What are your personal traditions?

[WigglePuppy]

What are the traditions that you solely do for yourself every Christmas?

For me, every November I watch as many Hallmark style Christmas films possible. I don't seem to watch them as much in December, it has become a November tradition in the run up to the main month 😂.

Also, at work I only allow myself Christmas songs on every Friday from the end of Nov onwards until at least two weeks before we go on annual leave. Then it is Christmas songs all day 🤣.

Now I sound weird lol!

Over to you guys 🎅🏻

I like factoring a bit of time to get my nails done. I don't have the time the rest of the year (2 under 3!) but it is still a tradition left over from when I was younger working in the city and would always have festive sparkly nails for the work Christmas party and then Christmas.

I might not have a work Christmas party this year but I will still have sparkly nails!

@UndertheCedartree It's a lovely film isn't it? Perfect mix of music, a good message, great story and silliness.
My sister and I still love it (and we're making my niece and nephew love it slowly too) but my mum thinks we're both nuts

Once the tree has gone up and child asleep, DH and I turn off all the lights but the tree's and have a little shag under it before any gifts are out, of course!

DS and I like making faces into the baubles and laughing at our big noses etc, something I loved doing as a child.

Christmas Eve is Muppets Christmas Carol, by law.

Christmas morning is gingerbread man-shaped pancakes.

Crackers are homemade by wrapping cleaned out Pringles tubes in paper - can put great gifts inside! A woolly hat, small Lego set, compass etc, plus the hat and homegrown joke!

A small town on the beach nearby commissions a huge nativity sand sculpture every year, last year's was mermaid themed, before that something out of a Philip K Dick novel, very futuristic. They're always fantastic. We go on 27th and you see all the little kids out with their new bikes or remote control cars - as we've been with ds when he's had such gifts in the past. Everyone is jolly and out with multi generations of family.

I normally go to the British Christmas market in November and buy mincemeat and second hand books, but it's been cancelled the last two years for obvious reasons. Even so, I doubt this year they'd have any British food what with Brexit. No ferrying across vanloads of Asda crackers and tins of Quality Street any more

@CrazyBaubles - my teen is doing A Christmas Carol for GCSE and the Muppets version is surprisingly true to the novel. He knows lots of the famous quotes from watching the Muppets every Christmas! We all love it.

I don't really have any just for me, except getting up an hour earlier a couple of times a week to drink tea in silence, by the light of the tree.

DH and I go to the local Indie cinema on our own every year too. If we don't have the (my) kids for Christmas Day (alternate years), we go and see It's A Wonderful Life on the evening of Christmas Eve. On the years we have the kids for Christmas, we go and see The Bishop's Wife on the evening of the 23rd

I take a day off work so I have the house to myself and spend it watching Christmas movies while wrapping presents, treat myself to some nice snacks to nibble throughout the day and maybe a nice glass of red (depending on who is doing the school run). It is one of my most favourite parts of Christmas, lovely relaxed day to myself before the schools break up and chaos ensues.

@BreakHerOffAKitKat

I take a day off work so I have the house to myself and spend it watching Christmas movies while wrapping presents, treat myself to some nice snacks to nibble throughout the day and maybe a nice glass of red (depending on who is doing the school run). It is one of my most favourite parts of Christmas, lovely relaxed day to myself before the schools break up and chaos ensues.

I was going to say I am 100% stealing this, and then I remembered my DH is now a permanent home worker 🤦‍♀️

@Mediocrates noooooo! Can you send him out on some very important errands?

I really like to write my cards with the fire lit and a glass of baileys it always makes me feel a bit Christmassy.
When we do the tree the Christmas play list has to go on and a glass of something lovely to go with all the decorations and mayhem.
On Christmas Eve I always leave a tiny wrapped gift under each of my DD’s little trees in their room and they can open that one whenever they wake up and spot it.
I don’t know why I stated this one but even though they are older now, young teens they always talk about it and hope there will be there.

Brieandchilli that's so sweet. I can only imagine your 4 year old jumping out of bed that early. It was a bit of magic for her

No real traditions for me except that on the first of December I try and organise the kids to have an extra hour with the childminder and I creep home. Put their Christmas duvets on . Advrnt calendars. New Christmas pj's and jumpers. Change their books on the shelves to Christmas books. Change their bears to their Christmas bears. Fairy lights.

They absolutely love it.

Also we go the cinema Christmas eve. Have also minute mooch in the shops too.

Oh, I almost forgot my favourite one!

Husband takes the kids out while
I decorate the tree as a surprise because it has to be just so. I play Andrea Bocelli's Christmas album as I go, and then when I'm done I pour a glass of fizz, skip back to O Holy Night, and have a small cry at how beautiful it is

@UndertheCedartree

On the 1st December my DC come down in the morning to some decorations and a 'Christmas Breakfast'. I decorate the table, prop their advent calendars at their places and give them things like star shaped toast or Christmas tree crumpets. This year I think I'll do Snowman pancakes. We also have mini mince pies and gingerbread men. I also get the basket down with all the Christmas books.

How wonderful- I wish I could rewind to when my DS’s were little and I’d do this!! I bloody love Christmas and really miss the magic of when they are little and excited about it all. When decorating the tree (early ish December) I open the Sherry and listen to Christmas songs for the first time at home. We’ve had a meal out on Christmas Eve with our closest friends and the children when they were younger every year for around 20 years ....now it’s the adults and maybe one or two of the children join us if they’re not out partying! I really miss tucking them up on Christmas Eve and reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ after leaving the milk carrot and mince pie by the fireplace. Now I have to put presents out in the morning whilst they’re sleeping in!

@ilovebagpuss
I love the tiny gift idea!! Traditions like these will hopefully pass on to further generations and that’s what makes Christmas special🎄

Cook a ham on Christmas Eve

Put my bird decorations on my tree and think About (possibly shed a tear) for my Nana

Have baileys and chocolate money (cheap ones in nets that go on Xmas tree) on Christmas Eve

Go through the Delia Smith Christmas book in November, and cross my fingers the series is on tv sometime (so 80s/90s but a strong childhood memory of watching it with my mum).

Walks round our town and local villages to see the lights.

Arthur Christmas must be watched.

Cook ham on Christmas Eve.

My job involves visiting/working in primary schools, and I LOVE the Christmas build up, seeing the children getting more excited week by week, seeing shepherds and camels wandering around and hearing snatches of carols/songs. Gorgeous.

I read A Christmas Carol every year, usually start 1st Dec or closest weekend. As an atheist it’s my kind of “religious” element of Christmas. I love it and feel like it’s a little yearly meditation about how you need to give more than you take in life. And then weekend nearest to Christmas I watch the Muppets version- the best version- with my sister (and now my kids too).

@peachescariad I do this too! My favourite is actually the Disney one as it's so close to the book.

I have my first sherry of the season on bonfire night. Everyone makes fun of me but it's Christmas in a glass for me!

Christmas Eve is carols in the market square and then walk home and make some mince pies (or alternative).

I do a Christmas movie advent, so usually pick movies out of a hat but always without a doubt watch the nightmare before Christmas on Christmas Eve. Just have to, I’ve been watching it every Christmas Eve since I was about 7.
Always bacon sandwiches for brekkie on Christmas morning, and always chinese for dinner on Christmas Eve... it was weird last year as our Chinese was closed Christmas Eve due to them catching Covid so I had to get something else and it didn’t feel right.

• Christmas cake baking in late October
• Filling my old Liberty Advent Calendar with advent figures & other small Christmas decks/ chocolates for the children to share (Jesus appears in crib on Christmas Eve)
• Sunday advents with Swedish Angel Chimes
• Children get to choose a Christmas decoration- usually their class’s animal name
• Spode Christmas tableware comes out for December
• Nigella’s Coca Cola ham on Christmas Eve
• Crinstingle on Christmas Eve
• Whiskey, carrot & mince pie put out by fireplace - and we read the night before Christmas story
• Mums 1970s trifle & cold cuts for Boxing Day tea

Shepherd's Pie on Christmas Eve, in memory of the shepherds

What a lovely thread, I'm stealing a lot of these ideas!

@OmaSwims

Shepherd's Pie on Christmas Eve, in memory of the shepherds

🤣🤣🤣

I've just started another one, inspired by another thread. Ordered my closest friend and I the same Christmas themed novel, and we're going to do an advent read-along

This is a list

Christmas mince pie and game night on Xmas eve. Christmas Day church and tea that is followed by a movie, snacks and red wine later on.

We also have a family Christmas cake making session and a singing competition five days prior to Xmas Day. Another tradition we have, Christmas stockings and wreath making club one week prior to the actual day.

That is fun in addition. You could even fit in a moonlight drive in order to see the lights and do some art as well. On Xmas eve, I like to pour myself a cup of strong white wine, munch a cheap sandwich and wrap gifts up. You could purchase advent calendars from a local shop in advance to get into the spirit of Xmas.

[quote Squirrelblanket]@Sn0tnose I love yours!

I listen to Christmas music when I'm by myself from 1 November onwards.

We're not American but we like to mark Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner and I put all the decorations up that weekend.

Through December we start watching our top 4 Christmas films over the weekends. (We often have specific drinks/snacks which go with that particular film.)

I watch all the Christmas specials of my favourite TV programmes through December.

I finish all my Christmas shopping by early November so that in December the only thing I have left to buy is something nice for myself and I have the whole month to browse for it. [/quote]
I need to know which films and which snacks/drinks go with each one!!

I have various Christmas movies and cookery specials recorded to watch and don't get time. (Or teen DD is using the TV and box). So the odd night that she is out, I will sit and watch those.

I love to go to a choral music concert (there are 2 choirs I have now found) in my lunchbreak during Advent. If I get a chance, I will also go to an orchestral concert one evening - in a church or the concert hall.

On Christmas Eve, we light a candle to show there is room for weary travellers in our Inn (Irish tradition), but also take the time to remember the good and bad of the year just finishing, and those no longer with us. This is something that DD, DH and I do together.

Similar to CrazyBaubles, I have my own personal tradition (started when I was roughly 16 and babysitting 5 younger DSiblings while DPs attended various work events, one night they were all watching the same thing, quietly, that I had no interest in) - I go into the room with the tree, light a couple of candles and turn off all the room lights, so it's only candlelight and firelight and tree lights. I make myself a nice drink (JD and coke that first time, it's been a wide range of both alcoholic and non-alc since then) and lie on the floor to look up through the tree branches and contemplate the year, and those no longer with us. It is a completely different perspective and a quiet time that is especially mine for over 30 years now.