Christmas traditions - what are yours?

poppycracker

we did the usual stockings in our bedrooms first thing in the morning (Dad's huge walking socks stuffed full of little things, parceltaped shut and laid at the foot of the bed where we would feel them when we woke up). I used to keep my eyes shut until I had felt it . Was miffed when Mum started taping the stocking to the door handle of our rooms!

Mum would go downstairs first, and it was always an old, old tape of Carols from Kings she put on, loud, so we could hear it upstairs. That was our cue to head downstairs for breakfast and to get dinner started. Then we would have our presents and head out to Church. We always had something new to wear, and were allowed to take a present with us to keep us occupied during the service.

Then it was back home to dinner (sausages and mash with roast carrots and gravy!) and more chocolates than were good for us! It was a while before we had a TV in the house at all so we mainly spent the afternoon playing with our presents and/or a board game. When we did get a TV, there was usually something Christmassy to watch on it.

Nowadays, I try and make an effort to include at least some of these traditions, but my DH bless his soul doesn't see the point (due to his Mum dying when he was young and being brought up in care). I do each of us a stocking - just a satsuma, some chocolates and a couple of small wrapped presents that I sneak out during the night and leave under the tree. I try and get those presents first so hopefully they have been wrapped for a while and I've forgotten what they are! I put on Christmas carols when I get up to make tea and breakfast and put the chicken in the oven (even if i have to tape the Carols from Kings service the night before and have that playing!), then I bring all the presents into the bedroom from under the tree and we take turns opening them in bed, surrounded by cats and with something non-taxing on the brain on the TV.

themull1

CH27 wrote: »

Wow! Blast from the past.
It hurt like hell if you hit yourself instead of the wall though

I was born in 1968, and did 'two baller' and the ball in a tights leg.! Our stockings were a pair of my mams clean tights with the legs cut off, so me and my brother got a leg each. All the presents were crammed into these, so they ended up ten feet long!

My granny died on Christmas day, so for years when my granddad was still alive, we had our xmas dinner on xmas eve, which I loved, we always has schloer to drink, when my granddad died, we reverted back to Christmas day for the lunch.

Now as an adult we always have croissants and bucks fizz for breakfast whilst opening the presents. I always put the tree lights on, and always do a Christmas eve hamper. I don't use tights for stockings any more! Still have schloer cos I love it!

I put the shoes on the fireplace and dust them with icing sugar to leave footprints, and we always decorate a ginger bread house.

And apparently, one of the traditions according to my kids is to buy them lindor every Christmas!! No pressure for me then!

kevin-green

Attending church and volunteering together with friends or sometimes with family to help some homeless and some with no food is a good way to celebrate Christmas. Always try to give no matter we are tight on cash and celebrate the day from heart.

joee

I just wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone else would like to share their traditions!

:xmassign:

littlegreenparrot

We have started a new one in the last few years.
I am the eldest of 5 siblings, ranging in ages from 30's - 16.

A few years ago it was decided that we would have a 'christmas preparation day'. This involves all coming to mine (as the only one with a consistent independent living arrangment!) to make a gingerbread house and whatever else they fancy.
As we don't all live together anymore its really nice to get together and mess around. The gingerbread house is getting progressively more impressive as the years go by (the first one was nearly inedible :rotfl:)

All goodies produced get saved for christmas day. Its lovely because it spreads it out a bit, but I still have no idea who volunteered me to be in charge!

Horace

I love Christmas.

When I was quite small I went shopping with mum and we found the most gorgeous bauble shaped like a golden pear with a red blush on one side, it looks real. That bauble became my bauble to put on the tree and now even though I am 50 something, Christmas does not start in my mum's house until I have put my bauble on her tree.

My own traditions, I always buy a new bauble each year or if funds allow then I will get more than one when I see one that I like and the maximum amount I will pay is £2 and the cheapest amount will be 10p. I started a new tradition last year by putting a box under the tree containing little gifts to myself so that on each day of Christmas I have something to unwrap. Sometimes I will wrap empty boxes too just to make things look a little festive and put them under the tree.

I will sit and watch Christmas films and maybe eat food that I would not normally eat such as marzipan sweets (I treated myself to a posh box of marzipan last week). I will always watch the Royal Institution Lectures too.

bossymoo

Nix143 wrote: »

Poundshop Santa always leaves an inappropriate present for everyone on the Christmas dinner table

that's fab, I might have to do a poundshop Santa for our guests, and maybe hide them so they pop up at intervals during the day, for a giggle!

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

A few years ago it was decided that we would have a 'christmas preparation day'. This involves all coming to mine (as the only one with a consistent independent living arrangment!) to make a gingerbread house and whatever else they fancy.
As we don't all live together anymore its really nice to get together and mess around. The gingerbread house is getting progressively more impressive as the years go by (the first one was nearly inedible :rotfl:)

That's so nice! I only have one brother, and he lives half way round the world. Even if he didn't, can't see him sticking gingerbread together, sadly.

Not so much traditions, but we seem to have assumed certain shopping habits in the last couple of years. MIL gets a turkey crown and cooks it Xmas eve before they come to ours. Se also supplies the crackers. I get an enormous gammon and slow cook it in cola overnight. Am also "hostess" just because the kiddies are here and we have more room for sleeping arrangements. My mum brings Xmas pudding, which no one eats and she is in charge or breakfast. Since we lost DH 2 years ago, we do a sky lantern. Might be Xmas eve or day, depending on weather. He loved these lanterns, and we all just watch them go, in silence, thinking of him. I also (sad!) buy him a pair of socks or something small, wrap it, label it, and put it in our memory box.

Tiffany_Aching

bossymoo wrote: »

. Since we lost DH 2 years ago, we do a sky lantern. Might be Xmas eve or day, depending on weather. He loved these lanterns, and we all just watch them go, in silence, thinking of him. I also (sad!) buy him a pair of socks or something small, wrap it, label it, and put it in our memory box.

That has brought tears to my eyes - such a touching way to remember someone loved.

LalaGomay

Horace wrote: »

I will always watch the Royal Institution Lectures too.

Me too! I love watching them.

CinnamonGirl_2

This is such a lovely thread! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about everyone's traditions

I've inherited my mother's love of Christmas - it's her favourite time of year and her enthusiasm is infectious. My birthday's just days before, so when I was really small, I thought the decorations were for me! Now I know better, but we still don't exchange Christmas cards until Christmas eve, so I can have my birthday cards on the mantlepiece first!

Our traditions start on 1st December, because even though I'm now an adult she still gives us - and my father - advent calenders. In mid-December, we make the annual trip to a local manor house to choose our Christmas trees; it's an integral part of Christmas for us. When I was small, it was always just my father and myself but now it's the whole family. We always opt to go out to the house's plantation and choose and cut our trees ourselves, rather than take one of the ready-cut ones and it makes a real event of the day.

As a child, Christmas would be a four-day family event (we're a small family and this made us close); Christmas eve would be turkey and salad at my father's mothers, Christmas day would be hosted by my parents and Boxing day by my mother's mother, then we'd do it all again at my parents' on the 27th! I remember it fondly - lots of laughter and food and pretty lights. Now it's just my parents, my partner and myself, we celebrate together on Christmas day, Boxing day and the 27th.

My childhood Christmas Eves were spent with my father helping him do his last-minute Christmas shopping; now I visit my grandparents' graves and then my partner and I light a fire and snuggle up in front of some Christmas films with the cat and a buffet tea.

On Christmas morning, we open our stockings (yes, my mother still gives us those, too!) and our presents to each other before heading to my parent's to exhange presents there. Breakfast is usually illy filter coffee and cinnamon and raisin bagels. My mother has a colour theme for each of our wrapping each year and our presents always look (almost) too good to open; I've begun to do the same and I must confess, I get really excited about choosing themes. We have lunch around 2-3pm - traditional turkey and trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding with Schloer to drink. We have crackers on the table (the table is also themed every year) and these must be opened after the main but before dessert, so we're only ever wearing our hats for dessert! Not sure why.

After dinner we'll have a walk and play board games before watching Dr Who/ trashy tv. When we feel able to eat again, we'll have turkey sandwiches and perhaps some home-made trifle or Christmas cake.

Right at the end of the night is my favourite tradition - the tree presents. Each of us will have hidden presents on my parents' tree. These could be baubles that open or wrapped gifts with a loop of ribbon to hang them. Once everyone has their (small) gifts, we'll all open them. As a child, knowing there was just one more gift yet to come made excitement stretch that little bit further!

If I ever have children, I think I'll be starting the hamper tradition, too