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@cat620: we spend either Christmas Eve or day with my side of the family. Depending on who hosts we might spend both with my family (depends on if the hosts house has room for all of us)

The other day we do gifts, Christmas movies, read the Christmas story from the Bible.

It's actually kind of hard to be with just my husband and son on that day because growing up both days were taken up with both sides of the family with no down time. I miss the hustle and bustle of it all when it's just us.

We do still go to something in early December for my dad's side of the family, and to my husband's grandparents house or of state.

We are a secular family, so that influences some of our traditions and how we spend the holiday. When LO was 2 yrs old we started to stay at home over the actual holiday (we alternated holidays between DH and my families when we were dating/married no kids and then for LO's first 2 holidays).

For the past few years this is how we've spent our holiday:
XMas eve: We spend the day relaxing, and try to go outside somewhere to either a local nature park for a long walk or to a playground or something similar.
Then in the evening, we go to a local area with a christmas light display where LO can run around. That night for dinner we make homemade snowman-shaped pizzas, watch a holiday movie with our own cookies, open our xmas eve present (pjs, ornament), and leave Santa cookies/milk and reindeer snacks. Then we put the christmas key on the outside of the door (no fireplace) and do stories and bedtime as usual.
Then DH and I have some quiet time together before putting all the gifts out and going to bed.

Xmas morning/day we wake up and do gifts. I always have some kind of made-ahead breakfast that I'll pop in the oven part-way through. We have coffee and put on christmas music and the fireplace on TV while gifts are being opened.
After gifts, we have casual breakfast and LO opens toys and we play together. I put the Nutcracker ballet on after gifts for background music/enjoyment.

Then we chill/play/hang out at home most of the day. Lunch is just snacks or appetizer style. Pigs in a blanket with a cheese plate and veggies/dip or something similar and good for grazing. At some point I will put dinner in the crock pot. Traditionally we do beef shortribs in a red wine sauce. I'll make the sauce/prep everything the day or two ahead so it's just putting it in the slow cooker, turning it on and letting it cook itself while we hang out. Again, we try to get outside at some point and play in our yard or go to the park. Then dinner, and our usual night time routine. Then DH and I will start a fire outside after LO goes to bed and hang out solo.

This year we will have a newborn so while we are hoping to keep most of these traditions the same I know some things may be a little different as we adapt. Not sure if we will host family/guests in town or anything like that but we're basically staying flexible.

Prefer to stay home with nuclear family, at least for the morning. However we have 1 set of long distance grandparents so sometimes we see them. They love Christmas and we get along well with them so it is great.

Do you have any special meals or other traditions?
We have Christmas brunch, hot chocolate, and stay in pajamas all day. When possible, we go to the movies in the afternoon or evening.

We have started doing nuclear family gifts on Christmas Eve and then extended family on Christmas day, or vice versa - bc of the kids it is better to spread it out.

We do a book advent calendar and a prayer advent calendar (praying for different people every night).

I want to make a Christmas activities list but not go overboard bc we are two WOH parents.

All of our extended families have small children, we are the only ones with an only, so that does influence how and where we celebrate.

In theory, we are supposed to alternate the holiday, but that hasn't happened in 2 years because of other circumstances. My husband's family lives on another continent, my parents are in town, and my brother and his family are a day's driving distance.

When we celebrate with my husband's family, we are staying at their house and we do what they ask, which involves 3 days of dinners out. Presents are exchanged on Eve, and we have our Santa presents and our personal gifts at our house for later on.

When we celebrate with my family, we have dinner at my mom's and then I will usually host a brunch on Day.

We haven't had set traditions. I have 2 Dec babies so the year they were just born, I think we just spent it with my family so it's smaller and less stress. Looking at pictures, it seems like so far we've spent 2 Christmas at our house, 1 at my parent's house, and Christmas Eve or day after Christmas we will spend time with DH's side of the family.

This year though we're trying to get all the kids together Christmas day to open presents together, so we'll prob come up with something different! I think we like to spend it with SOME family, not just us.

My in-laws live in England so that makes it easier - we only have my family to contend with. Our traditions changed when my parents moved three hours away to the lake. Now we go up there on the 23rd, usually. On Christmas Eve we open the Christmas Eve box - it has a copy of the Night Before Christmas, new jammies and slippers, a DVD of the Grinch, special Christmas mugs and hot chocolate, and the plate for Santa cookies. On Christmas Day we try to keep the boys quiet as late as possible because my little brother is not a morning person, and we let them open stockings to tide them over, but usually by 7 everybody is up. We do stockings, we have mimosas, we open presents, and then my mom always makes this breakfast casserole called Wife Saver. We spend the rest of the day lounging and playing with new toys until the big turkey dinner!

@erinbaderin: Interesting about the inlaws abroad...have they ever expressed either coming to you or you visiting them?

Since having kids, for Christmas Eve we do a bunch of hot and cold appetizers for dinner (meatballs, dips, cheese ball, salads, etc) and usually try to watch Rudolph before our older son goes to bed. This year is the first year I think he gets the idea of Santa so we will make a big deal of putting out cookies and whatnot. I also bought matching Jammie’s for him and DS2 who is 3 months.

Christmas morning I do a make ahead breakfast bake and cinnamon rolls. We open gifts and laze around all morning and then I have cooked turkey dinner in the past and had grandparents over. We usually spend the 26th packing up and doing laundry in prep for travel from the 27-31st.

We’ve done a lot of different combos of hosting and travelling to visit people but we are always home the 24th and 25th and people are welcome to join us. This year it’s just us on Christmas day so might have friends of ours in town over for the dinner...I do like the idea of the crockpot meal!!

@looch: Before we got married my husband went every year. They’ve never mentioned coming here - until this year my husband’s elderly grandparents were also there so they always spent Christmas together. And we’ve never gone there mostly because I’m the organizer in the house and I want to stick with my family! If my husband had wanted to go we probably would have before kids, now I think it would be pretty complicated.

@catgirl: Your plans feel a lot like ours! My own reasons for cooking like I do are more selfish in that I don’t want to be in the kitchen missing out on things or on my feet while everyone relaxes but I’m glad to hear your husbands perspective about having his mom more present instead of tucked away in the kitchen.

We make cookies over several days ahead of Christmas. I usually have 5 or more kinds and we divvy them up for delivering to local friends. So by Christmas Eve all the baking is done!

I forgot last year we went to our friends for a Christmas Eve party which they’re wanting to make a tradition. Fancy potluck style apps, drinks, lots of kids running around. It was fabulous but with a newborn this year we will probably skip it and rejoin next time

@lindseykaye: definitely sounds like we have a similar approach to Christmas. I agree with your reasons too! And I don't think they are selfish at all! Our whole family has more fun when we can all be present together, so I would be really frustrated stuck in the kitchen (mostly) alone.

We also bake a lot leading up to Christmas. Last year we were only decorating sugar cookies on Christmas Eve, not doing the actual baking.

@wrkbrk: totally re thanksgiving. I have always considered that holiday the sacrificial lamb so that I don't have to fuck up the time off work around Christmas/New Years by a bunch of travel.

Usually we spend the holidays with extended family, but this year we made a conscious decision to be just with our nuclear family for Christmas Eve and day. I grew up attending a very large Xmas eve party with@50 family members (my mom’s cousins and aunts all lived locally). It was hectic and fun, but crazy.

We plan to cook and bake all Xmas Eve. Then Xmas day we’ll open gifts and spend a chill day at home. We watch movies and play with our toys. Lots and lots of food is involved.

We will celebrate with my parents and my borther’s family the weekend before New Years and then with my husbands family the weekend of 1/6.