Bored with Christmas.

WantToBeSE

Every year is the same: Get up, kids open their presents, I cook a roast, then the kids play with their presents all day.

We play monopoly and/or scrabble (thats my favourite part of the day) and then we just slob about at home.

It's boring!

What do you do on Christmas Day?

Calien27

Typical Christmas Day here is; myself and my dad get up early(ish) and prepare the veg and put the meat on, have some breakfast then wake up my brother, open the presents and then just wait until everything is ready to eat.

Brother either goes to sleep early evening or out to see friends, myself and my dad will lounge in front of the tv and have some cheese and crackers and have a good laugh, head off to bed around 1am.


All in all a nice, fun, relaxing day usually.

This year I don't have a clue what's going to happen as I'll be almost 9 months pregnant and certainly won't be cooking lol

Tiglath

We usually do a dutiful visit to my Mum's where she ignores my sister's admittedly horrible husband, and the older teenage niece strops around, so it's always fraught and highly-strung and unpleasant. This year we've decided we won't see any of them and will just do a quiet Christmas at home with my stepdaughter who just moved in, with a roast and TV. I only get Christmas Day and Boxing Day off so I hate the stress of trying to do it all as we usually take an elderly friend out on Boxing Day. I'd happily ignore Christmas completely.

Kinski

I have 4 brats and 5 grandbrats all of whom I adore ( just don't tell any of them that :rotfl: ), we usually have at least one if not two of the families for Christmas lunch, as someone who hates cooking I loath all the faffing about with a big lunch. last year my oh and I were on our own for lunch, we took ourselves out in the car to try and find a Chinese take away which we managed to do, it was the best Christmas lunch we'd had in a long time. The kids and grandkids came in the morning, we gave them their presents, they left to go to other relatives, we had our lunch and then later on my daughter her oh and their 2 daughters came back to stay the night which they do every year. I've tried to do the same thing this year but no luck :rotfl:, don't know how many I'll have here this year but it could be anywhere between 6 to 12 or even more depending on who wants to come.

carlamarie_2

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Every year is the same: Get up, kids open their presents, I cook a roast, then the kids play with their presents all day.

We play monopoly and/or scrabble (thats my favourite part of the day) and then we just slob about at home.

It's boring!

What do you do on Christmas Day?

My Christmas Day is pretty much the same as yours.

I think the reason why you find it boring is probaly all the prep thats done, months of looking for gifts, buying the gifts, wrapping the gifts. All the food shopping and any cooking in advance, the decs to buy/ make/ put up etcetc.
There is a whole lot of planning which goes into one day and when that day comes you can feel a little 'is this it?' And wonder if it was all worth it.

I give myself only one expectation which is, that the kids have the best day and I like to think that I have succeeded every year so far, regardless of the fact that I am run ragged and haven't sat down all day.

Maybe you should concentrate on another day to look forward to and leave Christmas Day itself for your children to look forward to.
For me, my favourite day of christmas is Christmas Eve. Where I spend all day exciting the kids ups, for me you can't beat the look on their faces

Hezzawithkids

carlamarie wrote: »

I give myself only one expectation which is, that the kids have the best day and I like to think that I have succeeded every year so far, regardless of the fact that I am run ragged and haven't sat down all day.

Maybe you should concentrate on another day to look forward to and leave Christmas Day itself for your children to look forward to.
For me, my favourite day of christmas is Christmas Eve. Where I spend all day exciting the kids ups, for me you can't beat the look on their faces

This ^^^ I start planning very early on (I've already started hoarding pressies) and love the looks on everyone's faces whether it's in response to gifts or the food I've prepared. I've got it all down to a fine art now so I don't find it stressful or boring at all. The only unknown this year is that DD is off to uni later this month so I don't know what impact that's going to have on us.

Spendless

Wake up, last year was the first we'd been awake before children! Kids open stockings, again last year was the first that they lingered more over them, then opened quickly and wanted to go downstairs to the bigger stuff! Go downstairs, all open presents, adults after kids. For past couple of years my parents have called either with presents or to see kids. Visit inlaws to exchange gifts. Collect Granny and have dinner, take granny home. Sis-in-law sometimes calls in later, depends on whether she's seen us during our visiting in-laws time.

We have all family living in the same town though, and both sets of parents and my Grandmother in the same village as me, so makes logistics easier for visiting.

If you are bored with what you do, put something else in place. Can you afford to go out for Christmas dinner? A walk in the nearest park/woods after lunch?

WantToBeSE

Thanks everyone. I guess in all the TV adverts you get the feeling that everyone has massive christmas days full of family and friends.
It's just me and my kids, so it can feel a bit lonely at times.

Spendless-i love the idea of a nice walk to the woods, there are plenty of those nearby

We could afford to go out for Christmas dinner, but would much rather cook it myself since i enjoy cooking.

duchy

Ah the great Christmas myth that everyone is happy and all families are together.

Christmas day is whatever you want it to be .....Nothing to say it has to be Christmas lunch ....could be an evening meal ....could even be eaten Christmas eve freeing up more time for a walk on Christmas day and some (new) games.

I often work a few hours Christmas day ....works best for me to do it after Christmas lunch when everyone is snoozing or watching new DvDs etc.... in the past when I was married we'd have Christmas eve with ex OH's Mum who was Austrian -an she celebrated then -however if you want to make changes bear in mind your kids probably love certain things about Christmas (assuming they are old enough to notice)

My favourite Christmas day is a huge breakfast -a walk or visting-back to open some presents -latish lunch then the rest of the presents-It seems to structure the day better rather than early present opening followed by early lunch and then loads of day left stretching before you.

mumtosix

Ours day is usually kids get up open stockings, have breakfast, wait for eldest to come with girlfriend, put dinner on play games or go to the woods for a walk, we have dinner at 2 -3, clear up open pressies, play with new stuff, few glasses of wine, put kids to bed... ideally I'd go on holiday!!

Mojisola

Depending on how old your children are, you could get involved with making someone else's Christmas a good day. We have several local charities who do a Christmas dinner for people who would otherwise be on their own. Helping out can be a very rewarding experience.

Otherwise, have a discussion with the family and see what they would like to do. I know people who order in a big takeaway instead of cooking. Others (without kids) have a complete slob-out day - no visits, no visitors, might stay in pyjamas all day.

There's no rule that says you have to have a "traditional" day.