What are your family Christmas traditions?

[Namechangeymcnamechange11]

I have two young DC and am starting to look at plans. DC1 is starting to understand - he's just coming up for 3.

Lunch wise, we end up going to my family or ILs on alternating years (not likely to change).

So I'm looking for what can be 'our' thing as a family.

As a child, we always had the same routine at Christmas and it felt 'secure'.

We do our church's christingle and crib service (as we are regular churchgoers). Not the Christmas morning service as we're usually with one of our sets of parents at theirs, not in our local area.

We do a family bookswap as well, where we gift the DC a book to read together with us on Christmas eve.

I have a lift the flaps nativity book that I'm planning to begin reading with them during advent.

What are your advent of Christmas tradition please? Inspire me

For the last couple years, we’ve gone driving to look at Christmas lights late at night. It’s awesome! Take popcorn and hot chocolate in travel mugs, and have Christmas music playing in the car. It’s basically free entertainment for the kids, and it’s nice quiet family time where everyone is strapped down.
Decorate a gingerbread house. We use a pre-baked gingerbread house kit and on Christmas Eve, when it’s finished, we put a LED tea light inside.
My DC also decorate a paper plate on which to leave a mince pie/cookie for Father Christmas.

Decorating a gingerbread house.

Choosing one new bauble each, every tear for the tree.

We have a box of Christmas books which comes down from the loft on 1st December and the DCs can choose one for their bedtime story all month.

We do a new bauble each year, we all pick one each. I mean the tree looks like it's thrown up Christmas but each year we enjoy looking at them as we decorate the tree.

How about a Christmas breakfast tradition? Can be something simple like ready done pancakes.

My eldest 2 we only have alternate years as they also go to their dad, so we tend to focus on the years they are here and stay home just us but the years they are away we go to my parents. Luckily DHs family are farmers and Christmas Day to them they just want to get the animals sorted and get pissed alone

Walk around locally to look at the lights
Watch the snowman on Xmas eve
Read 'Twas a night before Xmas on Xmas eve
Make reindeer food
Take food to the local food bank
Bake gingerbread men
Let the kids decorate their rooms as they wish... think grotto
Hot chocolate most evenings
Make s'mores by the fire
Watch home alone/the grinch/elf
Christmas morning let the kids eat however much choc/sweets they like
Usually a choc type breakfast Christmas Eve/day for the dc... choc croissants, pancakes

Lord know how we don't have diabetes but all festive fun

We go to the forest to pick a tree (it’s somewhere that sells them not just a random tree!)

DD makes (or now buys) me an angel every year

We have a wooden advent train that gets filled with chocolates/little novelties

Go for a drive to see local houses with lots of Xmas lights

Some sort of Christmas Day out - nice grotto and other activities eg stramnrailway, longleat, toy mine etc

Take the kids Christmas shoooong to buy presents for each other and for me and DH. When they were little we took them to Poundland so they could pick anything without worrying about the cost. Then junior age we gave them a budget and took them shopping somewhere like home bargains and now they are young teens we just put money in thier bank and they either buy online or we go shopping. They research what they want to get and what shops they want to go to.

Christmas Eve we decorate a gingerbread house

Track Santa on NORAD app/website

Xmas eve film and luxury hot chocolate

Elves would deliver a box on Xmas eve with new pjs, bubble bath, Xmas chocolate and an Xmas book to read.

Christmas light safari in the car. The DC have great fun spotting them.

We also do a new bauble every year. It means our tree is not themed at all and it's a real hodgepodge of things including ones that the DC have made but we have a lovely time decorating the tree each year and each decoration brings back memories.

Hot chocolate at a café on Christmas Eve, party food for dinner and read The Night Before Christmas.

A walk on Boxing Day morning, it's lovely to get some fresh air and just breathe after all the madness of the run up to Christmas.

I'd also like to start going to the panto and a Christmas carol service but not sure those things will be running as normal this year.

Family wooden advent calendar is filled with activities, days out and occasional chocolate coins. It is usually the same things

Activities include festive movie nights every Friday in December.
Hot chocolate in their favourite cafe.
Driving round to see the lights in their pyjamas before bed (even the now adult one joins in!).
A new tree decoration.
Visiting Father Christmas.
Christmas market.
Baking gingerbread reindeer for the neighbours.

Home made sausage rolls. Bit of herb mixed into the meat and short crust pastry is my favourite.

Reverse advent calendar: put one thing into a box for your local food bank.

Encourage your DC to clear out their old, less used toys for donation to those less fortunate

Listen to carols from kings college on R4 Christmas Eve, as adults this is the start of Christmas for us

Country wall on Boxing Day.

Reverse advent calendar: put one thing every day into a box for your local food bank.

@FinallyHere ah I saw the idea online last year but not in time to do it. Am definitely doing it this year. Thanks for the reminder!

The night before Christmas is a good idea. Will make that DSs Christmas eve book this year.

We all get new pjs, we have a nice Christmas Eve watching films and usually go to the park to tire them out so they go to bed early. Then a nice tea, usually a takeaway, bath and bed. I'll read them a Christmas story. Then we set up their presents downstairs as soon as they are asleep and have a couple of drinks while we're doing it. I usually do another roast dinner on boxing day with a different meat, but a lot simpler than the Christmas dinner.

We tend to go to my parents on Christmas Eve, Have fresh Ham and cobs for dinner with some wine/prosecco. Watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' and usually the Snowman and then go to Midnight Mass. Put all the presents out when we get home and then go to bed!

Christmas Morning put on a Christmas playlist and pretend i haven't been listening to them since November-Have bucks fizz and open presents! We always watch 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' on Christmas Day. Take the dogs for a walk in the park and then come home. Eat, drink and be merry! Home Alone is always on at some point in the evening and play games with more wine! (we aren't alcoholics i swear!)

A creepy film ( not horror but something with a twist) on Christmas Eve

Dr Who - last few years DH has searched out "The Two Doctors" (David Tennant and David Morrissey) which is the best one

When we had guinea-pigs they sat on a festive blanket wearing hats to have their photo taken, armed with the anticipation of the Christmas Vegetable trimmings (sprout tree and gassy little GP2

This is dearly departed GP3 GP4 GP5 (we got up to GP8 they all did photos ) .

We hae cats now ( no piggies ) they just scoff chicken and scorn photos .

DC are adults now which means either them larding in bed recovering to a decent hour , no 5am stealth creeping , or wandering about muttering "Are you making pancakes"? in hopeful tones .

I have set things I cook. No surprises , no veering off plan with food

We do a lot of the ones that other pps have mentioned. Other traditions we have are:

• put lyrics from carols and other christmas songs in the advent calendar along with a chocolate. Sing these each day.

• put out a child's wooden nativity and wrap up baby Jesus. Each day he is hidden somewhere in the house and the children have to find him (they love this). On Christmas Eve evening he is unwrapped and put in the manger.

• For me (starting last year) each day I read a Celtic Advent Reflection from David Cole's book. Also read one of Malcolm Guite's Advent Antiphons each day.

Lovely Guinea Pigs and blanket 70
We have quite a few Christmas traditions, probably forgotten a few.
We buy a holy Advent calendar, and a chocolate one for the DC to munch every day.
We put the Christmas bedding on mid December, they never want to take it off.
Movie nights with the full works Hot Choc.
Panto don't think we will have this year
Visit Christmas markets.
Trip to London to see the lights and shopping.
Trip to Bluewater for Christmas shopping and hot choc and cakes.
Christmas Hot choc in town.
Trip to get our tree (first time this year).
Trip to cinema to see Christmas movie.
Decorate tree with the family with Christmas music, and put out nativity under the tree together and angel on the tree.
Midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Also Fish and chips and hot mince pies and Baileys after service.
Want to involve DC this year in peeling veg definitely with alcohol
Usually wrap presents Christmas Eve but definitely wrapping earlier this year.
Play bingo with Nan on Christmas evening with sweets/cakes/leftovers on table.
Baking sessions making Christmas cookies, mince pies, chocolate cake.
Buy new Christmas bauble.
New PJs to open on Christmas Eve.
Stay at MIL over Christmas, and go to sales on Boxing Day.
Celebrate little Christmas (6th Jan) to say goodbye to Christmas for another year, and celebrate FIL birthday by cooking DC fave meal usually Lasagne and playing games.
This year want to start tradition of Christmas bbq and hot choc between Christmas and New Year, also want to buy a Fire Pit to have in the garden and toast marshmallows.
I looooove Christmas [santa]

DS & DD get matching Christmas PJs.
Watch The Snowman & The Snowdog.
Christingle service.
Breakfast with Santa at a local garden centre with our friends & their children.
Christmas Eve walk at our favourite a National Trust place - we always go on New Years Eve as well.
Santa train.

Cheesy but I write a Christmas card to DD and DS every year. Just briefly summing up the year, what things we’ve done etc. The plan is to give them to them when they turn 18, but I might keep them

When dd was little Rudolf always left edible poo after eating his carrot. Imagine trying to glue maltesers together with chocolate to make a sort of reindeer turd rather late at night.

Also we used to have sausage/bacon late morning - kept dd going to late lunch and reduced chocolate consumption a little.

Later on changed to my family's habit of opening presents about 3pm in the afternoon, just stockings in the morning.

Great thread.
I refuse to buy Advent calendars with things inside so we still open the windows to see what pictures are inside. We have a day making Christingles with oranges and spices, and making Christmas cookies etc.
Stockings are hung on the mantelpiece on Christmas Eve, and placed on beds later on, filled.
Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve with nice buffet and nibbles
DCS come into our room to open their stockings sitting on our bed. This year they will be 30, 27 and 18!!!!
Christmas Day breakfast is croissants and pastries
Church is an option for those who want to go.
Presents are opened when church goers return, or mid morning. No early morning ripping open of presents - always done together.
Late morning we go round to my mother’s for more presents, champagne, smoked salmon etc and then Christmas dinner.
last year was the first year the dcs cooked Christmas lunch and the adults did the dishes - so much better!!! Hopefully they will do it again this year!!
Then we go back home and slob out, watch TV etc.

Christmas Eve - decorating iced Christmas cake with silver ball cake decorations.
Buffet for friends ( doubtful this year)
New PJs and slippers
Trolley Tea ( think Margo Leadbetter and retro food ) wheeled into lounge while we watch TV. Just perfect.
Oh and I cook the turkey on Christmas Eve !

Thanks everyone. It's lovely to hear of your traditions.

I love the idea of hiding the baby Jesus for the DC to find each day! Our nativity scene is fixed together, but we have Nativity Christmas tree decorations which would work.