What are your favourite Christmas traditions?

[Superworm24]

So for a bit of background, I'm a first time mum who had a difficult childhood/relationship with my mother. Christmas was always a massive chore to her and although she would put up a tree and buy us gifts it would all be begrudgingly. I'm sure it was far better than what a lot of children have but it never felt that special.

So I don't feel like I have any Christmas traditions to carry forward. And although our little one is still a baby I'd like to start doing things differently from the start for all of us (because I'm excited for the first time in forever!)

I know I want to do some kind of Christmas eve box. Obviously it won't really contain much this year but I like the idea of nice new PJs for photos in the morning and then adding craft stuff, hot chocolate etc as he gets older.

I have also got the Christmas chronicles book and the advent baking book after reading about them on here whilst pregnant. I haven't had a chance to read either but I'm hoping to do lots of baking and follow along with the chronicles book at the time.

What do you all do to make the run up special?

And then how does your christmas eve, day and boxing day look? Do you put stockings in bedrooms or hang them on the mantlepiece? What kind of gifts does Santa bring? Do you go for a walk at a set time or to the pub?

Thank you in advance for any replies! And of course there are no wrong answers and everyone does things differently.

That will be this one. I don't have it myself, but it gets talked about quite a bit on our Christmas Chronicles thread.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Advent-Festive-German-Celebrate-Christmas/dp/1787137260/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=160848660883&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4pj4xphXjH-4dMmxLqBibCv7mKFYSawpCz7CIpgIJvHu9UKF4XqUa8zTUL-xs-IZAYwb2pixMGq0-bIZnvt6e2ZJOZAJ-Y63YFcwSCRES7KHMILEysDpOt2eBxrHRn0SgbqVF-Q5nZU4WYrH4YhMfxY7a1VdqRP8G-ZB0JTeJwWdworjWziJqyoZ9BKoGDX9PUb9WF7uFdgORd8Tdm9KHw.SpRmrV4lvpn-3_2e3pc0I6b6bbUor8Y9B06l5CXJBiA&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=696967538387&hvdev=m&hvexpln=70&hvlocphy=9180859&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=17961380789969554952--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17961380789969554952&hvtargid=kwd-1459726970302&hydadcr=2560_2293288&keywords=advent+baking+book&qid=1725089362&sr=8-1

OntheupsoIam

Love the Christmas Chronicles! There is a Christmas Chronicle preamble thread - they would know, about the Advent, if no luck here.

Sorry, cross post

Ohhhhh I've never heard of this...added to my wish list!

I'd forgotten to mention that reading The Christmas Chronicles is a little tradition that I have just for myself. I LOVE all the family focus we gave during Christmas, but taking 10 minutes to read the Chronicles everyday is a little moment for me.

For anyone who doesn't already follow the Christmas Chronicles readlong every year, here's a link to our Preamble thread.

It's a lovely, cosy tradition, and you can dip in and out as you wish.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5150816-the-autumnal-christmas-chronicles-premable-thread?reply=137932923

I'm sorry but I don't 'gift' my child necessities, thats my job to provide as a parent.

Also how on earth is it 'more materialistic' if we both buy PJs but I give them to wear on Xmas eve and you 'gift' them on Xmas day?

Do you not buy your kids clothes any other day but xmas? so fucking bizarre, your so desperately looking to be offended your not even making any sense.

Its also racist as the tradition came to the UK (and took off) from refugees fleeing Europe during WW2 where they celebrate xmas on xmas eve. Most christian countries do NOT celebrate gifts on Christmas day which is for church and mass, they celebrate on the Eve or Epiphany. Just because its not how you do it doesn't mean its in any way wrong it just means your ignorant of other cultures and the religion you are attempting to claim.

Oh yes I forgot to mention we get letters from Santa too, we usually do the NSPCC ones but there loads of options even video one now a day. I think Royal Mail do a free one you just need to send a stamp.

We were a religious household growing up so advent was all part of Christmas. It still feels all glowy to me approaching December. We had this big cardboard candle full of numbered boxes as an advent calendar, us 4 sisters had turn about days opening the box. Mum would put a sweet and a note in it or a present if it was small enough. The note had clues to where your advent present would be and we'd run about before school finding it. As we grew older she kept it up but it became makeup etc. I'm struggling to have the children I wanted, but I would totally recreate this for them if they ever arrive. Enjoy Christmas with your wee one!

I was in a similar boat to you op, and my partner didn't celebrate Christmas at all growing up so we've worked out traditions for ourselves.

Every year, we:

• go to a local Christmas Tree farm and choose a tree. When he was little, we decorated during nap time but now we do it together.
• get a new ornament for the tree every year
• take all his Christmas themed books out that night (normally 2 weeks before Christmas) and read one each evening. Last year, my son started to ask us to read them beside the tree 🥰
• do a trip to the theatre for. Christmas show
• make hot chocolate and walk around the streets where people go all out with decorations (we started this during lockdown)
• make a gingerbread house
• choose presents and essentials (PJs and underwear) for a child the same age to donate to a local charity.

Also don't have many positive memories of Christmas but I'm healing that hurt as a mum.

We're a quite environmentally friendly and low consumption household, so try not to go overboard on presents. We also just don't have that much space so trying to make Christmas about more than stuff. We have a number of reusable advent calendars. One is a tiny tree where you put different ornaments on every day, one is little bags which we fill ourselves. I put a chocolate per family member, a joke/fact and an activity in each one. The activities are usually the same each year but switch around the days. Things like read a Christmas story, have a kitchen disco, go on a festive light hunt, wear Christmas pjs, give to the food bank, do a random act of kindness, make Christmas cards, bake Christmas cookies, get the tree etc. You get the jist. It's honestly something we look forward to every year, makes the whole run up to advent so twinkly and about more than just chocolate! Not that I don't rate the importance of chocolate highly 😋

We also go to a light trail every year which really gets us in the mood.

Finally I get a new ornament each each and try to theme that around something memorable for us for that year. For example we have Santa on a red scooter, because my kid had a red scooter 1 year and basically was never without it, a sonic the hedgehog with a Christmas hat, just silly things which reminds me of that year for us.

We always had one of these Crystal growing Christmas Trees on Christmas Eve and then decorated it with the decorations that come with it. They also made gingerbread houses from a kit.

kidspartycraftforless.com/products/magic-growing-christmas-tree?variant=49334140797254&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_sq2BhCUARIsAIVqmQuYZnF54Q_TDWo5oQrUhCvgyqZFgz_L14V9K6Ez93i4QxOJEsTxkJAaArN4EALw_wcB

We always do new pyjamas on Xmas eve for LO as this is what I had as a child (for decent pics first thing on Xmas morning according to my DM 😂)

I have also started making my own christmas crackers, just bought an easy to make set cheaply from the works and can then add my own gifts e.g. nice chocolate for the grown ups and last year did peppa pig figures to go with LOs clubhouse present. It was a lovely extra surprise at lunch time after the main presents were done. Planning on carrying this on with LOs current interests each year!

We go and see the Father Christmas at our local garden centre (it’s magical!) on the 1st Sunday of December and then go for a carvery afterwards.
On Christmas Eve when we get home the children have new pyjamas, a new teddy and a bath bomb. They get in the bath and then pyjamas, we take photos, put out the bits for Santa and then read The Night Before Christmas together before bed.

I'm really enjoying reading all these traditions and memories...warming up an unseasonably cold evening!

I forgot to say that I started buying everyone a scratchcard to have on their plate at Christmas lunch. We won £2.50 one year 🤣 Especially as they've got older, the kids love that.

As everyone is getting on (parents, siblings, and kids) we've decided to introduce a bit more organised fun into the days so we'll be doing "Mean Santa" and Bingo this year. My son saw the Sweet Salad // Biscuit Salad // Crisp Salad thing online and wants us all to do that this year too...so we'll munch on snacks whilst having a few rounds of bingo!

Again, love hearing all the memories...making me feel warm and fuzzy. And kudos to all of you who don't have happy Christmas memories and are forging your own paths ❤️

As in a salad of sweets or biscuits? This sounds like something we would be on board with! Amazing!

Love this thread 🎄 we do matching family pjs from the start of December (not every night of course!), I take the kids on a winter wonderland walk at a local garden centre with my dps, me, dh and our kids do picky teas and Christmas films on a Saturday (and strictly! But dh usually escapes while this is on 🤣), and this year we are doing a light trail with my DSIL, DBIL, niece and nephew.

Christmas Eve we give the kids a box and it usually has a story, a bath bomb, reindeer food, a sachet of hot chocolate and a chocolate coin - this year at Christmas they will be 4 and 5.

I've also started my own tradition of making a Christmas cake for us and my friends mum and dad 🎄

I decided to write my own.

i do new pajamas on December 1st. That way there is plenty of opportunity to wear them “in season”. We still use them after Christmas, but it’s more fun in December.

i buy a new ornament every year. I actually buy 2, one for the tree and one to save so that when dc moves out I can give them a box with all their childhood ornaments while still getting to keep my copies for my tree.

Before having a child, I bought a reusable advent calendar. This is my dc’s favorite thing. This has evolved into being something where every door has a little something inside, generally on a theme suggested by dc.

2 more of dc favorites.

we decorate a gingerbread house every year

we decorate cookies. These are getting increasingly elaborate as dc ages. We now have piping bags and special tools.

Can you explain mean Santa and the salad thing?? I'm so intrigued!!

Your words have made me all emosh too, thanks for a lovely addition to the thread.

Im not that poster and maybe wrong but I have seen videos on line where each kid/person picks out one of those big multipacks of sweets and then they are all poured into a massive container then mixed up (essentially just a big communal pick and mix really). I think that might be the 'sweet salad'.

What are your favourite Christmas traditions?

I read that as tampons and thought I was missing something?

Light up, singing when clapped, sparkly? So many ideas!

Oh good! Love the idea of us getting excited for Christmas time!

Yes, as the poster above said...it's this silly thing on social media with people just contributing their favourite crisps / biscuits / sweets to a shared bowl and everyone enjoying it. It sounds absolutely pants when you write it down 🤣 but like with lots of things on socials, it's just something a bit silly! 😄 And who doesn't love a load of biscuits / sweets or crisps at Christmas 🤣

The "Mean Santa" - I saw this on another thread....so excuse my terrible explanation! You buy some silly, cheap presents (enough for 3 ish for everyone) wrap them up, and it's a bit of a mystery as to what everything is.

You take turns with dice, first to roll a six wins a prize. Go round till all the presents have been 'won'. Then go round again and if you roll a six you can steal a present from someone else (goes on for 10 - 15 mins) then you can all open your presents. Then (!!) you play again, but now you know what everyone has you know you might really want the prize that Auntie Pat has etc. Again that bit's timed.

I saw people have different ways of playing it, but that's what we did the other day. My kids are ND so we need to have a few practice runs of something before doing it with family! Though no doubt it'll be my Dad, a bit tipsy on bucks fizz on Christmas Day and not really listening who'll cause the most bother when we do actually try to play it!!

Sorry for the huge post 😄

Yes!! Haha...my kids were absolutely tickled by the idea of a "salad" made of sweets or crisps etc! 🤣

Bit like a homemade version of that M&S Munch Mix but with all your favourite things.

Quite liked the idea of everyone choosing something and bringing it to contribute on the day...then having it to nibble on for family games time 😊😊

Here’s my favourite - each year, where ever we go on holiday, or any special visits/occasion we get a bauble. I love it because each year when we put the decorations we talk about the memories “do you remember when we went to edinburgh in 2018” ect. We even have a 2020 one which says claps for carers, toilet roll challenge ect on - we have a good laugh at the strange things we did during that time.
It results in a tree that shows our memories and a really good time putting it up!

My mum was not big on christmas either and my dad positively hated it so here's a few things I do to make it special. 1st Dec - christmas books out for bedtime stories. Christmas films every Sunday afternoon. The kids enjoy a village walk with a thermos of hot chocolate to look at the lights, at night, the week before christmas. A candlelight carol service or christingle. We decorate the tree 2 weeks before christmas, after bedtime, then get the kids up for a midnight feast of mince pies with candles and christmas music on. New pjs on christmas eve and santa always leaves sparkly footprints by the fire (flour sifted with silver glitter!). Stockings are always downstairs as we have light sleepers! And we have party food on christmas day so no one misses present excitement and have christmas dinner on boxing day instead. Enjoy, OP, you'll find a lot of traditions just come without thinking x

I absolutely love Christmas - here’s some of more of mine

• Getting a hot chocolate and driving round looking at the Christmas lights
• Elf on the shelf - we don’t do this anymore due to DC’s age - but a fun build up to Christmas
• Christmas Eve box - when DC were younger it would be popcorn, a film and some PJs - now it’s PJS fluffy socks, face masks ect
• The Christmas videos from Santa PNP
• Reindeer food on Christmas Eve - just oats and glitter
• Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve