I always enjoy hearing other people’s Christmas stories. Their traditions, their memories, the way their families always served hot dogs because one year Mom cooked the turkey and Dad had to help—that really makes up the magic of this holiday. Now that I’m a mom of three daughters, I especially love hearing about people’s Christmas morning traditions and memories. Few remember what the big gift was each year, but they certainly remember waiting at the top of the stairs for mom to play Christmas music, the sights and smells of Christmas morning, and being with their family.
Many people have Christmas Eve traditions, and even Christmas traditions, but there’s something special about Christmas morning. In a world where we are constantly being asked to do more throughout December— Make these fancy snowball cookies! Get these pajamas for the whole family! Putting up these time consuming and expensive decorations! — It’s wonderful to hear people decades later remember the simple yet magical moments of Christmas morning. These are moments that people want to relive. ~This~ is the Christmas magic they recall again and again.
Waiting for parents to give the all-clear on Christmas morning
“We weren’t allowed to leave our room until our mom and dad came to pick us up. I remember being so excited. —Mary H., mom of two and grandmother of five
“When I was a kid in southern Oregon, our grandparents would walk the four kids down the stairs singing “Jingle Bells,” and then we would gather around the Christmas tree with mom and dad to open presents.” — Ginny S ., mother of two and grandmother of two
“We were not allowed to leave the back of the house until we were all awake and went to the living room together. Santa’s gifts were all unwrapped and completely put together and placed in front of the fireplace. We enjoyed these first and then had breakfast. After breakfast , we opened gifts from family members. —Ashley H.
“I have the girls wait outside the living room while we open the tree, let the dogs out, make coffee, etc. We sometimes tease them by saying things like, ‘Oh, we need a second cup of coffee first!’ Play the drag it out game. —Sarah D., mother of two
“It was 1967. It was about 5 o’clock on Christmas morning – we always had to wait in the hall. Mom came into the living room, opened the Christmas tree and turned on a stack of Christmas records on the record player. It was torture! Best memories .—Mary C., mother of two and grandmother of five
“We always had to wait for the sun to come up. I remember my brother and I would peek from the stairs and look at the tree, but weren’t allowed to go all the way down. We would come back and, for some reason, sit in the bathroom – I think Because it’s closer to the stairs than our room – waiting for the sun to come up so we can wake our parents — Nick S., father of three.
Opening gifts on bed
“We waited on the big bed in our matching pajamas until Dad went to get our socks! We opened them in bed. He also preheated the oven for our Christmas cinnamon rolls! — Gayle R., mom of two
“I have a bag at the foot of my bed for Santa to put his gifts in. So when I wake up and see the bag full, I know he has and will run to my mom. She will be in bed with me, We unpack all my new stuff before we go downstairs — Julie D., mom of three and grandmother of seven.
“To prevent us from snatching gifts too early, our parents always left a gift on the stairs so that we could open it before they woke up. It was usually a book that my siblings and I would sit on Reading on the stairs, waiting for them to come down — Sarah H., mother of four and grandmother of six.
“We always came home from midnight mass to find Santa Claus had been at our house! He always left a gift for each of us on our parents’ bed, and after we all put on our pajamas, the seven of us huddled together Be together and open that gift before bed — Barbara T., mother of four and grandmother of 12.
Wake up brothers and sisters and wait together
“My sister would always wake me up and we would go into my brother’s room and get into bed with him. We would all look out at the tree together – I will never forget that year, three bikes were put away In front of the fireplace – and then dragging our bags off the foot of the bed in the same room where Santa hid the little gifts – we would watch old VHS tapes of Christmases from years past until 6am when our parents would let us call. Wake them up. —Samantha S., mother of three
“I would always jump out of bed first and run to my siblings. We would all sit in the living room with nothing but the Christmas tree, excitedly whispering about what we thought Santa had brought for us. — Donna Z ., mother of four and grandmother of 10
“First thing in the morning I go to the hallway to wake up my sister and then I have to put my hands up so when I run down the hall I can’t see anything in the living room. My sister always insists that we come together in so I never peeked before I helped her up. — Janice P., mom of two.
Find magic from Santa Claus
“Santa always leaves us a letter next to his cookie plate, filled with the cutest details about our year — even things that happened in the spring — and always gives us a warm feeling . It always feels special to open a gift afterwards. — Theresa L., mother of one.
“Santa uses specific wrapping paper for each of us and without gift tags we always have to look for wrapping paper at the bottom of our stockings. Some years it’s a big chunk and we know right away, sometimes it’s a big The little chunks we really have to look for — George R., father of two and grandfather of seven.
“We knew Santa was coming because there was always a piece of red yarn tied to our bedroom door and it trailed all over the house and would end up on a big gift. One year, it was my sister and I Playground, another year, with ropes falling on two beanbag chairs on each of our front porches. — Christine A., mom of one.
Special Christmas breakfast
“We bake Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve and eat them for breakfast on Christmas morning. It’s just a nice little treat! — Jamie K., mom of two
“We open stockings, but before opening presents, we always pause to put baked eggs and butter braids in the oven.” — Richelle M., mother of five
“I always look forward to receiving gifts, but I also can’t wait for my mom’s special gingerbread cookies. On Christmas morning she would make them from scratch – we would come downstairs and find her rolling them out – opening the gifts There’s nothing better than eating something delicious, spicy, and warm right after. — Roger F., father of two and grandfather of six.
No matter what your Christmas morning looks like, it’s bound to be a magical morning when you spend it with the people you love.
