Christmas traditions

[danij89]

What are your chistmas traditions?
I am doing Elf on a shelf. I am also doing a Christmas eve box. This year the eldest is at her dads so we will only have the 2 year old xmas morning. We will be having Cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
Boxing day is always a buffet.

I like Elf on a shelf I hadn't heard of that before! What's a Christmas Eve box?
DS will be getting an ornament for the tree. That's about it for traditions in our house, but he'll only be 9 months old so he won't know any different.

A christmas eve box is left by the elf when it leaves. It contains a xmas dvd, pop corn, a xmas activity (this year its xmas stickers), Hot choc, bubble bath and PJs.
I am going to start getting the DD's a tree decoration every year but as the oldest is 7 I have a few to catch up with!

I think I have started a tradition last year I fancy keeping on thus making it a tradition I set our dining room table up super Christmassy with table confetti, decorations, all the breakfast things out etc so when dd's came down on Christmas morning dh had the tradition of having to be dressed and have breakfast before presents to build up suspense they get all excited and it looks ace. Dh was on nights last year and he said it looked fab when he got home and got him right in the Christmas spirit! This year I'm buying new plate sets for dd's which I will have set up. I have only just thought as well it might be nice to get Christmas themed sets to bring out only at Christmas- I will do this next year.

danij89 my mum bought us each a tree decoration every year and when we left home we had a little collection to take with us. It's nice that we all have the same or similar ornaments on our tree - my mum has a set of her own as well.

We do Christmas eve market day. Wander round the market, there are sometimes carolers singing, reindeer in the market place, things like that if we're lucky and then home to bake mince pies and set the table for dinner. (brekky in the living room on Christmas morning).

I like to make and bake a lot with my two over the festive period, it keeps them busy and from bursting at the seams with excitement

Like the idea of a dinner set or similar just for Christmas and a fancy table with glittery bits. Best get looking for something

We have a few traditions here. 1st Dec we normally go and see Santa (this year we are going on the 2nd to spread things out a bit), we always get a new tree decoration one day in december, always have a real tree so go and choose it, we always have a treasure hunt somewhere in the middle of dec (usually a book), we always celebrate the winter solstice with a nice winter walk, nice meal by candle light and usually a little fire in the fire pit outside, we always make and decorate a gingerbread house, always have a present xmas eve (usually a doing gift to keep them occupied - this year we are doing a hamper with pjs, book, hot choc etc), always read the night before xmas on xmas eve before the kids go to bed. I love the whole of december! I cant wait, not long at all now :D Oh and we dont do elf on the shelf as such but have a snowman and a reindeer who visit for december and get up to all kinds of mischief. We also always visit the observatory on the first friday of dec!

As kids we always used to have a hot chocolate with marshmallow in our dressing gowns and my mum would read polar express to us before bed. Then when we woke up the next day there would be a box of matchmakers at the bottom of the bed (to keep us occupied) Then we'd wake mum and dad up but we'd have to wait at the top of the stairs so mum could check that Santa had been to drop off the presents (basically she used to just go down to check the time). If it was before 6 then Santa hadn't been yet so we'd have to go back to bed and try again later but if it was she'd call up and say he's been so we could come down. She did this every year until I was 16. My brother and I knew Santa wasn't real a long time before but it was tradition and we didn't want to let it go.
Now I have 3 SC and a 3 month old DS to keep this tradition going.

i like the sound of cinnamon rolls, where would i get some please?

Our advent calendar has a little Christmassy activity in for each day.

We always go and see the Christmas lights at our local stately home (usually on the last day before it closes when it's really quiet, this is kind of the start of actual Christmas for us)

The dcs each get a Christmas decoration in their stocking. The idea is they can take them with them when they leave home.

We make a landing strip down our front path on Christmas Eve with tealights so that Santa and the reindeer can see where to land.

Cherrymonster this is the recipe: sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/05/08/easy-cinnamon-rolls-from-scratch/

You can make them the night before and just pop them in the oven christmas morning. Ikea also sell frozen ones ready to bake.

I love all these traditions and im definitely stealing a few of these ideas!

oh our other december tradition is we always buy a goat for Oxfam unwrapped :D the kids love going on the site and choosing what to send (depends on our budget but last year we did a goat and chickens)