What are your Xmas traditions?

[Celen]

Just wondering what your traditions are every Xmas in your family? Whether it's a specific breakfast, an activity done every year, someone you go to see yearly, something you like to do for others or for your children?

My DS is just 3 so starting this year with an Xmas eve box

What do you like to do?

We always go to village open night at the beginning of December, all shops stay open late and there is stories and carols round the Christmas tree in the church as well as stalls in the village hall. A lovely way to kick off the festivities.

Christmas Eve we always go to the Christingle service at the church then have dinner with my grandmother. While we are out the elves deliver pyjamas, hot chocolate, reindeer food and Santa's key. Then it's bath, pjs and a short Christmas film. Christmas Eve is my favourite day.

At some point over Christmas (in no particular order) we:

go to the panto
have breakfast with Santa
donate some Childrens Cristmas pressies to local hostels
have a drive around the local area to see lights
collect berries and greenery to decorate our house
go to Church
have a candle lit in memory of loved ones that are ho longer with us
try and make a gingerbread cottage
attend local festive fun night
wrap pressies whilst listening to classic fm
eat own bodyweight in chocolate!

We have a variant of macaroni cheese on xmas eve - random but every year we find a different recipe and have that!

My dd's are only 3 and 6months so we haven't really had any traditions set in stone yet.

Me and dp always watch Eastenders and Dr Who on Christmas Day though, always.

We are doing dd1 a stocking this year too, which is hung up on the mantle currently, on Christmas Eve 'Santa' will fill it and put it on her bed, to open on our bed the next morning. Dd1 has a stocking too but as she's so young we haven't actually bought anything to put in it, hoping we get some small enough gifts from family to put in there just to keep the magic alive for dd1. The rest of the presents will be downstairs.

When both dd's are older we will do the panto every year and also the ice rink which opens every year in our local town centre.

Board games will hopefully become a tradition, again when the dd's are older.