Christmas traditions in your family!

[NewBeginningsSnoopy]

What are your Christmas traditions in your family?

Do you make Christmas puddings together in November and wrap them as gifts? Do you go to see a pantomime? Do you go shopping as a family? (That one isn't very traditional!) Do you go for a swim in the sea on Christmas morning like one of my friends?

I'd love to hear all your Christmas traditions!

(Nb this thread isn't about spending money on presents.)

why?
there are twenty thrillion threads on this

Because not everyone is as jaded and negative as you Hanneholm???

This is our first Christmas as a family OP so we don't have any traditions yet. Going to have fun creating them over the next few years, so I'm happy to read about what other people do.

I would love to start some. Mass is one. I bake my own mince pies. I have a new baby and I am going to think of special things from next year as he is too small to know obv!!

One thing we do Boxing Day is cook a huge curry and freeze a lot. Also dh does a charity run so we will go and watch him.

www.mumsnet.com/SearchArch?mustmatch=christmas+traditions&dontmatch=&nickname=&src_displ_option=s_t_d_t&fromDate=&toDate=&topicmode=All&availtops=-1

here take your pick

Thanks Hanneholm. I really am starting a new one though so feel free to move on somewhere else if you're not interested in Christmas traditions. As for why, well I'd like my kids to have a great Christmas and for it to be a nice time of year as a family. I need suggestions! :-)

Re: mass: The new church I've started going to locally doesn't do a big Christmas Day family service unfortunately. Would have been nice! Could go to another church but too awkward to get to on Christmas Day. Making mince pies is good. Do you make the pastry yourself? Need a good recipe for that and sausage rolls too. Must do a search.

This is my first Christmas without exh so I get to start lots of new traditions and ignore stupid ones that exh made, so far we are:

• going to open chocs/nibbles etc once the kids break up
• nice brunch out then panto on Xmas eve
• mass Xmas eve
• dcs get to open new pyjamas left under the tree on Xmas eve
• we are going to sprinkle reindeer feed outside before bed

It's a whole new Christmas for us

Happy to steal anyone else's ideas

When I was young we always went to the panto on boxing day

Gave us something to look forward to after the excitnent of Xmas day

My dad took us with my gran leaving my mum to unwind after hosting Xmas

I love special family rituals and have started creating them for my children. I love the idea that when my sons have partners they'll say "oh my mum always does this brilliant thing at xmas......."

So for a few years we've done
the following on xmas eve:-
Go out in the afternoon to get jobs done - this has to be sort of busy dashing here & there while it gets dark
Get home to find a big box overflowing with tissue paper (obviously this was prepared by me the night before, hidden in garage and put in sitting room after everyone else had gone out)
Dive in and open box while chatting about how it must have been left by the elves
Box filled with new PJs, slippers for everyone, hot choc sachets, a DVD, chocolates, nuts, other bits
Then we all get into new PJs, gather downstairs about 5pm watch the DVD flopped out over each other on sofa, pizzas in oven, have pizza, hot choc, etc

It's lovely and we all so look forward to it - kids are 8 & 13 and were so pleased to hear it was still going to happen - I think it will forever more now! Only problem is what film this year? Has to be Christmassy, soppy, and not scared (one year DS2got freaked out by ET and didn't sleep that night!)

Panto on Boxing Day (can't afford it this year, so we are going to be given this by my ex foster parents as a Christmas present!).

We leave Santa out a glass of wine and special chocolates If I eat chocolates any other time, the DC descend on me begging for some, so this is my way of getting some Christmas fun!

We leave tea lights out to make a kind of runway so Santa can land at our house.

We all make paper chains on Christmas Eve with drawings on etc;

On Christmas Eve, we have a takeout.

Christmas Day breakfast: everyone has a gigantic mug of hot chocolate, with squirty cream, mini marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chips. They also get a special Christmas breakfast treat, s they can ask for something special. This year, one wants a pain au chocolate, one wants Haribo and coke (when told this won't happen, he switched to sausages and potato waffles) and one wants Frosties.

We go to see the Christmas lights and walk around Harrods in the run up, oohing at all the expensive stuff.

We get a Christmas themed silly thing the night before- this year, this includes reindeer ear muffs for one DC, pyjamas for one DC and snowmen hand warmers for the other.

First Xmas with the 4 of us, but we do something Christmassy every day in dec (decorations, wrap presents, Xmas colouring in, dancing to Xmas music),
New pjs
Open stockings in the morning then breakfast then presents
Xmas film on Xmas Eve
Visit santa
Sing Xmas songs

mint how about its a wonderful life?

These are fantastic- keep them coming!!!

First one as a family

Planning on new pjs on Xmas Eve and a glass (bottle!) of prosecco with breakfast. (Will not include 4 month old in the latter)

Muppets Christmas carol xx
Don't forget the carrot for the reindeers, a mince pie and bottle of beer for Father Christmas x
Love the idea ZombieSanta x that's a lovely idea, x

Merry Christmas x

We have been doing Christmassy things too- making Christmas cards, writing Christmas cards, listening to Christmas songs and reading Christmas stories :-)

And yes I hope we all have a merry Christmas! :-)

On Christmas Eve we will give DS's new PJs, a Christmas DVD and some popcorn as their Christmas Eve present to open. Then they can get changed and watch it. Thank you for this thread, my family did not really have any traditions and I really want to create some for my children so it it is great to get ideas:-).

Mint that boix idea is totally fabulous and it made me feel all warm inside!

BOX!!

DH wants Crocodile Dundee as Xmas eve film! Not sure at all.

It's a wonderful life could be ideal for me and DH and perhaps DS2 but DS1 at 13yrs is a bit fussy about films.

I wondered about love actually.

We get up very early and open 1 tiny present ( like chocolate coins).
Have breakfast get ready and go to church service.
Open presents
We always play the same cd every year at lunch time.
Go for a walk if not raining
What a film together...
Skype the rest of family in the early evening...
Have panettone throughout the day!£

Croc Dundee idea is great!!!

Although it is totally sexist of course!

Film chosen - life of pi

Just hope right choice - not exactly what I was thinking of - xmassy, funny, feel good film!

What have you decided to do newbeginnings?