You'll find your own way/traditions over the years....but here is our christmas! My kids are dd1 16 next week, dd2 13 in 13 days and ds 10.
Once Halloween is done and out the way I bring down all our christmas dad's to the living room so we can start watching them. We have so many we never get through them all! Then I start doing something once or twice weekly, always when kids/dh in work/school. Such as replacing all our mugs and glasses with the christmas ones. The christmas rubber duckies appear in the bathroom, the house phone ring tone changes to a Christmas song.....just little things like that.
We usually decorate first Saturday of December. So the Friday before while kids in school and dh in work I change all four beds into their christmas duvet covers. Yes even my king size bed. I leave a little something out on each bed for everyone. Usually something like festive bed socks/festive slippers.
Decoration day. Spend the morning spring cleaning. Stop for a sandwich then it's up in the attic to bring down the tree and decs. While I'm putting 800 lights on our tree that touches the ceiling, dh and the kids pack away all our ornaments and put out the christmas ones. Then we all decorate the tree with baubles. We always have The Santa Clause on in the background while decorating. Once we're all done and festive I disappear for a bath or shower because I'm usually a big sweaty mess by now lol. Then for tea we have a beige buffet sat on the floor watching xfactor. I'm hoping to get everyone christmas pj's this year and I'm planning on sneaking upstairs during the decorating to leave them out on everyone's beds. Once the kids are in bed I blu tac an elf door somewhere in the room for the kids to find. I buy a different one every year!
Once the decs are up our elves start "visiting". They come every night and leave the kids a festive choc/sweet of some sort in little tiny stockings hanging on the fireplace. When they were younger they all used to get letters too telling the kids about their day at the north pole and would mention something good the kids did that day (and something naughty if need be!).
In the lead up to Christmas we watch lots of festive films, bake, all the usual stuff. We normally have a party with our friends and their kids just before Christmas.
When we get up christmas eve we find that the elves have left all five of us some wrapped pressies. It's usually new pj's and a pair of festive socks to wear out that day as we spend christmas eve with the in-laws. Once we're home from the in-laws we get into our new pj's and usually have the christmas soaps on in the background while I prepare the veg for the next day. Dh and kids do any last minute tidying. My sister and her boys and either my mum or dad usually pop round for an hour once we're home. Once the veg is done and everyone has gone home we settle down to watch something festive on the Tele, make hot choc for the kids with squirt cream and marshmallows on top (tea for me and dh) and just chill before bed. Only ds believes in Santa now so it's only him we have to wait to be asleep before we can put out all the pressies before we can go to bed too. Kids put out carrots, mince pie and milk before going to bed.
Christmas day. Kids get up and sit on our bed to open their stockings. Once that's done we all go down to open their pressies. Once kids are done opening, me and dh exchange gifts. Brekkie is whatever we find in stockings, usually chocolate. Then me and dh phone our parents. At tea time we go round my mum's to see my mum dad, sister, two nephews (age 23) and aunt and uncle. More pressies exchanging then we all play games, have a drink, eat turkey/pork rolls and just have fun. We are normally back home by about 8pm as we are all knackered by then.
Boxing day. Chill out day. We don't even bother to get dressed! We have cold turkey and chips for dinner and spend the day looking at all our new stuff, watching crap on tv, playing games.
NYE. Party time! I spend the morning making vodka jelly shots. My record for making vodka jelly shots was 170 once for a bbq we had. I put on a buffet and family and friends come round. We play games, drink and eat and at midnight we go out in the street banging pots and pans then sing auld Lang syne before coming back in then everyone starts drifting off. Not sure if this will be happening this year as not sure as will cope with it. We will have to see how he goes over the next few months.
After the shit year we've had (ds diagnosed and treated for brain tumour) I intend on making this was one of the best ones ever. The kids deserve it! 🎗