What are your Christmas Traditions?

jamtart6

What are your Christmas Traditions? I don't mean just the day, but the whole season. What do you always do? I'm really interested to see what people do!

We always:

• Watch as many Christmas DVD's in December as possible
• Go for lunch in early December in a pub next to a cosy fire
• Visit the local garden centre to look at the decorations
• Have a meal OUT (after church) on Christmas Eve
• Christmas Day is presents, drink with the neighbours, food, stockings, boardgames

shelovestobuystuff

Out with the tea and biscuits for visitors and in with the mince pies and sherry for the whole of December.
We decorate the tree together.
Panto every year before xmas eve.
Go the long way home to see all the xmas lights in town.
Santa leaves stockings filled at the bottom of the beds.

Alikay

We listen to christmas songs while we decorate the tree
Drive down a particular road nearby in which almost every house is covered in fairy lights
Watch Mrs Doubtfire on Christmas Eve
Always end up driving to a local garage forecourt shop to get something we've forgotten after all the other shops have closed!
Lay in bed at 6am on christmas morning listening to our teenagers ripping into their stockings, and congratulating ourselves on having a lovely family.

charlottecarter

We have an advent calendar that has 24 little books all telling different parts of the christmas story - I love it! The kids settle down in their pjs with a mug of warm milk and a tree chocolate to listen to the next bit of the story each night before bed.
I take each of my children out seperately during the week before christmas for hot chocolate and cake and to let them choose a christmas decoration - when they leave home they will have a collection of decs to take with them for their 1st christmas.
We always go to the crib service on christmas eve - just me, dh & kids, come home via a very indirect route to see all the lights, have sausage casserole and fondue for dinner and then when the kids go up to get ready for beds they each have a christmas eve present on their pillow - pjs and a christmassy bed time story!
For Christmas morning breakfast we always have a birthday cake for Jesus - corny I know but it's meant to try and teach them that it's about more than ripping open presents all morning! We all sing happy birthday to Jesus!!

fluffyb

Watching It's A Wonderful Life
Leaving out a mince pie & sherry for Santa and carrots for the reindeer still, even though my youngest is now 20 :rotfl:
Going to a panto
Playing Christmas carols while decorating the tree

Kandipandi

We also always watch its a Wonderful Life on christmas eve and cry every single year!
Buy the kids new PJ's for christmas eve.
Have Roast Gammon, peas pudding and chips for dinner every christmas eve.
Put cake and vodka out for santa on the fire hearth (santa only drinks vodka in Northumberland ).
Put magic dust on the doorstep so santa and the reindeers can find our house (oats with glitter sprinkled in).
..Can't wait!

mary43

charlotte - where did you get an advent calendar like that or did you make it yourself. It sounds lovely.

We don;t really have any traditions now..............sons are grown up and live away so often its just me and OH having a relaxing time.
Decorations go up (bit minimilist) a week before Christmas and come down twelth night. Christmas day is opening pressies in the morning then brunch then pop to local pub for an hour..................dinner in the evening then flop in front of the tele.

I am doing a Christmas Eve box for baby grandson this year and hoping my son and his girlfriend will keep it up every year -snowman soup reindeer food etc.

katiecoodle

There's a garden centre near here which we always frequent for their award winning christmas displays. Also we go to "Christmas Close" - a cul-de-sac near us where the residents go to town with the decorations!
A cheese & wine evening for the neighbours sometime in December.
The Christmas European markets in Manchester.
Boxing day lunch: turkey, stuffing, chips & mushy peas.

My Granny used to get us table presents which were ace - I might do this actually this year. When I think about it, she gave us presents for breakfast, presents at lunch, presents for while the queens speech was on, presents for tea and then one last present before bed. Something tells me she loved giving presents.

My mother-in-law has a wooden nativity scene which has an empty crib until Christmas day. Her explanation is that Jesus wasn't born till Christmas day so there's no need for him to be in it. I have pointed out that the Shepherds and Wise Men wouldn't be there without Jesus, but it falls on deaf ears. (this is the woman who believes the chocolate egg at easter is a symbol of the tomb, "It's empty on the inside, just like the empty tomb!")

sweetnskint

december shop as family
wrap together
tag and bow together
tree up and decs up
xmas eve is best for me- just so busy xmas day!
we all get small present just past mid night then have to wait till morning for the rest!
its a perfect xmas really
presents
visitors
dinner
tv
the day is over as quick as it started.

ncsmummy

Christmas eve we always go out for lunch with family then go bowling (random but its become a tradition!!) then we come home and the kids find 'magic' pjs on their beds!! Watch a chrismas film all together then put out a snack for santa and reindeer food outside! Santa leaves a stocking outside the kids doors which they bring up to open in our bed!! Boxing Day is DS birthday so always have a open house.

Jammygal

1. Have an advent party on the first of Dec! The kids have their advent calendars and we have partyish nibbles and mince pies and toast the beginning of advent listening to Christmasy tunes.
2. Go to a local town for the light switch on when Santa comes to town! We take our own light toys and glowsticks.
3. Go out in the car with chrimbo music playing and check out best Christmas lights. We come home to steaming hot choc!!!
4. Christmas film days where we turn sitting room into a cinema and have popcorn etc
5. Put up decs all together whilst listening to Christmas tunes.
6. Go on Santa's railway on Christmas Eve morning.
7. I get kids to decorate Gingerbread house with icing and sweeties on Christmas evening.
8. I get kids to decorate their names ready to put on their stockings!