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Christmas

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Original poster

I need a christmas eve tradition - tell me yours please!

87 replies

IlanaK · 17/12/2006 19:29

We want to start a christmas eve tradition this year, but can't think of one! Our boys are 5 and 2. We want to make it something a little special. One thing i thought of we are having to do the day before as Christmas eve is a sunday (baking little cakes and taking them around to all our favourite shop keepers in our street who indulge and talk to the boys throughout the year). We don't want it to be anything commercial, but we would like to get out of the flat and not have it be just something inside.

Any ideas anyone???

OP posts:
SantaGotStuckUpTheGreensleeve · 17/12/2006 22:24

Ooooh, FIT, thank you!!!!

And there's something sitting here in a Jiffy bag with your name on it that hasn't yet made it to the Post Office.....

olittletownofberolina · 17/12/2006 22:27
Smile
olittletownofberolina · 17/12/2006 22:28

(it's really nowt special btw, just a little thing, but i thought it was nice)

UCM · 17/12/2006 22:31

What is it? I demand to know, if it's something I have forgotten, I will not cope as I am more excited about 'Snowman Night' than Christmas day!!!!!

olittletownofberolina · 17/12/2006 22:32

'tis a secret to be revealed after the 24th whenever Greeny wants (I'll be away in NoInternetAccessLand until 5th or 6th Jan)

nerdgirl · 17/12/2006 22:49

We check out the Norad site every hour to see where in the world Santa is and the boys make sure their butts are in bed by the time he gets to France.

Peridot30 · 17/12/2006 23:00

Expat your tradition sounds the best to me!

We usually leave out mince pies, carrots, milk etc, then sprinkle reindeer glitterfeed,Christmas story and bed for kids
and then i go to Church midnight carol service with my mum while dh stays at home with kids.

jurathernothavesprouts · 17/12/2006 23:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Skribble · 17/12/2006 23:25

Nice simple dinner.

We all go to the family service (my yearly trip to the church, lovely minister always remembers my name and the children).

Come home and kids wrap there pressies for each other and granny and granddad,

They find new Pjs on their beds all wrapped up, great way to encourage getting ready for bed, have supper then put out Santas landing lights (outdoor fairy lights) arranged artisticly on the grass, and sprinkle some reindoor food, leave out drink and food for Santa.

Get kids off to bed, not too early so we don't have to early a start.

My traditions are tidy a lot, wrap a lot and worry a lot .

Skribble · 17/12/2006 23:28

Oh yes like to have the christmas carols on while wrapping too.

My mum and I used to get a bag of the mini boxes of Smarties, we had to open all the boxes and make sure they all had the same amount and share of colours of smarties. Then we wrapped them up like little parcels and bags to hang on the tree, of course we ate all the extras.

fairyfly · 17/12/2006 23:29

here are mine..

you must sprinkle glitter down ( or up) the stairs, you must wake up with a massive smile, you must also have a cloudy secret room and everyone in size order must go first

Skribble · 17/12/2006 23:40

cloudy secret room??? tel us more.

I sprinkle icing sugar and glitter on the door mat and up the stairs and on their beds.

SantasFattymumma · 17/12/2006 23:59

im really looking forward to this year. we wuill be strating some traditions we havent been able to do before.

  • we will be baking cakes for santa in the afternoon. we figure he will be tired of mince pies by the time he gets to us.

-going to midnight mass at 7pm lol.

  • changing into our new pj's. idea stolen from Greeny and PJ's supplied in one of the beautifull packages from the Christmas thread.
  • putting some carrots and water out for the reindeer, the cakes out for santa and a bottle of coke (he has seen the coke cola ad and is adamant that thats what he drinks)
  • putting the special Santa key out on the hook so that he can get in as we dont have a fireplace
  • checking the NORAD site and then off to bed.

then its MY turn.

when im certain they are asleep i will be out with the glitter. some footsteps up the front path, in the hallway and up the stairs.

go and munch lots of big chunks from the carrots and empty some of the water from the bowl.
eat a cake or two and drink some cola...so as they can see Santa appreciated the offerings.

put the presents under the tree, stockings on their doors.

then i intend to sit my fat bum on a chair with a nice bottle of something naughty and enjoy teh rubbish that is bound to be on tv.

fairyfly · 18/12/2006 00:01

I am smiling now, a room full of candles and magic ( smoke and beer) you line up, little one first, little one holds baby jesus

StarrmumofRoyalBeautyBright · 18/12/2006 08:24

Expat - you wait until 8pm?!

pmsl at all of you sprinkling stuff on the stairs that you're only going to have to hoover off later.

Now that my boys are older (14 and 11) we don't do the same kind of things - we used to leave a mince pie and a carrot for Santa and the reindeer, and write Santa a Christmas card. That would always be replaced the next morning with a card to the boys from Santa, thanking them for the mince pie. We'd move stuff out of the fireplace (ornamental/don't have a real fire) so that their main present (which comes from Santa) could be be put there.

For the last couple of years (since my mum died) we've been at my dad's with my brother and his family - so lots of cooking, eating and generally getting pissed!

meowmix · 18/12/2006 09:16

First year its been relevant to DS but plan is new pjs and a special christmas story downstairs by the tree. Then put out ice cubes for the reindeer (because Qatar is a hot country and they're really built for cold climates) and a carrot or apple for them, plus a nice biscuit and dram for Santa. Then upstairs to open the skylight (no chimney) and bed. Once he's asleep (about 18 hours later if I know my boy) we're going to hang a tinsel ropeladder from the skylight and sprinkle "snow" underneath which we'll walk through to create footprints and put his stocking in his room.

Meanwhile Grandad will be drinking the dram, eating the biscuit and taking a reindeer bite out of the apple/carrot.

when I was little we used to have a special supper on a trolley in front of the TV. Only time we were ever allowed a TV dinner!!

Stockingsofdinosaurs · 18/12/2006 19:33

Firstly we will be trying to get rid of the inlaws who we've invited for lunch (because we want to do Xmas eve and following morning by ourselves.) Our kids are 3 and nearly 2.
We are having new pjs wrapped up on the Christmas tree to be opened and worn Christmas eve.
My mum just gave me some glittery reindeer food she'd bought but had been planning to make a more eco-friendly version with sugar not glitter!
Will get The Snowman from the library this week and already have a snowman cutter so will also be doing Greensleeve's theme night. (Love the idea of a small batallion of strategically-placed snowmen on guard .)

Stockingsofdinosaurs · 18/12/2006 19:34

Oh yes, Santa won't be encouraged to drink and drive in our house .

mumeeee · 18/12/2006 21:17

My MIL always spends Christmas eve with us ( she is usualy unable to come on actual Christmas day. So we go out for lunch with her. Then in before the girls go to bed they hang their Father Christmas bags on the landing and put food and drink out for Father Christmas. The girls are now 19,17 and 14 and they still want to do this they all still love pretending they believe in Father Christmas!

SchneeBallFight · 20/12/2006 10:25

we will be leaving a mince pie out for santa claus and carrots for the reindeer then we will hang the stockings on the end of their beds, say a little payer and DH and I will read 'twas the niught before christmas' to them and when they are asleep DH and I will be frantically wrapping to the sound of christmas music ehile sipping warm mulled wine!

nogoeswithbellson · 20/12/2006 10:48

We will be making snowflake cookies in the morning we then go out for a mulled wine and gingerbread man for ds around lunch time. Then back home to put together a gingerbread house, carol service at church at 4.00p.m. then home again where we will be copying greensleeves snowmen fest. Sprinkle reindeer dust in the garden, leave out mince pie and wine for father christmas, hang up ds's stocking and then when ds is in bed dh and I will wrap up his stocking pressies and have champagne and posh nibbles.

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 20/12/2006 11:17

We used to check out NORAD, but now we have to travel to get to Mum's, this year we're staying for 3 nights though Dh has to go back to work at 9pm on Boxig Day, so I think they invited us the extra day to stop me being alone- appreciated.

We all go out for a meal Christmas Eve- that's Mum and dad, me and my Dh and kids, my two sisters, their DH's and their children (one biy each). Also an old friend and her 3, who are siomilar ages to mine. we book early and the restaurant gives us a conservatory (heated!!!!) with a door we can close which is fab

Then we go back (all adults merry as dad likes to buy at Christmas LOL) boys get given their Christmas PJ's and settled, then probably crap TV for a bi.

We used to do Church but we got banned

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 20/12/2006 11:18

Oh we'll make biscuits r something similar for next door, as he's alone for Christmas- we'd have invited him if we'd been here. We do know (as he's my professor) that he's off to India boxing day on the Uni trip for ten days though, and as my friend who is going wants his body he should be in for an intersting time one way or another LOL!

TheArcAngelTLV · 20/12/2006 11:29

mines not exciting, I do all my housework on xmas eve in the morning, always have fresh clean bedding and new pjs, and a takeaway on the evening which is usually a curry however this year thinking its time for a change so might have chinese, dd is nearly 18mths so I will be thinking up some fun traditions for her for the future

CliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 20/12/2006 11:32

This Christmas Eve we are having my sister and her kids around. I'm hoping we'll be able to go for a walk in the country, then go to a navitity mass at 4pm for the kiddies. Back to ours for beef wellington. Then they will head for home, the kids will light a candle on the windowsill to show baby Jesus that there is room in our house for him (dh's family tradition). I'll say their prayers with them and then they'll go to bed whilst dh and I have a baileys and a mince pie!