CHRISTMAS No-not about presents!

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 October 2005 at 7:19PM

I love Christmas. My family have had traditions for over 30 years that I still enjoy. However, my son will be 2 by the time Christmas arrives and it's time we started our own Christmas traditions as a family unit in our own right. (Although I dare say I will still shout up the chimney to Santa like I have since I was my son's age!

)

I read Unplugging the Christmas Machine and it gave me lots of ideas about what sorts of things I'd like to do. I don't want to force things as I think they're nicer when they evolve naturally, but I don't want it to be all about 'getting stuff' for my son.

My husband proposed to me on Christmas morning and that was a pretty special one. My son was born the following Christmas. That was a blur, but wonderful too. The next one was nice but we hadn't given much thought to what we'd do except go to church and visit my parents. This year we're visiting my inlaws as it's my MIL's 70th birthday on boxing day.

So I thought it would be nice to hear how other money saving people make it special while keeping the cost down. What traditions have you developed over the years? Or what made it all sparkly when you were little?

It doesn't have to be the day itself. What about the run up to it? (And by that I don't mean from September when the ridiculous decorations appear in the shops! :rotfl: ) Do you have a way of counting down the days? And after, how do you stop the flat feeling when it's all over?

elona · 5 October 2005 at 7:39PM

There is a thread somewhere that tells you about a countdown to christmas - shows you Santas journey from the north pole.

We have an advent calendar made out of hessian with numbered pockets which I put small sweets or nuts etc in - rather than buying the mass produced and tasteless chocolate ones.

We let the kids decorate the tree - an artificial one that I have had for years and use the home made ornaments that they made at playschool etc.

They help me make mince pies or decorate the Christmas cake that an elderly relative bakes for us.

They always have presents but not really big ones- things that I know they want and will use and a book or two by their favourite author.

We go to the Christmas eve service and to Christingle as well as to any local events such as carol singing.

Jay-Jay_4 · 5 October 2005 at 7:43PM

My eldest daughter (6) puts out a pillow case on Christmas eve for her presents from Father Christmas. Each year she writes her name and the date on the pillow case with a laundry marker. I'm hoping that in a few years time we'll have a really good collection of her 'autographs' from throughout her childhood.

My youngest is the same age as yours so this year I'll give her her own pillowcase and let her do a little scribble.

Gosh is that a really boring tradition?

chloejane_2 · 5 October 2005 at 7:50PM

we have advent calenders that we put chocolates and a little car or somthing special in the last day which i agree is much nicer than the mass produced ones as i think there is a little more thought in it, the kids help to decorate the house and they do the tree apart from the bits they cant reach and over the last few years we have got some really nice bits for the tree from debenhams in their sales and then the kids have things they made in preschool and we even have some things from when me and OH were kids which still go on the tree. as for christmas day we all take it in turns to go to each other houses we go to my parents one year then OH parents the next and then everyone comes to us, and boxing day is always spent at my aunties house with as many people that can be there as possible.

elona · 5 October 2005 at 7:53PM

Jay Jay

I think that that is sweet!

We have small stockings that I sewd for my daughters years ago which have their initials on them.

They are then put on the large kitchen table at night on Christmas Eve - as this makes it easier for Santa - he did not want to wake people up!

In the morning the stockings have small presents like make up or nail gloss, sweets or nuts, comic etc.

That is from Santa.

Later in the day we open the other presents which are labelled with who they are from.

I always think that it is unfair that all presents are supposed to be from Santa - and relatives who have really tried to get something that will be appreciated do not get their due.

With regard to the flat feeling afterwards - I try to make it a day when we can be together and have a nice meal and perhaps play games - with no pressure to hype things up.

With my youngest having a birthday in early January and usually wanting to do something at the last minute - I find the let down does not hit me till mid or late January.

Lillibet_2 · 5 October 2005 at 7:56PM

We choose a tree 2 weekends before Xmas together and take it in turns each year to decorate it as we both have very diffrent ideas as to how a Xmas tree should look(!) but we both use decorations which we have collected together abroad (it's a bit of a challange to find Xmas decorations in India in Summer but we have). I wrap the gifts the first weekend in December whilst watching Xmas films (White Christmas & Scrooge are favourites, I keep them on video for this annaul viewing!) but then I loooove the gift wrapping part.
My parents & I have always gone to midnight mass, hubby isn't so keen so it's quite a nice tradition that my parents & I keep for just the 3 of us. we come back home & have coffee & chicken drumsticks & sausage rolls. Children are allowed to open their stocking presents as soon as they wake up but everyone else & childrens "proper" presents have to wait until after lunch when we make an afternoon of it, one person dealing the pressies out and then when they are all piled up beside us each opening one in turn. One of hubbys traditions is the post-presents wrapping paper fight (which creates a HUGE mess!) We don't watch ANY TV from lunchtime Christmas eve until 27th December, it's a time for family fun not gaping at the TV (plus the invention of the video recorder helped a lot here! I am old enough to remember before they were the norm!). Xmas night we play cards & board games come out on Boxing day after a long dog walk weather permitting.

With the birth of my son I am hoping to start a couple of new traditions of our own this year, I plan to buy him a really nice dated bauble each year and one of his gifts will be a charity donation every year. He isn't old enough yet but plan to make panto a post Xmas tradition when he is.

Look forward to hearing what others traditions are.

savingpennies · 5 October 2005 at 8:07PM

Ever since we got married OH and I have had my parents (only mum now), my brothers and various girlfriends (now wives) and their kids round on Christmas Eve. I do a buffet and everyone has to bring a quiz of some kind that the rest of us have to do. the kids are allowed to open their presents from thier uncles/aunts. this means we can all spend Christmas day in our own homes, though my Mum always comes to us.
In the run up to Christmas, we go to Christingle and carol concerts and for hte last time this year (sob) the primary school nativity. The tree goes up in the first weekend in December and takes us all afternoon whilst watching the Muppets christmas carol. In those weekends in December we also visit OH's remaining Aunt to give her presents from us and home made pressies from the kids. With all this the whole of December is Christmas for us and is my favourite time of year.

tru · 5 October 2005 at 8:23PM

We always go to the cinema about a week before to watch a Christmas film. Every evening after that we go out for about an hour in the car to see all the decorated houses (yes I know, we're saddos lol). Family comes round on Christmas Eve at about 1pm for buffet and booze - ooooooh I can taste the mulled wine and chestnuts right now

We watch The Muppet Christmas Carol in the evening after everyone has gone, this is our ritual, has been since the film was released on video (though we've now bought the DVD :rotfl: ), the phone is unplugged just before we press 'play' cos we will not allow ANYTHING to disturb us. Hubby has read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' to the kids at bedtime since they were born, they still ask for it and they're 14 & 15

tru · 5 October 2005 at 8:32PM

Oh and stockings - I made some big ones for the kids from red felt and embroidered their names on. Me and hubby have one each too, they get left under the little (4ft tall) Christmas tree in the hall. Main pressies go under the big (7ft tall) tree in the lounge. My lounge is quite small so the room seems to disappear :rotfl:

maryb · 5 October 2005 at 9:12PM

Elona

we also have presents from santa separate from the presents from us - it works well because we can appease them when they wake up on Christmas morning then have the main present opening later when my sister comes round.

though when I was a child my brother and sister(who were much older than me) used to go to midnight mass then come back and get me out of bed to open presents then. I think it's an Irish tradition to open the presents after midnight mass. It was only years later that I realised that it meant i slept late on Christamas morning so that my parents could get a lie-in

inkie · 5 October 2005 at 9:24PM

We make a point of being at home all day on Christmas eve - just the 4 of us - rather than spending the day running around doing last minute jobs. Once the kids are in bed, we listen to a couple of CD's of traditional christmas music, light a few candles - prep the veg for the following day, all in a very relaxed manner rather than in a frenzy.

We insist the kids sat in bed unitl 7am - the days of getting up at 3.30am have worn a bit thin! The stocking prezzies can be opened, usually have cooked breakfast, and then I head off to Church to lead the service (leaving DH at home to supervise the lunch being cooked!) Rest of the prezzies can be opened when i have come back from the service.Brisk walk after dinner weather permitting is also something we always do.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

CHRISTMAS No-not about presents!

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free