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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Christmas traditions

77 replies

lockdownbabyx · 03/09/2023 07:02

Posting here for traffic

Can I ask everyone what were your favourite Christmas traditions as a child? And what you do now for your children?

My little ones are 2 and 7 months, so a little to young to really understand but I want to start this year and continue it every year. My partner said his family didn't really do anything when he was a child which makes me quite sad. I love Christmas and want to make it as exciting and magical for my children as possible.

OP posts:
CheshireDing · 03/09/2023 07:04

We always book tickets to go and see the lights somewhere (so this year it’s a stately home near us).

Christmas Eve our village has carols being sung by everyone so we go to that, then off home to put the snacks out for Father Christmas and the Reindeer Food out, then bed

Ifailed · 03/09/2023 07:06

my favourite one is not talking about it in September.

Covidiokilledtheradiostar · 03/09/2023 07:07

We go for walks to see all the Christmas lights on houses in our area. There are a few streets that go all out so that’s always very festive. Usually followed up by a nice hot chocolate (well warm)before bed.

local garden centres are always nice at Christmas too. Ours has a lovely Santa visit that doesn’t cost the earth and isn’t overstimulating (ds2 is autistic)

we also let our dc chose a new ornament each for the tree

our kids our 12,5,4

BigOldBlue1 · 03/09/2023 07:07

Urgh fucking hell summer is barely over? There's an entire Christmas board too

AvengedQuince · 03/09/2023 07:08

Ifailed · 03/09/2023 07:06

my favourite one is not talking about it in September.

It should be moved to the Christmas board

Hiddenvoice · 03/09/2023 07:09

My family used to go for long walks and watch Christmas movies together but as we grew up the traditions became quite lost.

My dh and I created our own little traditions and loved including our baby in them last year. She was only 8 months but we still did most of them with her and can’t wait to do more as she grows up.

If it’s the comments about it being summer!

DustyLee123 · 03/09/2023 07:09

When the kids were little we went to the local church on Xmas eve, where they did a child’s service. Lots of carols, the kids went to the front for the story of the stable. The vicar was lovely with them.
Then home for dinner, bath, and the traditional Christmas stories before putting a mince pie and milk out for Santa.

Alwaysdecorating · 03/09/2023 07:13

There’s the MN tradition of posting about Christmas on the Christmas board, until at least December 😉

My family always did movie night on Christmas Eve with buffet style food and one present allowed to be opened that night. So I continued that.

Even now, the kids are older we will have fajitas or souvlaki or wings and ribs. Something not traditionally Christmassy and then watch a a few movies.

I always cook something like cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. My kids have always needed to be dragged out of bed, even when young, so I have time to get up and set up breakfast which they will eat while they open presents.

Original poster
lockdownbabyx · 03/09/2023 07:14

For those moaning about it being September.. I don't care 💁🏻‍♀️. People arrange and talk about their summer holidays all through winter and no body moans about that.

OP posts:
Alwaysdecorating · 03/09/2023 07:14

Oh and every year we sit down and pick a new, fancy decoration. Anything from a star wars bauble, to Disney, to just very pretty. We have 20 now.

DuploTrain · 03/09/2023 07:16

We go for a Christmas Eve walk when it gets dark to look at everyone’s lights.

Also agree with pp, have a look at the Christmas board! Not because I object to you posting on AIBU about it, just because you’ll get lots of ideas.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 03/09/2023 07:16

We never had stockings, all presents left in the living room. So my favourite memory was creeping down the stairs to see if Father Christmas had been.

We believed that if you disturbed him he'd go without leaving anything. So we'd all gather on the landing, trying to contain our excitement and be quiet. We'd creep down the stairs and my dad would open the door a crack so we could each take a peek to see if FC had been and to make sure he'd gone.

Original poster
lockdownbabyx · 03/09/2023 07:16

Alwaysdecorating · 03/09/2023 07:14

Oh and every year we sit down and pick a new, fancy decoration. Anything from a star wars bauble, to Disney, to just very pretty. We have 20 now.

@Alwaysdecorating oh I love this idea, thank you!

OP posts:
EndofDaze · 03/09/2023 07:17

We chose 2 new decorations each year for the tree. This has carried on now my children are in their 20s. Every year when the tree goes up they enjoy looking back at the decorations and reminiscing about where and when they bought them. It’s my favourite part of Christmas.

Original poster
lockdownbabyx · 03/09/2023 07:17

DuploTrain · 03/09/2023 07:16

We go for a Christmas Eve walk when it gets dark to look at everyone’s lights.

Also agree with pp, have a look at the Christmas board! Not because I object to you posting on AIBU about it, just because you’ll get lots of ideas.

@DuploTrain I didn't even know there was a Christmas board, but il have a look. Thank you ☺️

OP posts:
EmotionSickness · 03/09/2023 07:22

My DS is 2 so we’re starting some traditions this year too! Here are some that we’re hoping to do:

Decorating gingerbread cookies
Drying orange slices and making decorations
New PJs on 1st December (to get more wear out of them through the month 😂)
Read night before Christmas on Christmas Eve bedtime
Milk / cookie / carrot out on Christmas Eve
Open stockings on mum & dad’s bed
Make Christmas pizzas/pies with dinner leftovers

LittleMissSunshine2020 · 03/09/2023 07:26

We also have very young kids but we've started a few things.
We have regular trips to our local garden centres in the run up to Christmas.

We take a photo of the kids sitting at the top of the stairs before they come down to see if Father Christmas has been.

I always go down first to check that he has been and I pop some Christmas classical music on just to make it a bit more magical (I also quickly brew up 🤣). My mum used to do this too!

CornishGem1975 · 03/09/2023 07:34

lockdownbabyx · 03/09/2023 07:14

For those moaning about it being September.. I don't care 💁🏻‍♀️. People arrange and talk about their summer holidays all through winter and no body moans about that.

Exactly.

And also, Christmas is in the frigging title. Don't open it if you're not interested. Scroll on by. The grinches are out today OP.

Pinkglittery · 03/09/2023 07:36

We went to a light thing at a stately home last Christmas Eve and it was amazing! Going to book for this year. I get the dc new pyjamas to open too ( last year there was lots of secret chats in the morning between my older dc and they disappeared off in to town. When they opened their jamas, they handed me a present and they had bought me some too 😭😭)
We bake something to leave for Father Christmas and then have some nice food, last year I did nigellas ham in cola and crusty bread and picky bits) and watch a film. We also have lots of Buck's Fizz. We also have to read Night before Christmas at bedtime for the little ones.
I think it's lovely to have little traditions and try to make it special. Last year it's a bit Pinterest wanky but I did a hot chocolate station for the 1st Dec and the kids had one each day with the last one to take to the light show thing. Can't wait for this year because one of the DC will be nearly 3 and starting to understand.

SlippySarah · 03/09/2023 07:37

I think the best Christmas memories come from the small things, the quiet moments, the warm feelings you get from spending time together.

As this is your first Xmas with DC you will start to see the pressure building to go over and above. My advice would be to resist a lot of this - they don't need or care about new PJs, Xmas eve boxes, special Xmas treats, hot chocolate stations, individual mini trees, personalised sacks, multiple santa visits. Social media and MN goes bonkers in the lead up to Xmas and so many people (mostly women) tie themselves in knots trying to provide all this that they are having an acutal breakdown by 11am on Xmas day.

Most of us who have good memories of Christmas from our childhoods realise that they don't come from rigidly maintained "traditions" either, just small things that the family like to do.

Corrie86 · 03/09/2023 07:40

We go out to Dobbies every year to choose a new bauble for the tree.

sant brings us a family board game to play on Christmas.

we ring bells on Christmas Eve and read the night before Christmas.
the Christmas books come back out December 1st.
gingerbread house.

Middleagedmeangirls · 03/09/2023 07:44

We don't have a traditional Christmas cake because no one likes it. The D.C. pick out a birthday cake from the supermarket and that's Baby Jesus' birthday cake. We light the candles and they sing Happy Birthday Dear Jesus.
it sounds cheesy but it's so much fun. It has also been the subject of some very heated debates in the shop along the lines of whether Jesus would want a Barbie cake or a Tellytubby cake this year. Recently the consensus has been that that he really likes a Colin caterpillar.

Proudgypsy · 03/09/2023 07:44

Some lovely ideas on here.

Something I've never done but would like to start when I have children is a family gingerbread decorating night. Me and DH have done it together and his construction and design skills were hilarious.

Boomchuck · 03/09/2023 07:46

I absolutely love Christmas! We usually go chop our Christmas tree the weekend before St Nicholas Day. Our village Christmas market usually opens that weekend as well, so it’s all a great, festive way to kick off the season. The children each get a new bauble along with their Christmas pajamas and some little food bits from St Nicholas. Giving the PJs on St Nicholas day means they get the whole month of December to use them.

For Christmas Eve we usually go to a
carol service around 5pm, and then come home, have a giant charcuterie board for dinner and watch a Christmas film together.

Presents from family are already under the tree, but the ones from DH and I go under after the kids have gone to bed. Stockings also go out after they’re asleep. They are allowed to open their stockings in the morning as soon as they wake up, but presents wait until after breakfast!

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