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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Christmas traditions that you'll be starting in your house.

44 replies

Tippychoocks · 16/09/2010 10:17

Should that be traditions of the future?!

I just remembered on we started last year and I will do again I think. My DD was 3.3 last Christmas and we were staying at my mothers. We wrapped mini stocking presents for everyone (about 4-5 each) in different paper for each person and hid them around the house. She had to go and treasure-hunt them (it's a verb nowGrin) and bring it to the right person. She quickly caught on to who had which wrapping paper and it was a brilliant way to keep her busy while we were having grown up drinks and cooking.

If you're doing a mini second Christmas at a Granny's house, it's a good way of doing stockings without spending a fortune. Typical gifts were a chocolate (sardines, orange, santa etc), scented candle, scarf, face pack. Under a pound for the most part.
The only thing to remember is that someone has to buy for whoever is organising it or they are left out Sad.

Anyone starting anything new this year?

OP posts:
shinyshoes · 17/09/2010 12:47

I do the p'j thing in a xmas eve hamper.

Also I put in new toothbrushes, a dvd, sweets and chocs, hot chocolate and mug in a basket wrapped in sellophane tied with festive ribbon. They have a bath and get settled for the evening
The children love it

AngryPixie · 17/09/2010 12:58

I do the advent calendar activity thing;
HUGE fabric advent calendar with enormous pockets, each day there is an index card with the festive activity for the day. I loved thinking of all the things we could do;
bake biscuits
buy tree
make decorations
watch nativity/school concert
read 'How the grinch stole christmas'
visit santa
Watch polar express
Buy present for daddy
Make cards
Go for a walk to find pinecones/holly etc

etc etc etc

The children loved their activity for each day and sometimes there was a small chocolate in the pocket too.

AngryPixie · 17/09/2010 13:00

We also go into the street with the children in new pjs on their way up to bed, and yell up into the night sky 'we're going to bed now Father Christmas'

AngryPixie · 17/09/2010 13:01

We also read this as our christmas eve bedtime story.

ChippyMinton · 17/09/2010 14:30

I take my DC to choose and buy an tree decoration each. Then I mark them with their initials and the year. The idea is that when they leave home they can take the decorations for their first tree.

bytheMoonlight · 17/09/2010 15:04

I am going to steal that idea and do it this year Chippy with 3yo dd

Original poster
Tippychoocks · 17/09/2010 18:36

I still have mine 25 years later on my tree Chippy!

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 17/09/2010 18:43

I am veggie, DH not that bothered about turkey, so a few years ago we started having Mexican food for Christmas lunch. I make myself a huge pile of nachos with sour cream, guacamole, refried beans.... the works, DH makes tacos, we have margeritas (if I am not on call) and blueberry ice cream for pud (an childhood tradition).

DH says he gets plenty of turkey and christmas pud at that time of year anyway.

GypsyMoth · 17/09/2010 18:54

the christingle service is our tradition....even the teen dc's

TheHappyCamper · 17/09/2010 19:57

some great ideas on here... I might steal a few.

Last year was our 1st christmas with dd. We started 2 tradtions.

  1. we'll take a photo of her stood up in front of the tree, every christmas morning so we can see how much she has grown each year(last year she was 9 months so only just standing! This year it might be a job to get her to stand still!)
  1. We bought her a snow globe and wrote the year on the front. So when she is 18 or so she will have a full set, one for each year.

Def do the pj's thing or all your christmas morning photos will be in grotty old pj's Grin

Original poster
Tippychoocks · 17/09/2010 20:06

That's the best reason yet for the pjs thing Grin
I wish I had though of the Christmas tree picture when dd was younger.

OP posts:
chimchar · 18/09/2010 08:29

oooh..i'm getting all excited!!

we read "the night before christmas" in my bed before the kids go into their own beds...it was my book when i was a little girl....

we watch a nice christmassy film on christmas eve..

we do the usual sherry and mince pie.

chocolate for breakkie on christmas day...its the law!!!

we always meet friends on christmas eve for a meal in a pub close to us...it started 10 years ago when a few of us had not long had our first babies....now there are about 15 couples and about 40 children!!!!

TitsalinaBumSquash · 18/09/2010 08:35

Well for the last 2 years on Christmas eve we have gone to my Dad's as 'Santa' was visiting, for reasons im not goin to go into here he can't do that this year.
I am planning on having a nice walk around the nieghbourhood to see the lights and then coming back to Christmas Pj's and home made mince pies and a Christmas film and i will invite my Dad and Sisters as well.

I need a boxing day trasiotion though or Cabin fever sets in and DP and i end up arguing like cat a dog. Sad

bytheMoonlight · 18/09/2010 10:08

Love the Christmas tree photo idea - will start that this year Smile

Original poster
Tippychoocks · 18/09/2010 18:13

Boxing Day tradition is a big walk here.

There are some good films on on BD, could you do a movie thing? Lights out and popcorn?

OP posts:
CwtchyBlueMama · 19/09/2010 08:06

Christmas eve morning we normally go for a walk to Delamere Forest,then we come home for a toasted sandwich & hot choc.

Then we make mince pies for FC & ds will make his reindeer food,oats with lots of glitter mixed in.

We watch home alone & polar express,then we all go for a walk round the village to see the lights.

Come home & have dinner,ds has his bath,then he has his new pjs on & sprinkles his reindeer food outside.

We read him a bedtime story which is usually a new book he has picked out.

DH sprinkles flour on the doorstep,then glitter on top,then he puts his gardening boots on top to leave FC footprints.ds loved it last yr & couldnt believe it.

We always let ds choose a new bauble for the tree every yr so when he leaves home he will have a full set to take with him.

Bacon butties & choc for Christmas day morning breakfast.

Oh yes & we follow him on Santa Tracker too.

funkybuddah · 21/09/2010 11:04

Im buying some grean and puple choc coins and hiding them around the house , the DC's can then hunt them out until lunch time as we only open stockings before chrimbo dinner so this will keep them amused until proper presents

Andie20521 · 21/09/2010 11:32

My DH is Dutch, and Santa vists the Netherlands on the 6th of December(sintaklass), so we will be making it a tradition to go over there then , which is fantastic as then we get to spend Christmas with my family and no guilt!

DD is only due 19th November so she will be too tiny this year!

PlumBumMum · 21/09/2010 11:43

my dh takes the dcs every christmas eve out to buy my cards and and my present, they love it
I stay at home and clean, do the veg, with a christmas movie on, and bake deserts for next day
we always get chinese take away on christmas eve
dcs bathed and into new jammies
leave out cookies & carrots & glass of milk
when dcs are in bed dh & I have a few big glass of Bailys
then everyone comes to ours the next morning as for a long time we were the only ones with dcs, so that might have to change this year
then boxing day all the girls go to MILs, while men go to pub to watch footie

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