To ask what your Christmas traditions are?

[ThinkingOutLoud8]

Just that really... we have had a rubbish few Christmas’ and I’m really looking forward to enjoying this one with my son who is 6. I would just like to hear what other people do in the build up to Christmas and Christmas eve/day as a family that they enjoy.

Also sorry for the Christmas talk so early... I’m usually abit more Scroogey about the whole thing but this year the Christmas bug has got me good

Yabu

Its october

Go on holiday to try and avoid all the commercial shit that happens.

You'll find a lot more love for this chat on the Christmas board, OP.

We started a new one last year, pretend (dps only) that christmas day is the day before it is - gets you done /dusted so Christmas Eve is free to relax and do something fun instead of mad dashing!!
Last year we all went ice skating and HD fish and chips for lunch! Then home for hot choc +marshmallows!
So this year Sunday is our last busy day!

How do you manage to convince yourself Christmas Day is a day before it is

We don't mention it before 1 December.

Our household tradition is shunning anyone who talks about Christmas in a cheerful and positive way before 1st December. Sorry OP!

On Christmas Eve we get new pyjamas and wrap up in front of the TV with hot chocolate and waffles and watch Christmas films. It’s my favourite part of Christmas. My twins have just turned 2 and I’m hoping they’ll get to join in a bit more this year.

Don't start anything until the advent calenders out.
Me a DD go out to pick our tree the week before then we can decorate it a few days before Christmas day,put card up,this keeps it Special.
I start a shopping list the beginning of December and tick things off during the month.
We only buy each other little presses and home made things to eat and drink.Dd has one main present and a stocking.
With a 6 year old a Santa letter,not too long because all the pressies for all the children have to fit on(also elves are not very good at electrical goods).
Too many people are fed up of Christmas before we get there,they put their trees up Dec1 and take them down boxing day.We leave it until the last few days,go out and collect greenery for a home made wreath,drink hot chocolate,play carol's and roasting(exploding )chestnuts on Christmas Eve.
And always,always chocolate coins,sugar mouse and a satsuma in the bottom of the stocking.

We go to Church for mass every Christmas Eve, it's the only time we visit Church (apart from weddings/funerals), so maybe a tad hypocritical of me, but it's something we've done every year since eldest DD (14) was born.

We go to our local very big named rugby club for the last home game before Christmas which is on the Sat or Sunday this year.

Before the match they have a Christmas themed fan village with lots of things for DC of all ages to do and adults and after the game the stadium has a sing a long and fireworks.

What a bunch of miserable buggers.

The op asked what your traditions are not when it is acceptable to start talking about/doing Christmas things.

Meant in the practical way! Not mentally!!
Nobody is ever ready mentally imo!!

Mine was listening to Christmas Morning Junior Choice on radio 2 with a champagne breakfast but Stewpot died so Captain Beaky Breaky is no more!

Otherwise- midnight mass, everyone gets a little something from the cat, always a chocolate orange in the heel of a stocking, chocolate coins and an Annual- I get Alex Cartoons from the Telegraph . We also do alternating Christmas carols & Classic Christmas song CDs on the day. The tree always goes up whilst listening to Phil Spectors "A Christmas Gift for You" album.

My ex's mum used to do evening board games & she would save all their smuggy round robins for after Christmas Lunch; her younger son would read them all out whilst imitating the Queen - their version of the Christmas Speech!

Pick a special new bauble each year.
A Christmas book at bedtime from Dec 1st.
Christingle, home, plate out for santa, Wave a sparkler in the air saved from bonfire night to signal to santa we’ve gone to bed (fireworks might wake others already asleep).

Oh and stockings - which I used to get exasperated about as Santa bought all the crap that I had spent all year saying ‘no, that’s a waste of money/you’ll only get it in the carpet/no more joke books for the love of God’........

And a personal card (handwritten by usually a workmate) detailing a few good things that they’d done throughout the year and also asking for them to do something next year such as keep the bedroom tidier!

Midnight mass - doesn’t feel like Christmas without it! Love the carols and the sense of community.

I make cinnamon rolls the night before and then leave them in the fridge overnight so they are ready to bake and ice the next morning.

Stockings all together in bed then a walk and a cup of tea with cake, then main presents

Always a new board game

Lots of family all together

No small children in our house now but sometimes it seems that as they get older the traditions become more important, not less. We try not to do anything too Christmasy before the tree is up (no sooner than 10 days before Christmas) other than shopping/wrapping etc.

On Christmas Eve we go to an open air carol service in town and later in the evening the kids might go to midnight mass.

On Christmas morning we go to church. On a Sunday we would drive but on Christmas day we usually walk there.

In the afternoon we play games and we spend the evening with my mum.

Boxing day is a walk on the beach with the dogs - weather permitting - and home for picky food and more games.

Mother in law moved three years ago so we see her sometime around Christmas - she only lives an hour away but she stays overnight so she can drive home in daylight. Spending time with Granny is a new thing so no fixed day for time to spend with her.

We have a favourite film - The Flint Street Nativity- that we watch every Christmas. We have watched it every year since it was first shown on tv in 1999 and we tend to recite the words along with the film. I'm not sure if our daughters in law are laughing at the film or at us watching but it has to be done!

We do Christmas Eve in our PJs (from mid-afternoon) with a bottle or 2 of champagne and ALL the Christmas movies - Grinch, Bad Santa, Lampoon's Christmas etc.

We are 48 & 54, with no kids at home, so it's a fun time.

Had my first mince pie today

My parents are together but my mum always has to help run her family pub on Christmas eve (this way she avoids the christmas day) so being the youngest my dad used to have a father daughter day and have always gone out for an early dinner somewhere nice since i was a baby and then we join my mum at the pub for a drink and bring her home for hot chocolate and home alone film! ... then me, my mum and my brothers used to open 1 present which would be from my dad .... im now 28, married and having a baby myself ... so i still do the same but my DH comes along with us and we pay for my dad as his Christmas gift (and just give him a little something on Christmas day) ... its always so festive out in the restaurants, generally everybody is happy so gets you in the spirit of things.

christmas day we spend 90%of the day round the table eating!!!! and kids make up shows and show off there presents and christmas music is on constantly in the background!!

My DSS's favourite tradition of ours (bearing in mind he's never with us on Christmas Eve/Day) is that we let him pick a new special bauble each year in a shop. He writes his name and the year on the bottom, so we have them going back to his first Christmas here, complete with very wobbly pre-school writing right up to now. He loves adding to them each year.

DC are young adults. On Christmas morning we pack rucksacks with Bucks Fizz, plastic glasses, flasks of hot chocolate and coffee, foil wrapped warm egg and bacon rolls and warm cherry and almond croissants and we take the dogs for a two hour walk and a picnic in nearby woods and fields.

We make and decorate sugar cookies for Santa the night before with all the family and friends. We read The Night before Christmas just before bedtime and put out the cookies, carrots and brandy by the stockings. Christmas morning is all about trying to keep our eyes open as the kids have fun then we go out and play in the snow for an hour or two then come in and make a big fire and snuggle up with toys and books.

We had lots of traditions when I was growing up.
Christmas tree,...a real one, was put up and decorated on Dec 8th. We made paper chain garlands to hang up on the ceiling.
My parents had a few drinks on Christmas eve, we all watched TV together and we had nuts in shells and would sit making a mess using a nut cracker. (Does anyone do this anymore?...it used to be a thing!)
My dad made breakfast on Christmas morning and would bring out the silver turkey dish/cover and polish it.
Mum and dad made the dinner, we ate at 2 pm, then opened gifts to each other and had to watch the Queen's speech.
After that, parents usually got pissed....and we watched Morecambe and Wise and all the comedy Christmas specials.
It was simple and lovely....Well in my memory it is...