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

Mu DH gets collects the turkey and bits from the butcher on Christmas Eve morning. We have a Christmas Eve box just with much needed Christmas pjs (as she has outgrown, wouldnt bother otherwise) for our DD. We will watch a Christmas movie and eat cheese when she is in bed tomorrow night. The best bit of Christmas is being together and being grateful for what we have when some families have so little.

My Mum always makes sure I have a tube of Jelly Tots to unwrap on Christmas Day. I never really want anything in particular but Jelly Tots have become tradition so she still gets them for me despite me being 36 😁. I realise that's daft but it means a lot to me.

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

That’s not lame, as someone that doesn’t even know my neighbours names, that’s really nice

@notanothertakeaway
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

What film is it?

@GCG1
That is absolutely lovely

Loved reading all of these

DH and I used to exchange one gift each at a minute past midnight on Christmas Day. I loved that, miss it now he's gone.

Rituals that have survived his death are:

• Chinese food on Christmas Eve whilst watching Love Actually (one of DH's favourite films)
• going to Waitrose for cheese on the day before Christmas Eve and buying sushi for lunch
• putting a Terry's chocolate orange in DS's stocking instead of a real orange because he doesn't like real oranges

My family in Canada goes bowling on Christmas Day (a local alley run by a non-Christian family). It started when I was in my late teens and has continued for over a decade now. I love it. It brings so much fun involving all the family to what would otherwise be a "lazy" afternoon of doing our own things.

In the UK, we always play a board game as a family after dinner.

@BlueShirtGirl we do the same! 9 neighbours and this year we’ve had a new family move into our road and just had our first Christmas card from them! I love it, such a small thing but totally lovely

My eldest asks me to read Twas the night before Christmas before bed on Christmas Eve. He has already checked I know where the book is (couldn't find it last year and had to Google it - I was told that this is not to happen again!). He is 17 (years) 😁🎅

@SoniaFouler

It's Bad Santa, with Billy Bob Thornton

I love turkish delight. Every year DH buys me a little tin from the sweetie shop in Keswick. I have lots of tins now and I treasure them.