Please tell me about your family Christmas traditions (please!)

[DitaVonCheese]

I've recently become editor of our local NCT newsletter and want to do an article about family Christmas traditions but my entire branch have failed to respond at ALL to my entreaties so I'm asking you lovely MNers instead. I know more than one woman who's fallen prey to Nigella's bit of blurb about the importance of creating family traditions at the top of her recipe for Christmas Morning muffins, so would love to hear about any you have, particularly ones you've created since having your own kids.

In my family, we'd always open our stocking presents in our pjs in mum and dad's room but would have to get washed and dressed and have breakfast before opening our "big" presents. Then we'd go visiting any relatives within walking distance before heading home for home made soup for lunch. In the afternoon we'd play with new stuff/cousins while our mums tore their hair out, then we'd get ridiculously OTTly dressed up for Christmas dinner in the evening, usually easily 20+ of us as my mum is one of eight kids so there are always loads of cousins etc around. Now that I have DH and DD I'd quite like to start introducing some traditions of our own, but DH doesn't really seem to have done Christmas much and DD is currently too young to care.

Does anyone want to tell me about their old/new Christmas traditions? Please? And is it okay if I quote a few of you (anonymously) in my newsletter? :)

as children we always used to open a present on christmas eve just before going to bed. i have extended this slightly with my 4 children, we all open a present just before bathtime on christmas eve, and the present always contains christmassy pyjamas, and pair of slipper socks. i think its lovely that my kids go to bed on christmas eve wearing brand new, festive pyjamas, and they all look very festive opening their presents on christmas morning in their pyjamas.

this year will be our 11th christmas of doing this, ever since ds1 was 9 months old.

dont mind being quoted at all x

We always leave a carrot for the reindeer and stocking presents are never wrapped as Father Christmas (not Santa) doesnt have time. Also, my top tip is not to start traditions you wont want to do for the next 20 or more years, so if you do glittery reindeer food, footprints in flour, etc you will always have to do them! Keep it simple and you can pull it off for longer!

Every year, my DC get a note from Father Christmas in lovely, swirly, magical looking handwriting, thanking them for the mince pie, drink and carrots for the reindeer, and telling them that he hopes they like their presents. We also do the new pyjamas and slippers on Christmas Eve thing.

I don't mind being quoted :o

We are quite new at this because our DCs are small but these are a few we have already started or hope to start over the next few years:

I've got my DCs one high quality decoration each, every Xmas, and will continue to do so until they're adults. Before bed on Xmas eve they will open it and hang it on the tree. Then when they move out they'll have a collection to use with their family in the future.

We've agreed to always get a board game as a family present each year, and will play it on Xmas day.

I'd quite like to get them new pyjamas and a new story book for Xmas eve.

We started (last year) doing a cosy box for Christmas eve for all of us. New pyjamas, smellies, slippers, socks, chocolates, DVD, colouring book, craft kit, small toy and a christmas book (that's DS contents, not ours!). We get these on Christmas eve and then there is plenty of little things for DS to play with and keep him entertained through the day. Which gives me the chance to make sure that all gifts have been handed out and start on making bits and pieces for christmas morning/day to eat.

We have Christmas Breakfast, just a loaf of some sort and have the crepe maker out with various toppings, "Starbucks" Christmas coffee, gingerbread biscuits and a few other bits and pieces. My parents come here to see DS open his presents, as does my dad's mum and my two little sisters so breakfast needs to be pretty much in the oven, out the oven, help yourself!

We will no doubt be staying in the new PJs all morning, have a quick wash and brush teeth, but stay comfy none the less. DS will want to just open one gift and then play with that, he's a nightmare to get all the presents opened!

New traditions we are going to try and incorporate this year are baking our own gingerbread and leaving that out for santa on Christmas eve (our father christmas doesn't like mince pies! ) We are also going to make footprint stencils and put glitter on there, to show where santa has walked. My auntie did this with my cousins when they were little and it was magical for them! So I am pinching that idea! We are also doing "elf on the shelf" through December which I am so unbelievably excited about that it will most definitely be continuing year after year!

Also we always make paper chains, they always fall apart and we have to stick them back up, family tradition that!

My Dcs also little have a personalised Xmas decoration each and we make a big thing of hanging them.

Going to do a candle lit bath this yr for the first time on Christams Eve.

New PJs, new Christmas book read on Christmas Eve.

Reindeer food (porridge oats/glitter sprinked in garden.

Santa's special key put outside (we don't have a chimney)

We watch The Polar Express every Christmas Eve.

DS gets from Santa every yr the multi pack of little cereals (frosties etc) All the stuff he is not allowed to eat any other time of yr

Sadly DD (2) can't do this as she is intolerant

I always read "the night before Christmas" to my children just before bedtime, then DD read it to us when she could and DS when he could, now we all read a bit each.

I always make mince pies on christmas eve and the DCs make a pastry creation with plastic christmas trees and robins etc for father christmas which we leave by the fire place with the mince pie and the tia maria (!!)

We have new jarmies on Christmas Eve.

We track FC on Norad - Love that bit!

Just starting our family traditions with the little ones, love the idea of getting them a decoration each so they have some to take with them when they move out, love the glittery footprint idea, can I ask what is 'elf on a shelf'...
So far mine and DH traditions are' putting up xmas decs to 'A Christmas Gift for you' CD and a large glass of Baileys. We have left a note for father christmas with 3 things on DC would like and mince pie and milk for Santa and carrots for Rudolph (my childhood family tradition)as Santa can't drink when he's so busy that night (smile)

We always take DD to our nearest garden centre as they have the best xmas shop for decorations and DD can pick her tree ornament for the year, which she then hangs on the tree.

Always gets christmassy PJs, Slippers and has hot cup of cocoa before bedtime.

Puts a Mince Pie, carrot and glass of milk for Rudolph and small brandy for Santa.

We get up in the morning open our stockings then have brekkie and cup of tea, face wash and brushing of teeth then downstairs for pressie opening, whilst listening to my fav xmas CD

oooh yes I forgot about Norad

We always track Santa on there too

On Xmas Eve I always finish ironing all the washing, every last thing, watching It's a Wonderful Life with whichever child will watch it with me, or on my own.

I make the paschka for Xmas Day, mixing it and chopping lots of glace fruit (traditionally an Easter dish but we have it instead of Xmas Pudding, which is shunted to New Year) while OH pre-preps the other stuff for Xmas Dinner and sets the table ready.

We all go to the local church nativity service in the late afternoon.

After tea, the kids put their presents to each other and to us in the stockings, ready for Father Christmas to add his presents, and we put out the mince pie, carrot and sherry, and watch TV. OH goes out to do more work, then returns at about 11pm and we all head to church for midnight communion - we've done this since the kids were babies and came along in their pyjamas; we come back at about 1.30am and the kids go to bed, whilst the grown-ups wait for Father Christmas to arrive....

In the morning we wake the kids early before OH goes out and they open their stockings and one other present, plus one that looks like a DVD. They watch that whilst they have breakfast and everyone is dressed, then a couple of hours later, when OH is back, they open the rest of the presents. Then we all go to Xmas morning church service, then before Xmas dinner the grown-ups open their presents over sherry. Then we eat and then we fall asleep.

We go and select a tree in late November from Wilderness Woods, then go and cut it down first week of Decmber.
Kids put crap on it, I take it all down and rearrange at the first opportunity.
Christmas PJs from the Elves on Xmas Eve.
Letters up the chimney for Santa.
Snack for Santa - and glittery oats for the reindeer outside on Xmas Eve.
Christmas stories (3 books I've had for ages) on Xmas eve.
Stockings in mum and dad's bed, then downstairs for pressies.
The children dictate the getting up time on Xmas day.
Panto
DH's family have a rule that presents are left for the afternoon - f* that! Mine get them first thing then anyone who is boring can bear to wait, can wait.
Midnight mass
Carols
Village light-turning-on thing, with rides on a reindeer.

Advent stocking from 1 Dec, one small gift in each per day, sometimes a little choc or stickers or football cards, sometimes a promise eg to stay up til 9pm in the holidays. Each get a decoration each year, and at least one for me and DH too!
DS and DH go and choose the tree, DD and I dress it. Hot chocolate all round for tree choosers and decoraters in special mugs. Always second weekend in Dec. Read Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve.
Mince pie, carrot and sherry for Santa, left at top of stairs by loft, which is where he comes in as chimney blocked up. Santa leaves a few crumbs. He also leaves a Smarties trail down the stairs to the big present ( one each ). Stockings are left on bedroom doors and opened upstairs before following trail downstairs.
Dippy eggs and soldiers for breakfast as when I was little. Lots of Christmas tunes, friends over for drinks. Open a few more presents from us. Midday rellies over, lunch 3ish, DD and DS sort presents into piles for each person whilst others clear away lunch stuff. Mass pressie opening session which lasts aaaaages.
Always watch Doctor Who. We aren't really into panto, so instead take the children to a children's theatre production every Autumn ( this year its this Saturday )

Thank you so much, these are wonderful (I will be theiving some of them ).

We take the kids and all our nieces and nephews to the panto every Christmas instead of buying the n and n's presents (our kids obviously get presents too).

Go for a walk and lovely pub meal on Christmas eve with friends.

We have advent calendars for each dc where each day there is a note from Santa telling them where to look for the chocolate coin of the day. On Christmas eve, there is a long involved treasure hunt which takes them all over the house.

Santa replies to notes left by the chimney.

Pressy on Christmas Eve and new PJs too.

Christmas breakfast is mid-morning with newly baked pastries and fruit so house smells lovely. Dinner then not till late afternoon.

Home-made crackers with all the bits in of some game we can play as a family after christmas dinner.

My Christmas traditions come from my parents and I was a child of the 60s.

On Christmas Eve, my mother would complete her ironing whilst listening to the Nine Carols Service from Kings - I now do the same. As the evening moved on, at 6.00pm we would finish decorating the sideboard with fruit from the garden which had been stored in the shed... an hour of polishing apples and pears, putting them into the special Christmas dishes. Then we would search for the nutcracker and add that to the dish. Woe betide you if you touched any of this provender before the big day.

Next, my mother would finish icing the chocolate log whilst we stuffed dates with marzipan. As a treat we would bake potatoes in the ash-pan under the fire and the butter would drip down our faces. Then it was off to bed for a restless sleep while my mother made pastry for the sausage rolls and mincepies and the ham was boiled up.

My father would then come back from the pub, via midnight mass and drop his loose change into the big white woolly stocking which normally filled his gardening wellies but now hung over the end of my bed.

In the morning, I would wake up and shake out the stocking and my mum would bring me breakfast in bed, coffee, the mis-shapen sausage rolls heated up (the good ones being for guests) and the satsuma from the heel of my stocking. Then downstairs to smell the tantalising aroma of the turkey beginning to cook and off to mass, wishing that the priest would speak more quickly so we could go home and open the parcels under the tree.

All this was just under 50 years ago but I still have a cup of coffee, a satsuma and a sausage roll for brekkie - and yes I still have a Christmas stocking!

The girls open thier stockings and show each other first. Then they come into our room and sit on our bed to show us what they have and we show them our stocings, They are now 23.20 and 18 and the youngest 2 will still do this ( DD1 is married and won't be with us this year).
For the last couple of years we have gone out for Christmas Lunch so have opened the big presents after that.
On Christmas Eve we have lunch with MIL as she can't be with us on Christmas Day. On boxing Day or the 27th we get toghethr with my family for a big family party.
This year it's going to be at my sisters but a lot of years it's been at my parents.
Oh and the girls always decarate the Christmas tre. When they were litle they did it with DH but whrn they got to teenagers they did it completly themselves.Our stocking presents are never wrapped up and Father Christmas donly brings those presents.

From Dec 1st as well as chocolate advent calendars we have a christmas activity calendar. I originally made it out of 2 cardboard pizza bases stuck together and covered in white felt to make a snowman and stuck little numbered felt pockets on it. This year I found a posh looking felt one in Aldi for £7 so have upgraded

Then DH and I fill each pocket with a slip of paper with a festive activity on. The good thing about making it yourself is that you have control over which activities happen on each day, taking into account busy days and weekends when you may have more time.
Activities are things like; Make hot chocolate with marshmallows, read a christmassy story, make paper snowflakes, go on a torchlit walk around the area looking at the christmas lights, visit Santa, write Santa a letter, decorate the tree, make dough tree decorations etc etc.

DD and Ds love opening up the pockets each day after school and it also distracts them from trying to open the next window on the chocolate calendar a day early

I have always had the decorations up for my birthday - 2nd Dec and is something I continue to do, much to the disgust of DH!!

We also have the stockings opened upstairs then washed and dressed into nice outfits for big pressies.

I have just bought both my children christmas duvet covers from Next - really looking forward to putting those on the beds xmas eve :o.

New PJs 'from The Christmas Tree' opened on Christmas eve so they can wear them.

Good luck with the newsletter - have you been on NCT's Babble yet to pinch articles from other editors? No need to reinvent the wheel each time.