Xmas traditions in your house....

hollydays

Before christmas,go searching for pine cones in the woods,and ivy for decorating.Let the pine cones dry out slowly then make them into decorations with glitter,silver paint and ribbons.Make "stained glass window " biscuits for the tree(biscuit frame with melted boiled sweets as the inner and hung on ribbons.Again glass of sherry and mince pie for santa,carrot for reindeer.Christmas morning kids have to say to parents "has he been yet?".Cant go downstairs till he has (with tree lights now magically lit up).

When they are smaller-same realisation dawns every year that they arent going to eat dinner you lovingly prepared as they are too full with sweets and chocs.

kitchen_buff

This is a great one for the kids, (younger ones). After leaving out the mince pie, milk for santa and the carrot for rudy, when kids are asleep get a few leaves from the garden and place them as though they where walked in by santa. Also get a white furry cuddly toy and pull off a few hairs and place around edge of glass of milk after drinking a bit. When the kids get up in the morning there faces will be a picture.

Amarillo

New PJs on Christmas Eve is a tradition here. I love Christmas Eve, almost more than Christmas Day. We track Santa when Norad start doing it. New last year is making a Gingerbread house, which went down really well. We then go next door to our neighbours who are elderly and don't have grandchildren. Bruno the bear who must be at least 70, comes down in his best clothes and him and the children have a drink and biscuit in the kitchen. We then swap presents.

It's back home then for a Christmas film and toasted marshmallows dipped in melted chocolate in front of the wood burner. Bath and into new Pyjammas. Then a Christmas story followed by a few poems from my poetry book that I had when I was a child. Sadly I lost it last year but I've found some online so I can still read them. We have Santa & the Mouse, Wynken, Blynken & Nod, the Sugar Plum Dog. Then finally mince pie, carrot, and drink for Father Christmas and off to bed.

pigpen

We have christmas dinner on christmas day.. and spend all day christmas day eating sweets and chocolate until we are sick!!! I hate spending all day cooking a huge meal they won't eat because they are full of chocolate!!

These all get new PJ's as well.

They get a stocking in their room which contains fruit.. probably the only nutrition they get for the whole day!! They always get a toothbrush and chocolate coins as well.. they keep them quiet while hubby and I wake up after 3 minutes sleep and get dressed!!!

They have their hair combed before we go downstairs..

The littlest puts the santa/angel/fairy/star on the top of the tree.. unless they've been too little (dd3 was 6 days old her first christmas!)

The whole house has to be tidy.. or else santa will think we don't like our toys and not leave any!

Boxing day is also my birthday and I ALWAYS!! went to my mothers for it.. big family gathering.. however now there are millions of us and only 2 of them they come to us which I think is nice.. we swap presents etc and eat food and have a 'party'

A more recent family tradition is a MASS family outing to the pantomime .. 25 of us went last year.. that was great we have a fabulous time and the children (12 of them last year.. 8 were mine lol) loved spending time with their cousins etc. We have only done this the last 2 years but it is something we will be doing again!.. Jack and the Beanstalk this year!!!

MoaningMyrtle

There are some lovely posts here!! We adore christmas, it is a big occasion in our family as there are 3 birthdays on the 23rd, one on the 25th and one on the 27th, the celebrations go on for days!!

It all starts around mid-October when I ask my DH and DDs when we should start playing xmas music!! Music is a big thing in our house, pop, classical and church music. We usually start playing it on the 1st December.

My DH and I have one mammoth shopping trip where we try to get everyone's presents. Small things for adults and more for the children.

We go to a crib service in the nearest cathedral at 3pm on Xmas Eve, the children dress up as different characters from Bethlehem and process up the aisle in all their finery, it's great. We then go to a friend's house for tea and mulled wine!!

We end up wrapping gifts on Xmas eve, DH sings in the Church Choir and I wait for him to get back from Midnight Mass and we have a bottle of something bubbly. I then make him eat the mince pie, carrot and sherry for Santa!!

I'll get back to this later, dinner need attention now.

lipsthefish

dianadors wrote: »

I watch "Its a Wonderful life" the first Sunday in December to get me in the mood (with a glass of sherry and a mice pie).

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

:rotfl: that's cheered me up no end today!

economiser

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

.
. . . DH sings in the Church Choir and I wait for him to get back from Midnight Mass ....

At last, someone who has some idea of the true meaning of Christmas!

jorose

I'm feeling so excited now, i have really enjoyed reading this thread.

Sometime at the begining of december I alway make up some salt dough so me and my little boys can make decorations for the tree, usually first saturday then we paint and glitter them on the sunday.
We make stain glass biscuits and decorate a christmas cake when the kids break up from school.
One of the best things is going to watch the school nativity.
We have christmas books that come out with the decorations that i love to read with the kids,
ohh and i love to watch its a wonderful life too.;)
When we put the tree up we always have popcorn with the christmas CDs on (of course a whole morning of finding and replacing dead bulbs on the lights before we start) then sit down and watch a christmas film with hot chocolate and the tree lights twinkling.
A new thing we started last year which we will do again because the kids loved it was to go to the supermarket at 7am to beat the rush. I told the kids it was the middle of the night because it was still dark :rotfl:it was still quite busy though think we need to go earlier this year :rolleyes:
Christmas eve is very busy i have a big christmas clean on the morning kids do their rooms, lots of visitors through the day and we always follow santas progress on the internet.
Of course after bath time the kids get new pjs just like my brothers and i always did.
Then we get out milk, mince pie and carrots and just before they go to bed they hang santas magic key on the door handle outside

:xmastree: :rudolf: :santa2:

annaangeluk_2

Thank you all so much for your replies!! I was so excited to get home from work, switch the computer on and find 20+ messages!!

All of your traditions sound fantastic!

This is the first xmas since my dad died suddenly at easter so we will find a way to remember him. I have a picture of him in a silly xmas hat that I will print out and frame to have centre place on the mantlepiece!

I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed how little the presents seem to feature. It's almost all about family time and keeping the magic alive without spending massive amounts of money. Kitchen Buff's suggestion of putting a bit of white fur to convince the kids Santa has drunk his beer/sherry/milk etc is absolutely genius!:santa2:

This thread is a definite two fingers to anyone who says that Christmas is too commercial and materialistic!! You guys prove it isn't!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Stacey

:xmassign:

noahpepperpot

as a kid we allways had hot dogs in rolls with loads of sauce on christmas eve, ive got 5 children and on christmas day one of them allways spills there drink over on my pretty christmas table aarrgghh,,
i love christmas:rudolf: :xmastree: :xmastree: :xmassign: :snow_grin