What traditions do you do with your kids?

[Imisscoffee2021]

I'm a late 80s and 90s child so have fond warm memories of Christmas that influence me now as a mum to a three year old and just as a lover of Christmas! Curious what everyone does with their kids in the days round Christmas in their own family traditions.

One of ours we love doing is baking biscuits and icing them for Santa on Christmas Eve, we take a pic and it'll be cute to see them progress as my son grows :)

We also hang fatballs like baubles on a tree outside so the birds have a Christmas tree and "presents" on Christmas day.

What other cosy christmassy things do you do, love a bit of inspiration :)

We have a specific trifle recipe which we have every year. Banoffee.
We have a 'decorate the yule log' session which is basically a great big cheap swiss roll and a couple of tubs of that rich icing. A LOT of the icing gets eaten instead of going on the log.
We all decorate the tree together. Some very old glass decs and odd things the kids have accumulated over the years.
A shit ton of different coloured jelly made into layers in a glass bowl.
Presents after xmas lunch and it takes all afternoon because we go round the group and open one at a time ( keeps everyone awake)
Nibbles and puddings bought back out at 6 and Board Games together into the wee hours of boxing day.

Using and decorating the tree together, pantomime, trio to the nearest city to see all the lights and have a meal, day on the sofa with Xmas films and chocolates, light trail

The past two years we’ve gone to panto at local theatre and to the zoo on Boxing Day.
I want to do more little things in the house now they’re a bit older. I like the bakery ideas.

they always come to our bed to open stockings, dp wont be here this year so will be slightly weird but they love it, we do one by one so I can wake up properly. Have done since DS was 3, he’s 18 now but I asked him last year if he still wanted to and he was like of course.

we do a Christmas movie advent, dd usually joins me but DS dips in and out depending on the movie.

we always play cards in the evening of Christmas Day, been doing that since before I was even born and me, my brother, my little sister and now my 2 have been brought in to the fold. DS only plays for a bit, he’s autistic and gets slightly overwhelmed but we play other games before that he loves.

always do new pjs and a bath bomb on Christmas Eve.

option for selection packs for breakfast but tbh they usually choose a bacon sarnie.

always scratch cards at Christmas dinner, DS isn’t a fan unless of course he wins, I usually have to scratch it for him but he keeps the money 😅

A Christmas Eve box with new pyjamas, a film and hot chocolate is a popular one for that age. A walk to see the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve works for all ages and costs nothing, and a treasure hunt round the house for one small present on Christmas morning stretches the excitement a bit longer.

We go to nanna's on Christmas Eve and do some Christmas day prep, have a hot chocolate and mince pie.
We go to the panto too around Christmas, been to the same one for about 8 years now and it's really lovely seeing the same cast.
We make and decorate a Christmas cake.
We make a gingerbread house too. Lots of food type activities!
Also we watch lots of Christmas films starting with the cheesy ones and moving onto the classics closer to Christmas.

These are all lovely 😍 we always go to our local garden centre every year and choose a new decoration for the tree. We make cookies for santa Christmas eve and wear our matching pjs (we just buy my daughters pair in the next size up from vinted so it's super cheap!), we always do a Christmas craft on Christmas eve too, we always drive around looking at the lights whilst drinking hot chocolate and we always go to a panto x

We have new PJs and Christmas bedding on 1st December, family panto day and meal out, Christmas eve boxes inc more new PJs, DC have McDonalds for tea Christmas eve and we always read the night before Christmas with our hot chocolate before sprinkling raindeer food and leaving baileys and biscuits out just before bed. Me & DH then have a couple of glasses of champagne whilst getting everything ready for the morning.

1st of December - Christmas bedding goes on, new Christmas party outfit, jumper and pjs for the kids and their advent calendar all arrive with the elf.
Christmas eve kids get a ginger bread house to decorate (keeps them busy while DH and I get on with christmas day food prep) we visit some family xmas eve then have Granny over and have hot chocolate etc then twas the night before xmas.
Christmas day - we stay home just DH, me and DC. Nutella and christmas crumpets for breakfast and bucksfizz (fresh orange and a little lemonade for DC)
Boxing day is big family party with lots of games

DS is a big "kid" now, he's 18, but the things he still wants are....

Dressing the tree together
A home-made yule log
Mince pies - dozens of them
A chocolate santa
The wood burner running
Gable lights
Pain au chocolat for breakfast
A long walk to Christmas morning

We have a specific trifle recipe which we have every year. Banoffee. Would you be happy to share @Laiste ?

We do loads of small things, they are all just getting ready for Christmas but by making a thing of them they've become traditions - making certain decorations, making different food items.
We used to plan the menu and the kids would write it out - even though it was the same every year!
Always watch same TV programmes too.