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Christmas

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

Christmas without children

54 replies

Star2015 · 06/09/2015 08:33

Hi,

We're a married couple without children - children won't be part of our future.

How do you make Christmas special / traditions when there are no children?

I read the traditions thread and lots (most) involve activities with children, Christmas Eve hampers, panto etc.

I would love to hear from others in our situation about what you do to make Christmas special / traditions that aren't family/child orientated....

Thanks!

OP posts:
1122christy · 06/09/2015 09:30

Hi
One of my friends and her partner do an advent calendar for each other. She gets small boxes or bags and puts things in for each day of December and he does the same. So things like box of fave Chocs, voucher for dinner, cinema ticket. Can spend as much or little as you want, both set a budget.
You could also have a look at your closest theatre and see what's on.

MTWTFSS · 06/09/2015 09:42

Adult hamper? I don't mean porn (unless that is your thing), I mean alcohol, luxury box of chocolates, new PJs, 12/15/18 DVD etc.

To be honest I have kids and this year I'm doing two hampers- my adult hamper will be more fun ;)

HeffalumpsnWoozles · 06/09/2015 09:44

Watching with interest, we have no children but I love Christmas traditions.

We get an advent calendar but it's of the chocolate variety Grin

Watch at least 2 Christmas films every weekend throughout December, tree goes up on or around the 1st. Apart from baking the same things our mums would make during childhood (his parents are abroad and mine both passed away) there isn't anything new we do for ourselves. It's always just the two of us on the day with our 2 dogs who we do sadly treat like furry kids, presents for them and a doggy Christmas dinner Blush

PotteringAlong · 06/09/2015 09:46

Are you staying at home or going away? A stop in a luxury hotel for Christmas?

PotteringAlong · 06/09/2015 09:46

Oh, and champagne in bed on Christmas morning!

Every1KnowsJeffHesUsuallyACunt · 06/09/2015 09:46

There's nothing stopping you from doing some of the things on the traditions thread just without the child element. Love the advent idea!

How about buying a special ornament every year? You could make a trip out of it with afternoon tea, then come back and put up the tree and hang your new ornament and have wine.
What about a cuddle kit instead of a christmas eve hamper? Include a grown up Christmassy film to watch with new pyjamas or a cuddly blanket, hot boozy chocolate and posh nibbles? Having a bath together and settling down for the night.
Going to midnight mass together?
Going away for Christmas? There's lots of hotels and spas that offer christmas couples breaks.
Our children do Rack-ing every year. Random acts of Christmas Kindness. You could do that if it's something you're interested in?
Host a christmas party maybe?

Lilaclily · 06/09/2015 09:46

They do gin advent calendars now Grin

Every1KnowsJeffHesUsuallyACunt · 06/09/2015 09:47

X post with everyone!

GoooRooo · 06/09/2015 09:49

Before we had children we threw a Christmas party every year for all our neighbours. Usually a late afternoon affair with Christmas cake, mince pies and plenty of booze. We did it initially because we'd moved house and thought it might be a nice way to introduce ourselves to the neighbours but five years on we still do it and neighbours ask about it!

We've continued it since having the children but it's really an adult affair as the vast majority of our neighbours are retired.

Usually the second weekend in December and it gives me a good excuse to get the tree up and decorate and feel very festive!

If I had no children now I'd be booking a very swanky hotel for Christmas dinner and sod the expense Grin

slug · 06/09/2015 09:52

Advent gin calendars????!!!!

Where can I find these things?

MorrisZapp · 06/09/2015 09:52

God I loved Christmas pre DS. All that lovely time to relax and savour the season. Shopping, cooking, drinking, telly, decorations, napping during a Christmas film.. it's just heavenly.

We had even started going to the late carol service on christmas eve despite not being religious. One year we came out of the church to find it had started snowing! So, so lovely.

then DP ruined it by drawing a cock and balls on someone's car

Fiddlerontheroof · 06/09/2015 09:56

Slightly different but I'm divorced and did first Christmas without kids last year. It's not for everyone, I know... But I went and helped at the pensioners luncheon club preparing and helping to serving Christmas dinner for them, clearing up and then lifts home. Was done by 3pm then went to spend the rest of the day with other half. I really enjoyed it, felt very festive xx

iPaid · 06/09/2015 10:00

My friend and her DH have a tradition of going to London around Christmas and having champagne at the swanky bar in the train station which was re-modelled a few years ago. Someone will know which one I mean Grin

potap123 · 06/09/2015 10:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StormCoat · 06/09/2015 10:10

The champagne bar in St Pancras, iPaid?

I adored Christmas pre-DS, when we didn't plan to have a child. For me it certainly isn't bound up with childhood at all. We lived in London and went to the theatre a lot, and concerts, and parties in the run up to Christmas, and often went abroad to friends in Switzerland for Christmas itself. Christmas markets, ice-skating badly, one year the Christmas Day swim in the Serpentine (a mistake!)

PermetsTu · 06/09/2015 10:19

We don't do Christmas too differently now we have children. We've just added a few things that are child-specific.

Christmas Eve is our favourite day. We get up and have a late, lovely breakfast with things like fresh bread from the bakery (buy two loaves so we have one for Christmas morning too), sausages and bacon from the butchers, breakfast muffins, bagels, pancakes etc. We build a fire to burn and put on various things to bake, the aim being that the house smells Christmassy. The pudding has its long steam that day, I put mince pies in, do a couple of starters for Christmas Day and put something in the slow cooker like casserole or stew and once everything's at a point where we can leave it, we go and call in on various people. Several elderly relatives, neighbours, friends who are alone at Christmas etc and we take homemade truffles and cards. Quick, small lunch and switch off everything except the slow cooker and then we go for a very long, bracing walk. Either on the coast or in a local nature spot. We time it so that as it starts to get dark and misty, we can do the last portion of our walk with a lamp or torch and then we hurry back to the car because (we say this to the children but we used to say it way before we had them), the darkness is the sign that the magic is starting to happen, it's just hidden away and we need to hurry indoors in case we see something we shouldn't.

On our way home we collect Grandad and then the interested parties go with him to a carols by candlelight service. Usually, I go home and finish the stew/casserole, make something like an apple pie if I haven't got round to it, sort out any last bits and then collect people from church. In the evening we have dinner, the new pyjamas and a Christmas film we have always done too. Sometimes friends come round and we tell stories, play instruments, sing carols. We watch a Christmas film and that's pretty much it.

Christmas Day we go to my parents' so traditions don't extend much beyond lots and lots and lots of food, presents, more food, bit of television and nibbles, maybe some snacks and some treats.

We do have a tradition of letting a different person each year choose what we have for Christmas breakfast and then the rest of the family has to make it for them. Last year, DD chose English muffins and poached egg for example and the year before, DH chose pancakes.

Boxing Day we go to the coast and DH jumps in the sea for charity. The afternoon is spent with ILs and involves lighting a fire, exchanging gifts and eating only Christmas food. So it has to have been bought for the Christmas season (crackers, nibbles, chutneys, stollen etc) or the leftover meat (always a turkey, a beef joint and a ham so plenty of leftovers) and the only thing we cook is jacket potatoes and bubble and squeak. MIL buys a new game every year and we all groan and complain but we really enjoy it anyway.

We've added in new traditions as the children have grown up but the bare bones have always been the same.

iPaid · 06/09/2015 11:22

Stormcoat - that's it, thanks! I knew it began with P but could only think of Paddington Grin

GloGirl · 06/09/2015 12:18

I loved Christmas with just my husband, although we always shared the with one set of parents.

We are both young at heart so had a lot of traditions for children that we just did without them!

We spent a lot of time and money decorating our house, having a debate over real or fake tree every year Grin

Always have a falling out with Christmas lights ever since our favourite set broke.

We often drove around just looking at other people's decorations playing Christmas music in the car.

I buy expensive cards every year and have a day in early December watching Christmas movies and writing them all out, walking down to the Post Office and posting them. Everyone unless they are a neighbour (or people who judge me for being so wasteful!) gets them posted - I don't faff around waiting to see people and losing cards.

Another big day near Christmas wrapping presents with movies on and eating chocolate

Trips to garden centres to look at new decorations and lament that we are too big to go into Santa's Grotto.

Go to bed every Christmas Eve and give DH the hard stare as I put down a plate of cookies for Santa, a glass of milk and a carrot for Rudolph. If I don't give him the Paddington Bear Stare he will forget to stay downstairs for 5 minutes in some pretence.

Wake up Christmas morning astonished that Santa has visited Grin

PermetsTu · 06/09/2015 16:18

The day I don't put down cookies, milk and carrots on December 24th, is the day I roll over and give up on life. DH knows the deal. He just has to, you know while I head up to bed.

AndNowItsSeven · 06/09/2015 16:22

I can recommend the benefit advent calendar.

derektheladyhamster · 06/09/2015 16:24

champagne in bed - I think I've found my new tradition!

tipple · 06/09/2015 16:25

I love Christmas with children but loved it just as much without.
Choosing a Christmas tree to pick from a field together. Decorating the house. Making mulled wine. Christmas Eve drinks. Honestly I'm nostalgic almost for those days. It's still fun now but different. Pre children I got a stocking and I loved it. Now only they get one and I'm overlooked.

Star2015 · 06/09/2015 17:42

Thanks for all your responses everyone.

At the moment we still visit my parents both on Christmas Eve and Day as we follow their traditions of having lunch at theirs both days and whilst I have still my grandparent I don't think I would want to book to go away and miss what could be last Christmas with her.

We're both limited on what time we can have off too so a holiday away would be out of the question unfortunately (people at work always assume they should take first dibs of the time off because they have kids which is quite annoying!!)

I love the Christmas Eve ideas of going to midnight mass and Permetstu your idea of putting a stew on.

I think we need to make more of our opportunities for lazy weekends at home watching Christmas movies, baking and putting the tree up. It's usually a last minute decision to put the tree up, I.e. We see some houses have them up and decide to get one rather than planning a nice day of it.

I think I would like to make a tradition of going to the theatre too, maybe a trip to London (we're a couple of hours away) that sounds nice.

We're saving for a bigger house at the moment, but certainly in the future, it would be nice to splash out on ourselves with some of the disposable income we will have (once we've moved / decorated etc)... Things such as the theatre, or a spa break. We're not in this position by choice, but I think it would be a nice reminder of the things we can do because we are a twosome..

I'll be sure to come back to this thread as we get closer to Christmas for some ideas.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all your replies :-)

OP posts:
Olafscarrotnose · 06/09/2015 17:45

This is our first christmas with children. I used to struggle a bit with the time of year so we used to make a real effort to enjoy christmas.

We always made a day of putting the decorations and tree up, visit to the garden centre to choose some new decorations, christmas music and hats while doing the tree. Amerreto and baked Camembert for supper.

A Christmas shopping day in the city including a meal and few drinks sometimes ice skating, visiting Christmas markets.

I'm a Christmas film addict so at least once a week in the build up a cosy day with blankets, hot choc and some films

We always have new pyjamas for Christmas eve-one of my family traditions that I decided to keep going even though we don't have children.

On the day itself we do stockings for each other, something yummy for breakfast, open presents, get ready and depending on if we are having family to us or going to them either walk to my mums or get the dinner on.

I found what helped me was to change my mindset from Christmas being a time for children to doing things we like doing, lots of festive food and drinks, lazing about when we feel like it and just enjoying each other's company.

Junosmum · 06/09/2015 17:51

Go on holiday!