To ask what Christmas traditions you HAVEN’T carried on from childhood?

[LlamaParma]

I don’t cook from scratch. I buy everything M&S ready made in foil tins and whack it in the oven on the day.

Simply because I have HORRIBLE memories of Christmas as a child and my mum absolutely stressing to high heaven in the kitchen from about 7am until 3pm, banging pots and at some point having a tantrum because “NOBODY IS HELPING”. Me and my siblings and stepdad would be and when offered to help would get told “No it’s FINE I’m FINE”. All because we’d usually have guests and she was adamant everyone would have a lovely ‘everything homemade’ meal every year. And TBF it tasted amazing and whilst we take the piss out of her now about it (when we all buggered off to Uni she had a Christmas Day Amnesty and declared it’s pizza and chips if we spend it at hers - good for her!) at the time I always wish she’d have chilled out and spent time with us, watched films, help us set up toys etc. Nobody needed homemade horseradish sauce and chicken liver pâté. The atmosphere would be awful, it was a running joke that the kitchen was a no-go area on Christmas Day, but as a result I don’t stress at all about food with my own family. If it’s crap then tough luck, there’s always Pudding to fall back on

What Christmas traditions or things have you not passed on to your kids from your childhood?

We didn’t open presents until after lunch as a child and I don’t remember it being an awful experience. We always had plenty of nice things from our stockings to be getting on with. We were excited to get the gifts after lunch but by that point all the family were there and the dishwasher was on! Everyone relaxed into present opening all together and were all in place for coffee and charades afterwards. It was less overwhelming than getting everything all at once and meant we played with all the gifts over the day. Definitely did not feel mean.

No to rigidly sticking to doing things a certain way because 'it's what we always do' or following PILs or my DPs ways. We do our own Christmas and I have adapted and changed things around to suit the ages of DCs or events on the day

Church in the morning, dry turkey for lunch and being forced to visit every relative and play parlour games with increasingly drunk adults when all I really wanted was to be at home with my presents. I found all of Christmas overwhelming and difficult but particularly the party aspect, I was diagnosed with HFA as an adult so it all makes much more sense now. My son has it as well and I'm determined to have a Christmas that works for all of us.
I live in Sweden now with my Swedish husband so do Swedish Christmas which means the whole thing is very different. Here the big Christmas celebration is on the 24th so our children have their presents then and we have a small julbord (Christmas smörgåsbord) and have a quiet day at home which suits all of us much better. On the 25th we see family and go ice skating or snow walking and have an English roast dinner in the evening.

Being guilt tripped by one of my divorced parents for not spending the day with them.. oh no wait that still does happen but I'm in my 30s now and DGAF

Writing clues on the present tags so everyone can guess what they got before opening. I love the tradition, but I'm shit at thinking up clues.

I loved Christmas as a kid, but I suppose if I started handing out holey socks full of nuts & an apple & orange the spoilt little shits would probably batter me to death with them. So I don’t celebrate at all.

Expecting my mother to slave all Christmas Day to make lunch for me and my children ‘because she’s really good at it’. Then, once she has died, expecting my child to host each year ‘because I’ve done my share’.

I don't take myself into the other room and watch Noel Edmund's Christmas show and have a Good Cry (while being constantly interrupted). I do fully appreciate why my mum did this, now that I am at a similar age.

@LockdownCheeseToastie so sad that so many of us had similar experiences.
I was spoilt rotten present wise as my parents were financially well off but I would dread the weeks of arguments, drinking and physical fights. It happened year round but Christmas was horrendous. I would have rather never had a present again that endure that every year.

Now my christmases are filled with my lovely happy children and relaxing doing whatever we want, best of all no bloody alcohol involved.

Christmas Eve spent in tears whilst simultaneously trying to ice the Christmas cake, artfully arrange holly and make mince pies. These days it’s done in advance or not at all, and no-one feels the need to scream hysterically about never being ready.

My mum used to make us eat breakfast before opening presents.

Now i have chocolate and biscuits while opening now im an adult and can do what i want haha

@Lovemusic33

And the big family get togethers, no one really does them anymore and most of our family hate each other.

I remember going to my grandparents, being in a Smokey room full of adults and kids, eating quality street and dry roasted peanuts 🤣, people exchanging gifts to nieces, nephews etc…, now no one really bothers and the only time the family are together in one room is when there a funeral.

Haha Are we related 😂 my family also 100%

@HerBigChance

I've moved my main meal to Christmas Eve, as I like that day better.

I have thought about doing this too but feel like l need a few years ago plan it and introduce everyone else to the idea!!

My DM would cook the Turkey the night before and then we would have hot Turkey sandwiches for supper on Christmas eve which was lovely but the Turkey was then warmed up on Christmas day!

My DF used to take me to midnight mass and I so loved being with him but I'm an atheist so I never took my DS.

My DM sucked the joy out of everything and would just sit and drink and moan.I was always actively involved with my DS.

Been said already but:

Not stressing over dinner, some ready made stuff.
Not spending £££ on food.

No visiting xmas day.

Eat dinner when its ready, breakfast around 10am, starters at 13.00, dinner around 3/4pm. If you get snacks share them! Pudding when you’re ready ;)
No angry passive aggressiveness from cook!

Not much alcohol, husband doesn’t really drink I drink a bit. My childhood Christmases were full of boozed up angry adults.

All food is M & S shove in the oven and have a delicious luxury meal. No stress, less mess and not one person's responsibility to worry about being the best roast of the year.

Don't feel obliged to visit all relatives- see them a week before or after

Pjs until the kids want to- no pressure to get dressed unless you want to

Ignore each other for a bit- go and chill in separate rooms if people want to

None of them, really. I spend Christmas on my own from choice, open my gifts on Christmas Eve, cook beef or duck as they're my favourites, slob out with a book, go for a nice long walk on my own and generally speaking suit myself. No Christmas tree or decorations except some fairy lights and a tinsel boa. Christmas in my parents' house was always very stressful because my mother insisted on entertaining a lot and my father hated having a houseful.

OP - sounds like my Mum. Must be their generation!

She's now shocked that I let the kids open their presents in their PJS and don't make them put on stiff Sunday best clothes.

I don't even do a xmas dinner as such - kids don't like it and I don't need the stress. We make a roast of some description.

I do have nice memories, but my mum was always such a stresshead it did ruin the day tbh.

I don’t make the kids go to Mass before opening presents. I don’t go anywhere on Christmas Day - it’s pjs and chill which we all love doing. I also don’t cook a huge turkey that you have to spend days eating, just a turkey crown, and I don’t do Christmas pudding, mince pies or Christmas cake as nobody likes them.

My Christmas Day is much more relaxed than my parents had. It was the one day in the year my dad cooked, so he wanted everything and wanted it to be perfect, and my mum would be hacked off and resentful that he wouldn’t do it any other day. We do the veg prep together on Christmas Eve, don’t bother with starters and buy a ready to eat dessert, so that things are just shoved in the oven at various times and nobody has to stress.

We weren't allowed to put up the tree until Christmas Eve as "there are 12 days of Christmas". Went up on the 1st the moment I moved out.

I do still follow my mother's rule of Christmas dinner not lunch- ie at 6/7pm. Means no-one is up at an ungodly hour to put anything in the oven: much less stress and something to still look forward to for the whole day.

I used to go to midnight mass with my Mum and sisters. I loved the carols and coming home for a hot chocolate before bed. I've never done this with my kids. But we did make our own traditions. On Xmas eve we have fish and chips and then we'd go to a Carol service late afternoon and then to the pub with a few local families.

We usually do a big family Christmas Day - my sister and I alternate hosting - 13 this year. So it's much like my childhood. I love a big family day. I do most cooking from scratch except gravy and sauces. It's pretty uncomplicated cooking so I don't find it stressful. I prep the potatoes and parsnips on Christmas Eve. My sisters all bring puddings. It's great fun we play lots of silly games and have a laugh.

Last year it was just me and my daughter. That was a bit sad but we did make it very boujie. We had champagne and lobster for starters (we don't usually have starters).

Don’t have kids but when I do I will probably do the same as you in regards to pre cooked mns food I can’t be bothered to cook all that I barely cook roast dinners for one!