WOW!! Where do I begin?? *L* I CAME from a LARGE family and now have one of my own. Since I'm *ahem* OLD....I'll do my best to remember.
We all get together for an early dinner on Christmas Eve. I make a HUGE pot of chili and have all the extra "fixins" that go with it.
We have the adults draw names, usually on Thanksgiving, and the kids draw names, so the adults exchange with the adults, and, well, you see the idea. As they come in, of course they deposit their gifts under the tree. You can also do a "white elephant" after all the gifts have been opened, but only for the adults. The children can play with their new toys in another room.
So we all gather round the table(S), have our dinner and talk, laugh, giggle, etc. Since all the "dishes" are paper, except for the utensils, cleanup is VERY easy.
Our "Santa" hands out the gifts and we all open at once.....what a RIOT that is *LOL* I have FIVE children who are ALL married and all but one, has children of their own.
If you have the white elephant, we just do gag gifts and it just causes MORE laughter, and that's what keeps us ALL young. One year, one of my b-i-l gave my brother a cat box filled with clean kitty litter *L*
There is one special gift under the tree. Whoever gets it has to keep it for one year on display in their home, then the NEXT Christmas, it's THEIR turn to "pass it on". It's an AUTOGRAPHED BRICK!!!! Yep, whoever the "giver" is, has to sign his/her name to it, and perhaps they year of giving.
The reason we do this so early, is so anyone who has little kids still has time to get them home and to bed so "SANTA" can come visit them at THEIR house and leave his gifts there.
After they've all left, it's an easy clean up, then off to bed. I say my rosary every night, then wake up early and start the turkey for the big dinner the next day.
From what I've read, you've gotten some good ideas so perhaps you can choose one or more and start your OWN tradition.
Good Luck
JC/A Granny in Richardson