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Xmas traditions in your house....
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Hey everyone,
Reading everyone's traditions is lovely, can't remember who said about the presents not being the main feature but its soo true.
on the xmas tree at my parents home we have lots of 'special' decorations... ones that my dad has bought my mum, ones that were given to them for wedding anniversaries (its around christmas time), ones that my brother and i made or got on holidays. its great to have a look at them all and hear the stories.
I've carried on in that tradition since having my own place in the last couple of years. bought a lovely hand blown glass decoration for my 'first' christmas tree of my own and got baubels whilst on holiday in disneyland and new york. its a real mish mash of colours but thats not the point!
I always go to midnight mass with mummy on christmas eve and we have our own weird way of doing stockings. a few years ago mummy was in intensive care for christmas and so my brother and i did stockings for each other since mummy wasn't able to. since then we've carried on doing stockings for each other but also now do stockings together for our parents. its a nice treat for them to say thank you for doing all that they do for us in the previous year.
loving the new pjs tradition, think i might pick that up as a new tradition from now.Very excited to be marrying my partner in crime for the last 7 years in September 2012 :jNo longer a midlandsfairy... back living in the sunny south!0 -
when we didnt have a fireplace we told my sister he appeared with puff of smoke throught the central heating air vent
Christmas eve supper is always, ham, mashed potatoes and broadbeans in white sauce
We open a (one only) present at midnight on Chrismas eve
Leave out a glass of sherry, mince pie and carrots on christmas eve (one year Grandad had to eat it all three times as my sister kept coming back downstains)
we have smoked salmon & cream cheese bagels with champagne for breakfast (now also includes a new tradition of pork pies)
Even though we are all grown up we all still have stockings with a nut, satsuma, cracker and chocolate coins.Scuzie:T
Cottage holiday in Devon -Shakti Mat - £10 Kurt Keiger - Sarah Smith Apron - Shopping Bag - Barbie Goody Bag & DVD - City break - £10 Crossword puzzle, Cookery weekend in Ireland & 30kg of Fertilizer, Butchery Masterclass & 2 Day Painting course...:rotfl:0 -
What a lovely thread
I know some people hate Christmas with a passion but for me Christmas is what you make it. My Christmas traditions are exactly that - mine.
So traditions:
Decorating the tree: I used to help my grandma decorate her Christmas tree on December 1st each year. I inherited her tree when she died, and I continue the tradition of decorating the tree on the 1st each year. I probably bored everyone stiff on the Christmas decorations thread about my decorations so I won't start againI did forget to mention in that thread how I sometimes hang my Jellycat bats on the tree...well with my user name does that surprise you?
Christmas dinner: My OH's all time favourite meal and it always goes as follows: roast turkey, sausage and bacon rolls, Saint Delia's spicy red cabbage (we're spending Christmas in Devon this year, and I have already been instructed to make sure we take a pot of spicy red cabbage down with us in a cool bag), roast potatoes, roast parsnips and brussel sprouts. It's usually just the two of us on Christmas Day and this year will be no different. We usually have Christmas dinner in the evening and eat by candlelight.
Breakfast on Christmas Day usually includes smoked salmon in some form and alcohol in some form too :beer:
Christmas pudding: My mother makes this according to a recipe my grandma swore by - she found it in the Observer in 1957. We still have the original torn out of the newspaper - it's a little tatty looking now but priceless.
Christmas music: My ears are offended by the sound of Christmas music in any month other than December - but come December 1st though it's all goodActually I'm quite looking forward to belting down the M5 with Slade and co on the iPod at Christmas - I'll be the mad woman in a green Focus screeching "Itttttttttttt's Chrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrisssssssstmaaaaaaaaaaas!!!" as we cross the border into Devon
DFW no.554 - Proud to be dealing with my debts :TDAVID TENNANT CAN PROBE ME WITH HIS SONIC SCREWDRIVER ANYTIME...:AFLYING THE FLAG FOR THE CAMBRIDGE BOOTS TARTS :happyhear0 -
Hello
My daughter and I love Christmas and as there has only been the two of us, we decided to make our own traditions.
One of the first, was to explain that Father Christmas got fed up of mince pies and milk and would prefer a glass of Bailey's and some Quality Street- guess who doesn't like mince pies!!!
I also started the tradition that we open one present each on Christmas Eve, which I was never allowed to do at home!
As she got older, and became a much better cook that me! she always cooks me a full blown Christmas dinner that we would eat together on Christmas Eve, before we joined my large family on Christmas Day.
We usually put the decs up on the 1st Dec but as she is at Uni and won't be home til the 14th, she has asked me to wait til then so we can do it together. I am already counting down the days! :j
One of my favourite memories is of one Chistmas Eve when I was creeping across her bedroom floor carrying a couple of big bags of presents, when her alarm suddenly went off! She had only set it for 12am to try to catch a glimpse of Father Christmas! I just froze for a second, dropped the bags on the floor and went over to her to tell that he wouldn't come if she was awake!! I couldn't stop giggling for ages!:rotfl:
It is such a shame that the magic goes once they find out the truth though!
When I finally had to tell her, she said 'I suppose the tooth fairy isn't real either' through her tears - I really felt bad......
She is 20 now and probably wouldn't be too happy with me spilling all her secrets!!OD [STRIKE] £2600 [/STRIKE] £0 :j Loan [STRIKE]£9500.00[/STRIKE] £0 :j Car [STRIKE]£3150[/STRIKE] £0 :j Moving Costs [STRIKE]£1300[/STRIKE] £0 :j Savings £1150 :j
Everytime I hear the 'dirty' word Exercise, I wash my mouth out with chocolate!0 -
Written a list of the all the best traditions i think i can cope with off this site, lots of great ideas.
Think the main thing i have taken from reading this is that it is family that matters, i always spend Christmas feeling bad about family not visiting us but this year i am determined that even if it is just us lot from our house it will be more special than ever.now mum of 4!!!0 -
I understand you with the family thing, its always my family we spend christmas with. DH's dad and wife arent interested in us and havent seen DS1, 6 this year, at a christmas at all and hes only ever had one christmas gift from them. Its DS2's first one this year and he wont see them either. Breaks my heart but no matter what i do things never change.
Confirms to me that i will NEVER end up like that and my children will always be wanted around me at christmas regardless of how old they are. No doubt i will be more kid like than they will be when they grow up! lolBringing up 2 handsome boys and 1 gorgeous girl the MSE way!Joseph born 19th December 2001Matthew born 8th August 2007Tara born 23rd January 20110 -
What a lovely thread!!
I dont put the tree up before 14 Dec...its my cousin's birthday that day and I feel that Christmas doesnt start until after then. DD and I go to Church on Christmas Eve with my parents for the Watchnight Service. It starts with Carol Singing at 10.30pm with mince pies and mulled wine and we sing whatever everyone wants to sing. I always always always ask for 'Joy to the World' We usually get home for 1 am so its straight to bed. We have a nice lazy morning opening a few presents and making thank you phone calls. We then walk round to my Aunty's house. The adults have champagne while the presents are opened, youngest first. Because there are so many of us, it usually takes an hour. Then its feeding time.
The house is tidy for Santa, but not as clean as New Year. You cant have old dirt going into the New Year!!! xx0 -
In addition to the new pyjamas,midnight mass etc we have one tradition which never varies,each of my 3 sons stands behind each other on the stairs in height/age order holding"santa sacks"and again in front tof the fireplace and we take photos.
We began this when the eldest was very young and continue now he is........23, and if he wants any presents from FC He will be doing it forever....he moans but if we sugested stopping it he would be horrified as would the younger 2, and if his mates come around on xmas eve and they want a drink they have to join in:rotfl: sometimes we have a queue. We have some great memories.0 -
This year will be the first christmas in my new house so i'm looking forward to starting new traditions with my future husband!0
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one old fashioned tradition I remember of my gran's - she always kept a small piece of holly or other christmas greenery behind a picture on the wall. It stayed there until the next christmas when it was replaced. not sure if this was a local tradition or not.
My dd and dsil decorate the tree whilst dgd is at school, then they pick her up from school (dsil always books a days holiday well in time!) and they take her for dinner somewhere, return home after dark and dgd is always thrilled to see that the christmas tree fairy has been to decorate their tree and the lights are twinkling!!
some lovely stories on this thread. My kids were allowed one present after midnight mass, but had to be careful to make sure they didnt choose a big one!... don't throw the string away. You always need string!
C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener0
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