Christmas traditions - what are yours?

kansaskitty

Not really any traditions to contribute but I just wanted to thank all of you for posting, I have spent a lovely half hour reading your posts and lots of them brought a tear to my eye!

It is just me and hubby here, but it will be our first year as a married couple so I am hoping it is extra special. I still put a mince pie, carrot and glass of milk out for Santa and if 'Santa' doesn't have a sip and a nibble I am very upset! He always has done so far though . Thanks all for posting!

jollymummy

I really love Christmas and always have.

My son is now 8 and goes to our local tiny village school. I also work there and this term leading up to Christmas is the best time.

School do lots of festive activities,there are parties and this year all staff and children are going to the panto.

The excitement of the children is infectious.

Our family traditions start during half term,so last week I made my Christmas cakes and dh and ds had a stir and made a wish.

I always have a sherry out of my grannys beautiful glasses that she left to me. I've started making chutneys from our allotment veg to give as gifts.

On Christmas Eve my ds is always in the Christingle service at our local church,over the years he's been a sheep,a shepherd,a wise man and was Joseph last year.

Watching the children perform, and singing by the candlelight of our Christingle oranges is magical.

My lovely Mum comes over to stay and comes to church and says it makes her Christmas.

We will put a key for Santa on the back door,leave a mince pie and sherry for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph.

We sprinkle reindeer dust and track Santa on norad, I won't go to bed until he reaches London.

Christmas day we're up bright and early to unwrap pressies and take lots of photos.

My dh always does Christmas dinner and is brilliant at it. My Mum and dh's parents will be with us this Christmas and I can't wait.

For me Christmas is about family, we will also pop to the graveyard with a wreath for my grandparents and Darling Dad the weekend before Christmas,my little boy always says we're visiting Grandad at the flower country.

We will settle down after Christmas dinner and watch the snowman, just fab.

I flippin love Christmas and it became even better once we became parents. Magic.

lynsayjane

Was telling my BF about this thread and some of the lovely ideas I'd gotten, mostly for when we have kids. Silly booger didn't realise the Elfs were stuffed and thought soemone actually snuck into your house to do these things! Near died laughing at him!
LJ
x

LucyGoose

As a family we all helped to decorate the tree on the 1st Dec while listening to Christmas songs. I always used to help mum with the food list for the Christmas period. We each got to pick one treat.

During the day on Christmas eve we would make mince pies and the trifle while dad was at work. When he came home we would all have a bath and put our pi's on. Mum would cook some nibbles for us to eat after our dinner which was always steak, which dad cooked. Me and my sisters would go to bed early while dad made it look like santa had been ready for the morning.

Christmas in our house used to start at 6am with me and my sisters getting up (much to my dad's annoyance). He always used to make us have a shower and get dressed in nice clothes before we could open any gifts, so that he could stay in bed a little longer (we didn't have stockings). Mum would make everyone a cup of tea before we were allowed into the lounge. Dad would then hand presents to each of us, one by one saying who it was from. The dog always had a gift to open, although he used to enjoy playing with the wrapping. If we were hungry mum usually would make bacon sandwiches and offer us all a glass of bucks fizz (I was usually far too excited). We would all tidy the lounge and breakfast things before all helping to prepare the veg for dinner. Mum would then cook the dinner while dad took us children and the dog for a walk. Christmas was the only time of year I can ever remember my dad sitting at the table. We as children were always allowed half a glass of wine topped up with lemonade with our meal. It made us feel so grown up. After dinner we all helped to tidy it away before falling asleep watching christmas movies, dad usually had a glass of whiskey and mum would have a glass of sherry.

My fondest Christmas memories are not of the gifts I received but of the time spent with my family. I'll be working Christmas day again this year, hoping to spread a little joy to the people I look after.

prosaver

christmas side.
my lass didnt have this as she said why dont you put them in the cupboards.
heres a picture from one christmas
looks a bit crappy with the flash and its boxing day when taken

prosaver

oh yeah .. we have a christmas eve big dinner, to make the holiday longer.
and when its someone birthday we do the same but party on..... and call it birthday eve- so the birthday last longer...we use to call the day after the birthday boxing day but that was being a bit silly......we laugh

chergar

We always do a Christmas weekend when we take the children to Glasgow/Edinburgh and do the Christmas lights and market, have a hot chocolate and a mince pie/Christmas biscuit. We look for a cheap £29 Premier Inn room, usually the Saturday before Christmas.
On the run up we watch a Christmas film every night - Home Alone, Elf, Jingle All the Way, The Santa Clause, One Magic Christmas etc and save one of the versions of A Christmas Carol for actual Christmas Eve, we have the new pyjamas for Santa coming, sprinkle the reindeer dust, put out the magic key and then settle down and I read Twas The Night Before Christmas, the stockings go on the wall where the advent calendars have been, put out milk, mint Viscount and mince pie for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer and then try and get the children to bed.
We then settle down and try and get everything organised and have a glass of Baileys before going to bed.

chergar

kansaskitty wrote: »

Not really any traditions to contribute but I just wanted to thank all of you for posting, I have spent a lovely half hour reading your posts and lots of them brought a tear to my eye!

It is just me and hubby here, but it will be our first year as a married couple so I am hoping it is extra special. I still put a mince pie, carrot and glass of milk out for Santa and if 'Santa' doesn't have a sip and a nibble I am very upset! He always has done so far though . Thanks all for posting!

Our first married Christmas was the first living together as well and the first when I was out of my parents house, my husband got up through the night and sat my presents on the couch the way my mum and dad always did when I was in the house.:)

antw23uk

I've loved reading these, thank you but I really should be working, lol

As a kid we were allowed to open a small present the night before and on Xmas day we wouldnt be allowed to open presents until we were all sitting down and then we took it in turns to open a present ... I would always hide one so I made sure I was the last person to open a present and it soon turned into a competition that would last hours, lol

Now its just me and the OH so our new family traditions are drinking champagne whilst decorating the tree. We always open a present in bed on Xmas day morning and breakfast is smoked salmon, scrambled egg on a bagel with bucks fizz.

Staying at home this year with just the MIL coming so will be nice and relaxed. Will go for a nice ride on the horse Xmas morning and then ask the yard owner to bring him in, in the afternoon so i can spend the rest of the day at home eating and drinking :T

Eveery year when we are decorating the tree drinking bubbly the cork then gets added to the tree as a decoration :T

scmp

Awww i love Christmas
I was born at the turn into the 80's so we were quite lucky with the amount of gifts we got.
Christmas eve when we had to have a bath and the whole week before the house was pristine and we were NOT allowed to make any mess!
My brother birthday is in the first week of December so there were no decorations put up until his birthday cards had been on the mantle piece for a week.

When we were little my little brother and I used to share bunk beds and he would wake me up and we would drag out stocking into our parents rooms and open them on the bed.
We would all go down stairs together and bring our stockings with the opened gifts but back in and the paper put on to the dining room fire ready for later. We waited bu the living room door until mum and dad came down and ohh and ahhhed at the tree
We would sit in front of the fire in anticipation while dad made coffee for them both. The we would open the gifts at the same time from the same person ie, father christmas, aunties and uncles. All ways terrible clothes from our aunty which we had to put on, take a photo and write a thank you!
I all ways felt guilty we had a bigger pile than mum and dad but used to be really excited about them opening the gifts from us. Mum took us to get dads gift and dad took us to get mums, we all ways got to pick something what we could make 'pretty' for them. Mum all ways had shapes soaps and thing we would spend hours putting in a basket and rip up tissue paper and such, i bet she hated them but we never knew
We would have a break to each breakfast and while the veg got put on and then open our gifts from mum and dad.
When we were older my brother and I had separate rooms but he still came into mine dragging his stocking and waking me up
We were then allowed to open them in my room on my bed but we all ways 'saved' some to take into mum and dads room to open so they didn't miss out! It is weird how you think when your little
When my mum went back to work when we were in in junior school she sometimes worked Christmas eve and came home at 8am but the same rule applied until after we had opened the gifts we were sent to play with our toys upstairs while mum had a snooze in the lounge in front of the fire.
Then it was dinner at about 2/3pm which lasted a good hour and then a board game and just play down stairs while various family members from my mums side came by. Other years we got to about noon and then piled in the car for a two hour drive to see our dads side of the family and our grandparents. It was such an adventure as there was no traffic anywhere and Christmas dinner with our cousins was all ways fun!

Aww i wish i was a kid again!!!!
Although my parents are not together now it is very similar with my dad us and the boy, it feels all warm and snugly and as the only woman in the house i get to make all the decisions so all the Christmas traditions have stayed the same and a couple more have been added