First Christmas living with partner and new house!

[CharlieBrown65]

Hello,

We've recently bought a lovely new home. Its our first Christmas officially living together and j want to make it so special. I've only ever had Christmas at my mum's so not sure what I should be doing!

Any tips for a magical first Christmas? Decorations? Presents? Food? Traditions?

Tell me it all! I love Christmas so much and already can't wait 🙈

Well, you have to decide when to put the decorations up, and also, what decorations! Tree obviously, lights, baubles...Anything for the walls (Do people still hang them from the celling?)
Will you be doing stockings, a Christmas Eve box, a first of December box? A North Pole breakfast?!
Have fun working out all your plans. I find traditions just materialize by themselves as the years go on anyway.

My DSis & BIL have a lovely tradition of buying a Christmas Bauble in every holiday they take. Ten years in they take time decorating the tree and it's full of memories for them.

I think that's lovely and wish I'd thought of it

@DominicRaabsTravelAgent you could change the tradition slightly and buy a full set in every holiday destination for the next three-four years - then you’ll be all caught up and you can start just buying the one ornament every holiday after that...

When we first moved in together, we talked about our respective family’s Christmas traditions and decided which we’d like to carry on with, we talked about what we liked to eat and drink, where we liked to be, what our expectations were for the day and how we liked to decorate. I already had a ton of decorations but we’ve chosen a couple of new baubles together every year since.

DH and I do a Christmas movie day every year - usually on one sat in December. We get new Christmas PJ's, get a ton of tasty food and snacks in and then spend the whole day watching Christmas films

Have a chat with your OH and see if there are any family traditions either of you would like to continue.
Sort the practical things first - do you have decorations? If not, can you go and buy some together (I have a lovely memory of a very poor me & DH walking around a shop, buying decorations while adding up the cost to make sure we didn't go a penny over budget).
Is one of you more into Christmas than the other? Try and sort out who will be doing the shopping / decorating / cooking or will you be doing all of it together?

Once you've worked that out so there are no arguments, plan what sort of Christmas you want but don't get too lost in trying to start traditions etc as they usually end up building up over time.
When DH and I moved in together we had no traditions at all, but now Christmas Eve is spent separately (me with my family, him with friends), then we come home, switch the tree lights on and watch a Christmas film.
We have a silly tradition of me putting the decs up while DH cooks a roast dinner and moans about it being too early while simultaneously helping me decorate the highest parts thats I can't reach.
We also buy a decoration from our holidays so I spend a lot of time saying 'can you remember getting this one' and chatting to him about the holidays they came from.
I spend an evening watching Christmas films with all the festive lights on and wrapping presents while DH is out every year.
We do the Christmas food shop together and always buy a chocolate Orange each and enough cheese to sink a battleship.

They're all silly things that work for us

It will be special whatever you do.
I love Christmas too but try not to get too over excited until the big day!

Perhaps do a weekly Christmas shop together. Divide the tasks in half and give him something to do too.

@MissScarlettOhara

DH and I do a Christmas movie day every year - usually on one sat in December. We get new Christmas PJ's, get a ton of tasty food and snacks in and then spend the whole day watching Christmas films

Love this idea, I'm pinching

We've taken elements from both our families, but having been married for 33 years I can't remember what come from which.

1st December the December box comes down from the attic, it has Christmas cushions , mugs, placemats and small bowls, and our advent book.

Mid December buy our tree, it has to be a real one. DH does the lights, I do everything else then DH rearranges it all 😁

Then once it's up out come the Christmas beers and glasses.

Then we eat and drink ourselves stupid for the rest of the month, telling each other that we don't need biscuits, or chocolate as we never eat them.

Thanks so much everyone. He tested positive for covid on Sunday so it's been a crazy week. Sitting down to read these tonight has made me feel a lot happier 🙌