What are your Christmas traditions?

[Babyshark2018]

I feel like I can get excited about Christmas now as I’ve been shopping this morning and seen lots of Christmas things everywhere!

I had a baby in July so this is our first Christmas as a family and I feel like I need to start some traditions. I will be buying stockings soon and I want to do matching pajamas (yes cheesy I know!) . I also have a family Angel (dating back all the way to... 1997 ...) that goes on top of the tree. Cranberry sauce gets made end of November for gifts!

Please share your traditions so I can get some ideas and get excited about my little girls first Christmas.

We also light the Christmas Candle on Christmas Eve - its an Irish tradition that the youngest in the household lights it (with lots of help from an adult until they are old enough!), and then placed in the window (or on the mantelpiece in ours) to show any weary travelers on the road that although the Inn at Bethlehem was full, there is room in our inn.

Late November we will go to a garden centre or similar and children choose a new decoration for the tree

We do elf of the shelf (we have two elves now as apparently they can't share.). Is hard work but ,my eldest talks about the elf all year so shows how much they enjoy it.

I made them a calendar with pockets which has chocolate in most days and something special every few days like a kinder egg or blind bag.

Christmas eve bags which have new books, new pyjamas and a dvd in. Did a bath bomb last year which was enjoyed.

Christmas Eve I do coke gammon, which makes the house smell amazing. While that is cooking I do some baking with DC, Christmas rocky road which we leave for Santa (they are too old now but it's tradition), chocolate brownies and a baked lemon cheesecake. No one in our house likes Christmas pud so they are our puddings with nice ice cream. In the afternoon OH takes them out to visit his aunts and they give them flowers. I have a bit of peace to potter around, then we have the coke gammon with eggs and chips they have brought back from the chip shop.

We don’t have any traditions as such, I may steal a couple from here.

Our decorations always go on December 1st and our DD’s take it in turns putting the star on top or the memorial bauble for their grandad.

They have advent calendars on the first - normally a chocolate one and a toy/Lego/play doh one a tradition I wish I never started.

I always make a personalised video for each of the DD’s from Father Christmas, I can’t remember the name of the site at the moment but it’s free only takes a few minutes and the DC love it.

At some point in the run up to Christmas we make decorations usually stuff like paper chains, salt dough and a gingerbread house.

We always take detours from wherever we are on the way home to search for Christmas lights.

Christmas Eve we all (except DH as he won’t wear them) have new pyjamas - something my mum and her mum before her did - not Christmas ones, just nice new pyjamas. We tend to spend the day at home watching movies and relaxing - we have found it works better for our DD’s. We check the NORAD tracker throughout the day and it has weirdly become a bit of a geography lesson for the dd’s as we talk a bit about whatever county he’s in at the time. We put mince pies and a carrot out except for the year we forgot and when the DD’s are asleep DH sneaks into their room to put their stockings out (and MIL’s if she’s stayed with us). We then put the presents out, put our feet up, eat far too much and get an early night.

It’s my DD’s birthday 3 days after Christmas so we keep the tree up but the night before we take our Christmas cards down and put up birthday balloons and banners, leave another pile of presents, put our feet up, wat too much and get another early night!

The day after her birthday we put our Christmas cards back up and have a mix of birthday and Christmas cards and decorations.

Ours are:

Tree always goes up on the first weekend in December.

I've made a rod for my own back with the next one as I bought novelty calendars once. Smiggle, beauty etc
And they loved them so much I can't stop it.

We visit Santa although eldest dc has stated that's not happening this year. 😔

Christmas eve day they go with their dad to visit their grandparents while I blitz the house and get anything big and bulky out of loft or garage and into boot of car.
When they're home we pop to the local blue cross shelter presents for the residents there. Always makes me sad but glad that I do it

We go to a Christmas carol service in our local church which I totally love. It's the only time of year we go to church and it is magical in my opinion.

Come home and have a takeaway and watch a film.

Christmas eve boxes with new pjs and a lush bath bomb.

Bed for them and I open a bottle of wine. Wait for them to be asleep and set it all up.

Awake at an ungodly hour.

Presents in the morning and always to my parents for lunch. Later in the day if I'm working.

Back home and just chill.

I tend to have everyone to me for boxing day if I'm not working.

I love it.

Christmas decorations go up 1st weekend of December.

Advent calendars (choc & toy) are given on 1st Dec.

We make various crafts over the Dec weekends. Foam Christmas trees, paper chains, Christmas cards, paints polystyrene shapes etc.

Mid Dec (my birthday) we go to a nearby town & look at their lights - amazing displays!! Come home & have hot choc before bed.

Thinking of taking them late night shopping this year which we've never done.

Christmas Eve we take the dogs to the beach & take flasks of hot chocolate (water & treats for the dogs :) ) When we get home (mid/late afternoon) I go & run the bath & ask the dc to get some pjs out where they discover & wrapped gift on their beds containing Pjs & bath bomb. Some choc coins scattered that Father Christmas must have dropped!

When dc in bed after lots of excitement & stories we chill out with a cup of tea & biscuits & watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Christmas morning stockings opened upstairs, sometimes on our bed but I remember the excitement of waking up & opening presents on my own in bed & loved it so they don't have to come in straight away. We usually wake up hearing excited chattering & then someone will rush in! Love it!

Then either DH or I will go downstairs to let the dogs out & make a cuppa & the other will make sure dc all go to the toilet etc then come down & let the chaos comence!

GP, MIL, and DSis usually come round mid morning & stay a couple of hours (they each have a few of us to fit in) I must admit I love seeing them but feel more relaxed when I know visitors have been & gone.

I cook a roast, dh helps with prep & then assembles toys etc & adult DSS plays all the dreadful games - pie face anyone? while I cook/hide in the kitchen.

Bedtime whenever but not too late - relax!!!

Boxing Day - relax!

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I've got 2 dc late teens so changed quite a bit , used to love the nativity plays that was the best .
Now we go to Xmas markets at least once all of us .
I always buy a new tree decoration but it's usually only me who decorates now.
Other tradition is the panto it's always great fun .
I always get my 2 dc new pjs for Xmas eve and a snack of choice .
A nice Xmas buffet tea on Xmas eve and we usually go to pub for Xmas drink .
I miss the whole Santa thing now they are older. Christmas is great when then are young .

We hang up Christmas stockings and finish decorating the house the day before Christmas. Then we sit round the fire telling Christmas stories. On Christmas Day we begin by opening our presents and having Christmas breakfast. After that we go to our closest relative’s place for a few days.
We typically eat a scrumptious Christmas lunch and then we play games with each other too. In the evening we eat our family Christmas dinner. Depending on how much time there is I’ll serve mulled wine with mince pies for dessert. At some point during the festivities we open more presents under the tree.
I announce dinner and we sit around the table eating. At the end of the day everyone falls asleep watching a movie. The children eat together before we do. Crackers are pulled. Also lots of witty phrases and banter with everyone.
On boxing day we head out for a while. We usually head to see the Christmas sales and stroll around for a few hours.

I've imported one German tradition: St. Nicholas comes overnight 5-6 Dec and brings some sweets and maybe a small gift - for those that have been good. Left on a specially placed plate under the bed (my region's tradition) or in freshly polished boots placed by the door.
Oh and another: I make an advent wreath with 4 candles, and we light 1-then 2- then 3- finally all 4 on the 4 advent Sundays.
We also tend to go to see a Christmas play (not panto) and now the kids are older we tend to go and see a classical ballet, there is always a Russian company touring at Christmas.
Christmas Eve is DHs birthday, so that's all about him, and we leave a piece of birthday cake under the tree for Santa! My kids were 10 and 13 last December but they insisted we continue

I really got into Christmas when my first was born 11 years ago. We've built up lots of traditions as the years have gone on.

1st December I like to start the festive season with a Christmas breakfast (like a north pole breakfast but we have no elf). The night before I put Christmas decorations up and decorate the table. I also get out the Christmas books, dvds, cds and the wooden nativity playset. For food I do crumpets in star and Christmas tree shapes, some sweet treats like mini mince pies/ chocolate yule logs, Christmas coloured fruit like strawberries and kiwi. This year I am planning on candy canes made of slices of strawberry and banana. This is served on Christmas themed paper plates and they have their Christmas mugs for hot chocolate. Their Christmas cards and advent calendars are on the table.

Every weekend I do an activity - gingerbread houses, arts and crafts, baking. In the middle of December we get the tree. We go and see Father Christmas the week before Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we go to the Crib and Carol service and on the way back stop off at the Chip shop. I do a nice dessert like a crumble etc. After this the children get their Christmas Eve basket - this year it will have Christmas cups, bubble bath, Choc lollies, popcorn, hot choc, cream and marshmallows. It has had various things over the years including pjs, books, dvds, colouring/sticker/activity books. They then have baths and put on pjs. We always watch the Muppets' Christmas Carol and read the Night before Christmas before bed. Then they hang their stockings on the fireplace and put out milk and mince pie for FC and a carrot for the reindeer.

In their stockings they always have socks, choc coins and a satsuma. There is always a candy cane hanging on the outside. Then there are 3 or 4 small gifts and some chocolate etc.

In the morning the children open their stockings first thing and then we have a breakfast of pastries. After that we open the presents under the tree from each other. Then after lunch we open the presents from other people. Boxing day we meet up with family.

Forgot to say the children have a new tree ornament in their Christmas eve box so are building up their collection.