Please tell me about Christmas with your family....

[lunavix]

What are your family traditions at chrismtas? What activities do you do with your kids, and what 'makes' it christmas for you?

My family never really celebrated it, but I used to get excited all the same, and I really want to start something special for ds...

Christmas for us was / is always a family celebration. Sometimes life has meant it doesn't happen on Christmas day - but we still all gather and celebrate together when we can.

My mum and Dad were always very firm that it wasn't all bout presents. We did have a stocking of small gifts left at the end of our beds that we were allowed to open when we woke up, but after that it was helping out getting turkey in the oven, having a special christmas mornign breakfast. Then going on a long walk with the dogs for a couple of hours - usually down to the beach and along the cliffs. A tradition was always to have a paddle in the sea on Christmas Morning. The home to hot chocolate with cinnamon around the fire - and presents. Opened one present at a time in turn around the family. So it took a while.

Board games were a biggie too, and helping mum get the dinner prepared then clearing up after. No TV really - occasionally we'd watch something in the evening after tea but most of the time the TV never got used on christmas.

Looking forward tot his year as DD will have more of a n idea whats going on!

One of the things I most remember is stockings - we'd have an old sock (Poor but appy we were!) of my dad's on the end of our bed, and the pure thrill of waking up and feeling it bulging and crackling....

We always had a special chocolatey drink on christmas eve..

I liked it when it was just us, as a family, not rushing round other houses...playing games and stuff you don't always.

However we lived in a flat in a city so didn't have lovely crisp winter walks and I am determined my son will have walks by the sea on xmas day..desperately hoping our house move happens before xmas this year!

Ditto everything that sharklet has said. Our girls are now very clear that christmas is more about being together as a family than ripping off gift wrapping as fast as you can.

Other special stuff we do for them is decorating the kitchen after they have gone to bed, so when we all go down for breakfast there's been a trnsformation! We also go for a walk and scavange some greenery to decorate the table for christmas dinner.

HTH!

The children do things like making really complex advent things with drawers and things to hang up every day.

When PIL arrive on Christmas eve with their caravan, it is now tradition that the kids run out and decorate it

On Christmas morning the kids come through to us with their unopened stockings and one of them goes out and gets PIL. Everybody sits on our bed while they open it. This requires substantial nightwear .

Everyone gets dressed before settling down to open presents. One is opened at a time and the children pick them out and play postie and deliver it to the right person. They watch everyone elso opening presents as well as getting their turn to open their own. Gives me a chance to note down what they get from who, and they appreciate the giving bit aswell as the recieving.

Both this year and last year we have gone home to Ireland for Christams so we celebrate the weekend before Christmas as Yule. As we have an open fire thsi year we are for hte first time going to have a real Yule Log so last weekend we went out for a special walk to get it. We then made some decorations using glass paints and thin sheet of plastic to hang up as mobiles. This weekend we are making salt dough decorations. then all I have to do is bake mince pies, sausage rolls, scones, collect greenery and decorate house, Decorate Yule Log and finally visit Inlaws. We do get things started much sooner than most cost I like dss to get involved in stuf fand hes only round every 2nd weekend.

Night before kids open present of new pjs and hvae cocoa and biccies for supper.

On the day of Yule the kids come down and they have stockings which we made last year (dds 1st xmas and dss's old one had fallen apart) then we have breakfast of smocked salmon on bagels or soda breadand champagne/orange uice and fizzywater. we will then light the Yule log. Normally go for a walk in the afternoon and have a huge roast dinner. sit by the fire in the evening with marshmallows and chocs and saus rolls and mince pies etc.

Aww

I'm thinking of going to midnight mass with ds and dh (he has no idea why, and I don't know if it will last but you never know lol)

christmas day we go round MILs, have a late breakfast (we usually open stockings at ours first) then play games and help in the kitchen, before all sitting down and opening presents. Would love more though.

Tradition, not presents!

We used to go to the watchnight service, when they kids were little. But it is to late for them so we go to the earlier family service. Its the 1 day of the year that I go. It is MIL's church and she loves us all going. I have a lot of respect for the minister who knows us all by name, (he married us too even though I didn't go to his church.).

Not a great fan of orgainised religion, but I do get a bit emotional when they put all the lights off while we sing silent night by candle light .