Christmas traditions

[FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant]

Hi all

I'd love to hear about your Christmas traditions so please hit me some.

I have an older child with whom I have a few traditions but also have a new baby and was hoping to start a couple of new ones as well 😊

Marking

This isn’t necessarily helpful re baby, but my brother and I are 35 and 37. Christmas Day is full on with extended family, but on Christmas Eve my mum, dad, brother and I have M&S buffet festive food, watch a Christmas horror film, and open our presents. It’s one night of the year where I feel like we can be like kids again and it brings back so many nice childhood memories, just the four of us together. I love it and much prefer it to the mania of Christmas Day!

We only did this last year but on Xmas Eve last year me and Dh went to the cinema and then afterwards had a hot chocolate and walked around and looked at all the Xmas lights. Will probably do this every year if I'm not working. Next Xmas we will have a 10 month old do it it with 🥹

We do an “activity” advent calendar every year.

One day it’ll be “we’re going to have a picnic under the Christmas tree”, or “let’s toast marshmallows tonight”, another it’ll be “drive around looking at Christmas lights”, “let’s make Christmas cards for our friends”.
Some days it’ll be a bigger thing like visiting Santa or going to a panto, others something very simple like watching a movie or painting our nails.

It’s stuff I’d be doing with them anyway but them finding out via the advent calendar somehow makes it all extra fun!

Aw some of these are really unique, love it!

I'm hoping to save baby's Christmas outfit/bib/pjs/jumper every year and for her 18th Christmas have them made into a big Christmas blanket to get out every year. I feel bad I didn't think of this for my first born so hoping to find something equally as sweet to start doing for the next 5/6 years until she's 18 as well. Can't think what though!

That’s lovely OP! Last Christmas I got lap quilts made for my two with photos printed on cotton squares as some of the patches. I chose photos of them with family, pets, doing the things they love, places they love etc. They adore them.

Maybe something similar for your eldest might be nice- a series of Christmas photos from when she was a baby and on up the way if you have them?

Picking the date to chose the tree (we always had fresh) and making a morning of bringing it home.
Gathering winter greenery (we had a lot of access) and dressing the house -it was timed back then, it's more a scattered activity now.

We “make” a gingerbread house.

Pantomime with the DGPs.

Give sweets and a Bishop shaped spiced biscuit on 6th December for Saint Nicholas's Day, the start of the Christmas season here.

Visit a Christmas Panto.

Visit a church to see their Christmas Crib.

Nearer Christmas, get the children to make decorations for the house, mobiles, snowflake cutouts, paper chains etc, good for wet December days!

Take the kids to see the local lights, if we're at this house still there's a nearby close who really go to town.

Make the Christmas cake and leave it sitting there as I hate marzipaning and icing it.

Mince pies and tea/coffee whilst open the presents.

We make a gingerbread house...I barely get a photo of it standing before the nibbling begins. Then we have the aftermath photo