Posted by elixirbeth on 2007-12-17 08:06:54
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one thing that my family always does on christmas morning is eat cookies with breakfast. we're normally not into sweets, but having cookies and coffee always hits the spot.
Posted by Momto2boyz on 2007-11-21 15:12:12
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I love the idea of an orphan thanksgiving! It is a great thing!
I will be visiting both my family & In-laws, which ends up to be a busy day. I would love to stay home and cook for the 4 of us, but that won't happen in the years to come!
Our Christmas season is so hectic with all of our families, that we do something similiar for Christmas morning. We got tired of seeing those that we HAD to see at Christmas (ie. family) and not seeing those that we chose to love (good friends). So we started hosting Christmas breakfast at our house for friends and nieghbors that we are close too.
We've been doing it for 4 years now, and everyone loves it. It is no-stress, and fun. Our friends are all close by (if not right on our block), so there is no stress of travel. Everyone comes in their holiday pj's and we all do breakfast together, and those of us that do exchange gifts with each other (there is no pressure for gift exchange among our friends, but some choose to do it) all get to see each other open our gifts on Christmas morning.
Our kids get to do stockings before breakfast (just so the suspense doesn't kill them), then we do a potluck breakfast (I throw a cassarole in the fridge the night before, so all I have to do is put it in the oven & set the tables), then we open each others gifts, hang out for an hour or so, then we all go onto our families.
It started small with our immediate neighbors and as our group grew, the more fun and cozy it became. The trick was to keep it low-key and stress free!
I love the idea of it for Thanksgiving...but unfortunately our families are too close, so we can't excuse ourselves from dinner! : )
Posted by smudgy_cat on 2004-12-20 14:38:53
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My bf is geeky guy, and we were in the mall last night and he was drooling over these miniature race cars at the Discovery store. Maybe your bf would drool over those as well? They were $10 each, so not too expensive. You could get a pair and have races on Christmas morning (or just annoy the cat).
Posted by Joyosaurusrex on 2006-12-26 19:32:35
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im my family (i am not married but this is how my parents did it)it went like this
christmas eve: visit extended family(who live more than a 30 min drive away) and open presents from/for them at their house
christmas day: we allotted about 3 hours christmas morning to open our family presents, ones my parents and sibling bought for each other, and have christmas breakfast then had a open house(told everyone to come around noonish) of sorts where extended family was invited to come and bring a covered dish and graze over the dishes all day
the reason this worked:
-most of our family lived within 30 minute driving time and it wasn't a burden to drive to our house
-it gave us a chance to see our friends/neighbors on christmas
-noone was having to drive to multiple households, just ours
-our extended family worked well together
-we live in fl so its always nice outside weather so you aren't crowded
-gave everyone a chance to have christmas morning immediate family only
but we are a verry relaxed family and southern so the whole buffett all day thing works well for us where it may not for others
and yes bringing everyone into your house can be a bit nerve racking but the fact that we were all together in the comfort of our own home made it so worth it
sorry about the long reply this was the first year i was not able to be with family over the holidays and i couldn't help running with this
Posted by sarabell on 2005-12-26 19:32:05
Post Subject: freezing bread dough?
so i want to make my cinnamon rolls to have for new year's at a friend's house. the thing is, i don't want to waste precious party time kneading dough and getting my party clothes all messy. i'd like to have the pan all ready to go for the morning.
i made these for christmas morning and had them chilled in the fridge and ready to rise and bake in the a.m., but i have a 45 minute drive to get to the suaree on new year's eve and don't want them to rise on the way up, only to have to put them back in the fridge and wind up with cinnamon hockey pucks for breakfast..... i thought about just partially cooking them, but they will be sitting in caramel gooiness until i finish them up.
any tips? or should i just nix the idea all together?
Posted by BubbleDragon on 2004-12-18 23:14:14
Post Subject: Christmas gift plans just fell through
I'm a little low on funds this year, and the only thing my wonderful fiance asked for was just a bit out of reach. So I crafted together a plan to get it for him, but with a discount, so it would be affordable. Unfortunately, the store was out - and now I have no way of even ordering it online to get it for him - even if I could afford it that way.
He says that doesn't upset him, and I believe him. But I still want him to be able to open something on christmas morning. So I've crafted together a few ideas that might make him happy and maybe you gals can help me out a bit more. He's a dorky guy. And I love that about him. He develops software, and the present I'd had planned to get him was the lego robotics set.
So far, here are a few little things I'm going to make him:
- Poly clay Link from zelda - I made one of these a while ago, and he'd asked for one, but I never managed to make it for him.
- Embroider some nintendo/gaming/other dorky image onto a heat pack cover (He's been using heat packs a lot lately, I thought this might be nice.) Anyone have ideas for images? I was thinking bubble bobble, since he uses that as an avatar on his gaming chat.
- Carve a stamp that says "PWND" and a red ink pad - sort of an inside joke, like a "DENIED" stamp, but geeky.
I have all the stuff for this, save maybe a few colors of embroidery floss, but I can handle that.
I really could use more ideas, and you girls are my last hope. A year or so ago, I made him an origami chess set. And last year I made him a dna scarf, if that helps. Even the title of a book I could pick up quickly would help - he's into the software geeky scene.
Posted by jenjar985 on 2006-12-25 18:09:46
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The schedule that always worked for my family was Christmas Eve at one persons house , Christmas morning and afternoon at home with time to open presents and play with them a little bit, and then Christmas dinner at another person's house .
Posted by DJules on 2005-11-16 13:00:16
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I almost always make all of mine. I'm usually finishing up one or two on Christmas morning, of course. :) Money is tight, really tight this year, and while I don't really have money available to go buy gifts, I do have a huge stash of art and craft supplies. I try to do something that I can set up a production run sort of thing - everyone gets ornaments, or covered pen sets, or bookmarks, etc.
Posted by Marcie on 2007-12-22 23:26:45
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Since my husband and I got married 2 years ago, we now have aproximately 6 Christmas celebrations - and that is without a single divorce in the family! First of all, there is our Christmas together - we are trying to create traditions so that one day, when we have a family of our own, we will have something to pass down to our children. Our tradition thus far has been to forgo the actual "presents" and just give each other a stocking. It is always so much fun! We also try to make the Christmas eve church service at our church. Then we have Christmas with my immediate family - this includes a large meal prepared by my mom (she goes all out), watching White Christmas, and my mom always gives us a pair of PJ's so that we are looking our best for Christmas morning, haha.
THEN, we have Christmas with my dad's side of the family. They are all insane, and it is the loudest family gathering you could imagine. This year, we are doing a mexican Christmas - Chicken tamales (home made by a friend of the family), queso, chips, salsa, etc.
The day after Christmas, we travel to Missouri to my husband's family. That night, when we get there, we exchange gifts with his mom, dad and brother. That is always a lot of fun because they are so genuinely happy and everyone loves the giving more than the receiving.
Then we have Christmas with HIS dad's side, and then Christmas with his mom's side (Grandma makes the best fried chicken EVER!). Whew... I am worn out just thinking about it.
I love Christmas!! Does it seem to anyone but me that there are fewer and fewer people in the Christmas spirit this year?
Even going shopping - it doesnt seem as magical as I remember in the past! Oh well - I'll keep it up, and maybe convince some other people that it is special too.
Posted by E. Bess on 2004-12-15 17:51:11
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The strata is JUST the ticket for a Christmas morning feast. I mean, if there's any good time to eat like that (and there probably isn't, I suppose), it should be on a winter holiday morning, by cracky.
Posted by Katydid on 2004-12-16 10:53:37
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The strata is JUST the ticket for a Christmas morning feast.
Oh - it really, really is!
We totally limited ourselves to once a year - on Christmas. It's just so great that you can pop it in the oven and smell it cooking while doing the morning presents thing. I love it. Done the night before, zero mainenance breakfast.
Enjoy! My stomach is growling just thinking about it!
Posted by culinarymartyr on 2004-12-15 00:13:31
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My mom has made an eggs/sausage casserole for years on Christmas morning, prepped the day before and popped into the oven before we start opening gifts. Depending on the schedule we might have fruit salad, fresh biscuits, or any manner of other things. Since we always had lots of local visiting to do it was nice to have a calm, relaxed morning together.
One friend made Paula Deen's french bread casserole (should be on the food network site) and swore it was fantastic (I think just about everything Paula does is fantastic).
My aunt is making a hash brown casserole - frozen hashbrowns and onions and tons and tons of cheese - this year, which should be good.
Posted by kindarana on 2004-12-14 10:30:30
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Mmm, that strata sounds good, and a bit similar to the brunch casserole we have on Christmas morning. Though we don't do any fancy layering, just some milk and bread and eggs and cheese and optional bacon bits and maybe some onion, all into a bowl and it hides in the back of the fridge on Christmas Eve (that's our big dinner night) and just goes in the oven. Simple but tasty, that's what matters.
Will there be kids? Maybe they'd like to pour waffles or something; we used to dilute food coloring and paint bread with it (just buy one of those cheap packs of plastic brushes) and then you put it in the toaster and it comes out cool.
Posted by brdgt on 2005-11-28 09:09:59
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We just hang ours somewhere decorative because on Christmas morning they are under the tree (so they don't need to be hung anywhere sturdy!) I usually hang them along a window.
Posted by mrs_stroozi on 2005-12-09 16:43:33
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We just lay the stockings on a chair, and "Santa" then fills them and props them in front of the presents under the tree.
I remember my stocking being my absolute favorite part of Christmas morning. It was moment of annual magic. OTOH, I have to remind my own kids to empty their stockings. This is either (1) about my kids or (2) a message about how much better a stocking stuffer my mother was compared to me(!).
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-12-23 03:33:18
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Is her family out of town??
We're lucky that our parents are still in the same city as we are.
Our holiday routine is the same every year. Christmas eve at my MIL's, Christmas morning we do our gift opening and brunch at home, then Christmas afternoon we go to my parent's home.
It all works out quite well.
Posted by roxy_fondue on 2004-12-19 13:42:16
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i'm knee deep in the warm and fuzzy holiday spirit, and LOVIN' every minute of it (lame, lame...i know :)
my cartoon favourite is Garfield's Christmas, but I haven't seen it this year! I need my annual dosage, especially the part when the whole family lights the Christmas tree and goes "oooooh". I love the way their lips curl!
i love to sit on the floor with wrapping paper and tape and lots of gifts, and wrap them up while listening to Christmas music. i've listened predominantly to Christmas music since the middle of November. surprisingly, i'm not sick of it yet.
other holiday rituals include:
- going out just to look at Christmas lights
- drinking egg nog with nutmeg
- every night, i have this reverent moment when i first turn on the Christmas tree.
- devising and re-writing my New Years resolution list. yes, i have an entire list!!!
- Christmas morning, once again sitting on the floor (i sit on the floor a lot during the holidays), opening gifts and crumpling up wrapping paper to throw for the cats to chase.
i could go on, but my overt chipper-ness is beginning to annoy even me :)
Posted by smudgy_cat on 2006-01-03 03:56:19
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We do Christmas eve at chuch with my parents, then go to the inlaws for dinner leftovers and party gift exchange.
Christmas day, we opened our things at home, then went to his parents house for the brunch. For dinner, we went to my parents house. It worked out well, since everyone is local.
Since they have several kids, how about suggesting that you show up Christmas morning and can watch the kids open the presents that santa left at your house?
Or suggest dropping by on the 26th? I think if you appeal to her wanting less stress, and you offering to meet them, since you are more mobile than a flock of kids, you might be able to strike up something that works for everyone.
Posted by Chelsea on 2006-01-01 14:25:00
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We use Christmas eve and Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve we go out to dinner with his mom and his brothers and sister.
We go to my parents house on Christmas morning, and then to my family (aunts uncles, etc)
We don't really do anything with his extended family at all. And I hate the guilt trip my extended family tries to put on us. Because when we go all we do is sit and get ignored.
This year, though, we didn't go to any extended family. We had our own Christmas. His mom didn't even call us, but we did go to my parent's house in the morning. Later on we ordered pizza and watched a movie with his brother and sister.
If it's just you and your husband, maybe you could go to their family's celebration? My Granny from my mom's side didn't have much of any family that got together for Christmas, so she would always come with us to my dad's side of the family.
Posted by violet13 on 2006-01-04 15:01:56
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My parents are divorced which makes holidays sort of chaotic, and now that I'm married it throws another family into the mix.
The Husband and I made an agreement that we would split holidays and alternate each year. This year we drove 5 hrs to see his family on Thansgiving and spent Christmas with my family that lives close by. My family is split up even more, Christmas Eve is with my Stepfather's family, Christmas morning we have brunch with my Mom's side of the family, in the evening we have dinner with my Dad and his wife.
I made it clear to my husband that holidays were always difficult for me, running around and tring to see my whole family, and I would not let his family try to guilt us into seeing them at every holiday and we'd try to be fair about everything. They have tried to pull the guilt thing a few times but we have stuck to our guns and everything has been going fine.
Is there a way to split up the day, have a brunch in the morning?
Posted by StylinGirl on 2005-08-17 13:28:11
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Dad tried so hard. One Christmas morning he thought he'd offer up a 'special treat':scrambled eggs with PDQ Eggnog crystals mixed in (blast from the past!) yum....NOT!
Industrialized food-wise? Mickey D- a Big Mac in the styrofoam carton (again, old!) that when I, as a starving pre-teen, opened, revealed a dead cockroach. Belly-up! Talk about 'side dish"! I closed the carton and without a word to my family, got up and handed it to the counter-person and promptly requested another. Wasn't gonna let that little intruder mess up my dinner!
Hmm. Maybe that was worth some legal bucks. Ahh, the 70's- before the glut of lawyers hit the streets!
