Your Christmas Morning Traditions

[marillion]

This year, due to travel on Christmas, our gift-sharing will actually take place on Christmas Eve morning. I usually sleep in whilst the child-folk go through their stockings. My wife and I will stumble out of bed, let the dogs out and keep the kids waiting as long as humanly possible.. I may even pop out to starbucks for a coffee.

Then we'll open presents, clear away the debris, make some breaky and take naps. I'll probably head to the gym for a workout and then maybe take in a movie with the fam.. This year will likely be Tron, if we can wait that long to see it.

Then on Christmas itself, we'll be on the road to Roswell for second-Christmas with the inlaws.

 

[Jetfire]

Drink myself blind!

 

[trampledamage]

I wake up, grumble about the early hours, drink the blood of virgins, drop-kick a puppy and go back to bed.

Well, that's nice and festive


Because little miss trampledamage is a much earlier riser than everyone else, I started having little "Santa presents" separate from the main batch of family presents, so she can open those straightaway, same for young master trampledamage when he gets up.

I do try and get us out for a walk between breakfast and lunch, but that depends on the weather.

Other than that, the day goes how it goes.

 

[Franklin]

What happened last year has been pretty typical:

-- 5:30 AM: Wake up hungover from bourbon needed night before to get through evening with relatives. Take two aspirin, a couple of Tums, and hope to God I can go back to sleep for two or three more hours.
-- 5:45 AM: Daughters are up. They're loud. "Santa's been here!" they shout. Must get up.
-- 6:00 AM: Out of bathroom after communing with porcelain god. Daughters already opened presents. "Daddy's not feeling well," Mom explains. I grumble passed them to the kitchen.
-- 6:01 AM: Wife put on Christmas music. Burl Ives singing "Holly Jolly Christmas." Too loud.
-- 6:02 AM: "Merry Christmas, Daddy," shouts one of my daughters.
-- 6:10 AM: I answer back.

(By now, it's getting light. Oh, joy. Watching the sunrise on a holiday. Just like getting up for work.)

-- 6:15 AM: I drink my first of six cups of coffee.
-- 6:20 AM: Both daughters look at their bounty and in unison cry, "Is that all?"
-- 6:25 AM: The first toy is broken.
-- 6:26 AM: The first of several pieces of clothing that don't fit is tried on.
-- 6:52 AM: I finally open my presents. Oh, boy! A wallet! Cologne! A movie I already have! A book I won't read!

(It should be noted that during this entire time, the dogs are pestering everyone to go outside for a walk. One finally poops on a pile of wrapping paper. The other begins to lift his leg near the tree. They get put in the basement.)

-- 7:15 AM Dogs in basement start howling. Just ignore.
-- 7:28 AM: A daughter starts crying, realizing Santa forgot to give her something she "really, really wanted." Sobs and runs to her room. A door slams.
-- 7:45 AM: My wife and I argue over who will cook breakfast.
-- 7:50 AM: I'm in the shower. We're going out for breakfast.
-- 8:45 AM: Drove around area half hour. Nothing is open.
-- 8:50 AM: At 7-11 buying breakfast burritos.
-- 9:00 AM: Back home. Dogs got out, and torn wrapping paper is all over the house.
-- 9:05 AM: A daughter finds a dog chewed up one of her "favorite" new toys. Starts sobbing. Runs to room. Door slams.
-- 9:07 AM: I make myself a stiff bloody Mary.
-- 9:20 AM: I make another.
-- 9:30 AM: One more.
-- 9:35 AM: Nap time.
-- 11:55 AM: Frantic wife wakes me. Forgot to thaw the turkey. People are coming for dinner at 2.
-- Noon: Use Yelp to find Chinese takeout place that is open. Order $200 in carry out. Back to bed until guests arrive.

 

[Deckerd]

The hordes will descend like locusts. The house will be full of people and dogs but even more food and booze. It will be loud. It will be messy. Someone will cheat at charades.
In the morning nobody is allowed to open presents until everyone is up and breakfasted. Breakfast usually consists of croissants baked with cheese/mushrooms or cheese/bacon and buck's fizz.

 

[tomalak301]

I wake up, do the stockings, and then we do gifts together. We really don't have much in terms of tradition but but that has managed to stick.

 

[Timby]

I wake up, grumble about the early hours, drink the blood of virgins, drop-kick a puppy and go back to bed.

Well, that's nice and festive

That's how I see it, too.

In all actuality, on Christmas Eve, my Mom, my wife and I will watch a few movies (The Muppet Christmas Carol and Home Alone, I'm sure), and then on Christmas Day, we'll get up at some point, exchange our few gifts (between me being unemployed for seven months, my wife not making a ton of money, and my Mom's only income being the survivor benefits from Dad's social security and his life insurance, the gifts are going to be pretty lean this year) and then enjoy the day as best we can, while trying to avoid setting off one of my 20-year-old sister's irrational rampages. I'll be cooking dinner on Christmas day, though I haven't decided if I'm going to roast a ham or do something else.

 

[marillion]

^^ I'm thinking of going out of my comfort zone and cooking beef wellington.. Should be an interesting experience..

All I can hope is that the Christmas tradition of the last two years of me immediately boxing the "big" gift from my wife up for return doesn't happen.

Two years ago she bought me an electric guitar. However, she didn't notice that it was a left handed guitar. While I can appreciate Jimi Hendrix, I cannot play like him.

Last year, I deeply wanted a wireless surround sound system and even gave her some example ideas of what I was after. Sadly, when I opened the box, it was a fully wired system.

This year, my wife has already asked me what gift "I'd-like-to-return-the-next-day" I'd like..

 

[Captain Ice]

....and buck's fizz.

WTF???

 

[Timby]

^^ I'm thinking of going out of my comfort zone and cooking beef wellington.. Should be an interesting experience..

Honestly, I'd love to put together homemade pasties, especially since that's a meal that calls back to our Finnish heritage, but since my sister will throw the mother of all fits and refuse to sit at the dinner table if the meal has come within two feet of onions (even onion salt / powder), I don't think I'll go down that road.

I do know that I'll be bringing down some artisanal Wisconsin cheese to complement any hors d'oeuvre my Mom puts together.

....and buck's fizz.

WTF???

It's been a long time since I've worked behind a bar, but I'm pretty sure that's just orange juice and champagne. It's more popularly known as a mimosa.

 

[Captain Ice]

^^ I'm thinking of going out of my comfort zone and cooking beef wellington.. Should be an interesting experience..

Honestly, I'd love to put together homemade pasties, especially since that's a meal that calls back to our Finnish heritage, but since my sister will throw the mother of all fits and refuse to sit at the dinner table if the meal has come within two feet of onions (even onion salt / powder), I don't think I'll go down that road.

I do know that I'll be bringing down some artisanal Wisconsin cheese to complement any hors d'oeuvre my Mom puts together.

I can understand your frustration. If it were up to me, I'd make a nice Jambalaya or some seafood gumbo. However, it looks like I'll be making ham, scalloped potatoes (or Au-gratin potatoes), sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and a cheesecake.

 

[trampledamage]

^^ I'm thinking of going out of my comfort zone and cooking beef wellington.. Should be an interesting experience..

Honestly, I'd love to put together homemade pasties, especially since that's a meal that calls back to our Finnish heritage, but since my sister will throw the mother of all fits and refuse to sit at the dinner table if the meal has come within two feet of onions (even onion salt / powder), I don't think I'll go down that road.

This is what I love about having emigrated - I don't need to cater to anyone's whims but mine, mr trampledamage's and the two kids'. Makes life a lot simpler!

....and buck's fizz.

WTF???

It's been a long time since I've worked behind a bar, but I'm pretty sure that's just orange juice and champagne. It's more popularly known as a mimosa.

Oh, is that what a mimosa is? Buck's Fizz must be the British name for it, because I know what that is but have never known what a mimosa is (Mr Incredible drinks them in The Incredibles)

 

[Timby]

I only heard the Buck's Fizz name when I spent a year managing an Irish pub that was owned by a couple of Irish dudes (and the bar itself was actually built in Ireland, disassembled, shipped across the sea in containers, and then re-assembled in its present location). I had to pick up quite a bit of foreign parlance during that time.

 

[Jadzia]

I only heard the Buck's Fizz name when I spent a year managing an Irish pub that was owned by a couple of Irish dudes (and the bar itself was actually built in Ireland, disassembled, shipped across the sea in containers, and then re-assembled in its present location). I had to pick up quite a bit of foreign parlance during that time.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj9TRVZo5Nc[/yt]

 

[Timby]

That's eerily reminiscent of my "Bacardi and white lemonade" experience.

 

[bluedana]

We do church with my parents on Christmas Eve, and then have Chinese food at their house. Then we rush home to get the kids in bed by midnight as a tacit nod toward the whole Santa thing. The next morning, the little ones are up (with strict orders NOT to wake us up before 7:30) and we have breakfast and open gifts. My hubby takes my older son (and, this year, maybe the younger one as well) to the shelter to serve dinner. And then we have a quiet but solid dinner. We've started the tradition of having Christmas dinner with hubby's (huge) family on Boxing Day. This year, I'll be able to go, yay.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

What happened last year has been pretty typical:

-- 5:30 AM: Wake up hungover from bourbon needed night before to get through evening with relatives. Take two aspirin, a couple of Tums, and hope to God I can go back to sleep for two or three more hours.
-- 5:45 AM: Daughters are up. They're loud. "Santa's been here!" they shout. Must get up.
-- 6:00 AM: Out of bathroom after communing with porcelain god. Daughters already opened presents. "Daddy's not feeling well," Mom explains. I grumble passed them to the kitchen.
-- 6:01 AM: Wife put on Christmas music. Burl Ives singing "Holly Jolly Christmas." Too loud.
-- 6:02 AM: "Merry Christmas, Daddy," shouts one of my daughters.
-- 6:10 AM: I answer back.

(By now, it's getting light. Oh, joy. Watching the sunrise on a holiday. Just like getting up for work.)

-- 6:15 AM: I drink my first of six cups of coffee.
-- 6:20 AM: Both daughters look at their bounty and in unison cry, "Is that all?"
-- 6:25 AM: The first toy is broken.
-- 6:26 AM: The first of several pieces of clothing that don't fit is tried on.
-- 6:52 AM: I finally open my presents. Oh, boy! A wallet! Cologne! A movie I already have! A book I won't read!

(It should be noted that during this entire time, the dogs are pestering everyone to go outside for a walk. One finally poops on a pile of wrapping paper. The other begins to lift his leg near the tree. They get put in the basement.)

-- 7:15 AM Dogs in basement start howling. Just ignore.
-- 7:28 AM: A daughter starts crying, realizing Santa forgot to give her something she "really, really wanted." Sobs and runs to her room. A door slams.
-- 7:45 AM: My wife and I argue over who will cook breakfast.
-- 7:50 AM: I'm in the shower. We're going out for breakfast.
-- 8:45 AM: Drove around area half hour. Nothing is open.
-- 8:50 AM: At 7-11 buying breakfast burritos.
-- 9:00 AM: Back home. Dogs got out, and torn wrapping paper is all over the house.
-- 9:05 AM: A daughter finds a dog chewed up one of her "favorite" new toys. Starts sobbing. Runs to room. Door slams.
-- 9:07 AM: I make myself a stiff bloody Mary.
-- 9:20 AM: I make another.
-- 9:30 AM: One more.
-- 9:35 AM: Nap time.
-- 11:55 AM: Frantic wife wakes me. Forgot to thaw the turkey. People are coming for dinner at 2.
-- Noon: Use Yelp to find Chinese takeout place that is open. Order $200 in carry out. Back to bed until guests arrive.

The absolute best thing about having children is that the older they get the less inclined they are to want to get up in the morning.

Last year Man, late Teen and I dragged ourselves out of our beds just in time for present exchange with parents who popped round to us. I'd literally just opened the kitchen curtains and saw M&D approaching so it was a frantic ~ put the kettle on, "Man ~ man the mince pies in oven", Son "turn tele on to appropriate Christmas music and distribute the pressies."
By midday parents had gone home and Man had gone to his family for lunch. Son and I collapsed on the sofa...
Me: "The grown ups have gone."
Son: "Film?"
Me: "Uh hu. Baileys?"
Son: "Uh hu."
half hour later...
Me: "nap?"
Son: "Uh hu"

Thankfully roused about 3 and pointed out we really should get dressed out of pjs and have dinner as Man was due to Tea very soon.

This year, I have foolishly offered to do Christmas lunch for in-laws. I fear I may have to be up a little earlier and not get my nap

Son has cunningly declined to join us as he will be working until 3am the previous night and 'may not be at his shiniest!'~ that's what he thinks

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Since my family didn't celebrate growing up, I always went skiing early morning and enjoyed empty slopes while everyone else was home opening gifts.