I'd LOVE to hear your fav. Christmas traditions x

[Timetochange70]

I,ve started some of our family favourites after ideas from good old mumsnet, so would love to start a thread and hear what lovely traditions etc folk get up to over Christmas.
Xxx

Elf on the Shelf is an American idea. You can get an Elf and a book but they are expensive.
You give your Elf a name (I made one with a Christopher Eccleston Dr Who doll, made him green felt outfit and glued on elf shoes and hat)

You have to hide the Elf every night for the DC to find and document in the Book.

On Christmas Eve he disappears back to the North Pole to grass the children up let Father Christmas know they've been good.

I made mine a rucksack to hold 2 sweets.

We do the pyjama thing but we do it on the 1st of december, as I teach from home we decorate early. We put up all the decorations and after dinner the kids get a bundle of pyjamas, advent calendar, dvd, book and a bath bomb.

We do a disneyland visit on the 23rdish, bake cookies for Santa on the 24th.

We also get a new boardgame every year, last year we got cranium, family edition. It's really good fun.

I love the elf on the shelf idea.

Lakeland Limited have got santa and snowman mugs with spoons.
Not in stock yet but on their web-site.These will be in the Baby Flies Christmas Eve hamper.
Can't do linky things.

We usually go to the panto on christmas eve, followed by tea out or a take away, this year DH is working so we're doing it on the 23rd.

New PJs and Snowman soup at bedtime, I always read "The night before christmas" for dds bedtime story, plus a new funny christmas book, last year it was "Father Christmas Needs a Wee".

We do milk and a mince pie for santa and a carrot for the raindeer and DH takes her outside in her PJs to scatter magic raindeer food before she goes upstairs to bed.

Her stocking appears on the end of her bed in the night and she brings it into our bed to open it up as soon as she's awake, which holds off having to get up and go downstairs a bit longer.

The dog always has a pigs ear on christmas morning.

We do the PJs of course

And this year the boys are going to make bird feeders etc and decorate a tree in the garden with those on Christmas Eve, 'nature's Christmas tree'

Tracking Father Christmas or NORAD

Stockings for all, regardless of age (well all kids but I have started dropping hints to DH as we are not getting each other proper gifts this year )

Fish or seafood on the Eve, Christmas service if at all possible

When boys finish school for Christmas like to meet them with sweets; they get silly festice pends beforehand as well.

I have a tradition for me that I'm quite pleased with.

By 11pm on Christmas Eve, all my work is finished. I stroll off to church, leaving DH, who is a dreadful procrastinator, with boxes full of children's toys that must be assembled by Christmas morning.

At midnight I come home from church and sit on the sofa with a bottle of wine, relaxing to the sound of DH spluttering and swearing and losing his screwdriver.

Eat lots
Drink lots

We leave a line of candles in jars in the garden (to show Rudolph the way).
When DD was little she insisted we leave the attic lights on (velux windows) to make sure he found our roof. And insisted on going out in the garden to check

I love the candle ideas but our house is directly onto street front.

DH is a lighting designer, have been on at him to come up with an alternative (for teh flat kitchen roof) for years; nada. Hal;f the time he even forgets to sort the tree lights because he's swiped the plug!

Must nag!

Helicopter museum in WSM has a father christmas day so we are going there in the run up, will combine the seasonal stuff for outr litlies (a three eyar old and disabled 8 yar old who is still very much- thankfully- into FC) with things for our older and more cyncial 2 (10 and by then 12)

We usually stay over at my parents on christmas eve. Christmas morning I have been banned from talking to anyone before 7am because I "wake up all excited like a small child at 5am and no-one else wants to be woken at that time". Spoilsports.

I am 30...

loads of traditions here, a few would be ... panto on 23rd, xmas dinner xmas eve, mincepies for breakfast xmas day, present from us xmas eve, stocking/father christmas gifts christmas day, stuff under the tree boxing day, might introduce the new pj's thing this year for younger dc's and started buying a xmas dec for older ones in recent years for their own collection. At our old house we had a tree in the front garden and use to hang carrots for the reindeer from it then drunken visiting friends reindeer would have had a good nibble by morning, bit like that came you play with dangling apples at haloween, dd's were always impressed , took them years to figure it out.

First weekend is tree picking from a farm! We attend christingle at 7pm c.eve then home to new pj and a read of 'twas night before Christmas. Boxing day is dd1 birthday so we go panto then!

Just reading this thread has got me really excited, I love Christmas!!

My DCs are 3 & 2 and last year we included the following traditions:

We made Christmas gingerbread men for decorating in the week before.

Santa was left a San Miguel and a mince pie (we live in Spain) and he took one bite and left the rest for them to wonder over the next day (DD ate it and DS was outraged)

We left special reindeer food (oats, carrots & glitter) outside for the reindeers and I had a lovely time scattering them and making a terrible mess for them to find, they were delighted.

I made sure all my jobs were done so I could have a fun evening with DH. We opened our stockings that night (Mum does mine, I do his!) and I make him hamper of things from home.

We don´t have a fireplace so we left the kids´filled stockings in the lounge with all their toys in a semi circle around them as if they watched Santa fill them (I enjoyed doing that)

The DCs watched Balamory Christmas DVDs for weeks beforehand.

We had elderly neighbours over on Christmas morning to drink Bucks Fizz and eat Nigella´s Christmas Muffins (yummy) and to let them give their gifts to the kids personally.

I wanted to find a little bell to ring outside their windows just as they fell asleep but couldn´t find one.

DH and I like to have a casual "house trouser" Christmas and have a course between every few rounds of presents as that makes them last for hours but my folks who we spend Christmas with like to rush the pressies and then fight about whether or not the turkey is cooked -sigh!!

Teaonesugar- what is snowman soup?

I want to trÿ these this year (thanks to you guys):

Christmas hamper and PJs brought by elves

The tealights creating a run way

The boot marks in Talc

Kids dressing up

Keep them coming, this is my idea of great fun!!

That all sounds lovely, MrsMcJnr.

I have "Jingle Bells" from the ELC musical instruments section here which I use.

Highly tempted to hide them somewhere and shake them faintly on the run-up to Christmas if the DC are being naughty. Just so that they know that He is watching

Great ideas on both from Youwin, thanks!

I read somewhere that if you live where there isn´t any snow you can make snow men out of white rubbish bags and oodles of newspaper but I rather like the idea of a Sandman instead, might run that past DH as something to wear the kids out doing on Christmas Eve!

We get together with a big extended family on Christmas day (cousins, aunts, uncles) and for the last nine years or so me and my cousin (with occasional help from a smaller cousin) have done The Christmas Quiz. This is a very serious undertaking which started because it seemed like Christmas was getting a bit less fun as we got older and we hadn't played Pictionary in a couple of years (that used to be the tradition). It started the first year with us just reading questions off a sheet, and has by now grown into a massive thing full of expectations. We have at least one round on DVD where we often use my little cousin to do some acting, usually have a craft round of some sort and always have some general knowledge questions. Literally anything we can think of goes in though - one year one of the rounds was to hold an ice cube in between your hands and whoever holds it the longest wins (that hurts). Last year we got my cousin to act out famous music videos (we usually do all the filming for this a few days before) and his I Want To Break Free act was stunning. Had the family in tears of laughter.

I'm loving the Christmas traditions! Mum keeps on telling us that now we have a family (3.5 year old and number 2 due late Nov) we need to start our own traditions but PIL don't want us to. Sigh.

My family gathers at my aunts- some arrive Christmas eve, and others trickle to hers throughout Christmas morning. You're then given a peeler, or an orange and bag of cloves, or napkins and that's your job! Breakfast is nibbles and 'testing' the turkey! Around 2pm we all sit down to eat a proper Christmas dinner, with fish for the veggies. My aunts IL's are Indian (we're Guyanese so of Indian descent) so they bring homemade pakoras or samosas. Dinner is a lively affair as there is in excess of 20 of us, from my LO to my grandad who is 87.

Then we'll open pressies (kids and grandparents only though- otherwise we'd all be broke!). Other relatives turn up (my aunt usually has a foreign student from her church with her) and we do Secret Santa. £10 limit, some take it serious and put thought into it, others are just comical. If I've already had my gift from an aunt or my brother or mum or husband or female cousin then it's fine and hilarious. But if I haven't and all that's left are my uncles and cousins then it's very nerve wracking!

Christmas at IL's is a different matter. MIL usually gives us loads of little bits from Boots where she used to work but she's now retired so that will change. She also gets LO loads of stuff. LOADS. Some of it is good quality stuff, but other bits are cheap tat. I'd rather she didn't buy this stuff as it just causes clutter (she likes to see him play with the stuff she gets him when they visit) and it breaks easily. They have a budget for each grandchild and like to get the same stuff so it's like they are getting stuff for the sake of it. Anyway, so we open the pressies which is long and drawn out then she'll go and make dinner whilst the kids play. We eat dinner (traditional) then we'll all gather round the digital photo frame to watch a billion pictures. Yawn. Then the kids go to bed (that's how long the photo watching is) and we are forced to watch Corrie/Emerdale/Strictly Come Dancing blah blah.

This year we'll be having a quiet Christmas eve (as quiet as the newborn and 3.5 year old will allow), then Christmas day we'll go to my family! Yay! As it's the other side of London it's usually a pain to get to but Christmas day driving is heaven! We've booked a Travelodge there for the night for £20 so we can both drink and 'relax'. Then we're having Boxing day with the Outlaws at our house. If the TV comes on, it's to have the footie on in the background, and there will be no photo albums in sight!

JeanBodel I missed your post earlier (Sun 11-Sep-11 13:17:15) but that is quite possibly the best idea I have ever heard.

DH's "Dear People of Taiwan - we in the West do not appreciate complex puzzles of the mind whilst surrounded by clamouring children at 6 a.m was funny until I had to assemble the pink ELC fairy castle Of Doom for DD one year.

Glitterandglue - your family quiz sounds brill! Could I have more details please? Also, do you think my 9yr old ds would be too old to be persuaded to act out things on film for the cause?

Peaz - I love the description of your family christmas! What sort of secret Santa gifts have u had previously? I'm trying to introduce ss with my family but they're not keen.

Oops, forgot to put my Christmas traditions!

My 2 sisters, ds and I have a weekend away in December.

The whole family usually go to a panto but I think that tradition might be dying out in our family - it's getting harder to get everyone together. I might just take ds on my own this year.

Since ds was born, we've been to the christingle service (at a church where my mum used to live ) every year except one - when I was allowed to go to the service at my local church. I think this is another tradition which is wearing off with my family so I'm going to return to my church with ds this year.

I'm trying to start a new tradition of having Christmas dinner on christmas eve but it has been met with a definite no from 2 family members to I'm trying to tweak my plans to make it more appealing to the others.

We usually have a boxing day meal at a family member's house - one that didn't host Christmas day.

I've loved reading these! I am such a Christmas fairy, my birthday is on the 21st and I love that time of year. I have already been buying up presents for the DC's who will be 5 and 1.8.

We always spend Xmas day with my family so Xmas eve we have a party with just DH's family where we all exchange gifts. We used to try and fit everyone in on Xmas day but once we had DS it became too much and we found that this suits everyone much better.

My mum always buys the DC's their Xmas jammies to wear on Xmas Eve. We leave out a carrot, mince pie and something alcoholic for FC to drink. We also track FC's flight path, sorry can't remember the website!

First thing Xmas morning the DC's will open their stocking presents with us on our bed and DH will make us all hot chocolate. I'm thinking of trying Nigellas Xmas muffins this year too. Then the rest of the morning is spent opening pressies, and preparing the meal.

We also usually try and do a Xmas fair and new decs for the tree. Getting all excited now!

Oh and last year we went to a panto on New Years Day which was lovely, may try and do that this year again too

mogs0, have messaged you because my answer got really quite insanely long!

mogs0- well the pressies vary. When I was pregnant with LO I was unfortunate to get the uncle everyone dreads. His pressies to me were bizarre, to say the least! His wife, on the other hand was my OH's Secret Santa and made OH a toy tub and a baby book- very cute.

It's a £10 limit so enough to get a decent pressie IMO. This year I'm planning to make the pressie so will probably knit a scarf or handwarmers. But in the past I've done a garden hamper (for my mum), a couple of cds (for cousins)- things like that. One year, we had returned from Thailand just before Christmas so we were able to get some lovely bits for £10!

I love SS- it's so much fun with our family. You only get one gift but it is by far the highlight. We sit in a circle and 'tease' with the giving! And it's the only time the kids aren't involved (the oldest 'kid' is 12 and she will probably join in this year as she is desperate!)!

Peas - I think it's such a good idea.

Do you know who is getting your present beforehand or do you have to guess?

We go way over the top at christmas so I know setting a £5 or £10 limit would definitely not work with my lot. I had suggested an amount considerably higher but they still didn't go for it.

As I have already caused ishoos with my family by suggesting Christmas dinner on the wrong day this year, I won't push the secret Santa idea too much. I'll save it for next year when they've recovered from the Christmas dinner trauma!