What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

[FilthyforFirth]

Hi everyone, really I just want an excusr to chat Christmas with like minded people! W

Whenever I am feeling a bit down, Iove to drown myself in Christmas chat, thoughts and ideas.

I find I prefer the build up to the actual day. My absolute favourite thing about Christmas, and it is hard to narrow down, is the socialising aspect. You get to see people you might not throughout the year, as everyone always makes more of an effort. You get to host multiple Christmas dinners, mulled wine evenings. You all get together for panto or festive pub crawls.

I am a people person who loves to host, so it is my favourite part of it. Christmas music is a close second!

So, what is yours?

I love dressing the house for Christmas, usually have 4 trees, 2 real 2 artificial.

Been collecting tree ornaments for over 40 years and love to put them all out on the 'big' tree.

But then get loads of ivy, twigs, logs, cones and start to dress the tables, and make an hanging archway and spend ages doing the fireplace, its a large wide high one so can really go to town with candles twinkle lights, plenty of cinnamon bundles and cut offs, off the bottom of real trees. Oh and make the wreath for outside, and buy plenty of cheap large plastic baubles from the £1 shop and hang them on the large bushes outside.

I change everything each year, the Christmas songs are on and mulled wine......bliss

I love Christmas Eve as we have Cioppino which is a fish stew and always get the best seafood! So delicious. Then we go to Midnight Mass as we are Catholic and have a stiff drink when we get home and usually everyone is allowed one Christmas Eve gift (usually new PJs and slippers) before crashing out before the orgy of gift giving the next morning

That everyone around me is a sodding bah humbug and never really put much effort into Christmas.

I love it because it makes me happy, gives me the opportunity to bake and craft (even more so with the kids). It even makes the bah humbugs happy, they even visit more often because I do like my decorations up at least two weeks before.

I want my kids to have that magic feeling for years to come and pass it onto their own children.

So many more amazing responses, thanks everyone! Cant remember who said about the Nat and Dean CD but that is a staple in my house too. Love The Happiest Christmas Tree .

I also love planning. I have started to write down what new decorations I will need for the new house, who to buy presents for, what activities we will do in December. I will be hosting my mum and grandparents so I am also thinking about the meal and what to cook!

Op I love it when you move house and it's all new and exciting!!

We've got quiet a small sitting room in a cottage, my decks are very traditional reds, silver, gold and whites. I painted a feature wall around the open fire in a cranberry red to match our grey sofa and red/grey tartan curtains etc I cannot bloody wait to get our tree and dress the room this year it's going to be sooo cosy.

My birthday is in mid-December and we normally get the tree and decorate it on my birthday so I love that.

I love having cozy days watching Christmas films and doing the wrapping, making sausage rolls and Christmas cookies. My partner and I both listen to Heart Christmas on the radio pretty much all December

My absolute favourite day is Christmas eve when there is so much anticipation in the air. I don't have any children yet but can only imagine what a magical time this is with them.

When DH takes MIL to the station!

I love Christmas food, I usually try to get in a lot of baking. I like listening to Christmas music. I even like writing out the Christmas cards.

Too many things to chose from! We usually have a quiet Christmas just me, DH and DS, as we don't get much time off work together.

I love chosing gifts for them and watching them opening them, the excitement in my DSs face.

I also love the bits of food we get, stollen and Lebkuchen; and getting the decorations out of the garage, always takes ages to decorate as I reminisce about every decoration.

I love writing out Christmas cards, easily one of my favourite things to do. I dont like wrapping though, mainly as I am rubbish at it!

Orgy that sounds lovely, very jealous! I love the idea of a hallway tree, so you see it as soon as you come in, not sure my new hallway is big enough, so I might have to put one in the garden.

You know what needs to exist? A Christmas discount village, like the outlet places you get for clothes. How amazing would that be?! Loads of decorations, crockery, festive clothes, food. Think I've just found my dream job!

Everything.
Dark nights
Bright lights
Decorations
Wrapping gifts
Planning food
The general fuzzy feeling
Being freezing outside but having a festive hot drink
And now I have toddlers the excitement is magnified by getting them excited too.
I love Christmas!

Ds's face when he has all the people who love him the most in the world all together, lots of lovely presents and good food.

I was pretty ambivalent about Christmas as an adult until I had him, seeing his little face light up (and seeing him be very grateful and appreciative) gives me a proper cheesy grin

My daughters birthday on Christmas Eve. Bringing her home on Christmas Day will be my favourite festive memory forever. So special.

Boxing Day!

The midnight service on Christmas Eve. The mystical, wonderful moment when midnight strikes and we contemplate the awe inspiring love and sacrifice of God, who willingly chose to be incarnated as a human and suffer torture and death at our hands, out of His infinite love for us. The biggest Christmas present is Christ himself, and the only one that gives the whole festival meaning.
For us Christians, Easter is the more important festival, celebrating the resurrection, but I always feel a sense of humble wonder on Christmas Eve.
We used to have a great minister who timed the service so that we were singing Silent Night (the Scottish version) by candlelight, and reached the line “Strikes for us now the hour of Your grace” just as the church clock struck midnight. Reduced me to tears every time!

I love all of the Christmas things leading up to Christmas,I always put to much expectation on the actual day itself and am a bit disappointed most of the time, so this year I've decided to enjoy all the little things leading up to Christmas more and lower my expectations of Christmas day 😂. I really hope it's not a wet December.

I adore Christmas, but I also love winter in general, it's my favourite season.

These are my favourite things:

Cold, crisp air that feels lovely and fresh
Chunky knits and winter boots
Seeing all of the houses lit up with twinkly lights
Decorating the Christmas tree
The spiced apple scented candles
Choosing the perfect gifts for each person
Writing the Christmas cards
Wrapping the gifts
Unwrapping the gifts on the day
Seeing all of my friends and family as we all make more effort to get together
Mince pies
Cooking a huge Christmas meal for my family to enjoy
Christmas songs and carols
This last one is cheesy, but I love the feeling of 'goodwill to all' that seems to permeate the festive period

Oh and one more thing -a proper roaring log fire!

Decorating the playroom tree with my DD’s... a different theme each year. I’m dreading when they get too old and can’t be bothered.

Oh my - where do I start?

Again - it’s all about the build-up for me. The dark nights, the scented Yankee candles (other brands available!) the decorations, the twinkling lights we have EVERYWHERE and the festive films on Sky and Movies 24.

Saddest day of the year for me is Christmas Day night - because I know it’s all over for another year.

I’m mad though - and getting worse. I start earlier every year. Last year we had most of our decorations and trees up for Bonfire night. But what harm am I doing?

I’ve bought loads of outside lights for this year - there will be about 1600 on the house and fence in total. And more if I see some bargains.

The inside of the house is the same. I’m always buying battery powered and plug-in fairy lights that I trail everywhere I can which along with our hanging decorations make the house magical.

We have 3 big trees and about 6 smaller trees that I have dotted about everywhere. Its full time job constantly recharging and changing batteries!

Taking the tree down!

Agree with everyone who has said about the build up - I’m getting shivery and excited just thinking about it! I usually start making mincemeat and cakes in September. Last year was more difficult as had DD in May, so had more to juggle!

filthy my DD will be 19 months at Christmas, and I am so excited that she will get it a bit more than last year!! I’m hoping to make some decorations with her by painting pine cones - not sure how that will go!

My favourite things-
When the shops start getting the first Christmas items in
Driving around listening to Christmas music
Making Christmas food with Christmas music on
Drinking snowballs all December long
Being able to spend more time with all the people I love
The box of biscuits and treats MIL gives us pre - Christmas
The annual Christmas meal we have at the start of December with all our friends
Freezing cold dog walks, and we always put some tinsel on his collar!
When DH has put up all the outside lights, and we turn them on for the first time
Sitting in the lounge of an evening, lit up by the tree and the fire roaring
Watching Blackadder’s Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve
Waking up to a stocking at the end of my bed, and mince pie being eaten by Father Christmas! (thanks DH!)
Watching Eastenders Christmas special a few days after the festivities have died down
I love Christmas so, so much. Always have, but now I’ve got DD I’m even worse!!

Bread sauce. 😀

I love loads.

I always go to at least 1 Choral Society concert in December, and end up letting the emotions pour down my cheeks quietly....it's lovely to let the music swell my heart! (I'm lucky that there are a few lunchtime concerts near work, but far enough away I can mop up on my way back).

I love to lie on the floor one evening, with the tree up and lights on, but all the other lights off (except maybe one candle), and a beverage, and just contemplate the world, year just gone, plan the year ahead etc in peace. I've done that since my mid-teens as my own little ritual (usually one night DH is on a work night out).

I love baking and crafting for Christmas - if I get time. DD and I have done a few lovely things for her class "birthday treat" (her birthday is over the Christmas holidays) and various things for family and ourselves too. I just put all my Christmas shaped cookie cutters together last night to be able to find them easily when December comes.

Loads of Christmas music - the classic party songs (Last Christmas, Do they know its Christmas, Rocking around the Christmas Tree, ....), carols, choral music, country, all sorts.

Seeing all the people rushing around (as long as I am not trying to get too much done at the last minute) and feeling the festive bustle.

The time out for family time, both our immediate family and the extended families, and to catch up with friends.

A few of our family traditions, like the Christmas Candle and putting out the stocking on Christmas Eve, or trying to go for a walk on the pier on Christmas Day. We started a new one last year - a Christmas Eve swim (DH held the towels!! ) that I think will continue.

I love the decorations, and I would love to have more time to decorate the whole house or do some swags and garlands and stuff. But we have a big tree, and lots of candles and a few other bits around.

And I love the feeling on Christmas morning in Church - all the families out and the happiness around the place.

And the food, can't possibly forget the food.

And the eternal hope that we will get both a hike in the mountains one day, and that I will get at least 1 day to sit by the fire with a book, a box of mince pies and a large glass of wine or naice hot choc.....most years I am really lucky if I manage only one of those...

My favourite thing about Christmas is Christmas Eve. I love getting the kids bathed and watching films in their new pyjamas and seeing how excited they are!. This year my favourite thing shou Christmas will be spending it with our new LO in our new house.