What pre-Christmas traditions do you and your family have to get yourselves in the mood for Christmas? Tell Cadbury and you could win a £200 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

In honour of Cadbury launching their biggest ever advent calendar, Cadbury would like to know what gets you and your family into the Christmas spirit in the countdown to Christmas.

Here's what they say "This year we’re launching Cadbury’s biggest ever advent calendar and setting out to bring even more joy to the countdown this Christmas. 24 trucks, 24 doors, opening daily in 24 different locations, we’reringing joyful festive surprises to the nation on the countdown to Christmas. While we’re counting down, we’re also keen to hear from Mumsnetters about what you and your families do in the countdown before Christmas"

Find out about the Cadbury advent calendar by watching the video below:

So, what traditions do you and your family have to get that Christmas feeling? Do you spend an evening putting up a Christmas tree? Maybe decorating Christmas cookies is your favourite family activity? Or perhaps you all gather around the TV to watch a particular Christmas movie?

Whatever your pre-Christmas traditions are, Cadbury would love to know.

Everyone who posts a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

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We bake our Christmas cake around my son's birthday and feed it every two weeks until December. Then we let it sit for a couple of weeks more before decorating it!

We always let everyone in the family open just 1 present on Christmas Eve - then it is straight to bed and prepare for the busy day ahead

We all like to sit and watch a couple of old fav xmas movies such as Elf,Home alone for a few xmas laughs

We make an afternoon of putting the Christmas tree and decorations up. Christmas music on, a Christmas film in the evening and lots of hot chocolate!

We always put the decorations up the first weekend in December. This is always accompanied by mulled cider. It smells so festive and gets us into the spirit.

The tree & decorations are put up by the 10th December & it's a family activity, carols & Christmas tunes on the cd player, mince pies & mulled wine for us adults.

Trip to the Panto at theatre.

We also go to a local Carol concert & Midnight Mass.

Elfis the elf visiting through December, leaving little treats, or a note reminding our son about good behaviour! Then on Christmas Eve, Elfis leaves him a treasure hunt to keep him busy on this most exciting day & the prize is always an activity that will keep our son entertained for the rest of the day, making Christmas day come quicker for him & giving us a chance to get the chores done

We all have to wear silly Christmas jumpers

When the gardens's been finally sorted out for the winter, settle back and relax, and plan the Christmas meal ... something different, not turkey (and think about next year's holidays whilst you're at it)

Putting the decorations up together and enjoying some Christmas films :)

Putting up the decorations, with some christmas music and having a mince pie.

We all go out for breakfast on Christmas eve and spend the afternoon preparing the veg for Christmas day

My 2 children get to buy a new decoration each for our tree - they place the new decorations first on the tree every year.

My sister and I go away Christmas shopping. When the children were little, they knew that about 90% of all the shopping was done in those 48 hours ( and then sent away to the North Pole ) so Christmas had started

Watching Miracle on 34th Street

On 1st December we get out loads of fairy lights. the DC wind them round the bannisters, from the hallway to the attic, and then we switch them on, so right through advent there's a warm glow of light in the house.

First weekend in December we go to a local farm to get the tree and then decorate it together. I make the pudding then too. My mum had a tradition that everyone has to take a turn stirring the pudding and making a wish as they stir. We've carried that on.

I cut holly, ivy, quinces and berries from the garden and we decorate a home made wreath with them and hang it on the front door.

But my favourite tradition of all is visiting a local lake where there is a flock of white doves. They sell bird seed at the car park there, and mistletoe cut from the trees around the lake. We go on Christmas Eve when everyone else is busy and the doves are so hungry they come and feed from your hands. We let the doves perch on our gloves and feed, then buy mistletoe and hang it in the hall for all the family greetings when everyone comes over for Boxing Day tea.

We all go round to my mums and have a baking day together

Ever since I was a child I've made a new crib each year out of a cardboard box, brown paper, gold spray paint & spray snow. We've had the same nativity figures which belonged to my grandparents & they're still going strong

We listen to Christmas songs while we put up the tree with mulled wine (for the adults!)

The Carols by Candlelight service at our church usually coincides with the start of the Christmas holidays so that's a good start for getting in the mood. It usually involves my DH and DS1 playing in the band and myself singing with the choir - not to be outdone, DS2 one year managed to split a glow stick (candles far too dangerous for children) and squirted the fluid into his eye, so that was a memorable one!

Christmas eve morning I usually spend preparing the veggies for Christmas day if we're hosting dinner and then in the afternoon we head off to see a Christmassy film at the cinema. Not sure what this year's will be, but definitely not Star Wars! The evening then involves my family (parents, four siblings and our families) together at my older sisters for a lovely buffet and some presents.

We love going on the village Carol Singing jaunt. This always gets us in the mood for Christmas.

We have a day of decorating the house and making crafts, then in the evening we settle down to Xmas movies. MY DS finds the Xmas story books that get put away each year with the decorations and we read a few before bed. Once he's in bed I crack open the mulled wine and re-arrange the tree to my liking

We dress the tree together and have a special Santa ball that is hung on the lowest branches. This is the magic wishing ball and the children close their eyes and tell the ball what they would like for Christmas.

We have a Christmas Eve party with gluwhein (German fruity rum punch with burning sugar) and other traditional British and German foods. We play a sort of weird pass the parcel present swapping game. It is lovely and cosy, and less hectic than Christmas day.

we have a walk around the local house with hot chocolate in flasks to see all the lights