socks and went on from there.

"wifesaver" breakfast/brunch supplemented with left over chinese food.

Played with your toys, went out into the snow, visited with friends, while mom and sisters madly got the turkey et al prepped.

I made 3 different calendars on Saturday. So easy to do. The Wifesaver has been a tradition for as long as I can remember. The recipe sounds so wrong, but tastes so good.

[JonDuke]

Fun thread.

Growing up, we opened gifts before breakfast on Christmas morning, and never the night prior. I was always jealous of those who could.
We had a fireplace, so stockings were hung there and those were opened first. Then gifts from under the tree, then a family dinner at grandparents or hosted at home.

We have no fireplace now, so stockings are placed outside the kids bedroom doors. They're allowed to open those in the morning, but cant go downstairs until we're awake. Mostly because seeing their faces when they first see the presents under the tree is so magical to me.

I've never once had a fake tree. Refuse to do so. A real one, to me, is a huge part of Christmas. I even told my wife prior to marrying her that I'd never own a fake tree. It was a marriage prerequisite. Growing up, it was a mix of my Dad cutting down our own or getting one from a lot. Now, we usually get a permit and cut our own but this year has been busier than most, and it was way too cold to drag the kids out in the bush, so we went to the Loblaws City Market in Sage Hill and bought a Grand Fir. After a few years of Charlie Brown, see-through trees, it's nice to have a fuller looking one. We have 12.5 ceilings in the living room, so this years tree is shorter than the ones we cut on our own, but it still does the trick and the smell is what's most important to me anyway.

Our kids open one present every Christmas Eve. They're old enough now (7 & 5) to know it's the same thing every year (xmas jammies to wear that night). Then, we go 7/11 for Slurpees and then for a drive in the neighborhood next door to check out the lights. It was more fun when the PM lived there so we could drive down his street and play the "Let's see is we can get CSIS to follow us" game.

Christmas moring...Wife gets her coffee and the kids have breakfast. I do neither. Then the presents are opened. We usually attempt to video chat with family out East, but it's too chaotic and never lasts long.
Last year was my first without my father. I left the family after we opened gifts and took a solo drive to Banff to spread some ashes near Bow Falls. Visiting there on Christmas Day will be an ongoing tradition for me. The kids are too young to comprehend the meaning or importance to me, so I'll let them stay home with their new toys until they want to come. I secretly enjoy the alone time anyway to talk to my Dad after the hectic morning.

We have no family in Calgary so what I do miss most of all is having family over, or joining family for a big dinner during that time.

[RT14]

Fake tree but a nice big one that looks as real as I've seen.

Kids can open stockings until parents are up but I'm usually up very early Christmas morning cuz I still get excited to for it so kids don't need to wait long for presents. Make coffee and baileys for everyone and put on Boney M Christmas and designate one or two kids to hand out all the gifts. Then it's a free for all for the kids to open their gifts while the parents and grandparents watch the smiles grow from each present. Then the adults open theirs.

Coffee round two or three by now, wifesaver gets devoured and since I'm running on about 3 hours sleep, time for a nap while the kids play with all the new toys all day.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by RT14

Make coffee and baileys for everyone and put on Boney M Christmas and designate one or two kids to hand out all the gifts.

Boney M, Michael Bolton and Kenny G are mainstays in my parents house on Christmas Day. Somehow I haven't gone mad from hearing them so much.

P.S. Fake Tree. You're covering the real tree in a boatload of decorations anyway, why bother with the mess it makes? Real trees are best kept in the forest where they belong, rather than in a dumpster after a few weeks.

[V]

The Boney M. Christmas album is the best Christmas album.

[keratosis]

https://youtu.be/dS7-jcsB_WQ

[calf]

The Pentatonix and Michael Buble albums are part of my traditions, as soon as the Grey Cup is over.

Yeah, my. I like it.

[PaperBagger'14]

During the time my girlfriend and I have dated, the holidays have been insanely busy and have been the cause of fights. 4 sets of parents for the 2 of us, and instead of spending a nice night somewhere, we were running from place to place both the 24th and 25th. This year we said screw it and booked a vacation.

When I was a kid though, I was allowed to pick one present on Christmas Eve, the rest were opened after breakfast Christmas Day.