We normally spend it with my family. We never Matt's family cause they go to church in the morning and they only get to open their presents after that, well one after church and the other after dinner (they don't give many presents). This doesn't work for me. I need my sack of gifts first thing and I don't want to be going to church at 10am. I like the day to be all about relaxing and kids enjoying their toys. Anyways we went to my Dad's last year and it was great, but means travelling to Essex with all the gifts. We've decided this year now we have Joshua, and Imogen is a bit more aware of Christmas we're going to stay here. It means we don't have to lug all the gifts around and Imogen can enjoy all her pressies at home. We don't think we're going to bother getting a turkey as neither of us particularly like turkey and we can't be bothered with all the preparing. We think we'll just do a nice roast with beef or gammon joint. We'll probably have to go down to Sussex on boxing day (Matt's family never come here) and to Essex another day but I'm happy we'll be home for actual Christmas day.

So what are your plans? At home or with family or restaurant meal?

We're having it at home for the first time. It was supposed to be just the 3 of us but the inlaws are coming now so I'm doing dinner for 8 now and am already stressing about where were all going to sit, my dining room isn't that big!

then boxing day we'll go to my mums for the day, which is just round the corner so we can walk there, have a few drinks and either leave Chloe there and walk home or sleep there

we generally have christmas at home wherever that may be - last few years it's just been me and hubby and we have had roast beef, before i was on maternity i worked over christmas (yeaaaaaaah extra pay!) so we aren't that bothered, hubby would wait til i got home to have a meal and do presents...

last year it was just me, mr.mari and elijah although eli was only sitting and not crawling or walking so he wasn't that interested i think this year he will know something is going on but not what if that makes sense.

we are still going to be at my mothers this year so will just have christmas here - if i have work available i will do an early shift for the double time and its probably the last year elijah won't notice - other than that we will probably do roast beef or just buffet food to pick at through the day as there will only be 4 of us

i come from a totally humbug family and i don't want elijah to have the same!!! we will be doing 'proper' christmas with the exception of turkey, yuck, as he gets older (seriously we hardly ever even had a tree as children wtf?!)

oooh that was a bit long

Gosh Mandy good luck cooking for in laws. Sounds like boxing day will be much more fun for you

Mari i can't imagine christmas like that as a kid. We didnt have a huge christmas or anything but we always had a big sack of presents, the day was all about my sis and i, my grandparents would come over and my mum made a huge meal. So for me christmas is a big family day, I could never ever work, no matter what the pay.

Im so excited about Christmas this year. Last years was the worst ever. We spent the morning at Ollies grave then oh went to work and we did presents and dinner at about 4. we then had to go down oh's nans, dads, mothers and sisters and I basically just wanted to curl up and forget the day exsisted. SIL called me a stroppy cow in front of everyone because I didnt want to play with the kids. (was pg and suffering awful morning sickness)

This year we'll be at home in the morning, then were going to SIL's to give her kids presents then off to MIL's to give them their presents. I'm then spending a good few hours over my mams because shes keeping Moos presents there for her to open. Then we'll have dinner over my mams and got to his nans for tea. All his family go over there so will be about 30 of us. Then we'll probably go back over my mams for drinks and nibbles and stay over . Luckily all our family live within 5 mins of each other so easy to walk around everyone

I had to put my foot down and tell oh that theres now way he's working. He didnt see the problem because Moo wont uderstand and he gets tripple time x

You'll have a lovely time this year, just make sure you do things to suit you and not everyone else.

I've booked for me,oh our kids and my parents to out for lunch at a really nice place that's in walking distance from my house. So we'll get up and do presents, then off to mil for presents. Probably have to go to my fuckface sil's to do presents there. Then home to play with toys and wait for mynparents to arrive with our presents and then out for lunch at about 3pm were I'll no doubt have a few drinkypoos and my dad will moan about the restaurant, Then home to watch crimbo telly and bed

I love Christmas!

mandy wrote:

We're having it at home for the first time. It was supposed to be just the 3 of us but the inlaws are coming now so I'm doing dinner for 8 now and am already stressing about where were all going to sit, my dining room isn't that big!

then boxing day we'll go to my mums for the day, which is just round the corner so we can walk there, have a few drinks and either leave Chloe there and walk home or sleep there

Mandy, cooking at christmas is fine as long as it's what you want. I used to do it and I loved it I loved e eryone coming to ours and entertaining everyone and then 3 years ago I did a d just hated it, I hated the shopping, cleaning, setting the table, prepping food on Christmas eve, cooking all day Christmas day and then it taking 2 days to get it all cleaned up (on my own because everyone else was too pissed to help). So that's why I go out now and my dad does d nothing but complain because he prefers me to do it! Maybe one day I'll do it again but I can't see it!

BabyMilly wrote:

You'll have a lovely time this year, just make sure you do things to suit you and not everyone else.

I've booked for me,oh our kids and my parents to out for lunch at a really nice place that's in walking distance from my house. So we'll get up and do presents, then off to mil for presents. Probably have to go to my fuckface sil's to do presents there. Then home to play with toys and wait for mynparents to arrive with our presents and then out for lunch at about 3pm were I'll no doubt have a few drinkypoos and my dad will moan about the restaurant, Then home to watch crimbo telly and bed

I love Christmas!

Are you off to The Coterie then pen?

We are at home for Christmas and we are having my FIL and John's auntie so there will be 5 of us which isn't too bad x

Planning and thinking of Christmas gets me all stressed out as my job requires I work Xmas, but last year I said no as I couldn't get there, it wasn't double pay or even time and half, and I didn;t want to leave Harry on Xmas day. I said I would work New Year though, but this year they say I'm working both. I've already said no! Harry knows about it this year, he's more aware of whats going on and I'm not going to leave him on Xmas day as the way me and Rob are at the minute it could well be the last Xmas we spend together as a family! My work don't care if you have a family, but thats because the majority of the staff don't,they are all students or single living in the staff house and don't care what day it is. I do!



ANYWAY sorry for the rant my answer is that I don't really know what I'll be doing lol hopefully not working xx

Where do you work Emma?

The Grange Hotel :/ I HATE it lol xx

aw, working at hotel must suck at christmas/new year. No chance of getting a new job before then?

I've applied for a new one but its another hotel as reception manager so I will have to tell them I can't work Xmas but can do new year lol, probably won't get the job after that lol xx

ooooh we'll be doing CHristmas at ours again this year - did it for first time last year as didn't fancy lugging Tylers stuff to my mums, and this year I am not carting two babies around with me to my mums so they are coming to us again. hoping to et everything prepared in advance - I suppose worse case scenario we have to get a take away pmsl.

I have no idea. Richard wants to stay at home and basically do nothing as we have Chloe now and he doesn't want her to be dragged around all morning visiting family.

Normally we go to my mums first and do presents, then we all go to my brothers and do presents there and then off up to my dads to do presents there which takes up all of the morning. I feel very torn as both my Mum and my Dad would like to see Chloe on xmas day but I feel it would be unfair on Chloe to be in and out of the car plus she will need a morning nap and there is now way she will get one and she will end up just being grumpy...oh I don't know what to do!!!!!

Im thinking the same as your oh Nay. As kids my mum always had the rule that family came to visit us because it wasnt fair to drag us from our presents to visit people so we always went up my nans on boxing day. Oh's family have always visited everyone. I think it's abit cruel and I would have protested but I cant cook so we would have to go to my mums anyway lmao!

^My parents always said if people wanted to see us and give presents then they had to come to us as it wasn't fair to drag my sis and I around at christmas, and I gota say it was best. We got to enjoy our presents at home and see family if they wanted to come over. I'll probs say something like this for years to come as I don't think I want to be taking Josh and Immi out and about at christmas.

See when I was a kid we used to have Xmas day at home, no one visiting us and we just stayed but, same for boxing day. On the day after boxing day we all used to meet up at my nanna's and have a massive party (her house was huge lol) and it was great until my psyhco cousin ruined it one year and its not happened since. I can't imagine going anywhere Xmas day to be honest, rather just stay at home xx

Quote :

Mari i can't imagine christmas like that as a kid. We didnt have a huge
christmas or anything but we always had a big sack of presents, the day
was all about my sis and i, my grandparents would come over and my mum
made a huge meal. So for me christmas is a big family day, I could never
ever work, no matter what the pay.

haha we got presents and stuff and sometimes went away with relatives, but my parents weren't really into the tree/loads of decorations/ho ho hoing, i am totally determind to be the opposite though

before we had elijah and when we didn't have a car it was just me and hubby on christmas day so he would sleep in/put food on for when i got in...if i did an overnight i would get double pay plus an extra days holiday, and be finished by 12 it was fine because it was just us two and we knew we wouldn't see anyone else!

Hmmm so all I need to do is convince my mum to come over and cook us dinner lmao!

LesleyandBethany wrote:

BabyMilly wrote:

You'll have a lovely time this year, just make sure you do things to suit you and not everyone else.
I've booked for me,oh our kids and my parents to out for lunch at a really nice place that's in walking distance from my house. So we'll get up and do presents, then off to mil for presents. Probably have to go to my fuckface sil's to do presents there. Then home to play with toys and wait for mynparents to arrive with our presents and then out for lunch at about 3pm were I'll no doubt have a few drinkypoos and my dad will moan about the restaurant, Then home to watch crimbo telly and bed

I love Christmas!

Are you off to The Coterie then pen?

We are at home for Christmas and we are having my FIL and John's auntie so there will be 5 of us which isn't too bad x

Yes les, we're going to The Coterie, we go there quite often and we love it and they really do get it right on Christmas day

Do you ever go there?

We had the same rule in our house too if people wanted to see us as kids they came to us, it was too much hassle to drag us out anywhere. Thats why from now on Im doing Christmas at my house. I dont mind cooking for the rest of my family too so we all spend it together but im not carting Tyler around all over the place now.



We used to go out for lunch on boxing day as a huge family but I think in the end we realised it was much more fun to pig out on the excess food my mum cooked and the Christmas treats and snacks oh and play with all our toys that it took us all day to open and assemble lol.

BabyMilly wrote:

LesleyandBethany wrote:

BabyMilly wrote:

You'll have a lovely time this year, just make sure you do things to suit you and not everyone else.
I've booked for me,oh our kids and my parents to out for lunch at a really nice place that's in walking distance from my house. So we'll get up and do presents, then off to mil for presents. Probably have to go to my fuckface sil's to do presents there. Then home to play with toys and wait for mynparents to arrive with our presents and then out for lunch at about 3pm were I'll no doubt have a few drinkypoos and my dad will moan about the restaurant, Then home to watch crimbo telly and bed

I love Christmas!

Are you off to The Coterie then pen?

We are at home for Christmas and we are having my FIL and John's auntie so there will be 5 of us which isn't too bad x

Yes les, we're going to The Coterie, we go there quite often and we love it and they really do get it right on Christmas day

Do you ever go there?

Yes, we go there, not as often as we used to but prob every few months. I have thought maybe we may try there some Christmas day but never get around to organising it.

Went for a power walk with my friend earlier this evening, did virtually a full circuit of Widnes and we walked down your road at the start of our walk as my friend doesn't live too far away from you.

xx

At home home home home home home home.

and I'm super happy about it too. We always go away. Last year was at my dads, year before my mums. Dec 2007 we did stay at home but we had 13 guests so was stressful and I was busy all day.

Dec 2008 was just me, OH and Rowan he was 3 days old and we only got home from hospital the day before my mum came over in the evening and bought us our Christmas dinner round.

This year though Christmas day is just us 4 and I can not wait. We are going to have Turkey as I love Turkey.

OH's brother and his wife are coming down to stay from Scotland Boxing day until the 30th so will probably have another xmas dinner the 27th or might go out

that will be really nice the four of you after you've had such busy christmases last few years