A few years ago we started a "we stay home on actual Christmas Day" thing. It started by accident, but now I love it. People can come over and eat and watch the boys play, but we don't go anywhere. It's the best.
Also, at my mom's side of the family we make futzens, these German fried doughnuts with cardamom and raisins. Mmmm.
I love the lead up to Christmas way more than Christmas Day itself. Cutting down the tree, driving around looking at lights, making cards, etc. But I do love the fire at my ILs on Christmas Eve with wine and Brie and A Christmas Story playing.
Then the next morning we go to my grandparents which will be altogether different this year : /
Usually the cookies. I'm sick this year and cannot get interested. I have to pull it together tomorrow.
I think this year I'm most excited about Santa coming. Henry hasn't wavered at all about what he hopes will be there Christmas morning, so I hope he gets super excited when it really is there.
Watching the girls open their gifts and listening to the squeals. And spending time with the big family. I love the noise and excitement. The drinking, playing games, the food.
All of it. I like the Christmas cookies, I like seeing the tree with all the gifts and then seeing the kids faces when they see it. I like how happy everyone is that morning. I love Christmas dinner. I love pie. Lol
Oh man...everything from Christmas eve when they open their new jaammies and we watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn and drink hot cocoa to Christmas morning when they open gifts and jump around in excited glee, to Christmas day spent at my SIL's house with the traditional Polish food and five meat dinner. I fucking love Christmas. All of it.
I love everything starting from Thanksgiving Day to Black Friday to the entire lead-up to Christmas, especially:
Cutting our Christmas tree down Buying fresh greenery to decorate the porch and mantle Baking spritz cookies Christmas Eve at my mom's including appetizers, booze, gift opening, and Mass Christmas morning at our house, watching the kids open their gifts More appetizers and booze and a fancy Christmas dinner
Post by 2boys2danes on Dec 23, 2014 6:53:18 GMT -5
I love everything about it. This year has been super tough though because my 80 year old mother fell in the middle of the night on Dec 2 and broke her thighbone above her knee replacement, had surgery, in rehab nursing home for the next 2-3 months. Every tradition we have is modified this year and I can't imagine what pain she is in and not being able to be home in her own surroundings etc. Not to be Debbie Downer here but its heavy on my mind…..
I really like decorating the tree and I do enjoy having everyone over for Christmas day.
We don't do gifts on either side of the family and this year we weren't rolling in money, so DH and I decided against even doing stockings. I thought I'd be bummed but I'm not!
Post by Captain Serious on Dec 23, 2014 7:33:54 GMT -5
Christmas Eve: we go to mass, then eat, and finally all gather in the living room to open presents. There's always Christmas music playing and an abundance of cookies and wine and Christmas punch to go around. Then we leave cookies and a Diet Coke out for Santa and all go to bed.
The kids excitement. Their unwavering belief in Santa. DD has been arguing with a girl in her class that keeps telling her Santa isn't real, the parents do the presents etc. Even that has not budged her on the fact that Santa and all the magic that goes with it is real. I love it. I'm sure we're on borrowed time but at least for this year it's really making Christmas for me