My Perfect Christmas Day

Everyone has their own idea of what makes a perfect Christmas Day and I thought it would be fun to share with you all how my own perfect Christmas Day would plan out.

 The Morning

I think its impossible to not wake up early on Christmas Day, even for regular late risers for me! Because we don't have kids I think our day starts off later than some others and we'd generally wake up between 8-9am.

Andy and I usually roll over to say Merry Christmas to each other but he sometimes gets up before me and brings a cup of tea and biscuits to bed which is so nice!

As soon as we're up we head to our Christmas tree and where the presents are laid out. I always have the idea that i'd like to get showered and presentable before we do present opening but that almost never happens!

Present giving is one of my favourite parts of the day and I think I prefer to it to receiving gifts. It's such a nice way of showing those around you how much they mean to you and I love to see my husbands face when he opens up his surprises! 

Once our present opening is completed we then move onto the pets presents. Not a year goes by when we leave our little fur babies out and, although they're usually more than happy to play with the paper and ribbons, it's nice to include them in the festivities and give them some new toys and treats.

Once all the presents have been opened we'll then think about some breakfast. I have to say that I have never gone all out on a Christmas breakfast because I am always concerned about not having enough room for the lunch! However, my idea of a perfect Christmas breakfast would be something sweet like waffles or pancakes with a glass of bubbly. I think it makes Christmas Day feel that little bit extra special to sip some fizz on the morning because what other day of the year would this be deemed acceptable!? 

The Afternoon

Christmas Day afternoon is where the bulk of the eating and festivities comes into play. I love sitting down at the table with all our family and tucking into a splendid roast dinner with all the trimmings (vegan of course!). You can see what my idea of a perfect Christmas Day dinner looks like here! 

I really take enjoyment and pleasure in setting up my Christmas dinner table and I love styling it to look as festive and cute as possible. One year I decided to do tiny presents as everyone's name place which went down a storm. The presents were all the jokey kind too so they were fun to enjoy around the table as a group. 

I love all of the festive traditions of Christmas like the crackers, wearing paper hats and telling bad jokes to each other. Those are the things that I most remember about my childhood Christmases and it really wouldn't be the same without them. 

Once the lunch is finished it'll be time to retreat to the lounge where we may exchange more gifts with other family members. I always think it's nice to do presents in the morning but then still have more present giving to look forward to in the afternoon. 

It would be around now that I'd probably fancy an afternoon nap! There's no denying that all of that food, drink and excitement can really tire you out and make you sleepy. If we're at our home then we allow ourselves a nap but if we're at a family members house we try our best to stay awake and active! 

It's also usually around now that we might pop the TV on and have a cup of tea.

The Evening

Once we have regained some energy it's time for the board games to come out! Another Christmas tradition which within my family only tends to really happen at Christmas. I think the fact that we only play board games at Christmas makes them even more enjoyable! Board games have come to almost represent a simpler time before technology took over and a time before we were all too busy to just sit down and enjoy some simple old fashioned fun together. Board games hold so much nostalgia for me and I remember as a child really looking forward to that quality time with my family. 

For me, no Christmas Day evening is complete with some good old British soap drama on the TV. I have always been an Eastenders only kinda girl so for me it's BBC1 and time to see who's dying on Albert Square. Again, this is what I grew up with and Christmas Day doesn't quite feel the same without sitting back, relaxing and watching a good old cockney slanging match! Some may say it's depressing, I say it's Christmas.

It's not long after the evening TV schedule where my eyes start to feel heavy and we either make our way home or off to bed. There's no denying that Christmas Day is so tiring, especially if you've had to prepare the food and host too. The one year I did do it for 10 people I just remember my back aching so much from all the standing and running around. I felt like I needed Boxing Day in bed to recover!

I often think it's crazy that there is so much hype, preparation and excitement all for one day and then it's all over. More often than not I can't help but feel that it's anticlimactic nowadays because the build up starts so early and there's so much pressure for everyone to be happy and enjoying themselves. In many ways I wish I could turn the clock back to when I was a child and believed in it all so much. It definitely felt like it had more meaning back then! 

Not being religious also comes into play for me and I am sure for anyone who really believes in the story of Jesus, Christmas is so much more meaningful and probably less commercial feeling too.

However you enjoy to spend your own Christmas Day I really hope it's a good one and that you enjoy some quality time with those who mean the most to you.

I'd also love to hear about some of your own Christmas Day traditions so comment below and let me know if your day is similar to mine, or if you do anything differently!

Merry Christmas