Non Christmas day traditions

[Tootsietoes]

My oldest will be 3 almost 4 by Christmas so really want to start building our family traditions and the excitement of Christmas.

I've been lurking in this area for a while and read lots of threads old & new but curious to know what stuff do you and your families do that's festive to celebrate Christmas?

Of course there will be a making Christmas card and maybe a few decorations but that will be early December so we can send to family.
Putting up the tree and visiting santa are a given but I don't know what else to do that won't cost the earth (like lots we're affected by covid so want to plan ahead).

Last year there was a wonderland type attraction set up but would be £60 for 2 adult and 2 under 3 to get in and we couldn't justify that cost when the kids were so young. We had friends go who said it was good for kids but very pricey for refreshments and the souvenirs etc and only last an hr.

On 1st December (or the nearest weekend day after) we have a Christmas breakfast. I set the table with christmas China (Spode Christmas tree), name cards, menu, crackers and let the DDs order. They love it almost as much as I do.

If you have any fancy parks/stately homes near by keep an eye out to see if they do an illumination type event. My sister goes to the ones near her at westonbirt and they did one at margam park last year where I am in Wales and they're great. You get to have a decent walk, see trees and buildings lit up all fancy, they normally have other things going on and people doing hot choc and snacks. I really enjoyed but and would like to do something similar this year but who knows what we will be able to go to!

I've done the advent book/DVD thing. Its great because you can just wrap up books you already have and maybe add one or two new ones each year.

The Snowman is always on TV on Christmas Eve!

We always had a few Christmas books during December.
And when they’re older maybe read The Night Before Christmas poem.

Me and DH had the full 12 days of christmas off this year and loved it. We basically kept Christmas going. But in very obsessive with anything before the 25th is advent not christmas!

We put wrapping paper over the OPEN living room door on christmas eve so when the children get up and go down they have to burst through. Thats their favourite bit of the whole day.

Every day was a fancy breakfast day. And Ive said in future we are going to have presents on the epiphany too.

We get fish and chips on Christmas Eve. I work in a church, we go to the crib service and then to the chip shop. It started one year when I had left it far too late to make a fish pie and said to DH that I didn’t know what to do for dinner. He suggested the chip shop - I was momentarily scandalised, but couldn’t think of anything else, so we did. The kids loved it and it stuck as a habit.

@randomer why can't I have cranberry sauce?! I eat it all year round! Delicious.

We always read the night before Christmas at bedtime but that's getting later and later as my dc's are now 13 and 17!

Making the cake or pudding or home made mincemeat on ‘stir up Sunday’ in late Nov is my favourite. Not expensive, and we make extra cakes for family which is lovely and means it takes all afternoon.

We read The Night Before the Night Before Christmas on the 23rd. It’s a funny book and the boys all enjoyed it. Also, if I am organised, we read a chapter of The Jesse Tree every night at bedtime, which is a sort of romp through Jesus’ ancestors in the Old Testament. Bit niche, to be fair.

Have fun making your own traditions - every family should have their own things that they enjoy.

Our family have always met up with wider family on Christmas eve- cousins, aunts, grandparents and distance relatives and exchange gifts. Mainly gifts between grandparents and grand children, but a nice chance to see wider family we haven't seen in months.

The next day, you generally attend either a luncheon or dinner at another relatives home (often the parents of whoever held the night before). I know some Eastern European countries celebrate on Christmas eve, but my family are Australian, and it must have been started as they all lived nearby and to have some free time on Christmas day with immediate family?

I have fond memories of a Christmas when were moving abroad and much of the household items had been shipped. TV was stored, so we did crafty things in the evenings. We still use the Christmas tree decorations we made in the Nov/Dec leading up the that Christmas.

Making a bauble with the year glued/written/etched/glittered on might be a nice thing? Or the kids names on a bauble each?

Not Christmassy really but we always watch panto or a play and go ice skating in December.

oohhh, that reminds me. My mum also used to read the night before Christmas. It was a pop-up book which I absolutely loved and still have now in my 40's.

Every year, we go to a local Christmas Market on the first weekend in December. It's lovely, lots of local crafts, food, music and we always let the dc buy one new decoration for the tree each. When younger, we chose one for them. When they leave home, they'll take the decorations with them. 18+ decorations, one for each year of their life, ready to decorate their own tree.

We go out carol singing locally. The farmer hitches a trailer to his tractor and decorates with fairy lights and tinsel and we go round the village singing and collecting for a nominated charity.

Lots of walking to see houses all decorated for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we do a very long walk on the coast or through a forest and see if we can hear sleigh bells or spot shooting stars as the sun sets. We tell traditional stories as we walk and always end up with our torches lit and the stories getting more festive. We have gingerbread towards the end of the walk and spiced warm apple from a flask. It wears the children out but its also quite lovely.

We make shortbread and gingerbread and similar and deliver it to friends in the village in lieu of cards.

The children decorate the Christmas cake with Grandma every year. Usually the Saturday before school breaks up and we play carols while they do it.

Lots of baking too. We make sausage rolls and mince pies and Christmas pudding and truffles. These are usually made into a whole afternoon affair with everybody helping and again, usually with carols. Now the children are older (13 and 8),their friends come and join in.

We also do crafts. Last year we made Christmas gonks/tomtes from socks, strings of pom poms, a yule log, wreath, table decorations, as well as stringing popcorn and making paperchains. We go to the coast to find fir cones and foliage for this which is also a nice tradition.

Going to choose the tree is a good one too. We stop at a local cafe for hot chocolate and mince pies on the way home.

I collect children's Christmas books and have enough to read at least 4 every day of advent. But some we only read at certain times. Night Before Christmas is a must for the 24th but check out Christmas in Exeter Street and The Tomtes' Christmas Porridge too. Both perfect for the 24th. Also, any of Shirley Hughes Christmas books. Lucy and Tom's Christmas, Angel Mae, The Christmas Eve Ghost, The Snow Lady etc. They're all so wonderfully illustrated.

There some good suggestions here:

15 Family traditions to try

E very year I take my dc to the Giving Tree in our local library. The dc choose a card on the tree. We go and buy the present there and then, and deliver it back to the tree.

Christmas is totally not my thing. I only do it because it is important to dh. I join in and make it fun because it is important to him. But I find it a hideous overindulgence in consumerism, so I do my best to bring in a sense of thinking of others and getting our dc involved in ensuring others also have some of the joy and gifts.

@ShowOfHands brilliant, poncetastic even

Get ready for the first time they reveal their trees on social media though. Not always a good look to have 18+ random decorations yours might be at the back don't cry

I grew up in a Christian household and we always had an advent activity book which provided an activity for each day. Some were 5-10 mins and then there were longer ones for the weekend. As it was a Christian book, some of the activities were linked to bible passages but others were not based in religion at all. There were things such as stone painting, baking, discussing a certain theme, crafts, reflection. I used to love it as a kid. Even though me and my partner aren’t particularly religious, I always thought it would be nice to do something similar with our kids when they are old enough - a mixture of the story of Christmas, crafts and promoting the modern spirit of Christmas ( thinking of others, being kind) etc..

A lot of our Christmas traditions have developed naturally over the years.

The dc have their own tree in their bedroom with full control over decorating. Obviously they have decorations for it, but some years it has been covered in soft toys, socks or whatever else they decide. Last year they did harry potter as a theme.

We also go on a few days out with grandparents - one will be a panto or play, one to see a light display in a National Trust property, the other varies each year.

The dc get a lot of pleasure in planning and shopping for gifts for each other - there are many whispered conversations and plans are made about hiding places etc.

We have our own version of the Elf on the Shelf - a Tomten doll from my time living in Finland. It moves each day and has a couple of bits of choc next to it for the dd1 when they find it.

We always have a walk around the village after dark looking at the lights.

There's a village party and the man from the local shop dresses up as Santa. He knows all the dc. I have no idea how he isn't recognised!

We always decorate a gingerbread house of Christmas eve (but have to build it on the 23rd).

[quote schoolsoutforcovid]@ShowOfHands brilliant, poncetastic even

Get ready for the first time they reveal their trees on social media though. Not always a good look to have 18+ random decorations yours might be at the back don't cry[/quote]
I disagree entirely. I have nothing but random decorations. Whether it's Victorian glass decorations from my great granny or a Canadian moose, a sloth or decorations made by the children at nursery. I like a random tree of memories.

And the dc can do what they like, though social media reveals of themed trees probably won't be their thing knowing them. Of course I won't be crying!

I get my ds a new Christmas decoration every year, it's normally a personalised one from the elf, it's also normally a handmade decoration.
We have a Christmas book hamper full of Christmas books that I've collected over the years. I donate the one's ds has grown out of and he gets a new one every Christmas eve in his Christmas eve bag.
I give ds his Christmas eve bag sometime before tea, it has a new pair of Christmas pyjamas, a Christmas book and reindeer food in it.
We also have a Christmas movie and Christmas crafts hamper which come out on the 1st of December.
We always have a Christmassy day out to somewhere normally with Christmas markets or the fair.
I also take ds to watch a Christmas movie every year at the cinema, we love it. His favourite Christmas movie at the cinema was the nutcracker in 3d.
Ds always helps put up the Christmas tree while we watch a Christmas movie and have mince pies.
We have a pretty packed December but we thoroughly enjoy it all.

My DC are adults now (they'll be 21 and 18 by Christmas)

We go out for a meal around DS birthday (Carvery -his choice ) usually first weekend in December

DD and I go to Oxford St on the 23rd (or nearest available) it's never busy and it's nice to get some last minute things and look at the shops.
When they were little we went to see the lights and count the Hamleys Bags

Been to Winter Wonderland but it has got so busy (and its ££)

DD and I always watch "Lost Christmas" (Eddie Izzard film) and I might add "Last Christmas" ( uber cringey film last year)

I have a Christmas Cupboard for my crockery (I use the white everyday dinnerset and add my random Christmas plates ) .
Every year I plan my table -I've got a few tablecovers and each year I find "The Thing" which I base my table round .
Might be a plate or napkins that I love (usually HomeSense)

I make a list of what I don't need :

• crackers ( last time they didn't get taken out of the sideboard) ,
• used to have Party Poppers but they spew paper ribbons all over which isn't good because now I like lit candles on the table

-as of last year no tree because my lovely new cats decided to take against it

Christmas is more relaxed with DC getting older . We do the Christmas Eve Hamper on Dec 1st (underwear, PJs , robe )
DD has a Beauty Advent Calander that I make .

And YY to planning - last year I ended up having surgery in October so could only shop online for Christmas . It's not the same !

I have an Advent calendar with pockets, which I fill daily with a small chocolate treat (Aldi and M&S both have nets of chocs that are useful to buy in bulk). I often added in a free seasonal printable from the net - a colouring picture, a drawing sheet, a maths problems sheet, a wordsearch, a story writing page, craft ideas etc - there are lots available and as DCs grow older, you can do the same thing (a printable rolled up) but make it more suitable to their age while still being festive. So simple colouring pictures for toddlers, but more complicated things as they get older.

Also, as they get older, if you have something small as a present 1 or 2 days, make it a treasure hunt with little notes around the house, each being a clue to the next place a note is hidden, and the final clue leading to the treat.

Or other days, putting in a recipe for cookies to bake together later, or a note about an activity you are going to do later or maybe something like microwave popcorn for a seasonal movie in the afternoon etc.

Something that can be useful for smaller DCs to keep busy over a few days, is a shoebox full of different strips of coloured paper and some sellotape - to allow them to make paper chains, put it away when they've had enough, but keep adding to the length until it is big enough to use.

Other crafts like paper snowflakes, paper plates/glue/glitter, paint handprints to make snata/snowman/reindeer etc. Toilet roll penguins or snowmen or santa made with coloured paper/cotton wool/paint...lots of ideas on the net.

Having a festive "cinema" afternoon - watching a seasonal dvd (borrow from library, share amongst friends, stream from Netflix etc) but making the sitting room into a cosy den and having some nice treats to eat/drink as if it was a cinema visit.

With plain paper/card, making homemade cards for grandparents or teachers etc.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I expect as the years go by we'll fall into little traditions but since I was feeling so out the loop I needed a little nudge in the right direction.