Christmas traditions

Hello!

It's getting super close to Christmas now (technically, as I'm writing this it's Christmas Eve!). I have been thinking recently about my family's Christmas traditions, and those that I want to pass onto my future family.

We don't, as a rule, have many family traditions at all really. When I was young, Christmas meant carol services, Christingles, nativities and presents on Christmas day. We would always go to my Nanny's for a big lunch with all the family, and in the evening go to my Grandma's for tea  crumpets, little cakes and all those lovely things. Around the 28th, we would all go to Papa's (my third set of grandparents) for a second big get together with different people, so I was really lucky in that Christmas was nicely spread out! These traditions have mostly died out over the years - families grow and people change plans.

Anyway, I feel like it is such a shame that my immediate family don't have any proper traditions. As you know, I am obsessed with making lists so I obviously made one about what I want traditions in my family to be. It is likely that none of them are truly original, but I am looking forward to sharing them with my future family :)




- When I was younger, we had a nativity book advent calendar, where each teeny book told part of the Christmas story. You read one each day and then hung it on the tree. It was really special to sit with my mum each day and read them, and be reminded for a moment what Christmas is all about.

- A lot of families do this but I really love the idea of getting new jammies each year on Christmas Eve. It is nice for everyone to have a present to open, and definitely nice to snuggle down with your new pjs to wait for Santa to come! They don't have to be expensive, just comfy and Christmas themed :)

- A definite activity for Christmas Eve will be decorating a gingerbread house, whether it be shop bought or home made! Probably home made as that is so much more fun with kids. I made gingerbread this year and they definitely put me in the Christmas spirit, not sure about Matthew though.

- When I have children, I am definitely buying them a special ornament each year to put on the tree. As they grow up, they can have a baby tree in their rooms if they like, and their collection can grow on there. It would be lovely for when they leave home to be able to hand over 18 beautiful hand picked decorations that we have chosen for them over the years.

- One of the nicest things to do in the lead up to Christmas is to wrap up warm and go to one of the many Christmas markets around. The little trinkets are gorgeous to look at, and there's nothing better than casually walking round with your loved one and a steaming hot chocolate!

- Maybe tied with the last one is going ice skating. This year we went to Winter Wonderland and I felt so christmassy skating round on the ice! It is a definite must do no matter what age you are :)


- I've been listening to Christmas carols today and it has made me realise how much I enjoyed going to Church carol services. They give a different feel to Christmas and make me forget about the retail, the presents, the business and all the other trivial parts of Christmas, and bring me back to when I was a child. I love them and will try to go to one next year!

- Christmas films are amazing, and we all have our favourites! Love Actually trumps all for me, but I also really like the polar express, and elf is always a giggle. When me and Matthew have our own place, I'd like to set aside at least one evening a week to have nibbles and a christmas film all through December. Failing that, we always watch Love Actually in the weeks before Christmas. Always.

- On Christmas Day, I would love for my children to have a special breakfast - home made pancakes or croissants. I feel it would be so nice to have everyone in jammies still, after the eager present opening to sit down and have a chilled out brunch. This would be followed possibly by a church service, then a huge christmas dinner, then a nice walk to digest all the yummy food!

- I would always want to give children a new boardgame for christmas - it's the perfect way to have some more family time and means there is never nothing to do. It would also be nice to have some time away from the telly on Christmas Day, as it's so easy to get caught up in all the Christmas specials that can always be sky +ed or watched on repeat for weeks to come!

Anyway, sorry for the long rambly post, I enjoyed writing it anyway!

Merry Christmas, love love love xxx