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

There's a Christmas topic.

Not actually on Christmas Day, but during the run up.

I have a long bath and watch all the Christmas adverts for that year.

I have an early night and go to bed with all the food booklets and pick out all the best things from each one (I don't actually buy them).

On Christmas Day morning we have cinnamon buns for breakfast.

Our traditions are quite new as we are a new family. Previously we'd copied what my family did.

Why click on a clear labeled Christmas thread in October if you are so against it & just add negativity?

My sons only little so always looking for more traditions.

So far we have taken him to a local house that does OTT lights a week before.

Bake something for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Let him pick a new decoration. (He likes plastic flashing tat)

Party style buffet Xmas eve (with left over plate for Santa)

Salt dough hand print decorations x

As a child my mum always made us Christmas dinner in Christmas Eve & we spent Christmas lounging around eating leftovers! Now moved out & living with my DP we have morning as Christmas then Christmas dinner around 12, then afternoon it's no longer Christmas - it's his birthday!

With a 6 year old? Make it all about doing stuff as a family, no gadgets or gizmoes.

A wintery walk is our favourite, a never ending procession of other people ignoring the hype.

Construct something: make that one of the family presents: a thing to make together... maybe a kite, to take on the walk.

Cook together. We got a capon last year, so much nicer than turkey. We only make food we actually like and spend a fun hour or three imagining mad leftover dishes.

Make a trifle!

Listen to loud music and dance like wiggly dancing things - we don't have kids and enjoy this one, stone cold sober

Basically we made the decision not to do all the commercial stuff. We chose a list of non techno things to do, some of them were from our own childhoods, some from Little House on the Prairie, aka rose tinted spectacled but fun.

Maybe make that your first new tradition: make a list of off piste things to do this year!

Ours are more Christmas Eve traditions.
We go "yellow sticker shopping" for food bargains.
Kids get new Christmas pyjamas and the last couple of years quilt covers too. When they were littler they got a Christmas dvd and the also get sweets. So they have a bath, get into their Christmas pjs and snuggle up to watch a Christmassy film and eat sweets!
We also have a book called "the Magic of Christmas" that we have to read on Christmas night as well as a few times In the run up, we've had it since dd was 3, she's now 14 and we read a page each, it's just gorgeous!

Choosing a new decoration from the tree from our local garden centre aka Christmas heaven
We also see father Christmas here, it's one with different rooms and activities and it's MAGICAL!
Then we have food in the cafe and it's bloody amazing and possibly my favourite Christmas day

Pantomime on Christmas eve and party food for dinner before DS (he's 4) puts out the snack for father Christmas

Elf on the shelf, he brings the advent calendars on December 1 and leaves on Christmas eve but leaves the Christmas eve box behind before he goes

I'm doing a book advent calendar this year, a new Christmas book every morning (thanks to the works and the 20 books for £20 offer they had)

I go OTT, I love Christmas and I love Christmas with my own child even more

(Sorry about the lack of paragraphs, my new phone is useless!)

Last year we abandoned the stress in the house and went for a Christmas Eve pint with our friends. It was the best present ever.

Ma misled your Christmas morning picnic sounds fabulous. We have a dog now so I might have to borrow that idea.

Christmas Day run is my favourite bit. We dress up and everyone we see out and about seems happy.

I don’t see DCs on Christmas Day (adults) so after the run it’s all about food and good company.

I love all our family traditions! They really make it special for us. They start with a simple fish pie for our evening meal on Christmas Eve, as we will be having rich food over Christmas itself, and we start the Christmas sweeties (Quality Street, no more than 3 each). All the veg and extra bits are prepared on Christmas Eve. Empty stockings on beds for all at bedtime, filled stockings magically appear at the end of beds in the middle of the night. Stockings ALWAYS contain the same basic items plus a selection of silly things. Stockings can be opened after 7am. Breakfast is special but not too much, as there will have been considerable inroads into the chocolate coins by then. Church in the morning for those who want to go, those who don't are responsible for laying the table and putting things in the oven, basting the bird etc. Dinner at 1pm., Turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pud ( which nobody eats) and a lighter pudding for the children (which most people eat). Kids out for some fresh air with any adults who aren't clearing up. We watch the Queens speech at 3pm and THEN we get to open our presents, in strict age order so that we can all enjoy watching everyone open theirs and so that parents can make notes of who gets what so that the right people get thanked. Evening meal at 7pm, always smoked salmon, cheeses, some fresh salady stuff and fruit. Kids to bed and then break out the liquers. Can't wait until next year when we all get together again.

The tree is always put up on the 1st of December and it’s always a Norway Spruce. I get the DC a new bauble to put on said tree each year, usually a paperchase one. We watch lots of Christmas films and do Christmassy activities/baking throughout December. They get a Christmas bath bomb from Lush every year which they use on Christmas Eve night. Christmas Eve they always get new pjs, socks and slippers as well as a Lindt Santa. We also tend to have a buffet on Christmas Eve for tea, sometimes go to church for a Christingle service on Christmas Eve. After their bath we have hot chocolate and marshmallows whilst watching the Polar Express. Read the night before Christmas before bed. We all have Christmas bedding throughout December.

I also don’t allow TV on Christmas Day aside from when DP and I put the Queens speech on for a joke . We play board games and usually get drunk but I’ll be bfing this year so probably won’t happen. We have had the elf on the shelf for about five years but that’s become more of a burden than anything in recent years.

Christmas Eve:
Go and buy a tree. Decorate tree and house
Fish and chips for lunch
Dress up in nativity clothes- go to church nativity
Home for tea with friends
Family arrive to stay
Table supper and games
Carrot and port for santa, put stockings out , bed
Adults prep food, wrap final presents.

Christmas day
Stockings in a circle (everyone has one)
breakfast
Walk dog, chill, lunch
Games
Bed

Boxing day
Long walk in moors
Friends round for supper
Sometimes panto
Sometimes more family come

After that: family and friends until new year or fly abroad

That is as much tradition as I need.

Watching the Queen's Christmas Broadcast, without fail. Only ever missed one, and that was as we were out of the country.

We book breakfast with Santa at the local garden centre the first weekend of December & then come home and put the tree up / decorate the house.

Christmas Day breakfast is always a big plate of Christmas Tree crumpets and fruit in the lounge that we all help ourselves too along with the selection boxes.

I’ve been doing Christmas Eve boxes way before they become popular. It was always a dvd (before we had sky), some popcorn and some Ribena cartons. They would sit and watch the dvd whilst I did the last minute cleaning. Christmas Eve night they would have a bath, new pyjamas and slippers and would go out and sprinkle reindeer food. They would also track Santa with norton throughout the day. We would also do the usual visit to Santa, gingerbread house, pantomime etc.

Now they are teenagers it’s changed. They still have new pyjamas (I still get them all the same ones and as much as they moan they giggle like crazy at it), we go ice skating and instead of the pantomime they go to the cinema. They still do the gingerbread house but as one is in to engineering, one in product design and one in to cooking, they design it and make it themselves now. Christmas Eve is now a Chinese takeaway. They still track Santa

Even though it’s changed it’s got better. There is so much less stress. I was worried that the ‘magic’ would go but we still have the excitement in Christmas Eve like when they were 6. The only downside is that I have to wake them up on Christmas Day. I managed to wait until 9am last year I miss the 5am Christmas mornings.

YABU

DD will be 10 this year & I’m not sure if she still believes in Father Christmas 😞. In previous years, we have always taken her on a Santa visit. Quite fancy booking The Polar Express at a local steam railway & she can go with her little brother who doesn’t live with us. We might go to the panto. Used to go to the Christingle service on Christmas Eve but haven’t been for a few years. I love to go to a big carol concert & perhaps the ballet ( Nutcracker). I buy a new bauble every year ( in theory but it usually ends up being a load!). Love Christmas. We put the tree up on my birthday & keep it up as long as possible. Always a real one. On Christmas Eve, DD & I sprinkle “ Reindeer Dust” on the front steps & put out a mince pie for Santa & a carrot for the reindeer. Christmas Day is pretty chilled out as we do the veg prep the night before. I will often have bagel with smoked salmon for breakfast. We don’t have a lot of Christmas Day traditions but always watch The Queens Speech at some point.

6pm Christmas Eve - light the Christmas Candle(s) and have an alcoholic drink (normally a spirit or wine)

once when I was very little, my dad was in hospital suffering from lead poisoning - he discharged himself on Christmas Eve and just as my mum lit a candle and raised a glass she saw looked out the front room winder and saw him walk round the corner. It was like a scene out of It's A Wonderful Life.

I love Christmas!!!!!!! It is massive in our house, we have an ongoing tradition called the 50 days of Christmas, which starts after we end our 20 days of Halloween so usually around 5th November. The Elf on the Shelf returns and every morning up until Christmas Eve the kids get a note, decorated with Christmas stickers telling them how many days until Santa and a small chocolate, a decoration, craft, baking activity, book or movie, then at the weekends we go and see Santa (this usually starts mid-November, we ve only ever found one at the beginning of November and that was at Blackpool).

We have our favourite places we tend to go to every year and I try and throw in a couple of new surprises. They always get an overnight surprise as well, last year it was Harry Potter Studios and Chessington, this year it is Wookey Hole. The Now Christmas CD goes on in the car on 31st October as well . I also gift wrap their packed lunches at least once towards the end of term!!

Christmas Eve I make sure everything is done in advance as we have a special breakfast with crackers, brought by Elfie along with the Christmas Eve boxes, then we go to a local theme park and at the end of the day, Santa gets on his sleigh and everyone waves him off over the hill and then they let off fireworks, it is absolutely amazing and for years has been the one thing that gets the kids to bed on Christmas Eve as we have seen Santa leave!!

Christmas Eve we have a buffet tea and then put out the carrot, mince pie, Baileys etc and sprinkle the reindeer dust.

My kids are 9 and 11 this year but we have done the Days of Christmas and the Santa Trail since they were tiny. Two years ago I cried on Christmas Eve because I thought it would be the last time, but we did last year and we have already been planning this year's. We get some odd looks queuing for Santa now but I don't care, there is no age limit on believing in the magic of Christmas!! I can see the kids in 6 years time "Shhhh we know he's not real, but we can't tell mum, she still believes!!!"

That was really long but we love Christmas!!!

I’m loving hearing these... hopefully I can keep the magic going for abit longer for him. Has anyone been to a crib service at church? He is abit obsessed with Jesus since going to school and think he would like it, i was thinking of going to midnight mass but it may be too late for him... do they do carols at the crib service too?

For everyone who thinks Im BU...I would usually agree but this year... I feel reasonable

Oh, this will probably sound a bit twee and silly but every year at Christmas, since as far back as I can remember, every year on Christmas day we celebrated it in December, not October

Our last few xmasses have been hectic since DD was born. There were so many presents that barely anything got done on her 1st, 2nd and 3rd. On the 4th one we only opened immediate family presents and left the rest til Boxing Day. Last year was the first one without my mum and we all ended up on the couch watching a film which I think will be the way forward. Calms DD down enough to go to bed and let's everyone sit and enjoy a glass of whatever once the presents and dinner have been done.

Dinner prep is now done on Xmas eve so no meat cooking on the day, just a quick 40 minutes of roasting veg, trimmings and gravy.

Mince pie and a glass of milk out for Santa on Xmas eve. Stocking with a pound coin, some sweets, a tangerine and an apple. Relatively good present or 2 from Santa from the letter written at the beginning of December but main present is from us. Though last year we did a My Little Pony treasure hunt and the main present was the castle, given to daddy to bring home by the Princess who had sent a special letter to DD. It kept the day going and our minds off my mum.

We used to get a treasure hunt every year though it was set by our parents. Gave us plenty time to enjoy each present rather than ripping everything open at 6am!