Christmas traditions

[Vs2914]

Just coming onto see what everyone does for Christmas everyone is so different. The main thing we do is Christmas eve party my sister has done this for around 15 years and even though the kids are all getting up we all still look forward to it every year. I am thinking instead of a Christmas eve box I might do a December box where they will get more use out of it.

Started 'advent breakfast' last year so got all the Xmas plates / bowls / mugs / tablecloth out and set the table on 1st Dec with advent calendars and new Xmas style slippers.

I think I made pancakes shaped like Xmas trees because I couldn't find the Xmas tree crumpets.

Will do that again as I like to emphasise that it's all about Xmas TIME not all about Xmas DAY so that helps to kick off the whole month of fun.

We seem to be the only ones who keep our tree etc up until 12th night. That seems pretty different to most people!

Stockings, carol services, going to Christmas markets, chosing a new bauble for the tree, leaving a mince pie and carrot out on Xmas Eve, going sledging ( weather permitting).
These are proper tradition.
A box on Xmas Eve or 'December box' is not tradition in the real sense. It's naff.

@ThreeLittleDots we do !!

I travel a lot, and like to adopt traditions as I go along.

We do:

Advent calendars
Sweets in slippers on December 6th
Icelandic Yule Lads
Spanish pooping log
Fish pie on Christmas eve
Stockings and presents opened after Midnight Mass
Tree up til twelfth night

I love spreading out the season. It's not about a day and presents for me, it's six weeks in which I see all my friends and family.

Christmas tree farm on the 1st weekend of December though I bought a balsam hill tree last year we’ll still go to the farm and buy a smaller one for the hallway. Spend a few days getting the house ready inside and out, always watch home alone while we put the main tree up.
Pantomime at our local theatre for DH birthday. Christmas carols by candlelight at the church in the village. Christmas Eve party at ours as we do every year, usually for thirty, family, friends and neighbours it’s a bit of an open house for the evening and lovely to see everyone. Christmas Day stockings in bed, lunch, walk, nap and watch films play games. Boxing Day our whole family meet up at the beach with the dogs, everyone brings food the Christmas picnic.

@Noshowwithoutpunch we have a gorgeous wicker basket that we fill with treats, the night before Christmas book, plate for Santa etc and gets ‘delivered’ every Christmas Eve and has done for the last decade. It very much is a tradition and nothing naff about it thank you very much

We have a new tradition that we started when we moved into our new house. We go out and buy one of those light up animals... you know the kind where its polar bears, penguins, presents etc.
This will be year 4 so im excited to see what gaudy light up animal we can buy this year.

We also have a tradition where we buy each other some lego and first to put it together wins. So far its 6:4 to me. I hope to maintain my crown this year.

@thecatsthecats

I travel a lot, and like to adopt traditions as I go along.

We do:

Advent calendars
Sweets in slippers on December 6th
Icelandic Yule Lads
Spanish pooping log
Fish pie on Christmas eve
Stockings and presents opened after Midnight Mass
Tree up til twelfth night

I love spreading out the season. It's not about a day and presents for me, it's six weeks in which I see all my friends and family.

I quite like the sound of Icelandic Yule Lads but not sure of the Spanish pooping log, sounds messy

@Vs2914 Make yourself comfortable on the Christmas topic - so many lovely threads on all aspects of Christmas!

This is a great place to start.🎄🎄🎄

I love the traditions with my family. My mums European so we celebrate our main Christmas on Christmas Eve. We have a massive meal, open presents and then at midnight go to church. Christmas Day we have the main family round for food and a long walk. Then Boxing Day I see my dad and his family for food. Have to admit I take my Christmas tree down before New Years as I like to start the new year fresh. This year however I think I’ll be working one if not both as I work for an airline so who knows what I’ll be doing.

I've done a December box for around 12 years now. We always hosted my in-laws on Christmas eve so never had the time for a Christmas eve box
The elves bring a box on the 1st of December, in it are the advent calenders and lots of other christmassy treats. Usually winter pyjamas, a new book each, chocolate coins, hot chocolate sets, a Christmas jumper and a few other things I add along the way. My DC's are 15 and 11 now and well aware the elves are just for fun. But won't hear of them not coming with the Christmas box this year.

We BBQ for Christmas Dinner. Turkey burgers& giant pigs in blankets.

OP- What is a Chritmas eve box? A wrapped gift or an actual, wooden box of some sort? What do you use it for?

@ThreeLittleDots

We seem to be the only ones who keep our tree etc up until 12th night. That seems pretty different to most people!

I keep ours up as long past Twelfth Night as I can get away with-it is a Balsam Hill one though, so no needle drop.

@Noshowwithoutpunch

Stockings, carol services, going to Christmas markets, chosing a new bauble for the tree, leaving a mince pie and carrot out on Xmas Eve, going sledging ( weather permitting). These are proper tradition. A box on Xmas Eve or 'December box' is not tradition in the real sense. It's naff.

I don't necessarily do the Christmas boxes, but what makes some things a "real" tradition and some not? They all have a start date (and often not so long ago as people think).

I think when we all accept that there isn't a right or wrong way to celebrate it all gets a lot easier and more joyful. People can do what works for them.

We have a few family traditions that are specific to us. We have a tomten I brought home from when I lived in Finland and hides each day with a piece of Choc for each dc - a bit like the elf on shelf but no tricks and no watching, just a sort of festive hide and seek.

We go out somewhere to tire the dc out on Christmas eve. It used to be soft play when they were little, later on a playground. Now we tend to go swimming, which feels surprisingly festive as our pool puts Christmas songs on.

We always have a Christmas card making day too, which ends with me packing the dc off to deliver cards around our village while I have a cup of tea in peace.

It’s started by accident - but we do our kids’ footprints in salt dough every year on Christmas Eve to show how much they’ve grown over the year

We do a Christmas hand print for our DC.
Choose a new bauble for the tree.
Make Christmas pizzas.

A Christmas Eve box is very much a ‘proper’ tradition in some homes.

I’ve never done it but we have a thread (or a hundred) on this every single year with lots of people falling all over themselves to be superior about it, and there are always plenty of people who say it’s been done in their families for many years.

It doesn’t have to be an explosion of consumerism and tat! It can be as simple and meaningful (or not) as you decide to make it.

What is your AIBU?

Christmas is such a mish mash of influences anyway, some Germanic, some christian, pagan, some Nordic, Celtic.
I don;t see it matters if you enjoy what is going on- it is all harmless.
We leave out the christian stuff, but like to make the whole month of december fun. Tree doesn't go up intil the middle of december, but crafts/baking etc start earlier.

Always wrap right up and walk to our little local church for carols by candlelight (with FIL normally, MIL tends to stay home) and then on to the pub afterwards for a couple before walking home again to put the stockings (pillow cases) on the ends of the beds. We live in hope for a snowy walk every year but alas, this is England
Buck’s Fizz first thing Christmas Day
We try and get just one new decoration piece every year
Traditional Christmas dinner and then a long bracing walk on the farm

@Vs2914 probably a good idea to ask MNHQ to move this to the Christmas topic for you as not everyone wants to discuss this at this time of year. 🎄

We do a December box too. And a sort of Christmas Eve box. The December box has all the Christmas books in, advent calendars, festive clothes, random Christmas bits we'll use in December. This year it'll have tickets to LaplandUK.
Christmas Eve box comes with pjs, hot chocolate, treats for the day, maybe a game.
Can't wait!

@Spikeyplants

OP- What is a Chritmas eve box? A wrapped gift or an actual, wooden box of some sort? What do you use it for?

There's a whole MN board dedicated to all things Christmas.

You can find hundreds of posts discussing Christmas Eve boxes there.

@Vs2914OP - as Ninkanink says, maybe get your thread moved over to the Christmas topic.