Christmas Traditions For a Grown-Up Family

[ShabbyNat]

Hi
I need your help please
My 2 DDs are now 20 & 19, so outgrown all of the lovely Christmas traditions we had every year as they were growing up<img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Sad" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/sad-q5SIe0Cq.png"><img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Sad" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/sad-q5SIe0Cq.png"> The last couple of traditions we had left are not going to work this year, as weve all moved forward
But......I love to have special times at certain points of the year
So, can you all help me try & find some new things that we could do in the build-up to Christmas & over Christmas please??
I need them to be free or to cost very little money aswell please
Thank-you[santa][santa][santa]

We all sit in my DD's bedroom before bed time and DH reads 'twas the night before Christmas. Still do it now kids are 14 and 17. It makes me feel so happy.

We do:

Christmas Eve breakfast out
Carol concert on Christmas Eve
Certain 'must watch' films in the run up - Gremlins, Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch
On Christmas day we tend to just pootle in a very chilled way: take ages over presents, with breakfast and coffee breaks in between, I prepare most of the dinner but dp does the jobs I hate such as peeling potatoes and sorting out meat if the carnivores have decided to have it. Meanwhile the dc pootle around with their presents, have showers etc. Their job is to set the table and make it look pretty, and to sort drinks.
We do a family Secret Santa as table presents, rather than crackers.
After lunch usually consists of a board game and a film.
All pretty chilled and lazy. It's nice.

Two of mine have left home, and one teen still at home. We do December 1 boxes instead of Christmas Eve hampers, which have advent calendars, socks, posh chocolate, and socks etc, and I pass on to the oldest ones in November when I see them.

We often all meet up at a Christmas event (older ones live far away!) and drag youngest DS off his computer to join us. We've done Christmas fairs, theatre, but most successful one was Harry Potter world!

Christmas Eve involves whoever is back at home. We have a Christmas gammon cooked in the slow cooker with mash and vegetables and a huge pudding, followed by a grown up festive film (Die Hard last year!) and a jigsaw gets started.

Stockings in the morning, late breakfast, dog walk, late lunch, and then flake out playing board games and watching films.

I like it better now they can help and there are no toys to assemble and tantrums to avert!

Carol service followed by a glass of something special to watch some good Christmas Eve tv

Night out at the Christmas market, a specific seasonal recipe - mines eggnog, home made sausage rolls, a Christmas ham, gingerbread houses. We all go to the Christmas tree farm together to pick a tree too.

I like the idea of a Christmassy box for the local food bank. I think I'll start getting some nice bits in each week till Christmas.