Christmas is coming!!! Traditions/ideas

[rosehip]

I'm getting all excited and will have overdosed on Christmas by the time it arrives, kn......d and in a bad mood! But hey, thought I'd set up this thread for us to swap ideas. For the past few years on Christmas Eve after I've read 'The Night Before Christmas'my husband goes outside with bells (ELC £2) and jingles them so we can hear them from the bedroom, my dd jumps up and says 'santa is coming I can hear him' we both then look out onto the rooftops to try and see him. She loves it and it makes it so real - we only have a couple more years left before 'she knows ....' SO I'm making the most of it!

I wish I too could banish tinsel but unfortunately dh likes it. Our compromise is that I get to put up only stylish red decorations and red ribbons on the tree, and a whole load of white lights, and dh gets to put the tinsel on. But I have to try to get to the tinsel before him, otherwise he drapes it vertically down the outsdie edge of tree (which I hate) instead of tastefully (if tinsel can be tasteful!) looped horizontally round the tree, nestling in the branches (I've not described that very well!).

JanZ, I know exactly what you mean.

IMO, tinsel can be tasteful - I only allow fat, silver tinsel on my tree and fat gold tinsel elsewhere. Except for some georgeous (fat) deep purple stuff I swiped from work many years ago. Tinsel has to be fat in my opinion. Mone of that weedy stuff.

Java, How about sprinkling peppermint essential oil all around the base of the tree (on the tree skirt, maybe?)? It makes the room smell lovely and Christmassy and cats hate the smell of peppermint (they also hate lemon or orange) and might stay away from it.

That's a great tip ciscolady - do you know any essential oils to keep toddlers away from the tree too???

We put our decs ups the first Sunday in December for no reason other than that's when my dm always said it should be done. Also if we don't do them soon, it would be almost pointless going to all the trouble of setting up the eaves/gutters/windows/gardens etc if they will only be on display a couple of weeks! (It takes us almost a whole weekend.)

We do the big (fake) tree, with lots of lights tinsel (yes big fat stuff, I agree, is best) and a growing amount of dangling things. I can't resist buying just a few more each year! Plus what the kids make of course. We do our house and garden with lights - as long as they are rated "for outdoor use" they should be fine, as long as you put the transformer and plug in under cover or inside. We run ours into the garage with a powerboard. And we turn them off when we go to bed.

I love it! Have fun with it everyone!

We are putting ours up tomorrow. My step dd will be with us, and Sunday we are all going to see Santa on one of those, Santa Special Train things which we will all love, especially the Ds's.
I'm so excited already, I've got alot to look forward to this year, with and without the kids.
I just hope I don't peak too early !!!
I absolutely love the decorations, it realy brightens things up, I wish we could keep them up all Winter !!!
We plan our route to work with the kids every morning now, to take in the most brightly decorated houses, and the lights in the high street, it certainly keeps them quiet in the car looking out for the lights.

I am feeling sooo christmassy, its so much fun when you have kids eh? Pre motherhood Xmas was always a hungover affair after a very late and boozy christmas eve, in fact the whole season passed in a bit of a blur. I miss the relentless partying a bit but the whole of christmas is for kids really isnt it? We are making a big collage of the partrige/pear tree song - so far we have a shiny chicken covered in feathers and glitter sitting atop a cardboard pear tree. It's garish but very unique and ds had a lovely time with the glitter, tomorrow we are going to make 2 more chicken shapes to cover in feathers and glitter (the turtle doves).

I've loved reading this thread, I can't wait to get going with the decs but I am waiting for another house to put there's up first. We've just moved here and I am so concious of appearing pushy.
I am going to pinch a couple of ideas, the parcel on the lawn sounds fab and the bells. DS is almost 2 1/2 so we are hoping he is going to get more from it this year. However I waited years and years to have my baby so even though he was only 5 mths on his first Christmas I still went for it!
I got DH to sprinkle talc around his boots last year to make snowy footprints and we also left a carrot and a drink for Santa. I love Christmas and I've loved it so much more since DS arrived, trouble is, just reading this thread has me in tears. We went to see Santa last week and I just sat and sobbed (with joy)!
Does Christmas bring any of you all over emotional?

ohh i have a bit of a tip...paper chains the ones you just buy multicloured and lick at the end the kids love making them, they are so quick - and then snowflakes with glitter on - although i love it when i come in other people seem tot hink aww poor thing they have to make their decorations! but i have never had a matching tree with decs.

my mum always hides what she has bought the children around her house for my kids to find saying " i think santa had a bit too much sherry and i cant find them anywhere maybe you can find them?" they love it

Does anyone know of any websites where you can buy Christmas decorations. I like Scandinavian or quite modern decorations. Have just put up our advent stars...they look fantastic, but despite sending brother to Stockholm last month still haven't found an advent candle holder.

Just found a great idea for a simple homemade centrepiece. Place two red candles upright in a large glass bowl, melt the ends so they stick, then fill with water and float fresh flowers on top! V. PRETTY!

Custardo,
Where do I buy the lickable paper or do I have to cut the pieces out myself? I like it and DS will love it.

Enchanted - ELC do a pack for £2

they usually sell them in bundles at stationers either multicoloured or sparkely - cant remember how much they are much they cant be too expensive i buy them!!

Yes, we love paper chains, too. I like the muted 1950's colours of the old style ones - remind me of my childhood. I buy them so we have a real reason not to go overboard on the tinsel and the big modern shiny decs which visually overpower the paper chains (ohh I can feel a design agency moment coming on....) back to reality - we have a muticoloured traditional dec-ed tree. I am alone in the family in wanting to go minimalist here, so am always outvoted.

Enid I will steal your idea about getting my children to choose a tree dec each year.

Thought you might appreciate this one it was sent to me in an e-mail.

One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones, so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.

Then Mrs Claus told Santa that her Mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress. Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground, scattering the toys.

With his temper almost beyond control, Santa went into the house for a cup of coffee and a shot of whiskey. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor and there was nothing to drink. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the coffeepot and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw it was made from.

Just then the doorbell rang and Santa cussed on his way to the door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas Santa. Isn't it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Isn't it a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?"

Thus, began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Reviving ancient thread to say: where oh where are the packs of gummed strips of coloured paper to make paper chains? Have tried elc, John Lewis, Ryman, party shops, etc. etc. Could only find hugely expensive metallic strips that (cos too rigid) don't stick properly.

Please any tips?

(I know I know I could do it myself with Pritt, I just want the gummed ones experience again.)

Hawkin.com or Woolworths both do the paper chains

\link{http://www.bakerross.co.uk/showitem2.asp?fldCatID_1=13&fldImgID=86\Baker Ross} have them.

thanks for the info. I reckon someone could make a good small business out of producing gummed paper chains, in a range of different colour combinations. Wish I had the time to do this.

awww, megg, no one's appreciated your joke. It was great, thanks xx

megg - !

Do please tigermoth! sure you can!

Made special late-for-work-as-result trip to Woolies this morning. "Oh yes" said the assistant cheerfully, "all sold out. First thing to go this year, they were."

Managed to come to terms with lack of gummed strips, & instead found that a 95p pack of origami paper (+ double-sided sellotape) makes the most beautiful paper chain - intensely gorgeous colours, like the best felt-tips you ever had.

Just seen this thread - I'm a bit late I know but I got some paper chains in ELC or try your local newsagent.

started the tradition of reading night before christmas last year with dd1 ( now 2 and a bit!!)
as she has no idea about santa and what he is about no need to start anything regarding him yet!! as a child we would leave out milk and biscuits for sanata.