If you can organise it we have a tradition where 1 christmas we spend it with my in-laws next christmas with my parents, now both families have different traditions

When we go to my In-laws, christmas eve night we go to see a christmas movie. Christmas Day is planned out, we all get up have breakfast, then is the present opening, the kids present's are in seperate piles we all watch the kids rip into the presents, then if there is time before lunch the handing out of the adults presents begins, each adult opens a present in order. All presents are from Santa. After the present opening is finished it is time to relax til dinner then we go and have dinner, this is either a home cooked meal or out at a restaurant.

My parents are much more informal, usually just rip into the presents in the morning bbq lunch or dinner, and if we are close to extended family we try and have lunch with them.

This is how our christmas day is.

Cheers Queenie

xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxo

This is what we do every year. We do the twelve days of Christmas. One day might be cooking biscuits, another might be watching a dvd or printing and colouring pictures. Carols by candlelight on Chrismas Eve. We also go mad with lights and add to the collection each year. Carrots and water are put out for the reindeer and buicuits and a drink for Santa on Christmas eve as well. My kids all sung carols for months leading up to Christmas when they were younger lol

You could really kill two birds with one stone by making a family donation to something like your local children's hospital or soup kitchen or homeless shelter.  You can turn it into a great big family tradition by talking it up in the days leading up to it, and then once you have taken the money or goods to the centre, you can then go somewhere like a park and have a very simple picnic, pointing out that you are not spending much money to celebrate because you have given it away to someone more needy.  The other side of it is that you can really talk as a family about how awful this world seems sometimes, but we as individuals have the ability to make even just one other individual's life that little bit better.  Shine a light of hope on the future for your kids (and yourself) by connecting with other human beings you normally wouldn't connect with.  Doesn't K-Mart have the Christmas wishing tree?  As a family you could all go and pick a child from it and then go and spend an hour or even more finding the PERFECT gift for that child you will never meet, and even though you will never hear them say "thank you", you can teach your kids about giving without expecting anything in return.

My boys have been too young so far, but this year I will be making up a whole heap of home made biscuits for us to give to our friends.  After Christmas last year I got a whole heap of these really beautiful Christmas tins for only 10c each so they're sitting in my cupboard right now just waiting for some home-made love to share.  If you have elderly relatives in a home, I'm positive they and the other residents would just love it if you took the kids for a couple of hours one morning with a batch or two of home made goodies.  Maybe the kids could even sing some carols. 

My mum makes a gingerbread house most years which we always used to help decorate with lollies...actually we still do and I am 29 and my sister 23...the gingerbread house ROCKS check out ta recipe here:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004212how_to_make_a_gingerbread_house.php

It's fiddly but so worth it.

What about making cupcakes etc.  Or painting the windows with special glass pens or paints that are easy to wash off.  Making own wrapping paper and gift tags.  I don't know, I freak out at christmas! lol.

We dont believe in the modern day Christmas.

We just spend time with family. No presents as we cant afford that. We also dont believe in telling our childern about Santa, easter bunny or tooth fairy as we believe that is lying.