I can remember being much younger (before kids) My parents use to do an overload of christmas decorating, My mum would always have the christmas carols playing on the music player.
In the lead up to Christmas; My parents would stock up the cupboards, fridge and freezer with food and drinks. Whilst we kids waited ever so patiently or maybe not quite so patiently for christmas day to arrive. We'd sneak to the tree and find something with our name on it, we shake it, hoping it would make a noise to give us a clue as to what it was.
On Christmas day we would wake up early and spend the majority of the morning opening presents. My parents would finish doing any cooking that needed to be done.
Once everything was ready we would all sit at the table, crack bon bons and eat a late afternoon lunch/early dinner. That was a basic Christmas at our house.
Since having my own kids
In the lead up to Christmas; The kids either set up or help set up the tree, then we put up a few decorations and hang some Christmas lights. The kids write there letters to Santa which i post off to Santa's address which is The north pole postcode 9999 at least that's what it is at our post office. We make it a tradition to go out and look at christmas lights together, for the last few years we have gone to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Light spectacular and gotten photos taken with Santa then walked around looking at all the beautiful lights for a few hours.
I wake up early, then wake the kids, i'm not joking, i'm more excited about Christmas then they are. True story ha ha. There is nothing better then seeing my kids faces lighting up with each present they open on christmas day. I usually have the video camera with me when i wake them and tell them Santa has been, facial expression are priceless!
We do things a tiny bit different from when i was little.
Santa presents are left in a Santa sack unwrapped, presents from us are wrapped, making it easier for them to identify what came from who. (When i was little everything was wrapped with name tags) My Monkeys are allowed to checkout the Santa sacks first.
Depending on if we are staying home for christmas or not; We usually don't.
If we are staying home, they are only allowed to have whatever is in their Santa sacks until roughly around lunch time, giving them enough time to appreciate what they got and try some of it out. GM and I will go to the kitchen and organise food for a late lunch. We then go back to the tree around lunchtime and open the wrapped presents. I find this makes christmas day seem that little bit more exciting rather then opening everything in the morning then getting bored with it all by the afternoon.
If we are going away, basically, everything gets opened in the morning, we have breakfast then head to where ever it is we are going. Thats a basic Christmas at our house.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
Share with me your family traditions!
What do you think about my header? ;)
Linking up with Jess for some IBOT
