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 🎅🏻

The only personal tradition I have is singing Silent Night to myself just before I go to sleep on Christmas Eve. I've done this since I was a child.

We always put up our tree the 1st weekend in December.
Eldest son at uni now,very insistent we cannot do it without him and has made me promise I will collect him so he can join in
We always play Wham,Shakin Stevens,Slade etc to get us in the festive mood.
Thet still haven't realised I take it all off and rearrange it after they have gone to bed

I'd just like to add some Christmas reading for you all.
Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
A Hundred and One Dalmatians - Dodie Smith
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingells Wilder
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

Yes, children's books, but so good!

Absolutely loving all of these, thank you for sharing 😍

[quote UndertheCedartree]@CrazyBaubles - I love Muppet's Christmas Carol too - we watch it every Christmas Eve. When 'only one more sleep til Christmas' ends I usually have a little tear in my eye![/quote]
Yes, yes!! This is me every Christmas eve. It fills me with tears of happiness just thinking about it

The other members of my family claim they aren't wiping tears away too, but I know they are

I eat a Terry's Chocolate Orange for breakfast on Boxing Day.

Making the first mince pies on 1st December, with carols on, and probably a glass of mulled wine.

Carols from King’s on Christmas Eve - preferably on TV but if I have to listen to it on the car radio, that’s OK.,

Late night walk on Christmas Eve with dh, to nick some holly from a nearby road with stacks of it, to stick in the Christmas pudding.

The annual polish of a large Zanzibari wooden chest, inlaid with a lot of decorative brass and copper. This has become such a pre Christmas ritual over the years, that the smell of Brasso wadding has come to smell Christmassy to me!

It’s a messy major job, hence only once a year. Looks lovely afterwards though.

@peachescariad

I have every version of A Christmas Carol saved on planner and I binge watch them from 1st December to Christmas Eve.

@peachescariad yes!!

It's not Christmas without Christmas Carol. Better still if it's on Christmas Eve, no?

As i've got older i love watching Carols at Kings on tv on Christmas Eve.

It makes me feel like a grown up

Equally it reminds me of when I was younger: My mum in her plastic apron up to her elbows in flour making mince pies rolling out pastry but listening to A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Radio 4 singing to our dog and the cat who i suspect were just hopeful of a mince pie...

I light an advent candle through advent I wear Christmas socks from 1/12 onwards I have quite the collection now On Christmas Eve I watch Carols from Kings with the first mince pie of the season and a port The remains of the Advent candle is burnt during Christmas dinner All my traditions just for me because I have spent many Christmases in many places with different people but no matter what their traditions Christmas anywhere has the "feeling " because I do mine

First thing I have on Christmas Day is a glass of Buck’s Fizz (or champagne, if I have it!). I don’t think DP even knows that I do it, I rarely drink alcohol and we will still have tea or coffee with the brunch.

I also like to do the present wrapping alone, late in the evening, with candles lit and Kings Choir/weird indie Christmas songs on. Hate wrapping with others!

Once Channel 5 starts showing Hallmark Christmas movies in November I start watching them although it's November 11th and I haven't watched one yet! Bad crow lover! I also read nothing but Christmas chicklit from around about now until the new year. I get new ones but there are a few that I love to re-read each year.

I will always watch most versions of A Christmas Carol when they appear on the schedule.

We have fish and chips from the chip shop and a bottle of champagne on Christmas Eve. Always pork pie for breakfast on Christmas morning

We have traditions for DD but I don’t have many for me. Try to put the tree up on my birthday which is in early December & I buy at least one new decoration every year. I absolutely love Christmas so think I need to start some new traditions!

I love wrapping on my own with just the tree lights, glass of whisky and a couple of mince pies.
My dh always watches A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim which is weird as he never ever watches films. I love doing my tree as a lot of my baubles have sentimental meaning behind them, my dd usually helps and must get fed up of hearing where each one came from and who they remind me of can't stand a themed tree

When I go out on Christmas eve morning to buy the last minute bread, salad and anything I've forgotten from the Tesco order, I buy myself a drive-thru Gingerbread Latte from Costa and sit in the car drinking it while listening to Christmas songs and texting my sister. It's just a 15 minute rutual that I do just for myself and I go home feeling happy and festive

I have a beautiful picture advent calendar just for me.
I listen to Carols from Kings on a loop on my phone from about 1 December. Especially by the light of the tree.
Last year I watched the live stream of the sun setting over Stonehenge on the shortest day and I hope this is my new tradition.

the Muppets version is surprisingly true to the novel

The Muppets is an educational TV programme. They don't get stuff wrong.

I buy myself a jar of pickled walnuts and start on Christmas Eve and have one a day till they're gone. I hide them at the back of the cupboard - they're just for me.

Make mince pies every year, it's only me who eats them and so I end up eating far too many but I feel wrong if I don't make them. My mum got us involved every single year growing up and I've carried it on - my sister thinks I'm mad she gave up years ago. And not really a tradition as the film only came out in 2019 but I now watch Klaus on Netflix as much as I can I'm a fully grown woman who is reduced to tears by this Christmas film and my partner thinks I am ridiculous (he's probably right) I had an excuse when it first came out as I was rather hormonal with a young baby, I no longer have that excuse but I still cry.

My festive hobby is gathering all the listings (in London) of Elf and then telling everyone about them :) And going to one of them.

bit.ly/Elf2021London

Jo

My personal tradition is to wrap all the gifts in one go whilst listening to the audiobook of A Christmas Carol.

Stollen ordered from Betty’s

Children watch the original 1960s Grinch (the Boris Karloff one - none of your new horrible rubbish modern grinches)

Home made fried chicken on Xmas eve

Andy Williams Xmas songs on in the kitchen

Beef Wellington for Christmas lunch.

Watching home alone dozens of times on December.

Love this thread, some great ideas and also just a bit of joy!

This thread has made a really shitty week just that bit nicer.

I like to decorate the tree with my daughter’s while DH cooks. I like to put the tree lights on early the next morning and I leave the blinds open so kids going to the school at the end of our road can see all the lights.