The tradition in our house is for the kids, my parents and me to go to Mass and carols at 8 o'clock at night. Then at whenever the kids get up (usually well before 7) we go and open a few presents, then we have a cooked breakfast, then get back to opening presents which takes ages. Then the doors open for sundry relatives who might pass by.
We make sure that most of the unwrapping is done before the Grandparents come by, then they won't throw out instructions we need whilst filling the bin bags with discarded wrapping. Grandads are usefully employed unpacking toys, getting all those blasted wire ties out of toys and putting batteries in toys.
Christmas lunch is a set menu for many of us. A light starter followed by turkey, sausages wrapped in bacon, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and peas then and this is what really finishes everyone off, Christmas pudding, a rich fruit pudding made with suet and plenty of brandy or rum, pour some more brandy over the top of the pudding, light it very carefully and serve with liberal helpings of brandy butter. All this is washed down with plenty of wine, if you are over 18 and not in charge of the washing up afterwards the challenge is to stay awake, but if your eyes do close be prepared to have a kids climb all over you, or if you are luckier, a cat. Take note, this meal does in no way slow down the children, the thrive on it and become even more excited than they were.
The evening meal if you're lucky is leftover turkey and a sherry trifle made the day before. If you are me, you skimp on everything else so that you have plenty of room for the trifle that I just can't leave alone (it will be my breakfast the next day if I'm lucky
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Then if we're lucky the kids will be tired and go to bed by 8pm, it's harder to get rid of the grandparents though who have drunk all the wine and are finding it difficult to get the energy to move, they talk all over the evening programmes telling us how they are recording it to watch later and how quiet it is once the kids are in bed. Whilst we who have been up early and gone to bed late the night before, look absolutely shattered.
God bless I love every minute of it.
I loved reading your Thanksgiving thread, does our Christmas compare to an American Christmas or other Christmases? Does anyone here celebrate other festivals?