Well, in answer to what we do on Christmas Day - it's part Christmas and part birthday (just as well we're not religious, with all that to deal with!).
In the past we've gone for a cruise around the neighbourhood to see some of the lights - which the kids (now 9 and 6 1/2) enjoy - on the 24th. I always hope for snow on the 25th - just because I had 29 Christmases in the summer :-) It's snowed twice on the 25th, I think, in the 11 years I've been here. 1 year I even wore shorts and a t-shirt on Christmas Day - but then, we had one year where it about made it up to freezing after being around 10-12F for several days :-) After the kids have gone to bed, and are soundly sleeping, DH and I move the gifts for us from under the tree in the dining room to the one in the family room. Santa leaves a gift for each kid on the hearth (and leaves traces of his having scoffed cookies, and milk), and fills the stockings. On Christmas morning - the rule is you can't go downstairs until Mum and Dad are up, and then we head down and stay in the kitchen to prolong the excitement - and I bake sticky buns for DH - he has to have them every Christmas morning as his birthday breakfast. We then see what Santa has brought, and open our gifts, and those from my family and friends in Oz. Usually around midday or before or after - depending on who's the host family - MIL/FIL or BIL/SIL - we get cleaned up, and head over to their place for the remainder of the day, and do gifts with them and DH's brother and his wife and kids (4 and almost 3), then have a break , and break out the appetizers and drinks, and finally do birthday dinner, birthday presents and cake. The last couple of years it's been at my MIL's so we went for a swim in their indoor pool in their building 2 years ago, and last year a dear friend of ours was an 'orphan' so joined us for the day, and took DH over to the local bar for a drink on his birthday - something he's looked forward to the last few years. It's not DH's favourite day, as he's had some years where he's been very much overlooked in the excitement of other things happening in the family, but the first year our friend joined us was a total surprise - literally, as I was the one one in the family who knew he was coming over - and it was the first time ever the DH had a birthday 'party' with friends on his birthday - that made Christmas for me, to see his surprise and joy. We usually get home somewhat late (for us and the kids) and all partied out. Hope everyone has a safe and peaceful Holidays and a Happy New Year. Cheers, Helen, Aussie in Denver, where the whitest it'll get this year, is snow on the ground if it stays cold enough and truly does snow some this week. To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
