I’m feeling Christmassy and I love reading about everyone’s Christmas traditions.
What does your Christmas look like and what are your family traditions?
For context: I have 2 children aged 1&3 and we live abroad (this is the first year traveling back to see family in the UK since I got pregnant with my eldest and I’m really looking forward to it).
We do:
Advent box on Dec 1st. I know it’s controversial on here but my son was so excited to see it. It’s mostly the same stuff that we use every year or small treats for December.
- Advent calendars (chocolate one for DS and a reusable one with wooden figures that make a Christmas scene)
- Christmas books. I add a new one to the collection each year but they obviously get saved and read every year.
- The special Christmas decorations (the ones I bought when the children were born and I do a photo one each year since DH and I got together).
- Christmas bubble bath
- Our Christmas mugs (the same ones every year- from a Christmas market in Vienna that we went to when DS was a baby)
- Christmas craft activities and supplies (nothing too over the top just stuff for making cards and a sticker book).
We don’t do elf on the shelf but we do have a Christmas mouse toy. She doesn’t move everyday but she lets Santa know if DS (and DD, although she doesn’t understand) has done anything particularly kind or helpful and needs some extra Christmas magic in his stocking!
DS did his Christmas concert at school today and it was adorable. We’ve been practicing Christmas songs for weeks!
We’re doing a Christmas party/potluck at a friend’s house. We all bring food and do a Secret Santa for the kids (my friend’s husband dresses up as an elf).
I do festive afternoon tea with my friends at a nice hotel before everyone leaves for the holidays/has family arrive etc.
We’re doing a gingerbread house decoration afternoon at my house with some of DS’s friends and their siblings (I’m friends with the parents). They’re too young to do it properly so I just bake house shaped biscuits and they stick on some sweets and sprinkles.
We’ll have a Christmas Eve box (or we do when we stay home- I’m not taking it back to the UK!). Again, it’s mostly reusable stuff or small items that the children will use
- New pajamas (not Christmas themed, just ones they’ll like- they’ll get worn until they grow out of them)
- Hot chocolate sticks
- Santa’s plate for mince pies
- Stockings
- Festive bath bomb from Lush
We do Santa/Father Christmas but I’m trying to keep it as a story rather than insisting he’s real. I’m trying to strike a balance between keeping the magic and lying to DS. We talk about him in the same way we talk about superheroes, unicorns or dragons etc. My parents did this with the tooth fairy and I really preferred it to their pretence that Santa was genuinely real.
Stockings: We all get one. We keep them fairly small and simple- 2 medium toys per child, 2 books each, some chocolate, bubble bath/socks/toothbrush with their favourite characters on (rather than the boring ones I usually buy), tube of bubbles.
Food: We do a special breakfast on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day we’re having a brunch with my parents in the morning (salmon and bagels). We’ll have ‘lunch’ after DD’s nap with my in-laws at 3pm. Lunch is a traditional roast (plus Yorkshire puddings because both children love them). In the evening we’ll have a cheeseboard and Christmas cake with my parents (we’re staying with them).
Boxing Day will be a beach walk with both sides of the family with fish and chips for lunch!