Christmas traditions - what are yours?

Dimey

When I was a young girl growing up in the 1950's thestockings were actually a sock which we found at the end of the bed when wewoke up.

They were filled with a few little gifts like a whistle or afew jacks and a tiny ball, a handkerchief, a compass, a sealed plastic discwith holes inside where you had to roll balls to sit in the holes and a blower squeakerthing with a feather on the end together with a few Quality Street and somenuts. At the toe of the sock was always a satsuma (a regular disappointmentthat just used to be put back in the fruit dish.)

All my friends had similar content. The stockings of todayare much more fun but do you know I bet the excitement is the same for a child.We opened our stockings as soon as we woke up (really early) which kept usoccupied while parents slept on.

We weren't allowed to open our main presents under the treetill Dad had lit the fire and cleared the condensation/ice from the inside ofthe windows. And Mum had put the vegetables on (the turkey had cookedovernight). We washed our hands, feet & faces (bath was a weekly affair, noshowers) and dressed and had porridge for breakfast. In later years we hadbacon sandwiches for breakfast.

Often we had to re-stick the Christmas decorations that hadfallen down in the night. Decorations were all rings of coloured paper or crepepaper and glue made from flour & water that we'd made ourselves. Tinsel wasdraped over the decorations. Sprigs of real mistletoe and holly with redberries were hung around. The real Christmas tree was decorated with preciousglass baubles in all shapes and colours together with home-made cardboardshapes covered in glitter and bits of cotton wool for snow. Again tinsel drapedover but no Christmas lights. Top of the tree alternated between a homemadestar and a fairy come angel.

Then we sat round the Christmas tree with the fire warmingus. We girls would sit so close to the fire we’d get red mottled legs andchilblains on our toes. The red chilblains used to itch quite painfully. Mumwas always telling us to move back. Dad handed the presents out one at a timesaying who the gift was from and we all watched as the gift was opened. I likedthat as it made the process last a long time and we savoured every carefulunwrapping. Mind you we had fewer gifts than many people get nowadays.

Mum would cook Christmas dinner - the best turkey andtrimmings with Christmas pud I've ever tasted - while Dad folded up the usedwrapping paper to be kept for wrapping next year’s presents. Us girls playedwith our presents. The main gift was a box game like snakes & ladders orLudo. I remember always being envious of my friend who was lucky enough to get gameslike Monopoly or Risk.

Other gifts were things like a skipping rope, a Cindy orTressy doll or their outfits, snow globe, snap playing cards, pencil set,colouring book, geometry set, paints, socks, knickers, books and two-ballswhich, along with skipping, all schoolgirls played at playtime, throwing the balls up against the wall and catchingthem in various different combinations of complex routines. Each routine allhad a name that everyone knew – bouncy, dashey, overs, unders.

Another playground pastime for the girls was swapping silverpaper. We pressed silver paper from Easter eggs and Christmas chocolates andkept them between the individual pages of a book. You would hand your book toeach other to look through and any sheets or oblongs or squares you liked,you'd slide up to stick out the top of the page and pass the book back to theowner. Then you'd push down the silver you didn’t want to swap and negotiatewhich silver paper you'd swap for which of their silver paper. Difficult toexplain. I don't see the pretty silver paper anymore.

In the afternoon of Christmas day we'd play climbing on Dadand all sit round for a long box game. In the evening, Mum & Dad would havea drink which they didn't normally and they'd make us cocktails - lemonade -with glace cherries, mint and umbrellas and a cocktail stirrer. We felt quitegrown up. Tea would be cold turkey sandwiches and sausage rolls with twigletsand cheese straws and a homemade iced Christmas cake. We'd all talk and Dadwould tell stories from the war. Funny how he missed out the horrific bits. Dadused to tell how one Christmas night on the front the Germans started singingSilent Night. The Brits joined in, in English and the war was momentarilyforgotten by both sides. Dad used to sing Silent night to us in German that he’dlearnt.

Us girls would wash up while Mum and Dad would often fallasleep in their chairs. We'd read our books, did embroidery or knitting Nancyor crochet or knit or play for the rest of the evening munching on the raretreat of unlimited sweets- terry's chocolate orange, juicy fruit jellies, blackmagic chocolates (that were always Dads Christmas present to Mum), qualitystreet, dates, nuts and satsumas. No TV in those days. When Mum & Dad wokeup we’d play cards – we only knew whist or rummy or snap or happy families. Beforebed we'd have either Ovaltine or Cadbury's hot chocolate or Bourneville if wewere unlucky as that was bitter. Mum & Dad would have Horlicks.

Sorry if this account was boring. Maybe it will spark a fewmemories for the older folk and give younger folk an insight into simplertimes.

kate.jayne

Not boring at all, I really enjoyed reading that.
Thank you for sharing.

Luckystar

The main traditions in our house are many that I did as a child, stockings opened first, my kids are 14 and 16 but still open them on our bed, we all go downstairs together and there is great excitement (even more so this year with our puppy who will be one on 21st Dec, he will have a doggy stocking too). We put a Xmas CD on and take it in turns to open presents although sometimes that goes a little wrong but by then the bucks fuzz is flowing so I don't mind. We have tree presents that we open after dinner and my mum started making her own crackers years ago (with the kits you buy) so I do that too. Then there is all the food and drink, watching Xmas TV and playing board games. Xmas wouldn't be the same with some lego to build, my daughter had a Lego winter village toy shop a few years ago and that is always made up in the lead up to Xmas, we also have a Xmas Simpsons puzzle that we do together each year. We try and see an Xmas film at the cinema or go to a panto in the lead up to Xmas too. It's definitely the little things that are most memorable :xmassmile

Pasanda

I really enjoy reading about all your traditions - so inspiring. I loved the stories about the "elf on the shelf". I wanted to buy one for our house but found them extremely expensive - about £30. But after a bit of searching I found another version of it "Christoper Pop-In-Kins". There are £30 versions of this on both eBay and Amazon but I found a seller on Amazon that sold it for £15.15 - bargain !

Cake4brains

Dimey, thank you so much for writing down your Christmas memories. They brought a tear to my eye as they sound so similar to my childhood Christmases and I was born in 1976!

We also didn't have stockings, but my dads socks as they were large and thick, and I honestly cant remember anything they contained apart from the nuts and Satsuma :rotfl:. My brother and I used to eat the nuts, trying our hardest to open them with the nutcracker, or if we couldn't find it, a hammer on the hearth and the Satsuma used to go back in the fruit bowl too! Though, the one year my mum didn't put a Satsuma in our stocking we complained!

We opened our stockings after our main presents though. And we had to wait upstairs until my dad had made a fire and warmed the living room up enough for us to go in. And we also had to re-stick the decorations up, some crepe paper and some dangly ones from the ceiling that had fallen down. Plus ones we had made at school from cardboard and tinsel (which I still have, my mum kept them all these years and they were passed to me after she passed away a few years ago).

Our breakfast was always toast made on the fire with lots of butter dripping through our fingers. I can taste it now, nothing tastes like it no matter how I've tried to recreate it. I can remember so clearly the red mottled legs and having to swap which way we were facing so we felt as hot and stingy on both sides :rotfl:

We also handed out presents one at a time. My brother and I had a decent pile each and my parents just a few each, so they would skip some turns and it always made me feel a little bit guilty that I couldn't give them as much as they gave us. It doesn't matter that I was 8 years old and didn't have money to buy them things. I always felt guilty They tried so hard to make Christmas extra special for us.

And it was

marleyboy

The traditions I have carried on since my childhood for Christmas..

A glass of Milk, mince pie is placed on a saucer for Father Christmas, along with a carrot for Rudolph. The remainder of which the next morning is an empty glass, some mince pie crumbs and half a carrot with teeth marks from Rudolph.

As well as the main presents from friends and family left under the Tree, Father Christmas delivers a stocking at the foot of each bed with gifts and treats FROM Father Christmas.

Our Son has a very large Santa Sack he has had since his 1st Christmas that all his presents go in, each Year we add another character to it; (Last Year we sewed on a Sleigh n Raindeers, previous Years had Snowflakes, Trees, three wise men and so on), all christmassy themes.

At 2 Am Christmas Morning, I sneak upstairs and leave the stockings at the foot of the beds, finishing off by rattling some bells in the landing (not frantically).

Stockings can be open first thing in the Morning, but presents under the tree are opened one at a time and in turns, with the notion of spending the whole day opening presents.

Another tradition that we stick with is we have a new handmade Christmas tree ornament each Year with the family name and Year on. As well as a traditional dinner, these are the traditions that we will stick with, with the hope that our Son will carry them on with his children.

heleng27

we have lots in my house.

Advent calenders

posada... I'm not particularly religious but i do believe my girls should know the true meaning of Christmas Posada is basically the figures of mary and joseph, from the church crib set. They make there way around the parish (a new family every day from 1st December) and travel in a lovely big wooden crate. On Christmas Eve they are returned to the church and are the final figures along with baby jesus that are added to the set during the church crib service which all the children do nativity.

The girls get dropped off at church early afternoon for nativity rehearsals (giving me time for last minute rushing around). Its so magical and so many local kids get involved. It's my most favourite part of Christmas.

Before bed xmas eve we leave out reindeer food (porridge oats and glitter), suitable drinks and nibbles for the big man!!

I always do a stocking for the girls. Always have a few potatos in the bottom. They know that these represent presents that have been swapped for potato where they haven't always been on the their best behavior. So they need to work a bit harder at being good next year!!!!!

My mum still does me and my brother a stocking (in our 30's), without fail every year since we were 17 we get a can of deicer!!!!! How this tradition has stuck I don't know, but I never buy it as know santa is bringing it!!!!!

NiceGuyEddie_2

Now I'm a huge fan of Christmas and normally not very Grinch-like but after seeing so many posts about 'reindeer food' I thought I would add the reminder to use non-toxic edible glitter - it's a bit daft to feed an imaginary reindeer but risk killing actual birds in the process, which is what can happen with normal craft glitter. I'm sure most people who do this know this already, but for those looking for ideas please do bear this in mind

Cake4brains

marleyboy wrote: »

Our Son has a very large Santa Sack he has had since his 1st Christmas that all his presents go in, each Year we add another character to it; (Last Year we sewed on a Sleigh n Raindeers, previous Years had Snowflakes, Trees, three wise men and so on), all christmassy themes.

I like this idea :T I might have to pinch it!

SugarSpun

I tidy everything on Christmas Eve, deep kitchen clean and all, and then we have pasta for dinner. In previous years it's been reindeer-shaped pasta from Ikea in a cheesy tomatoey pasta bake, but DH has finally admitted that he hates it so this year we'll premake a lasagne and freeze it so it's just for pulling out and eating. While I'm cleaning, DH and DD will go to the Chinese supermarket and buy a stack of frozen dim sum pieces.

After dinner there will be showers, new (kids) or clean Christmassy (adults) pajamas for everyone and the small people will be put to bed. After that Santa will visit and set up the gifts, then watch an episode or two of something on the TV and go to bed early. Children's stockings will be delivered on the way to bed, and DH and I will fall over each other in the night leaving one for each other.

The small child sleeps in our room, so we will be woken by the big one when she brings her stocking in to open it with us. We'll head downstairs and possibly eat some toast and open a couple of gifts, then our traditional breakfast is the dim sum. More gifts, Skype the grandparents, then dinner around 4-5pm. DVD after dinner and then bed.

On the 26th, we normally have a houseful for late breakfast and a hangout for varying amounts of time. This year I don't want to cook because I will be busy with the baby, so we'll meet at a Chinese restaurant for a special lunch. Home and if stragglers come home with us we'll light a fire in the outside fireplace and sit around it toasting marshmallows and drinking mulled wine or hot chocolate. If it's just us, we'll open the Christmas boxes full of random and hilarious tat my mum sends us and spend the afternoon puzzling over their contents. Dinner will probably be sandwiches made of leftovers or bubble and squeak pancakes and eggs; normally it's Postmas leftovers and cake.