CHRISTMAS No-not about presents!

Lucie_2

Pooky wrote:

get into clean jammies....no getting dressed on xmas day in this house!!!!

I love it!

Our Christmas tradition is to go on holiday (usually skiing), thus spending all the money we would have spent on tree, presents, food & drink etc on something we appreciate much more.

When we were small my Mum used to do the big Christmas dinner thing for the whole family it was fab. Aunties, uncles, cousins grandparents & other associated hangers on would come round & we would open presents, have lunch, watch Xmas top of the pops, fall asleep/play with new toys during the afternoon film, have tea (turkey sandwich & piece of Christmas cake) & then play silly games all evening.
Some of our best long standing family stories come from those christmasses & still cause riotous laughter 20 years later. Like the time Mum burned Dad with the bread sauce.................... (Dad still doesn't laugh at this one).

freyaluck

YOu all have some lovely and fantastic traditions.
In fact I might pinch a few
We leave ours and the kids stockings on our bedroom door handles (all made by me) and santa will fill them then in the morning the kids bring them into our bed we have a mad dash to find out whats in them, everyones gets compleately mixed up and our room is left a state, but who cares. We then grab a cuppa while the kids eat chocolate and sweets from there stockings. And slowly drift into the lounge where we take it in turns to open 1 present each.
I then start dinner or we head over to mils for lunch, then to my mums for more pressies. and back to mils to have tea if we can fit it in and get totally hammered while drinking tia maria while playing cards.
This year my mum and siblings are coming over to mine for lunch and will be coming to mils with us in the evening.

Oh I can't wait.

frugglewump

Thinking about it my family's Christmas traditions almost all involve the dogs.

1. Stockings always have a satsuma in - this comes from my mum because she got them in her stocking from when they were still quite rare.

2. The dogs get one squeaky toy each which is wrapped. We have great fun mystifying them with these squaky rustling parcels. The eldest got it very quickly, rips off the paper and plays with the toy. The younger one gets very confused and has to have the present unwrapped for her - she then plays with the paper and with any other paper left over from our presents so the room is a total mess.

3. Walking the dogs - a good hour & half walk about 3pm so that we are hungry for the dinner. Also traditionally followed by coffee with a shot of brandy in it - I was only allowed this from age 14 upwards. I *hate* coffee but will drink this one.

1sttimer_2

Well, Gingham Ribbon, you've certainly started to get the christmas 'feel good' ball rolling here :j

Whilst reading these, I feel I don't really have any 'traditions' as such. When the girls were younger they had a HM advent calendar I filled with small gifts, i.e pencils, rubbers, sweets etc. I had to be ever more inventive as they grew older. That only stopped when they went to Uni. Food had more traditions than anything else as I ALWAYS have to do a yule log as well as a cake and trifle! (no wonder the lbs get pilee on over Xmas:eek: ).

All the veg were prepared by all whilst watching some film or other on TV Xmas eve, which was a great help. My eldest usually made the yule log and decorated the cake if she hadn't done previously.

On Xmas morning they could open their stockings before we got up as those were from Santa, also I used to put in them something that related to a gift downstairs, i.e. a tape/cd it they were getting a cd/tape player. They weren't allowed to open any presents till Dad was up (and that was soo much frowned upon by him!) I took the girls to church for the family service where we met all our friends and swapped gifts which was nice. Then when OH family were around, he used to take the girls to Grandmas and then the 'men' went to the club for a pint or 2 whilst the 'women' got lunch ready! (gran went to alternate familys for the day). I didn't mind really as I always a christmas tape on and had my sherry + lemonade whilst putting lunch together.

After that it was usually sleep the lunch off then visit/be visited by OH's brother and play silly games .

Looking forward to it all now!

bluenose1

The christmas tree will be put up the first weekend in December while we listen to christmas tapes. I will be doing my usual red and gold display. Will also be displaying all my wonderful B and Q christmas decorations that I bought 75% off.
Have been buying presents as I see them all year around. However as usual I will still be shopping on christmas eve (I think I like the last minute panic.)

Spend far too much on the kids. Normally spend just over £100 on each of them. Sometimes more if they want an updated Play Station.
My husband and I spend about £100 on each other. Normally quite practical presents like fleeces, walking boots etc for the adults.

The elder boys age 9 and 12 want mainly PS2 games. Will supplement this with Board Games and books (they are both avid readers of Anthony Horowitz and Jonathon Stroud et al.The gorier the better.)

Still really miss my mum at christmas (she died 7 years ago)
However I force myself not to dwell on it and always have a good time. I get so much pleasure out of seeing my husband and the kids open their presents.

My husband has bought me some funny presents over the years. The Roy Keane autobiography (which I did actually enjoy in the end.) A massive framed picture of Everton's stadium -although I do love Everton as you can imagine it was not on the top of my preferred present list.

I love the build up to christmas and I love the fact that we are all off together. My husband works in the Police Murder Squad so at times he is often working late. I work 3 days a week myself and by the time I have sorted out the 3 boys, youngest age 2 I feel like the day has flown by.

Feel all christmasy writing this.
Love
Anne

Gingham_Ribbon

I am grinning from ear to ear! This is fantastic!

Quackers

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

I am grinning from ear to ear! This is fantastic!

And Me

Its such a feel good smiley face thread :T

MATH

We have so many traditions that i didn't realsie were until I gave it some thought.

Tradition 1

A few weeks before Christmas we buy a toy from each Mathlette and take them to Church to be sent to a Women's refuge where Mum's and chilren turn up over the festive period with nothing.

Tradition 2

The Mathelettes all take centre stage at the Nativity. The older two also solo at the Carol Service. We have years of camcorder footage charting thewir growth and my receeding hairline.

Tradition 3

Every Christmas Eve is spent at MIL with Mrs MATH's family. This will be slightly different this year as Mrs Math's step-father has recently died.

Tradition 4

The Mathlettes have a red plush sack with an appliqued Christmas Tree on on eside and their name on the other (made by me) All the gifts are from the people on the tags and delived by Santa.

Tradition 5

We all attend Morning Service on Christmas Morning. I can't think what we would do while waiting for the turkey to burn if we didn't.

Tradition 6

It is unknown for me to serve Christmas dinner sober

Tradition 7

Boxing Day lunch is ALWAYS Turkey, stuffing, brie and crandberry toasted sandwhiches with pickles and beer.

beachbeth

I adore Christmas! I love the few weeks running up to it and all the Christmassy music in shops, on the radio and the Christmas tv programmes. We decorate the tree a few weeks before and my youngest daughter has always seemed to be the one to put the other decorations up right from when she was quite young because she has an artistic streak and does it much better than me.

Christmas Eve, DH and me get the veg ready for Christmas day whilst having a little tipple and listening to something on tv. In the morning the girls (who are now 18 and 15) can open their stockings when they wake up but have never been allowed into our room until at least 7.30, when we will all go down and open whatever Santa has brought followed by presents from relatives. Once that is all over I insist we all get dressed and have a bit of a clear up and breakfast and I then set the table with all the Christmas placemats etc By now the smell of the turkey is starting to make the house smell very festive. I have to have a glass of asti spumanti before lunch (not too early though, at least after 11.00) and then we sit down with relatives to what I think is the best dinner of the whole year, with stuffing, apple sauce, tons of veg, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, sherry trifle, chocolate yule log etc. Yum!

I love Christmas evening too, settling down to watch something on tv with a nice drink and still feeling full from the dinner. Boxing day, we go to relatives and always have cold turkey, chips, salad, pickles and more chocolate log! Can't wait!

Ive just loved reading about everyone's Christmas and I always stop to think on Christmas morning about all the households up and down the country who are all doing the same thing we are.

Ticklemouse

MATH wrote:

Tradition 6

It is unknown for me to serve Christmas dinner sober

Ah, the marinaded cook trick again I have a feeling that the cook at Chez Mouse will have slowly been steeping in sherry for a while too (well, MIL arrives on 23rd, so that gives me a couple of days start )

I shall raise my glass of Harvey's BC in your direction on Christmas morn, whilst attempting to gently steam assorted veg, remember where I put the gravy boat and remind myself that one day I will get a decent oven