Ridiculous made up 'traditions'

[Sittinonthefloor]

Looking at you on your shelf, Elf . It actually has the word 'tradition' on the box, after what, 2 years?

Also spotted today 'Christmas Table Favours' eh? Not a thing! They were like wedding favours (also ridiculous) but gold and silver. That's what crackers are for surely?

Advent calendars for grown ups, Christmas pjs, also Christmas Eve boxes (haven't dared discover what they are though).

Love, love, love made up / evolved family traditions but feel irrationally enraged by the commercial ones, and more so that people seem to fall for it with enthusiasm!

elQuintoConyo that is the best most bonkers thing ever-

Get yourself to Home Bargains for some of these bin bags OP

Sittinonthefloor
Because we have lots of silly couple rituals involving blindfolding, not just this one. I have since seen it on wiki how as a method of saving wrapping paper, but that's not why we do it. I feel that even though I can't see, I'm "aware" of the effort that goes into the wrapping; I never understood why anyone would let Santa take the credit for their efforts!

We've done the new pjs thing since DS1 was born 22 years ago (although they from whatever pet is alive at the time) on Xmas eve, but the EOTS thing drives me nuts -fb is full of it.

We go to the panto every year and actually had this discussion with dp last night that we seem to be the only country that does panto. We assume the American's might be slightly baffled by it and the daft sense of humour that you need to enjoy it.

Not to mention the cross dressing and big sing song while the big set is changed behind the curtain and the set pieces (custard pie/water bucket scene, incompetent policemen, rhyming fairy).

Give me your bad children and I will blind fold them and beat them with sticks. Ha ha ha ha ha. Then do a Krampy fart on their vile North Pole breakfast before stuffing that stooping elf up the chimney and set fire to it. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Why are people saying everything was new once before it became a tradition? Quite clearly we have many traditions in the last 10 -15 years all at the same time and more appear every year. It really spoils the season of goodwill when it becomes about how much you buy, do and participate.

I loved when chocolate advent calendars came in before I found out that they just have a small bit of chocolate and no picture. The pictures reminded you of everything that was unique to Christmas including the glitter. Chocolates on the other hand can be bought all sodding year round.

There's nothing wrong with any of the traditions, new or old. It's how they are enjoyed that is sometimes problematic!! If you are bringing the same things out each year then the it's lovely and not hideously overly commercial. If you feel compelled to buy new decorations and lots of disposable tat each year then maybe go and visit a landfill site or two.

I haven't bought an elf but think they sound like a fun new tradition!!! You buy one elf then it comes out each year and the rest is down to your imagination! We would have loved this growing up and I might get it next year if I get organised.

Christmas pj's - we used to get PJs every year at bedtime on Christmas Day - we still do in fact!! They were used all year round after though.

Christmas Eve box- we didn't do this but again, done nicely I can see it is a nice idea actually, a way of signifying it's time for some cosy family time.

special tableware and crockery - we have always had this!! Even as a child. Plus a huge advent ring of candles. Again though, they weren't disposable, they still come out each year now I am an adult.

Advent calendars - a re-usable one (in our case a wooden train one that was a gift) that comes out each year and filled with a small sweet each for each day.

My favourite Christmas tradition is one my dad started for us: all the Christmas stories get packed away each January and brought out again on first of December . It's like greeting old friends! I still like to find time at my parents house to curl up with theirs, and all my kids clamoured when I brought down the Christmas books from our loft.

There are so many lovely and low or completely zero cost traditions from my childhood too:

• christingle
• putting on a show for elderly family friends
• making snowflakes from paper
• baking Christmas biscuits
• a walk through the village in the dark to look at Christmas lights
• writing a spoof "round robin" letter of the family news (for family eyes only 😂)

I literally couldn't find a picture advent calendar this year. Bought lindt ones. Dd3 said she doesn't like it because it's the same every day

I had new pjs on Christmas Eve when I was little (born 1944) and I carried that on with my dc and now I get them for the grandchildren too so not new here.

Growing up we never had an angel on top of the tree, we used to make our own star for the top.

When we were small our dad would cut us a big star out of cardboard, for us to decorate. Some years (depending on what was on the cardboard) he would cover it in tinfoil for us to smother in glue and glitter, sometimes we would just decorate with pens and stickers. Obviously had less supervision as the years went by, but the actual cutting out the cardboard star was always "dad's job" I think I stopped participating about age 14

I have done it in my own home this year and last year with my DC (1 and 3). My stars never look as good as my Dad's, I think this should be an ongoing tradition for grandad!

Our home has had Christmas PJs for 15 years now. It's a family tradition. We even eat our Christmas dinner in our new PJs.

We had Spud from Bob the Builder on top of our tree for a couple of years when the boys were little.

I don't wear PJs so I am glad we don't do that 'tradition'.

I wonder how many of today's small children will be saying in 20 years time that their parents did some sort of weird creepy elf thing so they are not doing it?

Here is another German tradition to cheer up those that hate the imported Elf on the Shelf:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=WLnl5ZWG4tg

I do a "Christmas Eve box" but have never thought of it as a commercial thing - I just stuff all the things we need for the evening in a basket - DVD, Night Before Christmas, bubble bath, oats and carrot for the reindeer and bottle of ale for Santa. There is usually one new item in there but it changes - last two years it was new pyjamas because they needed them, this year it is a flashing toothbrush that I wouldn't normally buy, it might be a special bath bomb, a new DVD or book but usually it is an old favourite.

I do agree that the commercialisation of tradition is getting a bit much, and yy to the "Christmas themed gifts" taking over Chrostmas gifts. We had a special breakfast this morning of pastries, and decorated the table out of stuff we already had - paper party plates, baubles with their names (written by me!) on as a place setting, a pg tips Christmas monkey from some time ago on the table I wrote how many sleeps to go and a picture of Father Christmas in his sleigh in chalk in their easel, and had all the Christmas books out on the table. They were thrilled with it and nothing was 'new'.

I firmly believe it's the effort you put in that makes things special, and that you should be open to these things evolving from the people in your family and their personalities, rather than imposing it on them. My son this year started speculating that Santa might be cold when he stops at our house, so wants to leave him a sachet of porridge with his mince pie he can warm up if he needs to, so that's what we are going to do.

I don't like it when 'traditions' seem all about the presents and as a form of discipline to make children worthy of the all the mad shopping.

We do a Christmas Eve box but it's an old boot box wrapped in wrapping paper with pyjamas, a DVD, popcorn and some hot chocolate in. It's more about sitting down all together with no phones, no Xbox and just chilling out. We have our own Christmas traditions in our family, some from our parents and some since we got together and that's how we do things. I don't really have an opinion on how other folk "do" Christmas, that's up to them.

Im really not feeling xmassy this year and seeing people posting photos of eots surprises or panicking where to buy it and what surprises to get everyone just makes me annoyed. Equally people listing all the presents theyve bought, they all just seem so formulaic with no real thought behind it. All this talk of how much miney youve spent, main present small presents etc just irrationally annoys me this year.

I brought myself a christmas nightie last year and have worn it all year as is so comfortable.

Carrot and sherry on Xmas Eve.
And we have scrambled eggs with smoked salmon washed down with Bucks Fizz on Xmas Morning.

And that's it for tradition in our house.

The only thing DH and I disagree on is present opening - his family sssttrrreeettttccchhh it out for ages.
With MIL trying to be the last one to open a gift, just open the gift I gave you I want to see your joy NOW!

And my family is like a shark feeding frenzy with gifts flying about and shouted "Thank yous" to the general horde. Though my generation do now keep track of gifts for our kids thank you letters.

Our only Christmas tradition that I've continued from my childhood into now is decorating the tree whilst listening to the Carpenters Christmas Carols which immediately make me feel festive.

For our boys, we do a Christmas Eve box which just involves PJs which they wear all year around, The Night Before Christmas book, magic reindeer food to sprinkle before bed, and Santa's magic key which they put on the door as don't have a chimney.

I love Christmas though and we've just moved to our brand new house so to (over)compensate for the minuscule efforts of last year, I have booked Santa to arrive at the house at 7am on Christmas morning with their stockings. I can't bloody wait.

Not a tradition obviously but something I want to see as they love Santa and given their ages, I'd like to see the magic in their eyes before they see the gigantic gift bags of presents their grandma has bought them.

This is the pay off for living overseas, getting mountains of stuff from beloved grandparents. Kids only get spoiled at Christmas and birthdays and I don't put that shit on facebook.

To add to the horror of lack of traditions ds2 and I even chucked some of decorations he made at school last year.

To be fair all the cotton buds had fallen of the Xmas Sputnik and was just a misshapen glittery lump.

The rest of glittery salt dough and hand-mangled felt Xmas tat goes on the tree every year.

Tanith
Thanks, a wonderful shot of my adoring public.

Our family traditions have evolved as the children have grown up... on Xmas eve it is compusory to watch 'Love Actually' in between tracking Santa on Norad (youngest is 19 but has autism and still believes) and we usually play a board game and mess it up as the wine flows.
However the nicer bit.. my Mum ALWAYS read 'A Christmas Carol ' to me from really quite young and I continued that with my children.. it reminds us what really matters and is such a moving story.

I'm very glad mine are too old for Elf on a shelf!

I actually read most of that wow some of the stuff people do is just daft, no elf on the shelf here had never heard of North pole breakfasts and will now promptly forget them. We do Christmas Pj's for the children sometimes they are Christmas themes sometimes not they were the Christmas themed ones till they out grow them they are in bed no one is looking at them. We also have a few Christmas cushions and do Advent calender's. Are there really such things as table favors and sparklefarts (afraid to google that one). :)

A few "traditions" are lovely and festive, but too many compulsary traditions suck the joy out of christmas. We have one side of the family who are like that, we hate christmas at theirs becaues every given second there's something everyone HAS to do "Because it's tradition". But now, people are doing all that AND adding in a new "social media" tradition each year which then also has to be continued along with everything else

And it's all getting stressy and expensive and regimented and I don't understand why people who find it too much feel that they HAVE to keep up a "tradition" that has become a chore, when they only started it 2 years ago! (e.g. elf)