What do you have planned for Christmas?

[Beren One-Hand]

Well tonight I go with my wife and family to a Christmas concert.  Christmas eve is always fun and involves going out to eat with the whole family and going to church.  Christmas day, of course, involves opening gifts and eating an amazing turkey dinner.  Overall, it's just a great time to spend with family - giving, receiving and eating.  As a Christian, I celebrate what I believe to be the most important aspect of Christmas, and its true origin - that of the birth of Christ.

[Rita]

Well, every year just before Christmas my church does a full scale musical, and for the past few years (and this one too) I am playing a lead role, so that always keeps me busy.

On Christmas eve we have a carols service in the evening, and then afterwards my friends and I go to a neigbourhood that has heaps of Christmas lights and carols and we walk around and enjoy them.

On Christmas morning we go to my best friends house to have breakfast with his family. Then we go to my grandparents house for lunch and spend the afternoon with my extended family. Then in the evening we go to another family friend's house for dinner, and all our other friends come over and we all hang out together till late (or early really  ).

[Wolfchild]

On Christmas Eve's eve, we're going down to my gran's for a sort of family dinner thing, even though we usually go on the day before Christmas, but this year I think there is a new schedule. On Christmas day, the family waits until everyone is up, then we all come downstairs, eat scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (nice!) before going and getting dressed, then we come back down to open presents. The rest of the day is a bit of a chilled out situation, until dinner, where I think pork is on the menu (I can't stand turkey) and someone finds a film on television to watch as we eat. I love just being my family when everyone is happy, eating nice food and all that. I also worked really hard this year to afford presents that they will really love, so that's good.

[Lexicalized]

Mostly we do the same thing every year.  Christmas Eve, we all sit by the lit up Christmas tree, with all other lights off.  We listen to Bing Crosby Christmas music or something like that (which has been playing about non stop for two weeks now...), and then we read Luke 2.  (Hey Beren, I ditto what you said.  I'm a Christian too, so it's a pretty awesome time of year).  Then we all go to bed and wake the next morning, most of us early. 

We all come out in our pajamas to the Christmas tree and wait for everyone else to wake up.  *laughs*  We look at the presents, and, of course, wonder which is ours.  (Not to mention the excitement of GIVING presents and seeing the reaction).  Then, we open the presents.  Sometimes we eat cinnemon rolls or something like that.  We never have a big meal on Christmas, that takes too much work, and my mom cooks amazing meals every night, so we just chill.  This year we'll be going to see my Grandparents after our Christmas morning ritual, so that will be fun.

I really...just love Christmas.  It's always seemed so magical to me.  Everyone smiles and is nice to each other.  You save money and struggle to get enough presents for everyone (with eight kids in the family, it can be hard...but it's all good, I got a job this year!).  I love the close feeling that comes especially at Christmas.  And of course, Jesus' birthday...How cool is that?