New Christmas traditions

[peppansalt]

O Come All Ye Faithfull and tell me your favourite festive family traditions.

We have a few like getting real Xmas tree 2nd weekend of December, reusable advent calendar filled with sweets or activity ideas, snuggling up for a film on Xmas Eve etc..

But looking for new ideas that can be built into traditions. A bit at 'Elf on a shelf' as that seems a whole load of organisation but prepared to be convinced!

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Interested to read other people's traditions too.

We don't have many but we put the tree up the first weekend of December, and we have the most beautiful quilted advent calendar with pockets that was made for my children by my very talented aunt. It's a lovely moment when that comes out every year. We always have a swiss cheese fondue (the DC have baked camembert) on Christmas Eve. We did Elf on the shelf for the first time last year and it was a bit of a faff towards the end trying to think of different things every day, but it made my DC giggle a lot! My DH tells me that I'm now obliged to do it every year! Our Elf will always bring a Christmas dvd or board game for Christmas Eve.

When I was little Christmas presents were always put under the tree on Christmas Eve evening which I always loved...there was always so much excitement as we all had a little rummage to see which were ours! I kind of wanted to do that for my DC too, but the reality is that we're always loading up the car with Christmas presents to go to my parents or PIL's house. Not quite the same!

[iklboo]

Christmas Eve DH & DS meet me when my work finished (12pm) and we go and have afternoon tea at a hotel in the city centre.

Later we watch Arthur Christmas, DS gets into his Christmas pjs and we chill.

DS goes to bed, DH & I have a wrap-athon while drinking mulled cider.

[antimatter]

At least one christmas present is opened on Christmas eve.
Watching Love actually on 23rd in the evening with nice snacks.
I am planning to make a box each for both of my kids to open on Christmas eve with new cosy pyjamas each, nice socks, chocolate drink to make and dvd each I know they would enjoy to watch over and over this is goving to be our new christmas tradition

I also make my own pate so we can have nice savoury snack when watching films during christmas period.

[peppansalt]

Love the idea of a box to open on Christmas Eve.

[Bellejournee]

We have a hand made advent calendar - one for each child, with either little Christmas tags stating the Christmas activity for the day (Christmas parties or days out/baking gingerbread men for our friends/Christmas craft morning etc), chocolate and the odd Christmas related gift, such as a pencil/wind up Father Christmas). I love making up the Christmas Eve box (never heard about it until I had children!), in fact this year I've ordered a personalised family Christmas Eve hamper, which will be filled with new pjs, a film, a book for bedtime and some Christmas mugs for our hot chocolate whilst we watch the film.

When we put our tree up (Dec 1st), I leave a basket of Christmas books out too including a couple of games (Christmas snap) and an orchard toys Christmas game.

I think I get more excited about the run up to Christmas than the actual day!

[COYGL12]

Picking a new decoration to hang on the tree is mine. Well she's 11 months old so I've picked for her this year, but she can pick & hang the older she gets. Be lovely to look back on. I know tips idea doesn't sit well with those who's trees have a precise colour theme ;)

[User543212345]

We started one with the DNs last year (no DC of our own) where we gift wrap pants for them from Santa Drawers (last year) and Saint Knickerless (this year) because they're small and find a picture of Father Christmas in just his pants hilarious. I include the adults too and generally get something silly/slogan-y and cheap and the children fall about laughing, which I love. I hope we can carry it on for years.

Another one is taking a decoration for the tree to people's houses if we're invited for a party. It's a custom I was told by an American neighbour and have adopted as I think it's lovely.

[peppansalt]

Belle - where did you order your personalised hamper from?

I like the thought of getting some personalised Xmas mugs for the 4 of us but not sure where to start

[peppansalt]

Sweary what a lovely idea taking a tree decoration to friends houses!

[Heathcliff27]

I think I get more excited about the run up to Christmas than the actual day

This is me too, I love all the build up but the actual day leaves me at bit

[Jw35]

Present on Xmas Eve-pyjamas for the kids
Christingle Xmas Eve
Sherry & mince pie Xmas Eve
Elf on the shelf I'm doing next year when baby
I've seen a good idea for santas plate too aside from the mince pie and carrot is 'elf doughnuts' basically Cheerios covered in icing dipped in sprinkles! Lovely idea defo doing next year!

[Jw35]

*when baby is nearly 2

[Bellejournee]

Link to personalised boxes. It's something we will use for years to come. The lady I ordered from is lovely and our hamper looks just like the picture, with our own wording. Husband was a bit 😱 about it all, but is really impressed now he's seen it in person. We just used a Christmas present gift box previously, but had already become tatty, Jefferson looking for something that will last and is special.

www.facebook.com/MyTwinklingStars/

[Bellejournee]

Jefferson? Hence!

[JoanGalt]

Our first one is to make the Christmas cake on the last weekend of October.

We always visit our nearest town for the Christmas light switch on which is the last Friday in November. They close the high street and there are rides and stalls and mulled wine. It's really lovely.

Then we wait until the second weekend in December to do the tree and decorations as that's after DH's birthday.

This year I am making a big effort to switch the focus away from the build up to the twelve days of Christmas. So apart from a visit to Father Christmas and making gingerbread men we have little planned.

After Christmas we are going ice skating, seeing a panto, going to the cinema and visiting the beach on New Year's Day.

I'd like to start a tradition for 12th night but I'm not sure what.

[IsItMeOr]

We try to collect a christmas tree decoration places we go on holiday. It's a lovely reminder of happy memories when we put up the tree. After 20+ years, we've got quite a collection now.

It's a lot easier to find them in the USA and Disneyland Paris than almost anywhere else. We've found that keyrings are good for adapting, so we have a mask of Tutankamun from our Egypt holiday, a turtle, a lizard. The pebble wasn't such a success...

[peppansalt]

Poo - The Xmas eve box lady is fully booked .

[OSETmum]

SwearyGodmother I read that as you take your tree with you when you go to visit people I had visions of you manhandling your fully decorated tree into the car and plonking it in someone else's living room!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I've found that making too much of the run-up was making the day itself an anti-climax too, so we've cut it back, no Christmas Eve box here now and we don't go to the town light switching on ceremony (it's crap here if I'm honest anyway). I've also ditched the advent calendar daily activities and tiny gifts and we just have sweets in it. We still get out our Christmas mugs, teatowels, DVDs and books on 1st Dec, go ice skating at the nearby Christmas market and go Christmas shopping after dark one evening, but that's enough when combined with everything that happens at school, Brownies etc.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

Oh and we get the DCs to buy one new tree decoration each every year and go to a farm where you pick your tree and they cut it down for you.

[TelephoneTree]

I want more Christmas trads too - not sure I'll ever feel I have enough! We're doing the International Elf Service letters this year - really excited about that. Oh and trying to persuade DH to go to Lapland UK!

[MrsFrankRicard]

We have a little party while putting the tree and decs up - xmas music, party food and fizz.
We go to visit santa in his grotto with real reindeer and a 'winter wonderland' (which is pretty crap but kids like it), at the funfair.
DD1 has a cloth advent calendar but now that DS2 is here I think I will get them to share it this year. Last year we got the lego advent calendar - not doing that again.
On christmas eve we don't do a hamper but new xmas jammies appear on the bed with a bath bomb from lush and a new book.
Also on christmas eve we make an inventive snack for santa. [santa]
In the run up to christmas I do a big christmas dinner for the 4 of us as DH is often working christmas day and even when he is not we have to go to extended family so it's nice to have a xmas dinner in our own home.
We used to go to the panto but now that DS goes with the school he was seeing the same thing twice so we have stopped that.
Can't be faffed with the spooky elf!

[ApollO88]

me and DS sit and watch the snow man before bed on Christmas eve. We've done it every year since he was born

[MuttonCadet]

We take the kids somewhere lovely to pick out a new Christmas decoration each year (chatsworth house or one of the national trust properties are usually good).
Tree goes up first weekend in advent, we have personalised advent calendars, champagne and carols whilst trimming the tree.
New pjs for Christmas Eve and a Christmassy film (I favour Scrooged with Bill Murray, but we have a huge selection).