Christmas traditions

[katieandbump]

Thought i'd ask everyone what their favourite christmas traditions are, do you go away or stay at home, visit family, does everyone bundle together or do you just spend it with close family etc??

 

[Dragonfly]

well since my gran died 10 years ago tradition was broken of all the family eating together. So its all over the place now. But It was so good back then when we all cramed into a small kitchen to eat our dinners and wear paper hats.

Now I have mine in my own house, last year was alone as bf was in his parents sad me. This year I wont though ,

but i love having the tree lite up,fire going and stuffing my face watching the grinch thats tradition to me lol

 

[ald]

Christmas is getting smaller each year, when I was young we had about 20 people around for christmas dinner and over the years it has got smaller.
Last christmas it was just me and my folks as my dh was serving in Afgan (that was the hardest christmas ever). We had another christmas in Feb when he got home which was great, tree up and everything.
This year we are moving to Germany next week so it will just be me and dh and I can't wait. Got to think up ideas to make it extra special.

 

[polo_princess]

**EDIT**

Completely ignore what i wrote, the thought of presents got me all excited and carried away lol!!

Normally i split the day spend half with my family and the other half with OH's family. I like to be fair and make sure we see everyone on christmas day!!

 

[leeanne]

I'm actually used to spending Christmas in a small manner as when I was growing up it was my mother and I.

We spend it the same way around here now and have it at home...Dan, the kids and I, and often his mother and brother.

The past few years MIL has not made the turkey and it's been my responsibility yet I find I don't enjoy the day as much with my kids. This year though, I will try to have MIL make the turkey. I pretty much screwed up last year and cooked it upside down. ROFL!

BTW, this year the Christmas spirit won't be getting me pregnant.

 

[momandpeanut]

Get up, glass of bucks fizz as we open prezzies and then dinner with my brother and sil , my mom and grandparents !!

Visit and auntie on the evening where the whole family gather for tea !!

Not sure how things will work out this year though !

 

[Heidi]

I get up with OH and we give each other our prezzies than we go to either my parent or his (we alternate each year) for Xmas dinner then in the evening go over the the other parents for drinks!

 

[jackiea85]

We normally go to my hubby's parents on christmas eve, his whole family turns up for dinner and then we open our presents together. Then christmas day we go to my mum's for the day. This is going to be our first christmas with a baby though so i'm really looking forward to it this year!

Jackie xx

 

[Linzi]

Well I used to spend christmas day and boxing day with my family, but since we moved we are alternating it. We spent it with my family last year, so we're seeing Matts family this year. Im actually looking forward to waking up in our own time, having a nice breakfast and spending time together.. just the three of us in our little family!

My parents used to tell us that Santas Elves leave pyjamas on the fireplace on Christmas eve. I dont know why lol I liked that tradition though

xxx

 

[littlepea]

My family, Erick and I head down to Maryland for Christmas, I dread it because it's so boring!

 

[alice&bump]

when i lived at home, we had my grandad and grandpa to stay. then my grandpa died and my grandad's not comin this year cos he's too old and frail (he lives in devon). mum's always given us little stockings from santa as well as a big sack. we could open the stockings whenever we woke up, but always went and got in mum and dad's bed to open the sack. last year i rang my sister to open the stocking over the phone haha!!!! last year we went to mum's on xmas eve and had our main xmas dinner (its what they do on the continent apparently) and then popped round in the morning for presents and breakfast. the wii took most of our attention last xmas lol!

 

[elmaxie]

Well I find it difficult at Xmas as my mum and dad split up years ago and I used to spend morning with my mum and evening with my dad(who remarried then kind split up!?) So last year we spent morning at home just me and OH had our crimbo lunch then headed to my mums for a few hours then over to my dads for a few hours. Managed to put off going to OH folks til new year!

Can I add I managed the whole of crimbo day in my new jim jams!

this year I dunno what we will do, hopefully my dad and stepmum will spend it together since they have an on off thing so might get my mum over for chrimbo asshe is on her own(I find it so sad) and put off OH til boxing day?

Can wait til we get a bigger house and have EVERYONE over for chrimbo!

Emmaxx

 

[Mamafy]

it starts on xmas eve, on goes the xmas cds and the cook-off begins I cook the turkey, ham and roast beef, I make the stuffing from scratch, I make a homemade trifle, and prepare all the veggies and I bake mince pies simply because my husband loves them



I do it all myself, I ignore any offers of help for them 2 days only then on xmas eve when the kids are all sleeping we leave out all the 'santa' gifts and we've kept this up for the older kids too so they can have surprises too, can you believe my 18 year old still loves this


In the evening my kids get into their 'xmas jammies'

then xmas day is spent opening pressies and playing in the morning part then eating about 1-1.30. Then we laze about and play more games and eat more. Then the family descends on us, they come to us as its easier for the kids and their toys

I truly love it, I hope my kids take some of these traditions and that one day I see my grandchildren do the same things at xmas as my children did

 

[lorrilou]

i stay at home with the kids and normally go to my nannas on boxing day which is absolutely manic, considering there are 14 grandkids and 8 great grandkids there but i love it.

 

[Jus]

Our Christmas tradition starts with decorating the tree accompanied by a Christmas carol CD, on the first Sunday in December (or end of November if we can't hold out any longer!) DH & I have travelled quite a lot and each country we visit we buy a Christmas decoration, so every year when we get the decs out we test each other on which country it came from and they all bring back great memories of our holidays.

We still get each other a Christmas stocking (can you ever be too old for that tradition?!), as well as lots of other pressies (but we set a limit on how much to spend so it's always a competition to see who can get the most for their money). Do we sound like a sad couple of muppets?!

A couple of years ago my parents started coming to us for Xmas, and luckily for me DH loves cooking so he does all the food. But I get to do the washing up

 

[luvbunsazzle]

Well mines all changed, it's now..

Christmas eve we go over to the local pub as it's his grandad's birthday, we then come home, and get into our jim jams, he doesnt wear jim jams but then always has a christmas pair he puts on, we watch some sad christmas movie and munch on junk food.

Christmas morning, we have stockings, stupid little bits, but we love it, we then go into the living room, and put on the christmas music and open the main presents, we then put christmas lunch in, and head over to his mum's whilst it's cooking, we stay for an hour, then come back, finish cooking and eat, after dinner, we head over to my mums and spend again about an hour, we take the dog for a walk, it's always the same walk, lol.

Boxing day we go over to my mums for the day and night, we play lots of old fashioned games.

 

[Rachiebaby24]

We all (me, older bro, younger sis and younger bro) stay at mum's christmas eve.....we stay up late christmas eve....me and mum preparing stuff for dinner for next day....we all have a drink and put some music on....wake up xmas day...get up and have christmas breakfast.....pancakes, cereal, toast, eggs and bacon etc a right spread....eat breakfast then open presents....then tidy up....then watch a bit of telly.....then eat...then watch telly and relax then play games, then tidy up, then put music on and eat and drink!! We do that pretty much every year!! ha ha

Dont know how it will be this year as baby will be only a few weeks old so i will be staying at home....i think everyone will come to my house for baby's first christmas but i dont have a table or enough plates etc so god knows how dinner wi work out!! Also, last yar me and OH werent living together so really dont know how this year's xmas will be!

 

[alice&bump]

my mum's best friends husband doesnt let the kids open the presents until after the queen!! how wrong is that!! ok so they kids are like 19 and 21 now but still! torture!

 

[EmmyReece]

This is a bit of a weird one for me, because we've never seemed that big on tradition. But since I've lived with Chris I have noticed some traditions that took place last year.

We all get up, have a warm drink and open our presents. Then we give the dogs their presents to open (Sam didn't have any last year as someone forgot to wrap his, and he sulked and sulked until I wrapped him a bonio up to tear open), then Chris' nanna and grandad come round for dinner and we all sit round and have a drink and some nice food. Then his aunty, uncle and cousins turn up and we spend the evening having a drink and playing the games we've had as pressies

 

[xXDonnaXx]

Normally we goto my nan & grandads house and have tea there, and spend the rest of xmas day there. But this year I've planned to spend xmas day at both mine and OH's. So midday I'll goto my OH's with Lexie, so she gets to spend it with her mum and dad together (he can't come to my house,problems with my mum n dad..) So that's the reason I've gotta go up his. I'm staying over he's xmas day. And boxing day I'll do the same as xmas day but the other way round. Spend until Midday with OH, then go back to mine and spend the rest of boxing day with my family. All confusing, But that's my plan.