CHRISTMAS No-not about presents!

bluep

We usually go to mass on Christmas Eve and watch A Christmas Carol (the patrick stewart version) on christmas day (we dont watch any other television really). Traditionally my mother would spend Christmas Eve wrapping presents and writing Christmas Cards and then make my dad drive her up to St Martin's in central London for the last ever Christmas post (even though we all knew they were going to be at least 4 days late LOL).

My mum and I have always given each other one lovely little christmas decoration each year - so our collection has grown nicely and remain special long after other presents are broken/disgarded/used up. I like to get a christmas tree as early as possible just because I love the glow of the fairy lights last thing at night when you go to bed. Boxing day we tend to have a long family walk although I suppose as my daughter gets older (she's only 11 months now), it will be for SLEIGHING!!!

We seem to take it in turns now - one year at my parents, the next year at ours and last year we were living in Munich so mum and dad came over and we did a traditional german christmas - lots of gluhwein, christmas markets, pfeffernusse, fish on christmas eve and duck on christmas day. So, I think we'll be trying to encorporate some of those elements into future christmas celebrations as a family tradition. Christmas carols sound so much lovelier in german too!

*dances off singing "Stille Nacht, heil'ge nacht, alles schläft; einsam wacht"*

Ticklemouse

When I was a kid, we were allowed to open our stocking fillers when we woke up. Then we had to get washed, dressed and breakfasted before we culd go into the lounge to open pressies. We also had to wait for mum to come downstairs. We hated it as we were always impatient.

However......now I'm a mum, we let the kids open their stocking fillers, have brekkie in bed (made by Mr TM) or go downstairs, then everyone has to be washed and dressed before we go into the lounge Aren't I horrible However, it does mean that when everyone arrives, we're not all sat around in our jimjams, and we all look presentable on the Xmas photos (Now, ladies, admit it, we all hate being caught on camera with our bed head hair, puffy eyes and pillow marks still on our cheeks, with the kids showing everyone when they look through the albums )

bluep

LOL> our family tradition is to stay in jimjams ALL day!! That's me, my fiancee, my parents....everyone! all day!

se999

Things had to be bought when they were needed, there wasn't the spare money. So the christmas stocking was the christmas presents, it actually means that we spent lots of time and effort to make sure that the contents were just right, not just the Christmas padding.

Each year we seem to make christmas simpler and simpler, and the more effort we spend on people and the meaning of christmas and the less effort we spend on trying to cram in the extras, the better and the more meaningful it gets.

DSmiffy

On the run up to xmas, about a week before, we always go for a walk around Delamere Forest near Frodsham. They have lovely walks and also they sell xmas pine trees and have a santas grotto and a decorations marquee. It's very christmassy and deep in the woods it's lovely and quiet too !!

Ember999

Jay-Jay wrote:

My eldest daughter (6) puts out a pillow case on Christmas eve for her presents from Father Christmas. Each year she writes her name and the date on the pillow case with a laundry marker. I'm hoping that in a few years time we'll have a really good collection of her 'autographs' from throughout her childhood.

My youngest is the same age as yours so this year I'll give her her own pillowcase and let her do a little scribble.

Gosh is that a really boring tradition?

I think that is such a sweet tradition Jay-Jay,tears pricking at my eyes, wish I had memories like that of my childhood. I am sure that tradition is something your children will never forget.

Ember xx

Quackers

OMG - I JUST LOVE CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve : Film at cinema or panto if we've got money in the afternoon.. Lots of sweeties too. Evening - family meal - we all get together at a local pub for a meal.

Christmas day : No-one is allowed in the living room until Daddy has checked that Santa has been. When I was little I used to go into my nan & grandads bedroom and we had to have mugs of tea and open the christmas box of biscuits. NO presents until Grandad had drunk his mug of tea. I still get too excited to be able to carry out this bit :rolleyes: But we do still have to get the man of the house to check if santa has been. Big dramatic peep around the door EVERY year! My step dad pretended Santa hadn't been one year and my little sister screamed the piggin house down - he never tried that again.

My Mum, stepdad, sis & her family all come to my house to play and we have lots of food, lots of fun and play lots of games all day. My Mum freaks me out every year by wearing nasty scary toe sock thingies. We play with EVERY new toy and makes huge amounts of mess. My M-i-L came once but it was too chaotic for her I miss my Nan at Christmas - for the last couple of years she was alive she was like Nana from the Royale family and fell asleep in the corner of the room with her paper hat on

I buy all ready made M & S food that gets bunged in the oven :eek: Yes, it costs a fortune but I dont care - I'd rather be playing outside on my new toys (I NEED stilts this year - I asked santa for them last year and he forgot! I've been extra good this year!). I got a pogo stick the year before.

You are not allowed to participate with the tree decorating unless you are prepared to sing along to the dodgy christmas songs and wear a Santa hat and gloves. No gloves = you cant play.

Ok, so know you know - we are all ever so slightly 'quackers' Oh, poor old mr Q wasn't raised in such a nutty enviroment. He spends most of the day washing up 'cos we're all a bit noisy for him and he's a bit chuffed its only once a year

Ember999

I bought my husband a Christmas 'Stocking' many years ago from a sweet old lady who used to knit them. It's got a knitted santa and reindeer on the front of it and it's own hanger. Every year I stuff it will little goodies and hang it over his side of the bed ready for Christmas morning. He still delights like a child as he digs deep to see what Santa has brought him. He then flies downstairs to attack his 'sack' which is under the tree. I suppose I have always treated him like a child at Christmas and I get away with it as we don't have kids. Even at age 43 he shows no sign of dimming enthusiasm towards his stocking or his big santa sack

Every Christmas morning he helps me dress the turkey 'Delia' fashion and he always washes the dishes through Christmas. I guess I will get perfume again this year LOL (he is so original lol) and to date I have bought him a pink Ipod Mini (saved up my spends to pay for it as just bought new cottage and I am skint LOL) Yes, he did make noises to hint that he wanted a 'pink' one, maybe he's trying to get in touch with his feminine side? I think not lol

Ember xx


ps...This year we plan on watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' in our new cottage. Thankful forever more that my lump was just a cyst and the purchase of the cottage went through without a hitch. I still miss Plymouth, wish he was going to be there to have his little plate of turkey but I am sure Nash (the new kitten) will make an adequate attempt to eat what would have been Plymouth's turkey.

Gingham_Ribbon

Ah, you guys are all a total tonic! What lovely stories! I have so many ideas now. I'm really looking forward to it now.

One tradition that fell along the way somehow was that my parents would put up the tree and I'd put the fairy on the top when I got in. I used to have to be picked up by my dad to do it. I was gutted after I'd moved out to pop round to see the fairy already up there! :rolleyes: At least they humour me by letting me shout to Santa up their (non existant) chimney!

Thanks everyone. I hope lots more people will join in.

suzie_wong

My OHs birthday is on Christmas Eve, so it is quite tricky to keep that separate from Christmas. It has become a tradition though, that we always have a takeaway on Christmas Eve (usually Thai), - can't afford it for the rest of the year!! For the last couple of years OHs brother and family have joined us, which is lovely.
Since we met we have made up Christmas stockings for eachother each year-I seem to remember the first year we had around 25 pressies each, but as money gets tighter and tigther it has diminished to about 10!! Since the kids were born we have opened our stockings late on Christmas Eve, which means we can really take our time and enjoy it, rather than squeezing it in between the kids piles and piles of pressies from all and sundry.
It works for us!!