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 🎅🏻

DD and I have watched "Lost Christmas" every year since it first aired -2011

Then added Last Christmas ( dreadful film but so funny )

DH and I watch the League of Gents Christmas episode .

On the 23rd Dec , DD and I go to London ( I worked last year on 23rd due to Covid restrictions , not good to travel to London)
I've booked 23rd off this year . We start at Tottenham Court Road , lunch at M&S or John Lewis and wander along looking at the lights and a snoop into Selfridges . Buy some last minute treats .

A spooky film on Christmas Eve (not a horror but something with a ghost/twist)

Wash the bedding for everyone a couple of days before ( Christmas bedding goes on Dec 1st but DD already has hers Nov 1st )

Dec 1st the Christmas handtowels , kitchen towels , Christmas looroll, Christmas straws , showercurtain and handwash goes out .

My DC are 22 and 19 so go along with it , I can almost hear their eyes rolling as they pat me on the head.
My DD is more into Christmas than DS . DH just goes with it .

I do my List
My Menu
And look for The Thing which is something that catches my eye ( might be napkins or a plate ) that I base my table settings on.

I usually visit my parents for 4 or 5 days over Christmas itself, and I always take the first two Bridget Jones books with me. I start the first one when the train sets off, and usually finish them by the time I come back. Don't know why, as they're not specifically Christmas books, but they just seem to work.

I also try to find a screening of the Muppets' Christmas Carol in December.

@BrieAndChilli

one of our traditions was created by accident really

When my 3 kids were babies/toddlers in order to not have to drag 3 small children to the hell that is supermarkets at Christmas i used to get up and go at 5:50am. When DD {middle child} was 4 she asked if she couuld come with me. I explained it would be really early and that i would wake her once {gently} but if she went back to sleep i would leave her be. to my surprise she jumped out of bed and came with me. She sat in the trolley and we got all the yummy xmas food then ogot macdonalds breakfast on the way back. We have done it most years since {she's 13 now}. on the odd year we have gone to stay with family for christmas she says how she misses our traditional supermarket trip!

Reminds me of our older daughter who, at about 7, wanted to go to midnight Christmas Eve service, usually we went alone, their grandmother was in the house. We relented and got her up at about 11 15 to go, she was very excited, then proceeded to sleep and snore in the pew for most of the service!

@godmum56

oh PS not a longstanding tradition because its not been around for long but also www.noradsanta.org

Our grandchildren loved the norad Tracking Santa, they're a bit older and more cynical now. The very best happened when the Space Station went over at about 6pm, they've never gone to bed as quickly ever!

1st December we go and buy our Christmas tree, struggle to fit it in the car, drive back home with the boot open praying nothing is going to fall out of the car. Arrive home, wonder how it will fit in the house and then battle with it to get it into its stand. Finally we decorate it.

Also on the 1st, Eric the elf delivers the advent calendars. He then goes and finds somewhere comfy in the house to sit and monitor our behaviour so he can report back to Santa if necessary. Eric arrives through the fairy door which stays from Dec 1 - 24 which is when Eric leaves.

Throughout December we have Christmas bed linen on and the Christmas towels come out in the downstairs loo.

We drive to a nearby village and look at the lights as people decorate like crazy to raise money for charity.

Christmas Day breakfast is always pork pie and pickle followed by Christmas chocolate.

Pre-kids I used to love going to midnight mass on my own. I’d come out and everyone else would be sleeping and I always felt like I got the first bit of Christmas Day all to myself!

Christmas Eve I watch the Carols from Kings while the children (now they are both full grown) prepare a buffet. Then we tuck in and watch Polar Express (seen it every year since it was released).
Christmas Day is croissants for breakfast.
Boxing Day is leftovers day, and the favourite day for us all, no stress just perfectly chilled.

So many!
Agree with the hallmark style movies through November, whenever I have an afternoon to myself in November I put a film on and feel festive.
Buy the good housekeeping magazine in early November.
Muppets Christmas carol on Christmas Eve because "after all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas!"
The poster who said they sort childcare and go and have a lovely lunch and mooch round the shops for a lovely festive day sounds amazing, me and my mum and sister do similar.

I try to use November evenings to read a nineteenth century classic. I’m choosing The Moonstone this year.
We are vegetarian at home, but DS1 and I aren’t, so I take him out for a Christmas dinner sometime before Christmas. We’re booked into Côte this year.
Christmas Eve I go upstairs to wrap presents with Prosecco and Carols from Kings.
Might adopt clean bedding idea and new pyjamas for Christmas morning.

Deckers up on Christmas, Eve, down on the Epiphany
Christmas Eve : carols from Kings
Christmas Day: breakfast with vodka/tabasco oyster shoots, It's A Wonderful Life.
Christmas Day lunch: king prawns, dip, potato salad, blackcurrant sorbet.
On the beach with the dog in the arvo.

I enjoy the run up to Xmas more than the day itself, so I also watch cheesy Xmas films in November to make the enjoyment last 🎄
I also buy myself a nice advent calendar, its Ferrero Rocher this year 😋

@TrampolineForMrKite

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).

I read a Christmas Carol every year too and start on the 1st December! It's my favourite story ever and over Dec will watch every version, i have a real soft spot for Scrooged. I like to burn Yankee Candles Christmas Cookie The Polar Express is our last Christmas film on Christmas eve night after watching Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th St and the Santa Claus as a family over the last 2 weeks of Dec. I always watch Love Actually by myself over Dec. The Christmas markets always get a visit the weekend before Christmas. I'm looking forward to Dec already!

Oh and I forgot about Michael Boobie too, he sings to me in the kitchen throughout Dec (much to everyone else's disgust)

Strikingly, there is not much church here.

@Jconnais1chansonquivavsenerver

Strikingly, there is not much church here.

Church isn't really an individual Christmas-specific thing that you do just for yourself, though.

@Jconnais1chansonquivavsenerver

Strikingly, there is not much church here.

Church features hugely here - advent services, carol services, a nativity, a Christingle, Midnight service and church on Christmas morning after stockings but before our main presents.

But that’s whole family traditions, 3 or 4 generations coming together to join the worship and the wonder. I was responding with the things I do just for me, rather than the things we all do together.

Storm in off in a huff because I either get no help when I need it or someone criticises something I've taken ages to do. Usually have a bath whilst the instigator of said offence thinks about their "crime" 😆

I like to have a moment on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both when I just step out to the end of the garden in the dark and breathe.
This started when I lost my mum and had a horrendous first Christmas Day hosting just my dad not because the day was horrible just the pain of it. It’s not such a sad tradition now I just like to go out and exist outside of all the fun chaos just for a few minutes and look back at the house then off I go back in.
I’ve also started buying myself a few little treats that I wrap to me from myself and imagine my mum telling me to get something from her as well.
I di get presents but I really enjoy picking a few little bits myself.

Just thought of another one.

I keep an eagle eye on the 'good' red wine after dinner (if any is left!) and if it sits too long without anyone pouring themselves that last glass or two I whisk it away and hide it. Then after everyone's gone home, DH is in bed, and all the clean up is done, I sit down with the rest of the bottle and a big piece of macadamia pie to watch the Call the Midwife Xmas Special. Peace and quiet at last.

I have cold Christmas pud thickly spread with brandy butter for breakfast on Boxing Day, whilst everyone else has a lie in.

@AcrossthePond55 Macadamia pie?? Do you have a recommended recipe? Or I’ll try a random one off internet, this sounds so satisfying!

@evtheria

It's basically a pecan pie with macadamias instead of pecans.

If you have Karo syrup in the UK, use the pecan pie one off the dark Karo bottle. It's easy peasy.

Every November I start the hunt for a new sugar-free advent calendar, convinced each time the this will be the one that actually tastes like chocolate. I have high hopes for this year's one (as usual).

I make sure I get some suitably fluffy books in for reading under blankets on the sofa. By 'fluffy' I mean the kind of books that are the literary equivalents of a big cup of tea; Agatha Christie and Angela Brazil usually feature.

And I really enjoy a spot of Christmassy crafting. I usually spend an afternoon or two making cards or little ornaments for my closest friends.

@AcrossthePond55 Thanks, the Karo recipe is online 👍🏽

@evtheria

Oh good! We usually have it a la mode with a good quality vanilla ice cream.