Is it too early to ask what your Christmas traditions are?

[lostlalaloopsy]

I love Christmas, and I love hearing about people's traditions!

Here are mine - mostly stolen from Mumsnet!

On the 1st December our elf arrives with the advent calendars, Christmas fleece blankets, countdown ornament, books - most of these are recycled every year!

We decorate the tree whilst watching Once Upon a Mickey Christmas and drinking hot chocolate. I will be so sad when dcs outgrow this film.

We make lots of decorations throughout December to decorate the hall and porch. We also make all the gift tags for presents. Also make a new tree decoration every year.

Go to the local Christmas light switch on and visit the local Grotto. Last year I was an elf at it - so much fun!!

Make biscuits for teachers/nursery staff/dance teachers. I am not a natural baker so it can be tricky! Dc decorate them all.

Make Christmas chocolate bark to give to elderly neighbours. I'm trying to show that it's not just about receiving - not sure how that's working out!

And on Christmas Eve the elf leaves a parcel with new pjs, bubble bath and tooth brushes to get the dc ready for the big day. We put candles in old jars and line them down the side of the drive so Santa has a landing strip. Footprints in the hall and Santa covers the living room door with wrapping paper so the dc can burst into the room!

Nothing too exciting, but it's all good fun and dc's and me enjoy it all so much!!

We do;

Stockings - we all have a stocking each.

Xmas eve hamper - I always got new pjs on Xmas eve when I was young. I also add reindeer food, hot chocolate, new toothbrush and Santa key.

Tree - we decorate the tree and have a mock countdown for the turning on of the lights.

Trip to see Santa at a grotto.

My Dc are teenagers (DS will be 17 and DD will be 14.6 by Christmas) our Traditions have evolved

Dec 1st the little Advent Tree goes up, its been with us for years.
(I'm planning a Dec 1st Box this year instead of a Christmas Eve Hamper)

DS Birthday in Dec , we go out for a meal, his choice, usually a Toby Carvery on the nearest Sunday.

Winter Bedding goes on Dec 1st (it gets the Christmas Fleeces on the week before Christmas)

The tree and decorations go up 10-14 days before, whenever the weekend falls.

DH and I have a shopping trip (DC free) on a Friday (end Nov/early Dec) we buy most things online and just wander about buying random bits.

The opening and counting of the £2 jar

DD and I go to a ballet (they're too old for Panto) , if there's a good film then we all go, if it's Sci-Fi / Super Hero then DH and DS go
.
We drag them all out shopping one night (you can imagine DS disgust )

DD and I went to London last year on the 23rd so we're doing that again. (Oxford Street it wasn't too busy last year , nice to wander about)

We had family last year (DMum/DDad/DBro/DSiL/DCat) but I think this year my parents aren't able to make the journey, so we might be just us four.

I have my Christmas tablecover oilcloth on the 1st Dec then on the three big days (24/25/26) we have the nice damask cover.
And I have a Christmas cupboard for my crockery, last year I bought a lovely robin milkjug so I'm looking for something new this year to add.

TV Times Christmas and a marker pen each to highlight what we want to watch

DD and I always watch 'Lost Christmas' ,

Hoping to pick up some tips here!

Tree goes up last weekend of November or first weekend of December.

We do a homemade advent calendar.

Obviously lots of Christmas films watched too!

Tree always goes up the middle of December. Mulled wine and Christmas music while we do it.
Go and see Santa weekend before.
This year we have booked to see Rudolf on 23rd.
We always go to the Christingle on Christmas eve. Last year we had friends back for fizz afterwards which was lovely. We had fish and chips for tea, may make that a tradition.
DS gets a new book from us and new PJs on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day is here. We each have a stocking, opened in our bed. My parents and MIL arrive mid morning and we tend to have smoked salmon starter at DS lunch time so around noon and then main course around 3.30-4. We drink fizz and open presents in the interim.
Boxing Day- the rules are wear what you want, eat what you want, do what you want. That is I have a long soak in the bath with new smellies then put on clean PJs and wander about tidying and eating cheese, then watch a film.
DS can stay in jamas all day and play with toys.

Chris - I'll come to yours for Christmas! That sounds amazing.

Dec 1: advent calendars come out. We start watching a Christmas film right up to Christmas Eve

First weekend in December, take DC to garden centre and they choose a tree decoration, have hot chocolate and a cake. Tree goes up when we get home, as do decorations.

Christmas Eve, new pyjamas appear mysteriously under the fireplace. We go to the cinema and watch whatever cheesy Christmas film is out, then to KFC for tea.

I love Christmas! In our house the elf arrives on the 1st. The fairy's will have also magically transformed the house in to a Christmas wonderland over night!

During December we have 1 big trip (Lapland UK this year) this is always a surprise for the children.

We try and do lots of winter walks and Christmas light spotting! As well as lots of crafts and baking throughout December.

We visit Santa every Christmas eve, we are up at the crack of dawn. We have breakfast out whilst waiting for Santa's grotto to open. We have takeaway for dinner and open our Christmas eve boxes.
I can't wait for tracking Santa and then watching him fly over!

Oh god we do loads. Usually on the first I do a special breakfast with cereal my ds is not usually allowed, crumpets in the shape of trees, milk with candy canes in etc.

We decorate the flat on a day my oh is off work, listening to Christmas music and then a film on afterwards.

Christmas Eve I take ds to the church carol service and then home for new pjs, a Santa bath bomb and some treats. Oh does usually work Christmas Eve so often misses all of this.

Then like most we do crafts, baking, visits to Santa, Christmas fayres, looking at lights etc.

Homemade advent calendar comes out full of choc/activities, depending on the day.

DS' birthday early December. We get out the tree and put the decorations up the day after.

Go see the town lights being turned on, around 12th December.

Christmas Eve go for a walk: beach or woods, take a torch, see if we can spot FC's sleigh lights. Home for hot choc and Caga Tio. Hit him until he poops presents: Christmas dvd and chocolate (giant tube of Smarties or similar). Watch Christmas film until bed.

Christmas Day: stockings on our bed. Downstairs for breakfast. Open presents. Play all day and have a light but healthy lunch (and try and get some fruit in!). 6pm early dinner we have the in-laws over. Eat. Watch a film.

Boxing day is pyjama and play with toys/drink Baileys/watch the odd film/wash up-organise day. V lazy!

No Elf, no hamper, no North Pole breakfast, no reindeer food, no Christmas bedding. DS is 5yo, he is excited about everything already!

Because I don't believe in Santa, one of our staple traditions is that I sit in on my presents being wrapped by my DP. I can hear the paper, the sellotape, and the writing... but I don't know what I'm getting, because I'm blindfolded.

We don't do PJ all day
They have Christmas PJs ( were in the Christmas Eve Hamper but this year they'll be on the 1st)

Everyone has to dress up nicely . I have brocade leggings and my Christmas Jumper (tasteful one)

I need a new one for this year, must start searching.

Around 1st Dec, we go down to the storage unit and get out the first box of Christmas stuff - the advent calendar that DM made for DD when she was a baby, Christmassy fleece, Christmas bedding for DD's bed, plastic Christmas crockery and a couple of Christmas mugs, and the DVDs and books. They get used from then on.

We always go to see the "Live Crib" whenever we get a chance to go into the city centre - DD used to need to go see it daily when she was in crèche nearby, and its still a favourite now that she's almost leaving primary!

I always take a half day at some stage and bring DD into the city centre, for her "Christmas Shopping" trip. She doesn't usually need to buy much (actually, she's usually finished by then herself) but may still need to get something for DH. It's mostly an excuse to people-watch, visit the live crib, and enjoy a naice hot chocolate/bun together before getting the bus/train home (that's an important part - no driving home that day!). I try to not have anything I am specifically buying that day myself, unless we pick up something that we see in passing, it's all about DD.

We have mostly gotten out of the habit of reading to her in bed. Except in December, when we have to read the adventures of the "24 petit souris avant le Noel" (24 small mice preparing for Christmas). They do something nice every day, and I have to read it en francais and then translated to English.

On Christmas Eve afternoon, we bake cookies for Santa (sometimes from scratch if we have time and energy, others just "slice and bake" from a half batch of dough I put in the freezer earlier in the month). I am normally peeling veg if we are staying home that year.

On Christmas Eve evening, after dinner, we get out the hamper. As the youngest, DD lights the Christmas Candle (Irish tradition) and we have a few moments thinking of the good and bad in the past year together, and people not around for Christmas anymore, then say a prayer together.

Then DD opens the hamper itself, for new PJs for everyone, naice hot chocolate, lush bath bombs, and old favourites reappearing such as her stocking, Snowman hot water bottle cover and Twas the Night Before Christmas. She lays out the stocking and snack for Santa (Cookies she baked and milk, and a carrot for the reindeer) and then heads off for her nice bath and fresh pjs, before we read TTNBC to her in bed.

Mostly, for us, it's about making sure we get to spend time together over the break from school and work. We're a mad busy family and have a lot of activities all the time (I am a Cub leader in DD's Cub pack, and DH travels a heck of a lot for work and wider family reasons, DH and I both work FT). We also need to travel either for Christmas or after it to see the wider family as we live in a different city - we rent a cottage for a few days if going down for Christmas itself as both houses are way too hyper and there's no escape otherwise.

We always start talking about which tree we'll cut the Christmas before and keep an eye on it all year.

We all go out to cut it around the second week in December.

We have ten foot ceilings so can get a pretty big tree but dh ALWAYS gets one too big so we end up like the Griswolds family Xmas with it stuffed in the room and dh chopping bits off.

Do the Xmas box that's delivered by elves the night before. New Xmas pj's, slippers, dvd, Xmas book, hot chocolate and snack to have with it. And reindeer food to put outside.

In the morning we mix flour and glitter and make Santa footsteps leading from the chimney to the tree.

Wearing my Bah! Humbag hat

On Christmas Eve when I was a child, it was bath, wash hair and new pyjamas.

As a teen I would read or watch A Christmas Carol.

We didn't really have traditions unless you count waiting for my parents to go out, hunt for presents, use a dressmaking pin to score the sellotape on the wrapping paper, having a peep then carefully putting another piece of sellotape over the original piece. I'm 48 now and my mother doesn't know I did this.

Also getting up at 5am (once at 1.30am) and opening all my presents whilst my parents were in a deep sleep.

I was an awful child