Christmas traditions - what are yours?

michaelar1985

My Christmas was always so exciting as a child.

Me, my mum and 2 brothers would watch Christmas films all day while pestering my mum if we could 'go to bed' already at 12 in the afternoon - quicker we could go to sleep the quicker it would be morning.


It would get to about 6 o'clock and we could open 1 present which would always be new Christmas pajamas. So we would get in the bath and put them on. Then my mum would drag the Christmas tree in to the middle of the living room while we each had a turn of singing Christmas carols in front of the tree - which she always used to film and is just so funny to watch back now we are all in are 20's. The we would have a cup of tea, watch Santa clause the movie and put a carrot out for Rudolph and milk for father Christmas.


It was always a tradition i would sleep on a blow up mattress in my brothers room and leave are stockings at the end of are bed. Then we would normally wake up about 3 screaming 'hes been' after discovering are stockings filled with toys which my mum and dad would make us play with for another hour or so! Then we would wait outside the living room door while my mum put the heating on and set up the video camera ready to record are reactions once we walked through the door and seen all are presents.


Just talking about it like this makes me get in the Christmas spirit and cant wait for it all to begin!!

Totality

Kate/Bob wrote: »

Breakfast is always mince pies and sausage rolls (also from my childhood).

How different!

It's always been toast/cereal here. Perhaps time for a change!

Flowfy

on Christmas morning, we have scotch pancakes, crispy bacon and maple syrup. I cook the bacon before and put it in the freezer and just microwave it. it is a 10 min breakfast. very calorific - that and the chocs, last us until lunch at 1.

dh likes bucks fizz but I prefer a whole pot of tea to myself ds and dd (14 and 21) will have fresh orange probably.

I do make eggnog lattes though at some point and we all have them.

shegirl

Christmas eve:

Most years we've gone to the theatre in the afternoon,had lunch in town and bought a few last minute Christmases bits just for the sake of it!

In the evening,I take ds up for a bath in his fave Lush Christmas bubbles and when he gets out he discovers the Elves have been and left us both a present containing new Christmas PJ's (Rudolph,Santa etc).We put them on,order Chinese then watch The Polar Express,in front of the fire,while drinking hot chocolate with cream,marshmallows and sprinkles.

Just before bed,we put reindeer food in a trail outside,hang up Santas key,make a not for Santa and Rudolph and put it by the fire with a mince pie and carrot on a special plate.

I read The Night Before Christmas and ds EVENTUALLY goes to sleep:rotfl:

Once he's sounds I get to enjoy sneaking all the pressies downstairs!

I put magic snow on the doorstep and into the hallway then put Santa and Rudolphs footprints in it.I sweep the reindeer food outside first!

Eat the mince pie and leave crumbs,cut and nibble the carrot and leave a nibble stump,along with a card from S and R.

Fill ds stocking with us hung on his door handle,place a present on the end of his bed (the rustling as their feet touch it while starting to wake gives such excitement!) and then,when it's time for me to go to bed,I walk into his room jingling a sleighbell which I then leave either on his bed or the floor.Every year,despite being asleep,he hears that bell

Christmas day,ds opens his bed present while shouting 'Santas been',brings his stocking to my room,I quickly grab a cuppa then we go downstairs for him to go and under the tree!He always puts Christmas music on first though

We tend to eat breakfast later and the rest of the day,as it's just the two of us,goes whichever way it goes.We do try to get outside at some point but it's more of a boxing day tradition to go for a walk and play in the park.

MidLifeCrisis_3

Love it, love it, love it!! Obviously starts with Advent calendars, choc ones, but got to have something a bit Christmassy about it so no barbie, etc. Then a few weeks in advance I go onto https://www.portablenorthpole.com and get a free personalised video message sent to them by email from Santa himself letting them know whether they have been good or not. It's easy to do and is just a case of popping in a few details, it's also good to be organised with 3 pics of them: one for their profile and then 2 for a special occasion such as their birthday party, brownie camp, getting a certificate, etc makes it even more special. It changes slightly every year, but is really convincing especially if you have a child who is 'not really sure' thanks to other big mouths at school. I also put their name in the bit where it says to put your name otherwise the email comes addressed to you which also can make them query it.

On Christmas Eve we attend the Crib Service at our local church (we're not regular churchgoers, but our kids always want to go and we're all made very welcome) and the kids get to dress up in nativity outfits if they want to (last year there were about 6 Mary's, but no-one worries!) and then there is a bring and share tea afterwards for the kids. Afterwards we go home for our traditional meal of ham, egg and chips (the remaining ham joint is put aside for boxing day lunch). Maybe watch a film if there's anything on and open the Quality Street. After bathtime, the kids put mince pie(s), carrot, glass of whatever they decide on (beer/sherry/milk) under the Christmas tree and sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn. Then it's Christmas story book time before checking Norad and putting their stockings on the end of their bed and settling down to sleep.

We then peel all the veg for Christmas dinner, roll pigs in blankets and check and double check they're asleep before becoming Santa's Little Helpers. Carrots are recycled into Christmas veg, leaving a bitten off end by the plate and Helpers always enjoy a mince pie and a drink when their work is done.

Christmas morning is spent opening stockings with little wrapped goodies in our room (chocs, little toys, etc), Daddy always gets a tin of shortbread and Mummy a tin of choccy bics instead of a stocking which we share in our bed with a nice cuppa (it's the only time we have bics before brekky or food in the bedroom). If Santa has been he always leaves the fairy lights on the tree, which we can see through the frosted glass door, and this adds to the excitement when the kids are allowed to check if they are twinkling. Then it's downstairs for pressie opening, sometimes if there is something a bit big for under the tree then Santa hides it behind the long curtains in the lounge to be found when we ask them to draw them for us. Breakfast happens at some point (cereal, toast or bacon sarnies), bubbles are opened and turkey goes in the oven with timer set, I then get ready to make a list of who gave what and am ready with a rubbish bag while Daddy videos them. Whirlwind of paper, then kids happy playing. We all tuck into our yummy lunch, before vegging out for the rest of the day watching Christmas films on tv, chatting to family on the phone and playing with new games and toys. Bliss, then on Boxing Day we go to see the local hunt before having all the family over for a lunch of cold meats, bubble and squeak made with the leftover veg and pickles.

Ahhhh can't wait!!!!

Rach3l

Kate/Bob wrote: »

Breakfast is always mince pies and sausage rolls (also from my childhood).

Haha, we do this too, and so did my mum before me. My other half thinks it's really weird and would rather have his family's tradition of smoked salmon and eggs... Psssh.

lucystardust

My Christmas breakfast is always a chocolate orange, which is placed at the top of my stocking for easy access!

nikki1520

I always get a pair of the husbands boots, put them on the fireplace, then sprinkle glitter all round them - take the boots away and you can see where Santa landed!

Also, new pj's, chocolate before breakfast, huge breakfast and mid afternoon dinner, lots of snacking! Stockings, carrots, mince pies and milk for Santa.

Have seen a few ideas here that I'd like to pinch - much obliged everyone!

Hope2008

It’s so lovely reading everyone’s Christmas traditions.

Our Christmas traditions start on the 1st ofDecember with the decorations going up. Everyone helps out and once the tree isdecorated we settle down in our pjs with hot chocolate, a Christmas film andnibbles.

On Christmas Eve we’re all up early and visit my dad’s andmy in laws graves. A bit morbid I know but we leave a Christmassy wreath and lighta long last candle and it makes us feel better knowing we’ve been.

We do a Christmas Eve hamper too but not the elf part. I’llsneak and leave it on the doorstep and the kids open the door to find it. Inthe hamper there’s a new pair of pjs for everyone in the family, reindeer food,Santa key, a DVD, bedtime book, some chocolates, Christmas activities (lastyear it was all the things we needed to decorate a gingerbread house), hotchocolate for the kids and Baileys for the grownups. I’ve bought our reindeerfood and Santa key on EBay – I was so excited when they arrived the other day!

Then for dinner we always have steak. Everyone puts on theirnew pj’s and before bed we all head out into the front garden to sprinkle thereindeer food (the neighbours must think we’re mad seeing all of us outside inour pyjamas in the freezing cold!!)

On Christmas day the kids have their stockings by their bedsand aren’t allowed down to see what present Santa has brought until everyone nthe house is up and we all go down together. I’m really strict about this ashalf the excitement for me is seeing their faces when they see their present.

We have a light breakfast and head to Church. Afterwards myfamily come to my house for snacks and drinks and the kids open their presents.

Then we head to my mums for a leisurely Christmas dinner.After dinner we open more presents and have lots to eat and drink.
We did the boot footprints last year but with flour might give glitter a go this year - thanks nikki1520.

Hope2008

oops - so excited I posted twice!