Christmas traditions for newly married couple without children

My mum will still wrap a present in different paper and have "love from Santa" on the tag. I'm 23 and my brother is 20!!

Awww ☹️

Could you and your H maybe go away to a nice hotel or something for Christmas Day so that you don't have to be at home? Maybe being in a different environment might make it easier, as you won't be thinking "A would normally love this" or "BiL would be asleep on the sofa by now?"

Footers, Santa still brings my stocking presents. He writes notes too, though they are suspiciously similar in handwriting to the Tooth Fairy.

An absolute must!! Muppet Christmas carol is played in here at least 10 times through December haha, I love it!

This is mine and OH's 5th Christmas together but we still haven't spent a single one on our own together. . I would really like to have a year of just us but he isn't keen. To him Christmas is all about family and his parents make such a fuss of it whereas my family never did my mum chucked me out on Christmas Day one year!) and we are worried we will upset his parents if we don't go to their house.

When I was young my mum used to number mine and my sister's presents so that we opened the same number at the same time, because usually she'd bought us the same gift, only different versions! My parents (and Santa!) are fair to a fault and it always meant we could open gifts together but couldn't rush through the process! Now we are grown up we do the one at a time thing with the whole family. I do miss having numbered gifts though, always exciting to find a high number in the pile early on!

Christmas as children, my brother and I didn't specifically take turns to open presents, but just did probably because we're nosey so-and-so's and wanted to know what the other got. There's 7 years and a gender difference so we got very different presents.

By the time our adopted brother came along, someone was nominated 'Christmas Elf' and had to rummage under the tree, and give the gifts to everyone once there's nothing left under the tree the dog's open theirs first, then humans present do a mixture of one at a time/group open of one each and admire. Repeat as needed when someone who there's gifts for arrives.

Before we lived together, OH and I would stay at our parents houses, do presents in the morning, my parents eat lunch earlier than his, so I'd have lunch walk the dogs, then drive to his parents. I'd join the family for dessert and one memorable year a mini second dinner(!) Then we'd see his nephew and drive back to my parents for the evening and boxing day morning. Back to his parents for boxing day afternoon games etc.

Now we spend Christmas eve and morning together. We do try to open our gifts to each other in the morning, but in 3 years haven't managed yet! His family now live closer so its to them (usually still in PJs) to open presents together (we do secret santa) and then to my parents for lunch, and the evening. Back to his parents Boxing day for a second Christmas lunch, which prob won't happen this year as they're off to Ireland for a wedding on the 27th.

Gradually the decorations appear here, I have a gorgeous Willow Tree Nativity, so like to get this out on the 1st December with the advent calendars, tree normally the second weekend. Ham and potatoes on Christmas Eve, usually a Christmas film, I enjoyed Elf so much last year it may get another outing Midnight Mass and mulled wine and sausage rolls when we get home.

I can normally take or leave Christmas, due to horrific arguments between my parents when I was a child, (they've calmed with age, lol) now I have my own little house I love it.

We don't really have any traditions. Over the years it has generally been hotch potch of trying to fit in a visit to my mum, his mad mum, his dad, his sisters and so on. Last year we jacked it all in and went away. Christmas Day we were somewhere in the Carribean sea playing Monopoly. (I lost and swiped everything off the board). Dunno what we'll be doing this year but I will be voting for staying home doing sod all.

One year we got back from all the visits and ended up DTD on the rug in front of the fire and snuggled in for the rest of the night with a tent of squishy sofa cushions, alcohol, snacks and duvets. I woudn't mind that being our tradition until if/when kids come along.

Ours is mainly stuff we've picked up from our families:

Opening presents as soon as we're up.

Christmas day morning have a nice breakfast.

Watch It's a Wonderful Life.

Have Asti with Christmas dinner.