(ended) Countdown Contest: 2 Days Until Christmas

[SunshineGirl]

We're almost done giving away prizes. Make sure that you get your chance! Today is another easy one. How will you spend your Christmas morning? A nice family breakfast? A thrashing of present opening? Or maybe something more unique?

We'll randomly choose one post from before midnight Eastern to be the winner.

Standard Rules Apply:

http://sunshinerewardsforum.com/showthread.php?t=17569

[PSL1013]

I'm bringing breakfast over to my son and his fiance's house, which will consist of my Holiday egg casserole and mimosa's and then we will rip open the gifts! :D

[rumrunnergirl]

I carry on the tradition of my childhood -

Everyone gets dressed & eats a nice breakfast, then we sit in a circle and one person opens a present at a time. That way everyone gets to see all the presents and the person's face as they open a present. Dad is the designated garbage bag holder for wrapping paper and boxes, and Mom is the picture-taker.

[faithhope]

We unwrap family presents on Christmas Eve, and it is done in a slow, thoughtful, and thankful manner with lots of pictures.

On Christmas morning the kids are allowed to go crazy with the presents that santa brought them. The only stipulation is that the parents must be awake to take pictures and see the happy faces.
Then after the frenzy, we have a nice breakfast, and a fun day at home to play with all our new toys. It is a wear your jammies all day kind of day.

[JillyFish]

Well....we are usually up pretty late on Christmas Eve since we have everybody over at our house. So, believe it or not, we always have to wake our kids up on Christmas morning. DH and I usually wake up pretty early because we're excited and can't sleep! LOL! So we usually get up, shower, and sometimes even exchange gifts with each other before the kids get up. Once the kids get up, we open presents right away. We take turns so everyone can see what you got.

[shmily1]

I will get up about 5:30, put on the turkey, wake up the rest of the family, open presents, clean up the mess from that, then get everything ready to do lunch with family and friends. Finally around 3 PM, I'll sit down and crash!!!!

[jenvance]

I also carry the tradition of my childhood. The kids wake us up, we go upstairs. I put on the pillsbury cinnamon rolls. They open their stockings, we eat, then we open the presents, kind of one at a time. So that everyone can see what everyone gets. Then we go to my moms across the street, then we go to my grandmas and then we go to my mother in laws. Busy busy day for us.

[m 'n c]

I'll probably wake up really early like 7amish and then go peak at my stocking, I'll let Murphf out for a minute then run inside and finish wrapping gifts. By then it should be 8:30 so I'll go bring Murphf in to wake up my brother so he doesn't get mad at me and then we'll go attack our stockings together and watch the Disney parade until my parents wake up.

[jnorth1007]

This year has been a tough one for me. It has seemed very commercial and all about gifts for everyone in my family. I have decided to try to make it more traditional for me and the kids and Brandon.

I recieved an awesome pack of cinnamon spice from Tricia so I am going to be using that to make cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning with the girls. First we will get up and let the kids play with their Santa gifts since Santa doesn't wrap his gifts. Then we will make the rolls and have breakfast while we listen to Christmas music. Then we will open the gifts from mom and dad. Finally we will be submerged back in the chaos by dressing up and going to my parents home for dinner at 3pm where the gift giving turns in to a crazy chaos and no one knows who got what from whom.

I know this is long but I have to say that I was thinking last night about some of the purely New Orleans things we did as a kid for Christmas and I am promising now to do these with my kids next year. We are going to have a Revillion which is a big dinner that is held on Christmas Eve. It used to be held with just adults and they would eat until it was time for midnight services or time for Santa to come and put toys together. Much easier to do when you have help. Mine probably wont be so late because we don't live within a block of family like we always did as a child.

I also plan on taking my kids to St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans to see the historic homes decorated for the season. We are then going to take them for beignets and coffee in the city.

I also would love to take them to see the bon fires held on the levees in St. John Parish which are lit on Christmas Eve to light the way for Santa's sleigh.

There are so many things we used to do that we just dont do anymore. I am hoping that if I plan things I can bring some of those things back next year. Thanks for indulging me.

[lkturner]

Get up early. Open presents. Eat freshly baked [Trader Joe's] chocolate croissants and clementines. More presents....:)

[barbaraapple]

We hope gifts at home then load up and go to my parents house for Christmas breakfast with the whole family.

[Hedy]

We'll get up, mom and I will open our stockings and presents. Then we'll pile in the car to go to Middlebrother's to see the boys.

[penn19]

We don't have any family around us, so it has always pretty much just been the 6 of us for awhile. The kids open their gifts from santa, then my husband makes breakfast, then dinner, and in between we hang out in our jammies.

[bartleby1]

We get home really late Christmas Eve, so the kids usually don't wake up until 8:30 or so. Santa leaves their stockings outside their bedroom doors and the kids are allowed to go through them before waking us up (anything that gives me a few extra minutes to sleep is welcomed!). Once they are done with their stockings, they wake us up to go downstairs and start on the presents. It is usually quite chaotic! We start out orderly, with one present per child, but it quickly escalates in to craziness.

The kids usually have a little time to play before getting dressed and heading to my parent's house for Christmas dinner (around 1:00) and to open more gifts there.

[disney_girl]

Get up and have cinnamon rolls and french toast while looking at stockings. Then open presents. We're going an hour away to SIL's for lunch. Then back home to relax. Christmas with my family won't be until Saturday afternoon.

Thanks for your post Janet...I have been feeling the same way! I'm already working on plans to create some family traditions for next year.

[Candi]

We start with stockings and if we have time before we go to my parent's for presents and breakfast, we open presents. My husband and I usually wait to open ours until the kids are done so we can watch them and take pics.

[Belle]

We open gifts and then head to my parents' house.

[tarheelpat]

We'll open the gifts all together one at a time. As is the tradition in my husband's family, most gifts will have a riddle on them, so the recipient will try to guess what it is before opening. Then we'll have some Moravian sugar cake, Guitar Hero World Tour will take over the family room, and DH and I will probably take a nap!

[bajam]

I'm sure the kids will get us up super early. We don't mind because these years go by so quickly. After opening up presents we will have our traditional breakfast of orange doughnuts. This is a family recipe that I used to have on Christmas when I was little so it's very sentimental.

[toystoryduo]

On Christmas Eve we celebrate with my in laws, so everyone is up pretty late. Usually, we have to wake the kids up on Christmas morning! :) We open our gifts one at a time and then open our stockings. Afterwards, we eat breakfast (a casserole this year) and watch the WDW parade on TV. Soon after that, we leave for my aunt's house, celebrate Christmas with them, head to my parents and open gifts with them, and then head to my MIL's house to see extended family and eat again! :christmas:

[fanofree]

Since there are no young ones... We get a late start. I always get up and have coffee, shower and watch the WDW Parade on TV. When everyone is up and about, we gather and sort through the gift pile. (By this time it is me and DD, my brother, parents and grandmother.) We take turn opening gifts, much to my bother's disgust, and it can take hours! We munch on very unhealthy sweet rolls we make with Riches rolls and pudding mix - yummy! The paper gets thrown in balls on the floors for the cats to play with and pictures are taken as everyone unwraps.

[~Kathie]

DH & I get up around 9, open our gifts to each other and have our tradtional Christmas breakfast of crossaints, tea, jam, bacon and fruit. We then hang around until noon and 'play with out toys'.

After noon it's time to get ready for company coming at 6. Prepare the food, set out the dishes. We really enjoy this time.

[tink1212]

My husband and I, along with his mom and my parents all stay at my house on Christmas Eve and we also open all our presents on Christmas Eve, so we will sleep in a little on Christmas Day, but we have to be sure that we our up to see the Disney Christmas Parade!!

[sabrina90744]

My DD usually excitedly gets into bed with me around 5 a.m. telling me "he came he came" We both get up freshen up get breakfast together and wake up DS around 7 and open gifts while we eat.

[kimbih]

Cleaning up the mess the kids make and putting together all their toys :rotfl:

[sarah4770]

we usually go to my parents christmas eve, so christmas morning is nice and relaxing. we usually put on that tv station that has the fireplace and christmas music, the kids open their presents, and then we'll watch a christmas movie.
then i'm off to the kitchen to slave away all afternoon making christmas dinner, while everyone else just relaxes on the couch. lol.

[emtntn]

This Christmas I will wake the kids up really early and let them open their gifts. Then its time to drop them off with my grandparents for the day. Then for me its off to work, have to be there at 7am. A job in EMS never closes not even for the holidays so somebody has to be there.

[pbhall13]

The girls usually wake me up pretty early (even though our Christmas Eve is very busy) and I will put on some homemade cinnamon buns. While the buns are baking we have some hot cocoa and open our stockings first! I also think this year I am going to do a french toast bake (girls usually love this and it is a quick one dish meal). We put on some nice christmas music and the fun begins. Since Santa only wraps a few presents they can pretty much see what they are getting but have fun pointing out which gift is for them or sister.

I am also hosting my family for dinner so I will need to get the pork loin in the oven by noon. I decided a few years ago that i would like to always cook christmas dinner.........I hate tearing the girls away from their new stuff.....and I can really enjoy how happy they are with all that Santa brought them.

Once everyone leaves that night, I will call my best friend Noelle and we will plan our next days adventure............AFter christmas shopping......we have done this for years (she is my friend from high school) and have so much fun...and the lunch is the best part that day.........no cleaning up or having to cut someones food!!!!!

[disneymomma]

Christmas morning starts early with the kids checking to see what Santa brought. Then it's over to the inlaws for breakfast and more gifts. Then I'm busy in the kitchen helping prepare the big dinner. And finally back home where we can relax and play with the new toys.

I too would like more tradition and meaning instead of gifts, gifts, gifts and work, work, work in the kitchen. I don't think it will change though as long as I have inlaws lol.

[mommytotwo]

I am the first one to wake up on Christmas morning, and I will get breakfast ready. Cinnamon rolls, ham slices, and scrambled eggs. Then I will start to wake up the family. The kids will come up the stairs all excited with big smiles on their faces while I still try to wake up their sleepy daddy. Once we open all of the presents and stockings, I know that the kids will want to play with them, but they will have to wait until after breakfast :).

[bbangel]

Wake up without an alarm, open the stocking, have something to eat, then open presents. Pretty low key.

[saffymom]

The kids will wake us up early so they can see what Santa brought them. Then I will make a nice breakfast (pancakes, bacon and eggs). The kids will play for a while and watch the Disney Christmas parade. Then in the afternoon we will head to West Virginia to visit my parents for a few days.

[mseg16222]

Get up open presents and the father in law shows up to tape, mother-in-law stays home to cook. And then we hurry up and get ready to go to the in laws for lunch. After there home for an hour then to my aunts house. Then when we get home everyone crashes early from all of the running...

[mollyeilis]

We will wake up when Eamon wakes, and I think right now I'll just send him into the living room to snag the presents from my stepdad and his wife. We opened the other gifts on Yule, but stepdad celebrates Christmas so we'll open his gifts on that day. Since it's such a small offering, E can run in, get those, and open them all snuggly in the family bed.

[catnapfan]

We open all our gifts and celebrate with my family Christmas Eve. So Christmas morning we sleep in, have a big breakfast, watch the disney parade and just relax. Around 4 pm we head across the road to my inlaws to celebrate with them.

[memanana]

Christmas morning we won't do much Ours will be Saturday when our girls and their families get in from St Louis, Mo. and Clarks Summit, Pa. Then we will enjoy the 4 granddaughters opening their gifts I cannot wait.

[fourfoxesinpa]

The kids each have a monogrammed fabric Santa basket that hangs on their bedroom doors. They'll wake up, see surprises in their baskets and come cuddle up in our bed. We'll spend a little quiet, reflective time there, opening their treats until we're all ready to head down stairs. Then, with lots of cookies and coffee, they'll "tear into it" while watching the Tin Soldiers march in the Disney parade! I love them and a day where you can have nothing but cookies for breakfast and it's OK! Then, get dressed and out the door for lots of visiting with family and more food.

[MrsWonka]

We will actually have 2 Christmas mornings this year. Because DD will be with her father, we will get up Christmas Eve morning just like it is Christmas, do the gifts, then have breakfast at our house with my mom and aunt. Then on Christmas morning we will go to my uncle's house for breakfast. Every year my uncle has breakfast for my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and now their children.

[wilsonfamily4]

We will wake up and put a breakfast casserole in that my husband HAS to have Christmas morning. Then we will open our stockings then presents. Then we will eat cinnamon rolls and the casserole. About that time my family will be here and we will go through stockings and gifts again! :) Later we will have a ham dinner and make gingerbread houses with the kids. I love Christmas!

O, need to add that we make a chocolate cake and do Jesus' birthday. I want the kids to know why we have such an amazing day!

[spring]

DH and I are going to stay overnight at DD's house Christmas Eve so we'll be able to watch the shining faces of two of our Granddaughters as they hurry down to see what Santa brought them. After all the presents are opened, my DD has breakfast. Later on, my other DD will join us with her family, including another Granddaughter. We'll exchange presents with them, then have dinner. Since the DD (jl8595) is the cook extraordinaire this year, I'll save the food details for her.;)

[zoodoyle]

We'll wake up at my parents house at the crack of dawn (or earlier!!), have an hours-long gift unwrapping celebration, then head to church, come back to more gifts, and then a lovely Christmas dinner and lounging around the house - a love-filled day!! :love:

[jendon1997]

There are 3 children in our house so the festivities start right away. We will open presents from Santa first. Then off to Mimi's house for brunch. It's a hectic but fun day!!

[jl8595]

Nothing out of the ordinary...get up, open gifts, eat a big breakfast, snack on hors d'heurves and lounge around until eating dinner. All about presents and food! :D

[jd3921fl]

Nothing out of the unusual. Breakfast casserole and then opening presents and then the Disney parade.

[speechteachri]

We'll get up Christmas morning, call my parents to come over (they live next door) then open our stockings. After stockings we'll eat cinnamon buns and bacon (dd's favorites and eas y for me) then we will open presents with my dp's. Later we'll open presents with my ddis and her family and uncles and aunts, but for Christmas morning it willb e pretty quiet!

[FigmentFever]

We'll be sleeping in. Then we will have pastries and hot tea or cocoa.

Finally, we will go over to Mom & Pop-in-law's to open presents.

[stacieps]

Our kids will wake us up WAY too early. I'll through some cinnamon rolls in the oven (you know, the kind that the dough comes in the tube). After presents we have a relaxing couple of hours. Then my parents from for dinner mid-day.

[askomsky]

No doubt my children will be waking us up early somewhere around 6-630am after mom and dad climb into bed by 2 am. They'll give us 10 mins to wake up and get our coffee and cameras set up then we'll let them open the Santa Gifts.

Side note: I really liked the idea some of you have of NOT wrapping the Santa gifts and really thought about doing it BUT we live in a rancher and my children run down the hall to see the "stash" under the tree BEFORE waking mom and dad up. So I would miss that first reaction of "Santa brought me exactly what I wanted" and that's the BEST part of Christmas morning for me.

Then we'll let them take turns opening some of their gifts. We'll stop for breakfast before we let them continue with the rest. After that they'll play for a little bit and then get dressed. They may or may not go for their stockings. Last year they choose to wait until we came back from Grandmom's house. I'll leave it up to them. Around noon we'll head out to my mom's (an hour trip) for dinner and more gifts. We'll then come back home and let the kids play some more and just enjoy everything. I LOVE the excitment leading up to Christmas but I think I get the "holiday blues" on the 26th bc I feel like after all of those days/weeks of careful shopping, planning is all over and I'm bummed...... I love it don't get me wrong but I just love watching the kids on Christmas morning.

[missymouse]

Our kids will wake up early and find a letter from Santa informing them that the Santa bag (I made 3 large velvet bags that I rotate from year to year) is hidden somewhere in the house. They will have to search for it. They will also receive clues to figure out which presents belong to whom. Hopefully this will give DH and I a little extra sleep. Then we will have breakfast and not much else for the rest of the day. I will make Christmas dinner later in the day.

[sammielynn]

Ours is always the same. DS19 will get me up early! When he was small he nearly drove me crazy about Christmas morning and still does. The guys will check out their new stuff we will have cinnamon rolls for breakfast and in just a few hours their Dad will come and pick them up to go to his Mothers house. I go back to bed!
My family get together on Christmas Eve so I have the day to myself after the boys leave.

[tinad171972]

One of the kids will wake us up early, but not before 7 am. I will put on a pot of coffee and while I am doing that, they kids hit their stockings. Then its present time. We video tape and take pictures and we really let them go at it. After all the presents are open, I usually start the clean up from the night before since I have family over for Christmas Eve and really don't feel like cleaning up so late after everyone leaves. Then its off to my sisters around 12.

[jo93]

My girls started a tradition last year of writing a Christmas play about the real meaning of Christmas and acting out the play for us before opening presents. We will probably eat breakfast first. And then open the presents after the play.

[aknight373]

we always sleep in, we will get up around 8 am or 8 :30 ( yeap that's sleeping in for us) Then we will get up and load the car with all the presents... then we go to a local restaurant to eat breakfeast ( the best of this is we always tip the waitress like 20 or 25 dollars normally on a 10 dollar breakfeast) then head to his parents and have one crazy day.

Then we come home for awhile to let the dogs out then back for dinner around 6!!!!

[Sunni]

We get up and have coffee/hot chocolate with warm homemade cinnamon and pecan rolls while opening up our stockings. Then we open up our presents one person at a time so we can see everything. As the day goes on we nibble on appetizers and then have a large dinner later on.

[arob414]

We are getting up ultra early to open presents and then will be heading out to West Tn to stay a few days with my aunt and uncle, they are almost like grandparents to my girls. My mom will come along and my uncle will also be staying a few days. We want to get there in time for brunch, hence the ultra early rising. This is my yr off and I tried to talk the girls into opening presents on Christmas Eve so we could sleep longer. But, we did that, last yr so they wouldn't have to get up so early before I went to work. (They don't believe in Santa, anymore, so I thought we would have more flexibility) Apparently, they didn't like breaking with tradition. That's ok, I feel the same way. I will be looking forward to a nap between brunch and dinner.

[Blessing and Miracle]

For the first time in 28 years we are doing something a tad bit different. Traditionally, DH and I get up first, take a few more pictures of the Christmas tree and presents. Get the camera and camcorder ready so we can catch the kids initial reaction. I go and gather the kids, so they can all come in the family room togther. Everyone is overly excited as they see the gifts that Santa left (Santa doesn't wrap his presents). Once the little ones look at their toys we allow them to open the presents from mommy and daddy. Dad is filming while I'm taking tons of photos. Then he and I open our presents once the children are done. Soon after, it's rush, rush, rush, to get dressed and go to my parent's home where we have another feast of presents as we exchange gifts with my parents, siblings, their spouses and their children. Then, we eat dinner at my parents. It's 23 of us and we have a wonderful time. Then we are off to my inlaws where we eat again.

This year, however, I told DH that I want to enjoy more of home and the actual holiday as opposed to rushing and rushing and not getting home until way too late. So this year we plan on taking our time and enjoying most of the day at home before we go and visit our extended families. :)

[MdCaterer]

We let our son wake us up and wait for everyone to gather and see what Santa brought us. Then we turn on some Christmas music and open gifts. Then we eat a great breakfast of homemade quiche and breakfast pastries and Christmas cookies of course!!

[Weluvdisny]

When the boys wake up, we call my in-laws and while we wait for them to come over, we dig into our stockings. When they get here we make breakfast and then gather around the tree to open all the presents.

This year we are staying home for dinner and my son's girlfriend and her dad are coming over for ham dinner. Her mom has to work all day as a 911 dispatcher from 6am to 6pm.

[DarcyDog]

Ever since I was a little girl (50+ years ago), we get up at about 6:00 AM. When we were little and couldn't sleep on Christmas morning, my brothers and sister would be up pestering our parents from about 5:00 AM on to get up. We always had to wait for my grandfather, who lived next door to us, to get home from his shift on the railroad which was about 6:00 AM. To this day, we continue the tradition of getting up early, but now start the morning with a mimosa and a toast. In our family, it's not Christmas unless it's still dark outside when we start opening presents!

[missangie]

The winner is Post #23. . . tink1212.

Congratulations! Open a trouble ticket and include your mailing address to claim your prize.