Christmas Rituals....

scaredy_cat

As there are less than 90...... yes 90 days until Christmas, and preparations are probably starting:eek: (like making pressie lists or just budgeting) i wondered if you have a Christmas Ritual?

Mine is that i have a full fry up for breakfast on Christmas day including a piece of fried bread (this is the only day i have it) and i like to eat it while watching a suitable Christmas film - preferably A Christmas Carol. :snow_grin

This sets me up for the day as i don't have my Christmas dinner until about 6pm.

So, what do you do every year?

cdsmiler

Oh there was a thread like this last year! Wonderful!

Our rituals are changing as last year was a bit mad as DD was only born a week before! lol But we have some plans in place for this year....

Christmas morning, DD will have a stocking with a few little bits from the 'Big Red Man' which she'll open.

Then this year we're at my parents with my brother - so when we arrive there (10.30 ish) we'll have 'stockings' too (bit secret santa style - we each buy one gift of each other costing around £5 and put them in the right bags, so everyone ends up with 5 things (there's 5 of us, but we each buy ourselves one choccy thing too! lol). So we open those while something Christmassy is on in the back ground. No breakfast of any substance though as we have Christmas lunch at 1pm!

Lunch is always 3 courses at my parents, finish in time for the Queens speech which we always talk over and drink a lovely alcholic coffee! lol Then we open pressies under the tree, one at a time so it drags out and everyone can see what everyone else has! Then left over sandwiches around 7pm ready for the evening soaps! lol

Last year was the first year we spent Christmas at the in-laws (well, in the house they rented for the week near us - they live almost 4 hours away normally, and what with the baby being due....) - I can't remember most of it if I'm honest, except that pressies were in the afternoon too, but it was an 'every man for themselves' situation! lol I've no idea who got me what. And this is with NO children involved!! Manic.

The definite tradition we're going to try to keep is regardless what we do for food on Christmas eve, we'll always be home nice and early to have a lovely long evening, a Christmas Eve hamper for DD (she'll appreciate it more in years to come!), I HAVE to have carols on on the TV at some point in the evening, and then Christmas morning with stocking from Father Christmas for DD at home before we're off to whoever's house it is that year! lol

A lot of my rituals are in the lead up to Christmas - for example, we HAVE to have a day on a weekend in December at my parents where we make mountains of mince pies and I decorate the Chrsitmas Cake...... I'm sure we'll have more rituals at DD gets older though!!

Over excited now!!!!

C x

scaredy_cat

that sounds lovely, cd!

being single it is hard to have a ritual, but for many years i would have a proper christmas dinner, turkey, sausages wrapped in bacon, the lot!! It was getting a bit harder to find small turkeys though! (and for those who think buying a turkey for 1 person is too much, i also had 2 cats who would have it as well!!)

Last year i had a small rib of beef for dinner, i'm not sure what to have this year.

Magicboo

ooohh!
I'm going to watch this thread closely and steal ideas! It's my first Christmas away from my parents-this year I'm spending it with a BOY :eek:!! well, the future husband to be exact so I have the opportunity of starting some new traditions...and getting rid of some old ones...;)
aaww, I feel all Christmassy now, how lovely!

she_grinch

We watch a christmas film every day running up to christmas to get us in the christmasy spirit.
The advent calender still goes up.
In our house my girl's all pop round Xmas Eve evening and open their Xmas pyjamas. They have to wear them to bed that night. The next morning they come to my house at the crack of dawn, in said pyjamas and open their stockings. We have breakfast after stockings and then open presents one at a time which can take quite some time. We have the one present from each family member so we each get 5 but the sweets and treats I supply.
We watch tv and chatter after lunch and eventually the husbands and partners arrive to collect their other halves.
This year will be even more special as my Grandsons will be there too, GS1 will be 1 year and GS2 will be 2 months.

Lucy1973

Its my neice's birthday on christmas eve,so we all have a nice family meal in a resturaunt,and really get into the christmas spirit.
Not sure whats happening christmas day yet. Still a little early to think about that LOL

BEAT_THE_DEBT

When i put my tree up i toast the tree with champagne! (ANY EXCUSE) and i open the chocolate tins first sat in Dec!!!
Always get together for buffett with friends christmas eve and read night before christmas to ds!!
Love it!!x

jackomdj

we have lots of things that we do.

We always have (well for the last few years) a Christmas eve hamper.
We have a stocking in the girls rooms which is from FC that they can open on their own or with us, they can then play until getting up time (last year DD1 shouted "he's been" & woke the house up at 2:30!)
We all come downstairs together where all the presents are in the living room.
We make a drink for everyone & presents are opened one at a time with everyone watching (& I sit with a pad to write what is from who)
We have a croissant or pain au chocolate & contine opening.
OH will put dinner on.
We will usually talk to my parents if they are not with us, also a few friends, my sister & OH's parents.
Eat lunch around 1:30 (not too late or the girls would be starving)
Finish opening presents in the afternoon (I don't like to rush it & like the girls to enjoy things as they open them)
The afternoon is spent playing, watching a bit of TV & I do the dishes.
Turkey sandwiches for tea.
Once the girls are in bed we get to spend some time looking at our presents!

We always have stew & dumplings on boxing day.
Always have a real tree.

So many thinkg we love to do. Our girls will be 6 & 3 this Christmas.

motherhen2234

The only traditions I have carried over from my parents to my xmas with the OH are:-

The xmas eve buffet. He'd be happy with Pizza but I just love being able to graze all night on lovely food and cheese (its the only time of the year I have a cheese board!)
Stockings - He always forgets about mine so its often empty :-(. Buy just a tiny stocking with some chocolate coins or a little picture etc
Xmas Dinner - At the table with proper napkins, crackers and the best matching plates and cutlery that I can manage! His mum comes around as well so i am sure she appreciates it.

Oh and don't forget the build up. Xmas songs must be on when decorating the tree or wrapping presents. In fact especially when wrapping presents to get the inspiration with the ribbons and bows! My OH must love the fact I have an Ipod now lol!

lazysheep

I miss some of the traditions that we had when me and my sister were children

In the run up to xmas my mum had knitted a nativity scene and we would work out when to start putting it up and one character went on every day until you had the baby arriving xmas morning.

Christmas Eve was spent putting the fruit and chocolates out on the sideboard ready for the next day and before bed we used to put all the pressies from friends and wider family under the tree (real ofc!). Stockings were hung on the hooks by the (fake) fire.

Christmas day we would collect the stocking from where it was hanging next to the fire place and take it with our sack from santa into our parents room to open in there. Immediate family presents (ie from parents and siblings) were also opened now. We would have an old box in the middle of the room and it was a game to see who could get all their wrapping paper into the box!

Then we get up and dressed and would open tree presents with some bucks fizz or some such until the grandparents arrived for dinner. They would bring their presents with them so there was more present opening while dinner cooked.

Dinner was finished and washed up in time for the speech (or nap for my grandparents ) and christmas day tea was always a buffet type thingy.

Aww I miss it....

yummymummy1987_2

We have a few mostly kept from when we were children!!! Love now doing it with my boys.

• 1st of December christmas tree goes up, comes down 1st Jan along with all my lovely decorations and snow globes and light windows etc
• I also play christmas songs every day to the children and sing carols to them! (im sure they love it really lol!!!)
• We have new pjs,dvds and 1 present from under the tree on christmas eve. I also go round to my mums and she gives us all a present from under her tree!
• Xmas eve buffet, aswell as boxing day buffet and drinks in the evening!
• Christmas day is a mahooosive roast dinner at mums, will be even better this year as my sister has a partner who was in afghan last year so will be lovely for her to be really happy.
• EVERY year my mum says "this year im not going over the top......" then she always does, but shes v.lucky that she has the money.

Cant WAIT my dp is a manager at tesco's so gets into christmas mood work wise very early on so doesnt mind me chattering on about it non stop from sept onwards bless him!! I think he secretly enjoys it
SOOOOOOOOOOO excited my boys will be 2+6 so will be fantastic this year