Little things/quirks your partner or family does for Christmas that you love?

[SoniaFouler]

There are too many gloom and doom threads about awful Christmas behaviour (I accidentally started a recent long running one ), so this is a thread for the NICE behaviour from DH’s, DW’s, family members, friends, neighbours and acquaintances and little quirks/traditions/or just small (or big) things that the above do that make you appreciate them, to get us in a Christmassy mood and hopefully this will be a nice thread

Comes home on xmas eve with a bottle of fizz and then takes the kids out for a McDonald’s and a drive round xmas light hunt, so I have time for a soak in the bath in peace and quiet after having the kids alone all week and before the xmas eve / day chaos starts!

Aww good idea. Hoping for a Xmas eve walk with friends to tire kids out. Then Xmas day with family who may insist on some games but that's OK. Got lots of fizzy wine in so can drink through it!

My DH finished work for Christmas on Monday. Every morning since then he has gotten up with the kids to give me a lie in and every night he's put them to bed.
I really appreciate the break from the daily grind of being a SAHM and our sex life has never been better so I think its paying off for him too

First Xmas with DP after we moved in together in May. He's decorated the whole house outside and kept adding to it through December.... inside looks like Christmas has thrown up on it (in a good way!)
My DD absolutely loves it and it's the first time I've ever had outdoor lights!!!
He's also agreed to matching Xmas PJs (you may vom now !)

He's a good egg!

I've decorated and made our own Xmas Eve box, it will house our stockings, the Grinch book, and a key for Santa to get in. Hopefully next year I'll have a plate for Santa's snack. And might pop in a chocolate milkshake next year as DS will be 2.5 then.

Love nice, warm and fuzzy threads.

My dh gives his all to decorating day. I choose which day it is. He usually argues the toss but we both know I'll win. He hates Iceland party food but I love it and we have an Iceland buffet food lunch while he puts up the tree and we stare at him. He hates Christmas songs but doesn't flinch while we holler them around him. He takes charge of all things decorating and I stand on the side lines coordinating the effort. He lets me go for a lie down after the main baubles are on the tree are done and I come back down stairs to the whole place being spick and span and Christmassy

My mum has recently visited. For the last few years, I have chosen and bought and wrapped the presents from her and my dad to me, DH and the DC (they pay me for them). But she always buys me something else as a surprise to stop me knowing exactly what I’m getting.

Myself and my siblings are 70's kids. My dad's older sister was very good to us as mum and dad struggled after he lost his job.

Every year she bought us a selection box each, plus tins of quality street/roses etc to share as a family. Which were expensive back then.

One year, when we're well into our 20's she didn't buy us one and we expressed our disappointment to our mum. Mum mentioned it.

Auntie is now in her 90's and my eldest sibling is 51. There is a further generation. Auntie still buys us all a proper selection box. (The good ones, like you used to get in net bags)

Wouldn't be Christmas without it.

The great nieces and nephews don't get one.

This year he’s been in isolation since Sunday so I have done everything for Xmas and the children and him. I imagine he’ll be planning something nice for me when he gets out of isolation because that’s the kind of person he is

My mum sent me some lovely socks to cheer me up as potentially he won’t be able to join us for Xmas day.

Late DH used to bring a lovely bouquet home for me on Christmas Eve - and I'd forger every year until he turned up with it!

One from the past
In the 70s my Granny in Ireland always posted two enormous tins of Irish biscuits (you can’t get them here), over to us in England. Those biscuits were a big highlight on Christmas Day for us grandchildren. They were bloody lovely!

Oh my gosh, I genuinely love how my Husband has embraced all my “weird” traditions and fully loves “No proper dinner” on Christmas Day.
I also love how he absolutely CANT shop before Christmas Eve, can’t wrap before Christmas Eve. He’s so incredibly cute how he will wake up and go “what day is it? Oh Christmas Eve, OH. CRAP” I genuinely find it so endearing that he’s so wrapped up in general life that he forgets what day/date Christmas is on.

Dh’s family toast Father Christmas before bed on Christmas Eve with some brandy! It’s one of my favourite traditions!

Dh also runs around gutting the house on Christmas Eve Eve (today) to make sure everything is perfect.

I love him and his family.

The garden birds always give a present to the person who feeds them all year. It's wrapped up and waiting for them on top of the bush that some of the feeders are in. Yes, this does mean launching a present out of the window and hoping it lands well before the birds are given their breakfast.

My MILs roasties are the best ever. I could eat a whole platr full.

DH and I alway have Christmas Eve just for us. We ensure all respective families are taken care of, light the fire, have a glass or two of wine and just cuddle up listening to our Christmas playlist. It is one of my favourite parts of Christmas.

My DH ordered the turkey this year, did two Christmas food shops and will cook our entire meal on the day. I really appreciate how fortunate I am to have him.

I get a Christmas stocking at the foot of the bed. When the girls were little they'd get excited for santa so they'd get to sleep in our room and I was delegated to go to bed with them to keep them settled. DH would put out all the presents and put up a stocking for each of the girls and me at the foot of the bed. They'd wake early find their stocking play with the toys (just stocking fillers) have a sweetie and go back to sleep happy santa had been. Later we'd all get up and find the main presents under the tree. All these years later I still get a stocking from santa.

We then go to the local greyhound rescue centre and walk as many dogs as we can in 2 hours. When we get home dh cooks all of the Christmas dinners, whilst making me Prosecco cocktails that I take into the bathroom and have a bath.

@wheresmyshoe

The garden birds always give a present to the person who feeds them all year. It's wrapped up and waiting for them on top of the bush that some of the feeders are in. Yes, this does mean launching a present out of the window and hoping it lands well before the birds are given their breakfast.

This is so lovely!

Tonight I heard my DH telling my DS about 'grandad in the sky'
My dad died 10 years ago very suddenly (I was 27) and thankfully my husband met him once.
To hear him tell my 3 year old about how much he is loved by him and that he's always looking after him was quite honest he most beautiful thing I've heard.

@GCG1

Tonight I heard my DH telling my DS about 'grandad in the sky' My dad died 10 years ago very suddenly (I was 27) and thankfully my husband met him once. To hear him tell my 3 year old about how much he is loved by him and that he's always looking after him was quite honest he most beautiful thing I've heard.

That is lovely. My mum died when I was 24 and Christmas is always so hard.

Mine is super lame now after reading the others but all the neighbours send one another cards and write lovely words.

My DH and I have a Christmas film that we always watch on Christmas Eve. It's not even a great film, but I rather like the tradition

Everyone from my mum's side of the family stops and sits quietly with a G&T to watch Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve. It's something we all did with my grandparents & we've carried it on. It's lovely to know that wherever we all are in the world, at that time we're all together, reflecting & remembering.

@Feelingoktoday
She's there. Just in a different way.
Sending love x