Christmas traditions

Starburst

Do you have any Christmas traditions in your families?

We don't have any that spring to mind, so I started my own one. While Christmas pud is my arch enemy, I do like a good mince pie. Sooooo, come December, I endeavour to try a mince pie from each major supermarket and rate them. Thus far, I favour M&S ones. That said, I tried a Gregg's one for the first time and they gave M&S a run for their money!

Slosh

I still have an Advent candle every year and while my tree is now smaller and artificial some of the decorations date back to my childhood so must be over 40 years old. A new tradtion is that since my daughter has had her own family I cook the Christmas ham, though this year I'm buying a ready cooked one for ease, and take it over for Christmas eve lunch where I give my Grandsons their new Christmas eve pj's, a family tradition. The other is something I did for my daughter as a child and now do for my boys is a letter from you know who which is personalised to match their letters to Santa and what's been going on with them. I did this for the first time last year and they were so excited.
Oh and I always listen to the service of 9 lessons and carols from Kings College.

frogmorton

Good thread Sophie!

Also rate greggs mince pies and M&S highly. I rate Lucy's higher though

Slosh I LOVE the letters! I used to do one from the fairies for mine when their teeth came out :oops:

First of all I follow my parents' tradition of not putting the tree up until after Lucy's birthday (in their case it was my brother's).

So ours will go up today.

WE leave Father Christmas and the reindeer their treats. I get the sherry and mince pie my husband the carrot (fair deal I reckon :xmas_smile: )

My brother and his wife open their pressies at midnight as did my parents and then 're-wrap' them so the kids can see them open them

That's about it I reckon

Love
Toni xxx

theresak

We still put two of our children's home-made decorations on the tree - so they are now almost 40 years old. They are a cardboard candle, though the once bright red is faded, and a cardboard sledge.This was once multicoloured.

Since Mam died, sixteen years ago,we light a small red lantern & keep it on the sideboard in the dining-room, and it's lit for Dad now as well.

We always put our crib up too. When I first started teaching, in 1972 one of the art teachers made, then painted, crib figures - the Holy Family, shepherds, Magi etc. - and I bought a set.They're still going strong, though poor old Joseph has a chip out of the back of his head, and the baby Jesus gets fresh cotton wool for his bed!

stickywicket

frogmorton wrote:

WE leave Father Christmas and the reindeer their treats. I get the sherry and mince pie my husband the carrot (fair deal I reckon :xmas_smile: )

Definitely a match made in heaven :xmas_lol:

Midnight Mass for us followed by a leisurely nightcap - usually whisky, sometimes mulled wine.

My tree virtually tells my life story. I can't remember buying any decorations. They are all inherited. I have two 'war time' ones which my Mum said were all you could buy then, and are actually small light bulbs swirled in coloured paints and hung by wires. I also have a bit of Mr SW's pram decoration - he doesn't use his pram now - and a tiny Paddington Bear, beloved of my younger son and still hung by a thread round his neck :xmas_eek:

theresak

We go to Midnight Mass too, SW, but sadly it's now at 5pm in our parish. There is only one church in the area which has Mass at midnight, and that's in the City centre.

stickywicket

As a child we had to wałk the mile or so back from Midnight Mass (all uphill) because there were no buses. When I was too little to go, my brother was an altar server so he and Dad went. He always told me he'd caught a glimpse of Santa in his sleigh crossing the night sky on his way home. And I always believed him. I still sometimes check the sky on my way home :cheesygrin:

Slosh

The last couple of years I haven't managed Midnight Mass so I go in the morning. I remember as a child we would not be allowed to open our presents until after Church and if that wasn't bad enough we had to pay a visit to my neice's Godmother on the way home from Church....that visit seemed to last for ever!

When my daughter was young I think she was unique in that we always had to wake her up on Christmas morning so she could open her presents before Church. She didn't start waking up early until she stopped believing in Santa, and said it was because she didn't want to wake up before he'd been.

tkachev

I always read A christmas Carol to myself on Christmas Eve, it gets me into the spirit of Christmas.

When I was little my Dad bought us all a Boxing day gift. After all the excitement of Christmas Day it was lovely to have one more thing to look forward too. Dad was very good at choosing gifts and I think he was allowed free reign to buy what he wanted without Mother's input..

When young we used to play board games too, I loved Cluedo and Masterpiece and we would play for hours. Nowadays, apart from chess, my Boy's just don't like playing board games so I have to wait for my older girls to visit for fun and laughter.

I'm afraid I've never done the Santa thing. I remember my 2 girls coming home from school and being astounded that other children believed Santa was real!

Elizabeth x

dreamdaisy

On Christmas Eve I cook beef (usually beef with olives or maybe goulash) and it's compulsory to listen to the service from King's whilst doing so (I am not a believer but there is something comforting and timeless with hearing the carols and readings). Mr DD and me are now creating our own traditions which now is mostly him cooking Christmas lunch whilst I lounge around looking elegant. :xmas_cheesygrin: One that is long-established is that first thing on December 25th I find a proper Christmas stocking with satsumas, nuts, chocolate coins and other little gifts which may be of practical use. DD

villier

I used to do a Christmas branch as well as a tree, I used to paint a small branch white and decorate it with baubles, lights and trinkets as you would a tree, alas since I moved into my flat alas I don't have the room for it :xmas_sad: xx

mig

When my children were little on christmas eve they had a bath new pjs on and a warm mince pie before bed and now my grandchildren do the same. Mig

barbara12

When our sons were at home we always kept a gift back for boxing day...trouble is once you have done it..you have to keep it up :xmas_lol: we now do it for our Grandchildren...I love it
Always remember my parents and brother...mind you do that most days..
Has children we always had new PJs...simple pleasure of putting then on..and going to bed ealry and waiting for the sound of bells :rudolph:
Has for mince pies..Ald** are delicious..and greggs.

LignumVitae

I'm loving this thread, it's so nice to read all your traditions. I'm another Kings Carols - in particular that pure unfettered sound of the opening solo of Once in Royal David's City - sends shivers up my spine.
Last year I took the girls to a crib blessing on christmas eve, it was a children's service and very jolly so I hope to make that a tradition.
Mr LV and I are relatively new to Christmases - this will be our fourth together so traditions are still being formed but we always have a BBQ on Christmas day - it started the year he arrived because we wanted to do something that made him feel at home and it's just continued from there. Last year it was tuna and scallops, this year it is belly pork. I always do a pavlova too to keep the aussie tradition alive. This has just made me look at the date and remember that it was 4 years ago today that he arrived here ready for our January wedding - ahh, how much has changed in 4 years, particularly his hair colour which is now a fetching shade of grey. I did that!

mig

Well done LV,mine could play santa without the padding i did that. Mig

Numptydumpty

I always read "the night before Christmas" to my daughters on Christmas eve, even now, they're 29 and 24! I have had to stop them sitting on my knee while I read it though!
Numpty

toady

I don't really have any now, any family (ie my parents) ones having expired rather, but I do like the idea of a mince pie crawl. :cheesygrin:

I had a bargain boxful once from the milkman, I think it was 27, after that I didn't really have the enthusiasm for trying other brands. :candycane:

stickywicket

Numptydumpty wrote:

I always read "the night before Christmas" to my daughters on Christmas eve, even now, they're 29 and 24! I have had to stop them sitting on my knee while I read it though!
Numpty

Ooooh may I come too? I love that poem. I promise not to sit on your knee :presents:

Starburst

This has been lovely to read. Thank you for sharing. :xmas_cheesygrin:

dreamdaisy

I think I have to rate this in my top ten of CC threads in 2014 - what a wonderful idea, Sophie, hopefully some infrequent forum fliers will spot this and also contribute. DD