In an attempt to make Christmas really magical this year, what are your favourite traditions?

[Yellowballoon77]

Just that really!

Favourite traditions that you do, or ones you’ve heard.

I want to add a new one and make Christmas really magical (not necessarily spending more money, but bringing a bit more sparkle!).

Oh, and the Christmas books and dvds came out of storage on 1st December, along with the plastic plate, glass, bowl and mug decorated with Santa from DD being a toddler (and a Christmas mug each for the 3 of us) to be used throughout the season. While DD's main plastic crockery set has long since vanished (mostly broken and pattern well worn off), the Santa one is still going strong 14 years later, and is still requested every year.

Everyone helps to make the Christmas cake in November, and we all decorate the tree together in early December, whilst listening to Christmas songs. We have a couple of advent calenders, that we've had for years, so the dc take it in turns each day with those. The dc get new pjs on Christmas eve, so they get changed for bed, then we all sit down together to watch The Snowman, put out a mince pie and glass of something for Father Christmas, along with a carrot for Rudloph. Then, we read The Night Before Christmas just before the dc go to bed. On Christmas morning, we turn the tree lights on, play more Christmas music, and open our presents together.

Following

Making a ginger bread house! Or not... Struggling with it more like...

Rolling out and making ginger biscuits.

This year Royal icing and decorating a Christmas cake.

Some sort of Xmas craft..

Obviously putting up Decs usually second weekend of December.

I'd love to get an Xmas afternoon tea in too.

The Xmas sound track.
New Xmas night wear..

We put tree and decorations up on the last weekend of November or first weekend of December (based on convenience, whether they're at mine or their Dad's). I usually let the kids decorate the windows with snow spray.

I usually decorate money envelopes and fill them for advent calendars.

In the past they had little trees in their room but no longer suitable since we moved (and got a cat!)

On Xmas Eve (or Xmas day evening if I have them for boxing day), we do a hamper with Xmas pj's, sweets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, popcorn. I used to include a Xmas dvd but now we pick a Xmas film on prime or netflix.

Xmas day we have Waitrose pastries for breakfast (they're frozen so I stick them in the oven while we're opening presents). As they're a bit older now, I'm planning to let them have a glass of prosecco too.

Not sure if you've got DC or how old, but when mine were younger we also made salt dough decorations, put out reindeer food, mince pie/carrot/alcohol on a plate, magic key on the doorstep.

I love to take a day off in early December and collect dc from school.
The come home to their room decorated with their christmas duvet covers and lights and their own little tree. They spend the afternoon decorating their tree. I also have a box of christmas books and their Christmas jumpers laid out for them. It's lovely

I love all these ideas! Especially as I have young children so would love to start some family traditions. We dont really have any from our families

All lovely ideas. Thanks for sharing - I'll definitely be trying some of these out as we're yet to establish any traditions for our little ones

I always watch It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. I'll have a class of bubbles and bribe one of my teenagers to watch it with me. I watch it every year and ALWAYS cry!

We make a big deal of switching on our outside lights, have a countdown and special drinks like hot choc.

In December when our tree is up the kids sometimes have picnics in front of the tree. We lay out a mat, turn the big lights off and they have a twinkly light lit dinner.

We buy a ready made gingerbread house and loads of sweets and decorate it together mid December.

We make paper decorations like snowflakes and paper chains.

Both kids have their own small Christmas tree in their bedrooms. They love decorating it and it can be as tacky as they like! I buy them a new decoration to add to their collection every year, they are four and eight so love robot, dinosaur, unicorn decorations etc.

@Goldenphoenix

We make a big deal of switching on our outside lights, have a countdown and special drinks like hot choc.

In December when our tree is up the kids sometimes have picnics in front of the tree. We lay out a mat, turn the big lights off and they have a twinkly light lit dinner.

We buy a ready made gingerbread house and loads of sweets and decorate it together mid December.

We make paper decorations like snowflakes and paper chains.

Both kids have their own small Christmas tree in their bedrooms. They love decorating it and it can be as tacky as they like! I buy them a new decoration to add to their collection every year, they are four and eight so love robot, dinosaur, unicorn decorations etc.

Who does the switch on? I hear that Peter Andre is very affordable

Do the kids choose their own tree decorations or do you buy them?

@WillSantaBeComingToTown
Ha ha, would pay Peter Andre to stay away! One of us parents do it and then everyone has to ooh and aah!

Family crafting - always includes wrapping paper paper chains and cut paper snowflakes.

Cutting tree at a Christmas tree wood.

Drive to see Christmas lights.

Christmas Eve, we make chocolate truffles and decorate our gingerbread house.

Also Christmas Eve, we are still hoping to get our annual trip in the Santa train (but doubt there will be a crib service).

Christmas Eve tracking Santa on NORAD.

Christmas books left for the children at the end of Dinovember. Last year they had the Jolly Christmas Postmas and the Christmasaurus. This year, they are getting a boxed set of the Girl who saved Christmas and the other book by the same author. We then red these at bedtime throughout December.

1st December basket arrives with all the Christmas books, jigsaws, mugs and some extra decorations for around the house- snowglobe, candles, etc. It’s all reused each year but I pop some extra treats in the basket- nice chocolates, biscuits, a bone for the dog.
We always do a reverse advent calendar. This year I have set it up in the spare room on some shelves. It is a random selection of long life food stuff and toiletries so it looks like a little shop. The children will each choose one item every day to put in a box and we will deliver it on Christmas Eve. I’m not in the U.K. but it’s similar to a food bank. They have a huge collection drive at Christmas and then distribute it over the following months. Would this work in the U.K. or do they ask for donations to arrive earlier?

We go a local Christmas tree festival, have a North Pole Breakfast whilst watching a Christmassy film. We have the same fabric advent calender we've had for 15 years and I do a combination of gifts/sweets and activities for my ds. Me and ds dress the tree together and always have done. We got our tree when we got married so it's 21 years old but it has lasted so well and we love it. The same with decs, we usually add one new decoration to the tree but we never change them as they all have special meaning and memories. Ds also has the same stocking and Christmas sack he got as a baby. We always have a Christmas eve buffet and also as churchgoers go to church every Christmas eve. Ds is 15 now but loves Christmas and our traditions.

Our DC’s are adults now so our traditions have adapted:
Sometime in December but always a weekend, I grab whoever is available and we put up the trees whilst listening to Christmas music, wearing Santa hats (I actually wear Christmas deeley boppers) and drinking mulled wine. We usually start after lunch and the big tree is up and twinkling just as daylight is fading, it’s lovely.
Christmas Eve - we peel the Christmas Day veg whilst watching Carols from Kings then lay the table for the big day.
Christmas Day - apart from me & DH, everyone’s who’s eating lunch with us gets a ‘table present’ (about £5-£10),
Sometime over Christmas we have a quiz. We have an engraved trophy ‘Christmas Brainbox’ that’s awarded to the winner.

We chose a Christmas tree from the local tree farm all together and take a photo together before it's cut down
We go out for a late lunch Christmas Eve somewhere really nice in town then walk through the Christmas market in the square looking at the lights and going on the rides so no cooking and tidying up Christmas Eve-
We each cook our 'signature ' dish for lunch ie DD makes her red cabbage. Auntie M makes the stuffing etc. Bonus if they are made in advance and in the freezer ! I started this to reduce my load Christmas day and to ensure everyone in the household contributes.

@BackInSeptember. I do table presents-crackers are a waste of money, and I can't stand paper hats anyway.

@sueelleker

We always have table crackers too 😀
But this year I’ve got some Robin Reed crackers which contain nutcracker decorations for the tree - so something that will be reused and not just dumped in the bin.