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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Home declutter; trip to local charity shop and then decorations up

Our Christmas traditions-

1. Tree goes up 1st December..we spend the time decorating the tree whilst watching Christmas films and eating our weight in mince pies
2. Christmas eve we all get to open 1 present. That present always, without fail, has our Christmas pj's in them
3. We always see the lights being switched on in my hometown. We get to meet Father Christmas. Forgot to mention that he goes through town for a parade in his sleight that is pulled the fire brigade!!!
4. Gingerbread house competition...i have never won...i'm not bitter at all

We visit a local Santa steam train in December which is a lovely experiences. We go to the Christmas Eve crib service every year too.

I have to watch Elf and Home Alone - wouldn't be Christmas without those films. Christmas wrapping is always done with a Christmas film on and a glass of wine.

Make a pudding on Stir Up Sunday. Makes the whole house smell of Christmas. Write Christmas cards in front of Muppet Christmas Carol!

Sprinkling reindeer dust to guide Rudolph to our door, putting Santa's plate together, the elves leaving new pjs for the boys while they are in the bath and watching a Christmas Movie.

DC is only going to be 2.7 this Christmas, so just starting to 'get it'

We'll do decorating the house together, and then Xmas eve will be a film & choccies in our new PJs

Oh, & we'll go see the family movie at the independent cinema.

And wear Xmas jumpers

Putting up and decorating the Christmas tree, and an end-of-year Christmas quiz!

We spend an afternoon putting the tree up and the decorations while playing Christmas music. We also go to the local carol service each year and feel very festive after that. Christmas Eve we spend the morning baking treats and watching Christmas films. In the evening we have our Christmas Eve box to open.

we spend an evening decorating the whole living room together so the gardlands,tree and little ornaments we have collected over the year. looks like a grotto by the time we are finished. the dc like to help making mince pies and i always do some new pjs christmas even with a film

The children enjoy helping make the cake in the run up to Christmas, but putting up the tree gets us all in the mood. We do this the first weekend in December, and decorate the house. Then have a hot chocolate and Christmas biscuits.

Recently we have been to a Christmas lights on session, which was nice, but the tree is gets everyone more festive.

Making a Gingerbread house is usually the first sign of Christmas in our house. Not that it lasts til Christmas, at all...

The first Saturday evening in December we always decorate the tree. I make sausage rolls and buy one of those iced Christmas cake slices and we play Christmas music and drink mulled wine. Lovely.

We NEVER buy our own advent calendars as grandad turns up every year on 1st dec with one for each of the kids and one for each of the grown ups (always cadbury ones of course!)

The weekend we put the decorations up, we get the Christmas CD on, get some mulled wine going and really start to feel festive.

We start to do some festive baking too like mince pies, reindeer cookies and pannetone (home baked panetone takes ages but tastes amazing).

This year we are also going to do stir up sunday for the first time.

We usually get an advent candle and burn down to the next day's number each day.

and all the Christmas books come out as we read lots of Christmas stories together.

My son has his own tradition of making paper chains to decorate the house with. He's become quite an expert at it and we rarely need any tinsel up as we stick with his paper chains.

Have always thought Christmas is a season and not just a day .... we love to join in with all the things going on in the run up to Christmas such as nativity plays at school or carol singing on the green. This year are especially looking forward to a couple of concerts the DC will be playing in, including one at the Cathedral. DGP's are coming up for that too and we're planning to go out for a nice Christmassy tea in a cafe in market square before hand - where we can see all the Christmas lights too. A local community allotment also has a Christmas craft day coming up with lots going on including a Green Santa and carol singing round the fire. When they were younger we found a lovely place for visiting Santa at our local open farm. I try to make it all about the things we can do together and in our community rather than just about the pressies Santa may bring [santa]

Thinking about it I just realised that we still don't have a "tradition" as such in this house. My husband is disabled and me looking after him and our 3 year old usually means we have very limited decorations inside and out or do things when we have time or will to do it. I have bought a wooden advent calendar this year and plan to put a little note with an activity for each day in December or just a little chocolate if we struggle. I really look forward to December this year!

To keep us all sane and to make the magic more special we don't start get into the festive spirit too soon.

Two weeks before we visit our local garden centre which has the biggest most beautiful Christmas displays - moving animals, a gorgeous grotto and about a zillion decorations.

We wander round for an hour or so, visit Santa, have coffee and cake and they each choose a decoration for the tree. It doesn't cost much but it really signals the start of Xmas for us.
We usually meet my dad and his wife who don't live near us and its lovely for them to see the DC all excited.

Other than that we go to the panto with the same family each year, bake on Xmas eve etc...

Can't wait for the garden centre visit this year!!

We try to have a simple christmas. On Christmas Eve we go for a long walk in the countryside followed by a late afternoon service in the barn at our local farm (complete with animals). We come home and get into our Pjs and watch a film with hot chocolate and mince pies and generally are thankful I be together.

Every Christmas Eve we bake cookies, treats and watch a Christmas movie together whilst the children draw pictures to leave under the tree for Santa.

we go to christmas eve mass

To early to have established traditions as my son is only two, but hope to develop ones which come naturally without too much effort for future years. Pre child, it was all about the Christmas parties. No more.

We have a special day of baking listening and singing loud cds of Christmas songs.

DH and DD make the Christmas pudding on a Sunday while I have a lie in - I tend to come down, take a look at the state of the kitchen and go back to bed till its tidy and DD has eaten her fill of everything going.

Decorating tree, school concerts, baking with the kids, festive movies.

Mmm advent calendars...Is it bad to admit I still have one for me too? 30years old in January and still need a chocolate every day in the run up.to Christmas.

Our traditions include a visit to the most amazing garden centre with has a Christmas village and lovely winter wonderland with lots of lovely displays

Shopping for a new decoration for the tree. We have one special one for each year since we've been married and each reminds us of that year.

A festive meal with our best friends, crackling fire.

Giving something back we either do the shoe box appeal or a food bank shop in the run up to Christmas as a reminder for all.of us about how fortunate we are and to give and share with others.
This year we've joined in with the rucksack campaign for the homeless.

Decorating the house and tree with plenty of wine and chocolates! This signals the start of the festivities we decorate on the last day of Nov and the final.touch is lining the advent calendars up on the kitchen side :)

Feeling very festive typing this :)

Family movies:miracle on 34th street ,elf etc.
Baking mince pies with Xmas album up high.
Tree choosing,then decorating.
Brandy butter in fridge hehe.
Ikea ginger house making session.
Fairy lights and house decorated.