What are you doing for Christmas

Rather than all the what are you getting for Christmas threads, I thought it would be nice to see what everyone is doing for Christmas.

My family, back home, have a tradition of the men going out Christmas Eve while the women all wrap gifts over a bottle of wine or five after the kids have gone to bed. Then we all wake up on Xmas morning to go to Church together and then spend the day playing board games etc.

This year, I won't be going home so Matt and I are enjoying some quiet time off together with the kittens and going in to help at the shelter as they are short of volunteers for the days we are closed.

We always get together with my hubby's parents and his brothers and sister, their spouses and children - that's around 25 people - so it's a lovely day. Everyone brings food so there is always lots to go around.

Supposedly my brother and Sister-in-law are coming here for Christmas. I say supposedly because they've been known to change their minds at the last minute. . But hopefully they're coming on the twenty-third and staying a few days and we'll have a nice family Christmas.

I don't have any plans. Sometimes I go to my brother's for Christmas dinner, but this year he and his girl friend are going to Calgary to spend Christmas with his daughter and her family. So I'll be spending the holiday alone.

My former homecare cleaning lady was doing her best in dropping huge hints to get me to invite her here for Christmas

Oooo, I love Christmas!

Usually on Christmas Eve, my mom makes hamburgers & homemade french fries and me & my 2 younger brothers each open our gifts to eachother, and my parents open 1 gift each from us kids.
This year though is different, my dad & brothers have to work Christmas Day, so we are opening all of our gifts to eachother on Christmas Eve. Oh well, this only happens once every 3 years, so its okay.
After that, we get all dressed up and go to church with my moms' whole side of the family. Once church is finished, we head to my Grandparents house where we all open gifts from eachother, all 25 of us

Christmas Day is usually when my brothers, & parents & I all open our "santa" gifts & gifts from eachother & my mom makes homemade cinnamon rolls & we play fun Christmas music, but this year since the guys have to work, me & my mom are heading to my Aunts house (moms' sister) & opening gifts with them & my 3 cousins, along with gifts I usually give to them all.

It should be a good time, something different is always exciting to look forward to

I'm so anxious for Christmas to be here!

Eithne, I really like the wrapping and drinking idea. How do the packages usually turn out though?

I actually have a lot going on in the week up to x-mas. On the 15th some of us (TCSers) are meeting for lunch then on the 16th my friend's family is hosting an Italian dinner party with lots of yummy homemade food and lemonchello (I think I spelled that way wrong!). Then on the 19th our office is going out to lunch and on the 21st we're doing a gift exchange. After that a friend and I are going to lunch for our 2nd annual Boobmas! LOL Then the 23rd, hubby and I are getting a room w/ a hot tub to have our own "private" christmas (it's also out 6 month wedding anniversary). On x-mas eve we'll be at my parents then x-mas morning we'll make the drive to his!

Who cares, they are being ripped open by kids the next morning.

With the exception of buying for your own parents, siblings or grown up children if you want, we don't do gifts for the adults in the family. We do the shoebox project that a local charity runs for children from impoverished familys (like the Angel tree ones here) and volunteer for a charity to spend time with elderly people who have no relatives to spend Christmas with.

SO it is only the children opening gifts and they don't care what wrapping paper looks like

On Christmas Eve, we will be going to my Mums to exchange gifts with my Aunty as she will go too and we don't see each other on Christmas Day. We only buy for the kids.

On Christmas Day, we will be waking up at around 6am to put Jacob's gifts around the tree that 'Santa' brought (can't trust the cats in there with them all night ) and exchanging gifts between Andy and I, having a cup of tea, then waking Jacob up. Watching his face light up and see him play with his toys for a couple of hours. Then we will go to my mums house for our Christmas Dinner. In the afternoon, my Nan will come to my mums to do a gift exchange.

In the evening, we will go back home and watch a nice family Christmas film together.

working same as normal

We're flying to Florida to stay with our son and DIL, this will be the first Christmas in their house. They are so excited that we are coming. My DH's parents are down for the season and live close enough that they will be coming and staying overnight on Christmas Eve. It will be great to be together.
I've never been anywhere that is warm at Christmas, but I have a feeling that I'm going to like it. I've already had enough snow and ice and winter has officially started yet. I haven't taken Christmas off from work for years, it's about time.

We have Christmas Eve dinner here. Buffet style and open door policy so you never know who is coming and when they will leave. MIL should be coming too. Her other son's girlfriend has the same Italian tradition as us. She lives around the corner so hopefully she won't be alone. After everyone leaves we open one gift.

Christmas morning I wake up to very loud Christmas music. It's Mom's way of waking me. Then we have hot cocoa or coffee and open the presents. After an egg or cookie breakfast DH & I go to his Mom's for dinner/gifts & Mom goes to my cousin's house.

We have a family Christmas next week on the 16th for my boyfriends dads side of the family. On Christmas day, we wake up and open presents, then his moms side of the family comes over. We are going to spend a few hours with them and then go to my family dinner. After dinner there, we all exchange presents. We will be staying over at my moms house on Christmas and coming home the next day.

Not sure yet..my mom might not be able to make it Although, she said that last year and ended up coming..so hopefully she comes My brother is definitely not going to make it either

We will spend Christmas at my sisters with the kids...not sure if we'll have a dinner..I can't see my sister doing it all by herself..and lord knows I can't cook.

Me and sis are exchanging stockings..we do that so we are gauranteed a good stocking of stuff. Otherwise there would be like one piece of gum or something in it

We'll spend Christmas Eve with my stepson, either having dinner at home or going out to eat somewhere. We used to have DH's local family over for Christmas Eve, but we're the only ones left in the area now.

We'll spend Christmas day at my parents house. Both of my brothers and their families will be there. They each have a 10-year-old girl, so we'll have fun picking on each other and playing and cooking with the girls.

On the day after Christmas we're having a get-together with some old family friends. We've been friends with this family for most of our lives, and we've seen one or two members of their family at times, but this will be the first time we've gotten the entire families together in about 20 years.

Then, on the Friday after Christmas DH and I fly to Arizona to spend some time with my MIL and his family down there. My MIL has alzheimer's and is in an assisted living facility, so we try to spend as much time with her as we can while she still knows us. We'll be there until after the new year.

I forgot that the 29th is DH's family party. His mom is one of nine and they rotate each year who's house the party is at. Now that will be a crowded house.

Christmas Eve, I will be sleeping until about 9:30pm or 10pm. I will then get up, take a bath and get ready to go to work at midnight. Christmas morning I will get off work at 8am, come home, watch a little TV, and get on the computer, if I'm not too tired, I'll go to Denny's and pick up a turkey and dressing meal, come home eat it, play on the computer a bit more, then go to bed, and sleep until 9:30pm or 10pm, and then get up, take a bath get ready for work and go to work at midnight again. No real Holiday for me. New Years will be the same routine.

Basically for me, the Holidays will be no different than any other day. This has been my life for all most 10 years, unless the Holidays fall on a Friday or a Saturday, then I can actually have them off.

Normally for Christmas Eve we go to my mom's house and we do the buffet style dinner and presents for just the kiddo's... This year, however, there is some feuding going on and it looks like Jon and I will go see my mom the 23rd to exchange presents and have Christmas Eve at our apartment with whichever friends choose to stop in.

Christmas day we will wake up relatively early to open our gifts to one another and then pack up and drive upstate to see Jon's family for a big Christmas dinner.

Hopefully things go smoothly!

Mom and I will go to church together Christmas Eve. DH will probably work too late to make it and my step-dad is working a swing shift so he won't be able to come either. Usually we attend an annual party at someone from the church's house after the service. There we will eat and play that gag gift game. When I get home, I'll have a glass of egg nog. (A non-alcoholic one!)

Christmas Day will be just my parents, DH, my best friend and I. (Unless the few other invitations out are accepted, then there might be 8 people for dinner.) Mom is making a crown roast with cranberry-apple stuffing. Not sure what else we'll be eating yet. We'll probably eat in the early afternoon and just relax and watch movies or some Christmas specials on TV.

Xmas day - staying at home, playing on wii
boxing day - staying at home, playing on wii, going for meal
27th - going to Lanzarote!

On Christmas Eve, I'll be having dinner with the Sisters. We started this new "tradition" last year of going out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant and dining in the "Pope Room." It's a small private dining room, with a circular table that has the Pope's head in the middle. It's all very respectful, don't worry.

After that, we'll go back to the convent and exchange our gifts. Most of the Sisters will stay around for Mass, but I'll head over to my parent's house where all my aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandma will be gathered. I'll get there just in time for the cookies!

On Christmas day, my immediate family will go to Mass, then have our Christmas celebration together. It'll be a lazy day with games, movies, etc..., then leftovers from the night before for dinner.

I can't wait!