What are your warm fuzzy feeling Christmas memories?

[Onadietcolabreak]

From childhood or adult life.

I long to give my own DCs memories that give them a warm fuzzy feeling when ever they think of them

Mine are putting up the tree with my DM and DB, dancing around to the Phil Spector Christmas album and when my father dressed as Santa and came to visit us Xmas eve and gave us a gift each - I was 7 and guessed it was him, which made it even more of a magical memory. The wonder on my DB face was astounding

How lovely that everyone's memories are time spent with loved ones, not the expensive must have toy!

December 2010 - Family Trip to London.

Hamleys, meal, see the lights, Winter Wonderland.

On the way it was cold, but when we got to London, the snow was just starting to fall.
In Hamleys everyone oooohed over the blizzard outside.

We retreated to Garfunkles, ate pizza then made our way to Hyde Park.

The DC were wrapped up warm and snug like little Polar Bears. My shoes leaked .

They still talk about that day in Warm and Fuzzy Tones (usually "we were warm and dry, you had wet,cold feet" ) . Poor mum

Me too iloveholidays ! Anything a bit Christmassy and soppy sets me off at the moment

I loved waking up Christmas morning, wiggling my toes to see if there was that lovely heavy feeling at the end of the bed that meant Santa had been and the stocking was full to the brim

Onadietcolabreak - I'm blaming being 36 weeks pregnant, but thinking about Christmas this year is setting me off. DD1 will also be 3.9 so understanding a lot more and hopefully will start remembering things now on so this year feels like the first year to start all the traditions... Mumsnetters are helping me with those!! :) DP thinks I'm mad :)

I remember waking up with that heavy feeling at the bottom of my bed too... oh the magic of Christmas!

iloveholidays yes it's had me welling up at my desk at work - I'm also blaming pregnancy hormones!

I used to love the heavy feeling on my feet on Christmas morning, and opening stockings with my sisters.

Now we have DD (and DD2 on the way), Christmas feels even more magical and I love this time of year and the build up to Christmas. I love buying and wrapping presents, making the cake and pudding, planning the menu and wonderful Christmas services at Church. My best memories from last year are Sinatra and Buble Christmas CDs and every autumn I buy M&S Christmas scented candles, which are gorgeous smelling and make me feel so festive.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

As a city child, the annual family outing to the countryside to buy a tree, stopping for coffee and cake, bringing it home and unpacking the familiar old and mostly home-made decorations and decorating the tree with my big brothers. It made a whole day event of getting the tree up. Also the warm light from the tree lights spilling out of the living room door every morning when we got up, and the smell of pine. As a mum now, we make an annual foraging trip to collect holly and ivy and cones to make into decorations with the kids and then go a bit winter wonderland with snow spray and glitter. DS1 is already talking about it now.
Someone on MN a year or two back made the very wise observation that what makes Christmas wonderful is not the money you spend on the kids but the traditions you establish - and traditions don't have to cost anything. Every (skint) Christmas since then I bless that woman!

theancientmariner we've (well me mainly ) have been big on Christmas Traditions since the DC came along.
Some of them have 'dropped' along the way because the DC outgrew them.We used to feed the ducks, then reindeer on Christmas Eve. Now we go for a walk after lunch.
I used to get them in Fancy Dress on Christmas Eve (not now)

But we add a new Tradition every year.And that's what makes it special.
It costs nothing, it adds something new.
And this is what they remember.

And every year I', aware as they get older, they'll want to do their own thing more.
But they still wake up obscenely early on Christmas Day

Going to bed by candlelight on Christmas Eve.

We would get all ready for bed, then go back downstairs to collect our stockings (Dad's old grey hiking socks). Then Dad would give us a candle each, turn off the lights, and lead the way upstairs singing "O Come All Ye Faithful". Then it would be stockings on the end of the bed, get into bed, and blow out the candle.

I can't wait for DS to be old enough to revive that family tradition!

I remember DCs as a succession of shepherds in dressing gowns with teatowels on their heads, back-to front grey-jumpered donkeys, stars with sparkly tights and tinsel draperey, and especially DD (then 4) holding the Christingle candle and singing the first verse of 'Away in a Manger' as a solo, in a darkened school hall.

I'm welling up just remembering it.

Those preschool/infant years were hard, hard work - but, oh boy, they grow up sooo fast....enjoy them while you can, MNers

"Away in a danger
No crisps for a bed
The little boar Jesus
Lay down his sweet head"

My DS aged 4 at Nursery Christmas Carol Singing.

He didn't know 'manger' 'crib' or 'Lord'

I remember one year my Mum was really low key about Christmas - she hadn't even put a tree up (most unusual...) and I woke Christmas morning to a riot of Christmassyness - tree, decorations, the lot. She had waited until I was asleep and then gone to town.
Not sure if it was the same year or not, but one year she also did a treasure hunt - she hid my presents all over the house, each one with a clue to where the next one was hidden - it was fantastic fun! My Mum has always loved Christmas.

Oh these are lovely - I need to start compiling a list of free Xmas traditions to do for my dc...

onadietcokebreak that's exactly my fave memory! I used to wake up and immediately stretch my feet down the bed to see if I could feel anything - feel the heavy stocking and about pee my pants with excitement then would start roaring at the top of my lungs Santa's been!

I just loved how excited my DM was about it. She made it magical by her excitement. I used to lie in bed on Christmas Eve as a kid and was absolutely certain I could hear Santa's sleigh bells I actually still do that

I really hope my little DC's have the same magical feelings at Christmas that I used to have.

We started a new one last year...go to nice coffee shop for a hot chocolate with all the sprinkles and marshmallows and chocolate and cream on before going on to the Christmas Eve crib service. A kind of 'Christmas really starts now' tradition to take forward every year....

Atmospheric music, lovely illuminated decorations on the quiet darkened street, three growing-up childen able to both stay awake and behave nicely in cafes, awesome hot chocolates, festive cheer warmth abound.

Then a little too much festive warmth as DD enthusiastically glugs an enormous scalding mouthful and reflexly splatters it, screaming, in little DS2s face, opposite. He leaps up, spilling his equally 'hot' chocolate over DHs -ahem- trouser front. And a preteen DS1 flapping helplessly as we all shout "Napkins!", "Water!" "Don't just STAND THERE"

But no lasting harm done, and it twenty years time DD will be posting 'I remember the year we decided to make a new Christmas tradition...'

I remember being four and had just heard, "We Three Kings" on the radio. I have a weird photographic memory for music and lyrics. Dsis and I had a little box-seat in our bedroom by the window and I sat there staring out at the night sky looking up at the Pole Star and murdering the tune singing it to myself. I can almost see myself sitting there as an outsider, it's so vivid.

I've always loved songs in a minor key, they really get to me and as a young child it was quite a new experience. Combined with being Catholic and really believing that all this, the anticipation, the excitement, the glittering decorations and twinkling lights was to do with the magical event of the birth of Jesus the tears rolled down my face and I was just completely overwhelmed emotionally.

If I can get my DC to experience half that magic at Christmas then I will be very happy

so many, where to start....

one of my recent ones in to watch the BBC drama "the nativity" it was on 2 christmases ago and i bought it last year on dvd. around mid december i get in bed with a hot chocolate (obviously with whipped cream and sprinkles!) and watch it. i always sob at the end the acting is superb, it's very powerful.

i'll post back with more soon. great thread!

I'm there ! I love this thread ! Will start the going to bed by candle light tradition this year - very clever.

Last Christmas Eve, my husband dressed up as Santa, he waited until it was starting to get dark, and walked past the kitchen window whilst I was putting supper on the table. He stopped briefly, and peered in right at them, and then just carried on past. It was so fast, and I pretended not see, and the children were all Then I made out that I didn't believe them and they were squealing with excitement.