Christmas Rituals....

kazwookie

And now for something completly different:-

Between 1st Dec to 8th Dec~~ visit father and drop off presents etc, go to church yard place Christmas flowers on my mothers grave, and normal flowers as well for her birthday which is just before Christmas, ask SIL to water b/day flowers, they then take their own flowers for b/day was swop them over.

9th Dec~leave country for hotter climate

10th Dec~get to see adopted grandson, put up tree with a 6year olds help!

Christmas day~ AGS to school, no ifs or buts, it is a school day and he goes, I head to beach, 4pm ish go back to house, cook food, AGS allowed on internet with grandfather's help to see the santa message (have to find the link, he was totally memorised by this last year) and to watch the norad (sp) link as to where in the world FC is!! ags does presents.

Then it is a general holiday for 2 weeks.................

Inkedkitten

Don't have many traditions but here are the ones I do have. Christmas eve is always celebrated by my mums side of the family as they are polish and we celebrate Wigilia on this day. My mum has taken over cooking duties and my gran is no longer with us. We do not eat meat on this day, but have lots of yummy food instead! We share a polish wafer, like the one in church, and wish everyone a good year and christmas and then dig in! I then usually arrange to meet friends for a drink and give each other gifts! Last year was my first christmas with my partner, and most of my family were off round the world so will be nice to spend it with them this year!

Christmas day we always have bacon sarnies for breakfast! Mum starts the cooking if shes doing lunch. My partner and I open our stockings in bed and chill out for a bit. Then go downstairs stick the tellybox on and open pressies! This year we'll then get ready to go to my aunts and have a big lunch. Open pressies in the evening and always have to have a game of trivial pursuit with a cheese board, which I'm rubbish at! Then off to see my best mate some years and spend some time with her and her family. Though this year I think my other half will want to get away sharpish lol he might be a scrooge now but I'll change that!

homemademummy

Our christmas tradition was always going to my parents house on the 23rd for my mums birthday, then back on christmas eve - around teatime - and staying until boxing day eve or the 27th depending on DH's work, then back on Hogmanay for my dads birthday.
We did this even after our DS was born, and on my DD's first christmas it was a bit of an odd one because my grandad was rushed to hospital early on the 24th and was in on the 25th, so we ended up opening our presents at home, going up to the hospital and having beands on toast once we got to my parents.
We had our christmas dinner on boxing day and there were 19 of us as we knew it was granads last.

Last year was DD's second christmas and she was 18 months and DS was 6, but it was the first time we did christmas at home just the 4 of us.

I did christmas dinner with all the trimmings and had a goose instead of turkey. It was expensive, but really worth it, but will be sticking to turkey this year.

We don't have lots of traditions, but this yr we will be doing our christmas hampers on 24th and then I did christmas morning muffins for breakfast last yr that went down a treat so will be doing them every yr.

Then it will be presents aand then showered, dressed and dinner on for me while hub & kids watch a film. After dinner we just veg out watching a christmas film with the big tin of sweeties Hopefully we will get out for a nice walk this yr too.

Oh, and after last yr's raindeer dust, I will be ding it again - it was soo much fun - there was glitter everywhere for ages after:rotfl:

tinkerbellsmum_2

hi all hope you are well?

xmas eve we have a games night play loads of board games (which this year need to be toddler friendly) and i usally prepare a buffett but i'm slimming so opted for a takeaway. the kids get to open one present from family. once they are in bed and i'm certain they are asleep I hide my dd presents around the house (ds is too young yet) and leave her a note from santa and a bowl of clues makes present opening last longer.

xmas day.
we wake kids (i know my kids like their sleep) we all go down in our pjs and find presents and open presents santas first then family presents.
I prepare dinner while they play and dinner is usually about 1pm with home made crackers with personal item in.
tea is usually buffett but we will see this year.

boxing day is usually at my mums

first sunday after xmas is usually everyone at my grans but sadly my gran has cancer and may not live that long

new year eve we usually do different every year this year we are having a posh dinner party for kids we are all gonna get very dressed up and act posh lol my xmas dec always come down new years eve

SugarSpun

I'm setting up new traditions this year as it's our first as a little family of our own - last year was my baby's first Christmas and we spent it with my parents, but from now on it's we three

23rd:
All the food shopping that hasn't been done and probably a trip to one of the Gluhwein stalls to meet friends.

Christmas Eve:
It's the main event in Germany, so everything will already be closed. We will spend the day hanging around the house. Pasta bake for dinner using Ikea's reindeer pastas , all the washing up done and I will set up the egg and bacon muffin melts for breakfast the next morning and let Husband do any lunch prep he needs to do, then the baby will go to bed and Husband and I will set up her gifts and then (TMI whited out) if I get my way have grown up cuddles as close to under the tree as we can manage because I think this is a tradition I'm going to want to start and keep. Everyone will get new pajamas so the morning photos look nice, and the baby has a cute shirt for Christmas Day.

Christmas Day:
Egg and bacon muffin melts followed by presents, playing with presents and Skype-ing parents and friends in the UK. Husband will take care of making Christmas lunch, which will be roast chicken and all the good stuff, and I already have a Christmas pudding which we will cover in custard and only I will eat. If the weather's clear we may go for a walk in the afternoon and play in the snow. We'll have chicken in a bun for dinner (unbaked roll dough squished around leftover meat, dipped in egg, rolled in stuffing mix and baked) and watch a film in bed if Wee Beastie permits.

littlemisschocolate

This is such a lovely thread.

When I was growing up, I didn't have many Christmas Traditions and now I live with my OH, I want to start making my own however he;s a bit of a bah humbug!

Christmas Eve, we have generally a 'munchie' - buffet style tea that we can pick out throughout the evening. This year I'm going to make a Chrismas Eve Hamper and include some hot chocolate, mugs, lush bath bombs, jim jams and Family Guy Season 9.

Christmas Day, I get up really early and we open the presents in our stockings and under the tree. We then have pancakes nad pastries for breakfast.

I'll cook lunch with a nicely laid table and then we'll veg out in front of the tv watching something randon.

Boxing Day, we'll probably end up at my parents or my aunts.

New Year, we'll go to his parents.

I want to make my own mince pies this year as OH is lactose intolerant, a Christmas Cake and ginger bread men. I'm not sure a tree as we don't have much room in the apartment. One year, I decorated a pot plant with ribbon and sparkly things; it was a rush job as OH was being sent away at the last minute with work.

I'm sure as the years go on, we'll create more traditions.

That reminds me, need to buy some more Body Shop room scent that smells of Christmas, cinnamon.

mum2cara

oo i love this thread i'm sure i will be reading it closely...we have only really started our own traditions last year as 08 was a bit hectic, this year it will be:

around the 20th we will have dd's 2nd birthday party,
christmas eve watch christmas films and visit the relatives and also have dd wee friend over for their present swapping,
christmas morning santa's presents, then lunch, and then around six or so have a birthday cake and a seperate birthday present for dd,
boxing day up to my parents house for what my mum likes to call christmas take two

nothing too spectacular but very special to us!

i love the thought of it all :rudolf:

kjmtidea

We have a few traditions, although with 4 boys it is pretty much non stop chaos lol.
We spend Christmas Eve cooking, trifle, scotch eggs, gammon etc.
New pjs on Christmas Eve - for mummy and daddy too!
The kids go on the front garden just before bed and sprinkle reindeer dust everywhere.
I read the night before Christmas to them all.
They all have stockings but they stay downstairs, the one year that they had them in their room, they were up every 2 minutes checking the stockings throughout the night. Never again!
We have gammon sandwiches for breakfast.
We never ever go anywhere on Christmas day, we just spend the day cooking Christmas lunch, playing with toys and enjoying the day. It is perfect

nancy17

This will be the first Xmas for my kids and I w/out their dad. I'm going to watch this thread closely and start some new traditions! I love the Xmas jammie idea!

Mrs_Ihenetu

I don't have lots of rituals however the ones i can remember are -

New pj's on xmas eve
Prawn cocktail as our xmas dinner starter
Satsumas in the stocking
Brussel sprouts with xmas dinner even though i hate them
Watching eastenders xmas special