Christmas traditions

[Sushi123]

Posting for traffic... I'm a single mum of a 5 yr old boy...I'd like us to have a Christmas tradition, our lives have been pretty higgledy pigedelly over the last few years, we've moved house a lot, but we're settled now in a lovely place... it's just the two of us most of the time outside of school and work...any suggestions for a nice Christmas tradition would be really helpful x

We bake mince pies on Christmas Eve to leave one out for Santa and eat some for supper x

Even if you aren’t religious, a crib service is beautifully Christmassy or a Christingle service.
Tracking on Norad.

Making and Taking mince pies around to wish neighbours Happy Christmas.
A bauble for each of his years, added to each year. You choose it together or get it from holidays or days out.
Stir up Sunday for a pudding making session.
Setting up a crib.
Writing to Father Christmas and going to post it together.

As a child we always went to the beach for a run around (and very chilly paddle) on Christmas Eve.

My dds get an xmas eve box, with a christmas film, a book and some sort of xmas craft. We have a walk, put "reindeer food" out on the lawn and then have hot chocolate while we watch the film from their box

Another tradition is that we put the tree up the first Saturday in December and we all get nice new pjs, not really Christmas themed ones but nice ones for december

Oh and another, we always make salt dough decorations for a mini tree in the dining room

I think traditional s tend to evolve. We have to have the same tea on Christmas eve every year for eg.

We make a gingerbread house and decorate it.

In my family though every year certain people will give certain stocking fillers (usually chocolate). I’m 30 and my mum still gets me the stocking filler she got me when I was a child. That’s an easy one to continue no matter how hectic or calm things are. By the time he’s 30, he’ll recognise that present straight away but will still bring back fond memories.

Watch Home Alone together on Christmas Eve.

Eat cinnamon buns for breakfast on Christmas Day.

I thought these things happened organically?

A walk (or drive, situation dependent) together to look at decorated houses and a hot chocolate together after?
Decorating a Yule log or cake together?
Dance to Christmas music together?
Make a door wreath together?
Have a special candle or lamp that doesn't get lit until Christmas eve and toast marshmallows over it?

Some sort of quirky leftover meal or dish every boxing day?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/Christmas

We have a few, We always go out for breakfast on Christmas Eve. We do the Christmas Eve box ( pj’S , sweets, book, hot chocolate). We at some point in December go buy a special tree decoration that each child chooses their own, we take night time drives to see the lights in the neighbourhood, lots of christmas movie nights in dec with pop corn and sweet boxes. Usually we also go to a near by garden center that has reindeer’s and a Christmas trail- tho I’m not sure if that will happen this year, and we usually go to a lot of the church and school fayres in our area- again not this year. Christmas starts 1st dec here.😀😀

OP It’s so good that you feel in a good place & want to start some traditions with your DS. It’s a great feeling . I would say that it’s important to choose simple, manageable & affordable things. I used to drive myself to the brink of insanity to create a perfect Christmas. It’s not worth it & it’s the little things that DCs remember. For us it’s...
Decorating on 1st December. Watching Christmas movies in those weeks leading up to the big day - especially mid-week after school when it feels like a bigger treat.
Christmas Eve: reading the same story every year (The Night Before Christmas, in our case); new pjs; sausage & mash for lunch (too excited to eat in the evening); a walk to deliver cards; a movie & popcorn at home.
Christmas Day: stockings on our bed - same sweets or treats every year & not expensive; breakfast of favourite foods (eg pancakes or muffins) then get dressed up for present opening.

My DC are 16 & 20. These are the things that they are already chatting about with me & have done for years. They are such simple things & yet for them, done with me, signify Christmas.

My ds is almost 35 now, but still mentions our little traditions.
We always went late night shopping together and walked through the town looking at the Xmas lights. He was allowed a special ‘picky tea’ of his choosing on Xmas Eve, sausage rolls, crisps, hot chocolate etc and as he got older, had a small tree in his room that he decorated . We used to read out Xmas TV to each other from the magazines, and he always watched ‘Santa’s Claus, the movie’ on Xmas Eve.
Your own traditions will evolve without your realising it, so enjoy this time together. Wishing you both well x🎄

We have always had a ‘cheese and film night’ on Christmas Eve. New PJs, bathed and in front of the TV with cheese, crackers, bread and usually a box of celebrations/roses. I am 27 now and still go to my mums on Christmas Eve and when I have my children I will take them too (slightly earlier of course!) it’s my fave day, even more so than Christmas Day now I’m older

You sound like a lovely mum :) all these suggestions are wonderful but i'm sure you'll find your own traditions evolve by chance. Enjoy Christmas with your son x

And the other one that evolved was all of them sleeping in one room on the blow up bed because that way the eldest could ensure the youngest wouldn't wander out when Father Christmas (me) came.

Thanks all, from reading these I realized that we already have a few traditions... Christmas Eve box, movies etc... but I love some of the other ideas you have given me. Merry Christmas 🎄

As utter atheists we always put up a nativity set; deckers and tree up on Christmas Eve; carrot for reindeer and whisky for Father Christmas. A new Christmas tree bauble every year. Christmas cards displayed in identical fashion every year.

My late DH did the CD cooking with Christmas Carols by KIng's College choir in the background.

DD is grown up now, and DH dead, but much still applies.