Christmas. How is it going to work?

Here are all the factors I'm putting together in my mind to plan it out.

My husband is a minister, so he's busy this time of year. We went to two services today, he has another two on Christmas Eve, and two on Christmas morning. We normally go in the mornings at 9.30, but we have to go to Christmas Eve as well because my daughter is in the kids' band. My husband will have to leave the house by 7.30am on Christmas morning.

We've already been to one big Family Party and Bright Eyes really only just coped. We have another two to go - Christmas lunch and afternoon, and then on Boxing Day. He will need as much down time as possible in order to get through them with minimal disruption to everyone.

He'll be tired in the next few days, so I'm loathe to wake him before his normal waking time of 8.30am. Also, I don't think he will get that he should wake early on Christmas morning.

It would be nice to have a good amount of time to play with presents before we have to leave and go do this and that and see lots of people.

Putting all that together, my plan is to have our Christmas presents early in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and then go to the 5pm service together.

We won't have any family presents on Christmas morning (except maybe one for the eight year old who will be up with the birds.) I and the kids will stay home from church and have a very quiet morning getting ready and playing with new toys before we leave to drive an hour for the family Christmas lunch.

My husband said, "But that will spoil Christmas Day being special" and I said, "It's only one year. Give him enough time and space to cope, or he will spoil Christmas Day for everyone else." He agreed.

I'm also going to take a walkman and story tape to the family party, plus a DVD or two, just in case of a meltdown.

Happy Christmas to you all. And thanks for reading.