The BEST Christmas morning routine for families (2023)
Its timeeeee!!! (in Mariah Carey’s voice) One month till Christmas. Can you believe it? This year seems like it has gone by very fast. The good news is that we are in the thick of festive time. People may not know this, but creating a Christmas morning routine has benefits for you and your family. Christmas mornings can be chaotic, from Christmas lunch or dinner preparations to getting the house ready, the opening of presents, and the chaos of family gatherings. Planning can make your morning run smoothly. It can make a big difference and help you get more in the holiday spirit.
1. Plan the day on Christmas Eve
Get ahead and start planning the night before Christmas. There are plenty of reasons as to why you need to do this. The number one I always say is that it helps you figure out how you want your Christmas morning to look like, and the goals you want to achieve. I would put it as what do you want to tackle before the big event begins? This will give you an idea of the morning routine ideas to choose from.
To help with your planning on the evening before, here are some things to consider :
- Clean the house the night before. Wash the dishes and put them away. Sweep and tidy up the house. Take out the trash and have a clean dustbin. Waking up to a clean house on Christmas day makes such a big difference by running things smoothly. Wake up to a peace of mind
- Think of what you have for breakfast. This is extremely helpful if you have small kids. Kids wake up hungry, which can make them cranky. If you know what you going to eat for breakfast it will help you prep it the night before (if it needs prepping)
- You think about what else overwhelms you about Christmas morning so you have a plan ahead of how you are going to execute this to make it less stressful.
2. Start your day with some self-care
It’s always a good idea to start your day with some self-care. You probably thinking how will I have time to do some self-care? Well, it could be something so simple as brushing your teeth, a 5 – 10-minute stretch routine, writing a gratitude list in your journal, or doing your skincare routine. Having time to yourself to take care of yourself is a good way to pour in your cup and get you in a good mood. By the way, the rest of your day will be spent with your family, so just allocating 10 minutes to yourself doesn’t sound too bad.
3. Journal a gratitude list
On Christmas day there is so much to be grateful for. To spend time with your family, create wholesome memories, receive gifts, eat delicious food, and be cosy in your house. The list is endless. Before going downstairs to your family, make sure to take this time and write down a gratitude list in your journal. It doesn’t have to be long, it can be 5 things you are grateful for this Christmas day.
4. Put on some family-matching Christmas pyjamas
Some people think it’s cheesy, some people think it’s so cute, and I do too. Wearing matching pyjamas with your family is bonding, it brings the family together and is just so much fun. It’s also great for family photos. So gather the whole family and put on some PJs!
Related: where to buy family matching Christmas pyjamas
5. Have a Christmas morning drink
Christmas morning drink? What is that? Well, it’s something I just made up haha, but it could be something. It could be something so simple as having a cup of coffee or a glass of water, as I know people can’t begin their day without having a cup of coffee. Make it even more festive and have a festive mug.
6. Open Christmas presents
Besides the food, this is the moment children AND adults look forward to opening some presents. It gets the family together, with laughter, memories, fun and love shared by exchanging gifts with your loved ones.
7. Tidy up the house before breakfast
Opening up and exchanging presents can be fun, but it does come with some madness and untidiness, from tearing up the gift wraps and opening the presents. Make sure to clean up the house just so people can walk around, and remove any possible hazards that can be dangerous to small kids. You also don’t want to eat in an untidy space so it’s best to clean before breakfast is served. A tip is to put a dustbin next to where the opening of presents will be. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it can be a cardboard box just so people can throw in their wrappings, which will make things easier if you have to pick and sweep everything up.
Now will be also a good time to wash any dishes left in the sink from the morning drinks. Christmas day comes with a lot of dishes so it’s best to tackle this little by little instead of waiting for one huge pile. Do all of this while the Christmas tunes are on – it’s way more fun.
8. Capture the moments and take family photos
Christmas is the perfect time to gather the family and take family photos because when else will you get a chance to have all your family members in one place? It’s a perfect time to capture those sweet memories and moments that you will remember forever.
Related: How to take beautiful Christmas morning pictures
9. Set up the family table for breakfast
It’s Christmas morning, so why not be extra and set up the table for breakfast? Have the kids help on this one, it’s a fun activity for them to do. If you want something more fancy and beautiful then check out Pasha Is Home. I recently read her blog on how to set tables for festive breakfast, and wow her work is stunning.
10. Eat a hearty Christmas breakfast
People love waking up to the smell of a tasty breakfast. Christmas days can take up your energy from prepping for Christmas lunch, activities with kids and family members, and many in between. You need to make sure you are running on fuel. To fuel you up for your day, make sure to eat a healthy nutritious breakfast, and start your day on a good note.
Eating breakfast can also help when you have kids, to get them fed and ready for the day. This can also be a bonding moment for families by eating breakfast together. It lifts the holiday spirit and makes you think of why the holiday season is so special. To make it more festive, try some Christmas breakfast ideas. Include the kids in the preparation of breakfast. Kids love to get involved, it’s fun and educational for them and can be fun for mom and dad as well.
11. Play a Christmas music playlist
Put on those Christmas tunes, and sing along with your family. It gets the vibes going.
12. Wash dishes and prepare for Christmas lunch and dinner
After breakfast has been served and eaten, presents have been exchanged and opened, family pictures have been taken now it’s time to prepare for the rest of Christmas Day.
Take this time to wash the breakfast dishes and tidy up the kitchen and the rest of the house. After dishes have been washed, tie up a few loose ends in preparation for Christmas lunch or dinner. Now would be the perfect time to cut up those veggies for the roast, bake the dessert, make drinks – let it cool in the fridge, and set the table.
13. Put on a Christmas movie
Putting on a Christmas movie helps you get in the festive mood. If you have kids, it helps settle the kids after the high energy of the present opening. This is an advantage if you need to tidy up the house, or you starting to prep for lunchtime.
It is also a cosy activity to do with the family, by snuggling up the couch in your Christmas pyjamas, with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and watching a movie there a plenty of classic Christmas movies to choose from starting at Home Alone, Love Actually, The Holiday, Four Christmas, and The Family Stone just to name a few.
Related: 50 classic Christmas movies
I hope this has inspired you to create and complete a Christmas morning routine. Use these ideas above to have a smooth running and chaotic Christmas morning. Tell me which part of which morning routine idea was your favorite and will make sure to fit in your Christmas morning. If you found this blog post helpful, and know it will help others please may you share it with others and your social media pages. It will greatly help support my blog, thank you.