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

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

For pre-Christmas we always put some tinsel in the cars... and get some crimbo tunes rocking - the tunes from when the music was great! :)

We have done 'Elf on the Shelf' for the past few years. We also go to the 'Christmas Cheer' event in our local village in early December, visit Santa and have Christmas movie nights.

We have a family peeling vegetables session then a trip around the Garden Centres to see the decorations before a special Christmas Eve meal and early bed.

2 of my kids are adults now and my son is 8 and buying the tree is a family affair! We go to a local tree farm and much discussion ensues over which tree to buy!
This year my Dd will be buying her own tree with her dh and their little baby for their first Christmas in their house!
Traditionally the tree goes up and then we all decorate it together- lights, baubles and star on top!

We also all love watching "Christmas with the Kranks"! Happens every Christmas! In fact we all watched it this past Sunday after big roast dinner!

Putting up the tree.

Someone gave me an idea on xmas eve they get a present - inside is snacks, xmas PJs and a dvd for the evening, LO loves this.

Wrapping presents together with xmas songs

We have a book advent calander, so my kids get to open and read a new book every night in the run up to christmas

christmas eve, open hampers with new pj's movie and goodies and snuggle up and watch christmas movie, every year!

There is a road near us where the houses go all out with their Christmas lights. We always take a walk up there with the kids and it's always bustling. It's a lovely atmosphere and very festive. All done for charity too.

My sisters and i entertain various homes for the elderly with a xmas singalong. It really gets us into the xmas spirit to see their smiling faces

We love Christmas in our house.

As soon as it is November (only one "-ber" more to Christmas), we dig out all our Christmas CDs and play them while we have dinner. There is nothing like Christmas songs to get you into the mood for Christmas. I will always buy more CDs to refresh the playlist!

In mid-November we start sending cards/gifts to relatives in far flung places (Australia mainly). Christmas shopping is usually done by mid-November.

In the last week of November we put up our tree and are already to go before December.

Out come all the Christmas music boxes...Christmas DVDs.....

Then come the scented oil burners - Christmas oils - pine forest smells or cinnamon orange smells.

Then we get a Cadbury advent calendar. From Dec 1 it is a moment everyday counting down to Christmas. Though I remember when my son was 4 he cried when his advent calendar finished and couldn't understand why there was no number 25 when it is Christmas day!

We will visit a santa grotto somewhere in the first week of December.

Besides putting up the Christmas tree and baking lots of yummy goodies together we always watch 1 Christmas movie a week ending with Polar Express on Christmas Eve!

Putting the decorations up. Mum has used the same ones since I was a child!

Christingle. Walk to the church, walk home after the service, carrying the obligatory orange speared with cocktail sticks (by this time, all the sweets will have been devoured) and then drink mulled wine and watch a movie, like Elf or National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Then we start on the Quality Street and cheese footballs!

Last year I started a new tradition of doing a Jesse tree with my then 3yo.
I covered a shoe box in brown paper & made colourful boxes to go inside, one for each day of advent. In each box I made a scroll tied with a piece of yellow wool. The paper had a bible passage to read & something to make that represented that part of the story, plus an activity that was just for fun. The yellow wool got collected in another box that would ultimately be used as a manger wool = straw for baby Jesus.

Yesterday DS1, now 4yo, requested that we played the game with the box and the string so we can tell the story about Jesus. I had to ask several questions before I remembered what he was talking about! Obviously it had more of an impression on him than me!

Our christmas starts when my daughters carol service is on at school.We also like to watch christmas films on TV.

My son and I have developed a tradition of watching Scrooge (the 1950s version) together every year. That's the start of Christmas in our house.

decorating the tree and house, new pjs on christmas eve and carrot and milk left out.

One of the Christmas traditions we adhere to is making the Christmas cake together. I used to make it with my mum in September/October and now I do the same.

We have a buffet on xmas eve and track Santa online with 'Santa Tracker'

I always let the children open a pressie off a relative on Christmas Eve & we also have an Xmas eve box which has new pjs, board games, hot chocolate & treats. We spend the day playing with them & relaxing!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS

no actually traditions , just try and get through it best we can

We go to a local pottery place and the DCs decorate a bauble each, we usually do this in October half term so it filled one morning!

We see FC early in December (no seeing the big guy on Christmas eve and mentioning a toy we don't have time to buy), the tree is decorated together, with christmas tunes and christmas jumpers on.

Our favourite is our Christmas Eve pyjama party....new pyjamas, the smell of freshly baked biscuits and christmas films...I love that day :)

Along with the happy xmas banner we hang a happy birthday banner to as its mine and the dogs birthday xmas day and dc boxing day

Always have an Advent calendar