CHRISTMAS No-not about presents!

Frugal_Fox

Hi -

As I just adore Christmas, I thought I ought to tell you our traditions!!

Starting in September - When we all go out picking Sloes to make Sloe Gin ready for the following year.

October means its ' Christmas Pudding Day' at my Dads, when we all make many (read about 12) puddings for us, family and friends. We all get a stir, and make a wish - including relatives abroad (we 'stir' on their behalf). We also make the mincemeat for the mince pies at this weekend too. Also make the Christmas Cake, order the cards from our local hospice, and start to think of gifts for the children and family - and also set our budget!!

November is the time to write the cards, including the annual Christmas letter - which is filled with my usual madness! By the end of November we aim to have written all cards, and wrapped
all of the presents. Cards are sent via 2nd class post to arrive - hopefully - for the first weekend of December. The children also write their letter to Father Christmas. They know he has lots of children to buy for - so they only ask for one or two small presents - just to give him a choice. We also take part in the Shoebox operation and do two boxes, one from each of the children to a child of the same sex and similar age.

December starts with dressing the tree (obviously artificial!!) for the 1st December, (each year we add a new decoration - we got this years from the Christmas shop in Broadway whilst on our summer holiday!!) by the first weekend of December the tree is fully dressed, presents all around, window decorated with nativity, my childrens salt dough stars, and a shining star light. We also have a full Christmas dinner on the first Saturday - including Christmas Pudding.

We then spend the month of December, relaxing - with no cards, or shopping to do! We go out inthe car and look at the houses all decorated up too! The children have a beautiful Advent calendar their Nana made for them - its a patchwork tree with 24 hooks, which I hang 24 small gifts for each child off. The gifts are small, and in-expensive - ie, a couple of chocolate coins, a rubber, etc. - I start shopping for these in January!!

We make a point of filling the house with festive music - be it carols or festive tunes, even Slade rears its head!!! - but not 24 hours a day!

Christmas Eve involves leaving a carrot for Rudolph, some milk for Father Christmas ( well we wouldn't want him drunk!) and obviously a mince pie, or two or three!! We hang up the stockings too - made by clever Nana's mum. Father Christmas usually just puts in the one little gift that they've asked for, along with a satsuma, some chocolates and maybe just another little surprise gift. We are lucky that we have a log burner - though not sure how Father Christmas manages to squeeze down the flue, and we remember to not light a fire, as the children don't want him to get burnt. Last year he made a big mess on the hearth, and all over my white rug - with dirty great footprints all over the place... Rudolph left bits of chewed up carrot all out the front too. We also log on to the computer and watch Father Christmas' progress with the help of the NORAD Santa Tracker - as soon as he starts getting closer the children are off to bed

Christmas day is celebrated starting with bucks fizz and croissants - then children off for baths whilst we prep up the dinner. Presents being opened normally after lunch - though sometimes we can't wait that long!! We don't spend much ourselves on gifts, we tend to set a budget of £30 for the children, and £20 on each other.

Christmas can be fun, enjoyable and cheap!!! We don't feel too flat afterwards, as Boxing Day we pack up a picnic and head off to Birmingham Airport to watch the planes ( it may seem an odd thing to do - but the viewing lounge is normally really quiet, but there are quite a few planes taking off - it gets us out of the house too) We also try to go and see relatives between Christmas and New year - which is always nice to look forward to.

Last year, and this year my DH is working Christmas Day (NHS) so we will just open one present, and move our Christmas day to when he is not working!

Sorry its such a long post, but I love Christmas....

coolbreezes

ah so much Nostalgia here . I love Christmas whether I have cash or not actually the best ones are when you are broke. Making simple but special presents are so much Fun and a joy to open.


I lost my parents when I was young but still treasure the memories of those very special days. On Christmas morning the house was warm with a roaring coal fire, home made ginger wine and neighbours without families or children sitting around the fire sharing a sherry and the joy of watching us open our presents. Expectations were low but oh the joy we had of having a special parcel just for us was beyond our dreams.

Things have changed so much I have a good income good job and can buy my children all the latest gear, gadgets whatever!!! but you know they have missed so much as life now is so materialistic. My Christmases were amazing we ate the most special foods like a chicken! LOL seriously that was special. The most special thing for me was neighbours off all ages congregating in my house around a big fire and singing carols and being so damn fortunate for what we had.

bring back those days please, Parents did not get in debt for the latest gadgets and kids had low expectations. We are to blame for keeping up with the Jones's not the kids.

Mr_Proctalgia

My background comes from the Polish side of the world (Calm down Divadee it's a state of mind not a product to make things shiny!) We do Christmas on the 24th when we eat a meal called "Wigilia" this should be vegetarian, but is supposed to have a fish dish, typically carp, it usually ends up very stodgy and contains far to much cabbage, noodle and spuds, the meal starts when the first star is visible and all the kids have to sing for their suppers (my 32 year old hates this). it sounds odd but it works well, everyone gets fed, the family all come around, the kids get their pressies in the evening and we get a lie in on Christms Day. We do decorate the house but in a more continental style, we also do the 6th December as St Nicks day and also everyone has a name day that can be bigger than your birthday!
Last year I cooked for 17, luckily I had all day to get it organised, the Barszcz was started 3 days earlier and the Lazanki and dried mushroom started the week before, so we get something like - Barszc with Uszka with Lazanka with Mash and veg with a fish dish, followed with Christmas Pud and Stollen followed with Piernik and lots of Vodka!!!!!!!!!!

scuzz

When I was little, right up till my parent's split when I was 15, every year, about a week or so before Christmas Day, everyone would take it in turns to put Christmas cards for the family on the front door mat in the evening and ring the bell as though they'd just been delivered.

Dad would always manage to make us think our advent calendars had been dropped down the chimney from the fairies.

Our Nan and Grandad would always come and stay over Christmas through to New Year (we're a very small family, only 4 of us left now) and I'd pace around all day on Christmas Eve wanting to know where they were, before demanding to go to bed at 3 in the afternoon!!

On Christmas morning, we'd always find glitter around the plate left out for Santa. This was magical dust. And one year we found part of his "beard" in the chimney

As the final days of Christmas drew near, my sis and I would normally make something, like a card or bookmarks, and hide them in the tree for everyone else to find.

Fairies played a huge part of my childhood, and my dad made it a very magical time for us

frugalfairy_3

Wow, such lovely Christmas stories! Ours is pretty similar, I suppose. We make a point of not buying the tree until the week before the day (means we usually have the scrubby needleless one which leans at an awkward angle) and we all decorate it together. I buy just two new baubles a year, one for each of the (not so young!) children.

Christmas morning is so special, everyone comes into our room (and in the case of the cat, the bed) and opens their stockings which are full of a mix of practical and silly things). That's my favourite part of the day. After that, when OH has eaten his chocolate orange and all the liqueur chocs :eek: we stagger downstairs for croissants and coffee for breakfast. Then, now that the children are grown up I insist on everyone having showers/baths etc and getting dressed while I stuff the turkey and do all the million and other things necessary for the Feast. We then open our main pressies while I play all my Christmas carol music and drive them potty.

Then my family arrive en masse in time for me to dish up the bird and all the trimmings. We stuff ourselves silly, drink ourselves crazy and pull crackers and much merriment ensues while I set light to the kitchen and the pud.

After lunch, more pressies from the family, everyone lies around bloated, the kids get fed up and disappear off to MSN their friends and OH and I contemplate the washing up.

It's great, I love it!!

benjacksmum

I absolutely ADORE Christmas! :j :j :j Was the best time of the year when I was a little girl growing up. One tradition that me and DH have developed over the last 3 Christmas's for our two boys who will be 5 and 2 this time is one where Santa has a hole in his trousers! Last thing at night on Christmas Eve starting from the big open fireplace in the Dining Room, I sprinkle a trail of snow (it's really talcum powder!) from the fireplace to the Christmas Tree where he leaves their main present and then up to their bedrooms to fill their stockings. On the way he has dropped some coins out of his pocket (because he has a hole in his trousers) and there are gold chocolate coins scattered wherever Santa's trail is. Jack (2) will probably only just be able to understand it this year, but for Ben (5) it's an absolutely magical time when he realises Santa has been and he can see where he has been. In fact, the past few years he has seemed more bothered about hunting for the coins Santa has dropped than looking for his presents! :rotfl:

After we have finally found all the coins, the boys have to get dressed before anything else and theoretically, this should be the time to vac the snow up (magic snow from the North Pole that doesn't melt) but the snow trail has been known to stay until Boxing Day as Ben has loved it so much (and I didn't want tantrums on Christmas Day), probably because it's such a tangible sign he's been.

Then DH makes Bacon Butties and we all sit down to open our pressies and have a little play before going over to MIL's at around lunchtime for the rest of the day.

I'm looking for more traditions to include for the remainder of the Christmas Holidays after the big day to try and extend the feeling as long as possible.

Jay-Jay_4

Oh just remembered that Father Christmas always leaves a thank you letter for my daughter. He puts Dear *****, Thank you very much for my mince pie and sherry, Rudolph enjoyed his apple/carrot very much. We have left you an extra present for being so kind, Love Father Christmas. He sets such a good example don't you think? He then scatters some foil wrapped 'santa' chocolates or chocolate coins around the presents.



Isn't it lovely how all your special traditions and memories are created not by how much money has been spent but how much effort and imagination has been put into making Christmas special
This thread's great

Dibdab_2

When my sister & I were children my dad would sneak outside and jingle some bells after we'd eaten tea on Christmas Eve, mum would say "I'm sure I just heard something", then we'd rush outside and on the back door step would be a new dressing gown (if we needed it), new nightie and slippers all wrapped up. We didn't have a lot of money, it was stuff we needed, and this way it seemed like part of the whole Christmas thing. Then it was bath and hair wash, and into new pyjamas and slippers and off to bed. It's definately a tradition I will carry on when I have children, it still makes my heart flutter when I think about it now!

Now my OH still lets me open my new slippers when we get in from midnight mass.

My mum would always go into the front room first on Christmas morning - (to check He had been), she would switch the fairy lights on. Absolutely magical walking into a really dark room that is only lit by fairy lights on a tree with all the presents underneath.

Our Christmas tree is put up a couple of weeks before the big day whilst we watch "It's a Wonderful Life" - the ultimate feel good Christmas film.

Oooh I'm getting all excited now, and I promised I wouldn't start thinking about Christmas for another 4 weeks, you naughty people!

Callisto

Lovely traditions everyone. Benjacksmum, the magic snow and coins sound really cute

Myself & boyfriend have only really started our own traditions over the last couple of years. We buy one new decoration for the tree every year and last year bought a stocking each - mine has a reindeer on it and his has a Santa with a fluffy beard! (I am 26 and he is 32!) We put a few small 'silly' presents in the stockings and have a pillow case for the larger presents. We always open our presents together in bed before breakfast. Usually have fruit juice and croissants for breakfast (as will have been drinking Christmas Eve and will be later on Christmas Day!). Another tradition I would like to introduce this year is for us to bake some cakes/gingerbread men etc and take round to family/friends on Xmas Eve or a few days before.

We spend Christmas Day with boyfriend's Mum if she isn't working (majority of the time, she does have to work) or with my parents and sisters. Also visit grandparents and uncle boxing day when we are forced to eat the remaining mince pies and drink Baileys!

My boyfriend proposed last Christmas Day, so it will also be our engagement anniversary. I agree with other posts that Christmas should be about quality time with your loved ones and less about the materialistic things. I know my Mum has got into debt in the past buying presents for me and my sisters. She knows that now we are grown up, we don't expect a huge amount of presents each, we much prefer the family time together. I bet we will all get new pyjamas & slippers from Mum though

Pooky

It's always nice to have new traditions that are tailor made for your family. I was married previously and it was nice to start new traditions with new DH that combined his and my ideas of xmas.

I always shop early and plan to have all the presents by the middle of November as I have a lots of birthdays around that time too.

The tree goes up 2 weekends before xmas normally, this year it will have to be on the friday before as I have to move half the house round to fit it in and I'm working up until the Thursday night from home. I always take DD's to the cinema to see something chirstmassy on the days leading up to the big day, we go with a friend who I met at anti natel classes with our 1st kids....they love getting together.

We always have a Christmas C.D on while we do the tree and I have to admit that last year was the first year I didn't have to "tweak" the tree after DD's had finished decorating it. We have decorations from years gone by and loads of bits that they've made over the years. I try and buy something new each year in the sales to replace the broken bits.

Pressies from family and friends go under the tree and presents from us to DD's go out on xmas eve or they'd poke them too much. They both have a stocking but hang it on our bed as they used to get a bit worried about the idea of Father Christmas getting in their rooms. We say they can come in anytime after 5.30am and it's normally 5.31!!! We open stockings and have a cup of tea and then all go to the living room to see what bigger pressies father xmas has brought. Both DD's draw a picture for santa and leave a mince pie or biscuit for him, a carrot and choccy buttons for rudolph and a glass of beer incase he's thirsty. After those pressies are opened we have breakfast and all have a wash and get into clean jammies....no getting dressed on xmas day in this house!!!!

The rest of the pressies are normally drawn out over the day (very large extended family means huge amounts of pressies) We normally have the full works for xmas dinner but don't bother with tea, just stuff on choccies. Kids are normally in bed by 8ish and then it's a drink and a film for DH and I.

This year we've got everyone coming on boxing day so it will be fun.

I always try and make sure we have something planned for New Years Eve so that we can make the party feeling last a bit longer and then it's dec's down on new years day as I can't stand the sight of them any longer.