Our Family Christmas Traditions
I have seen a few bloggers writing about their Christmas traditions and it seems like such a nice thing to share. We have a mix of traditions, things we have carried on because our parents did them with us, things that kind of evolved and became a tradition almost without us thinking about them and this year I have put in a couple of traditions that I would like to start with the children. Plus a few things I would like to do with my children in the future.
Things That Our Parents Did With Us
- Stockings placed outside our bedroom door and then in the morning after Santa has been everyone gets in our bed and all of our stockings are opened in our bed together.
- Read The Night Before Christmas at bedtime on Christmas Eve to the children.
- Make a homemade Christmas cake and mince pies together in the run up to Christmas.
Traditions That Have Naturally Evolved
- Both my husband and I used to to take a day off work and go Christmas shopping when we worked. We have tried to carry on this tradition where we can around children. The day out always a lovely lunch out and I’m not sure how this happened but a chocolate mouse from Thorntons!
- Christmas advent train – My aunt bought my son a Christmas advent train which has little drawers to put little presents or chocolates in during the run up to Christmas. This is normally a mix of stickers or chocolate or last year I got some very mini dinosaurs. I hope to do this for my daughter too next year.
- Donating something to someone in need each year. It started with a shoebox appeal, and now each year my children and I create a box or buy a gift for someone less fortunate that us. Last year we chose a gift for a little boy in a hospice, this year we have put together a box of things for a women’s refuge. The last two years we have also done a special shop and bought some items specifically for the food bank.
Traditions We Have Started
- Everyone gets a stocking, even Mums and Dads – before we had children my husband and I didn’t really do each other a stocking but I really enjoy the whole family getting one from Father Christmas
- This year I am introducing a Christmas Eve box because I have seen other people do this and I think it’s a really lovely idea. I am putting pyjamas, a book, a DVD and hot chocolate in it for my children.
- Going to the children’s service at our local church on Christmas Eve, it’s so lovely to sing carols and feel Christmassy.
- Make thank you cards to send to all of the people who have bought my children gifts.
- Visit a Santa’s grotto.
Things I Want To Do In The Future
- Save up and go on holiday to Lapland, I want to do this more than to go to Disney.
- Go to see Santa at Hamleys – my parents did this one year with us and it is one of my favourite Christmassy memories.
What are your Christmas traditions?
I love traditions at Christmas. Mini M has an advent train & we love it, we also have a Christmas eve box. I’m going to introduce Stocking when he’s a bit older. I’d love to take him to lapland too. Mr M has pork pie for breakfast on Christmas day, not a tradition I’m so keen on, it’s too early for pastry!! Xx
A pork pie for breakfast lol, if that’s what he wants then why not it is after all Christmas and you should definitely do a stocking 🙂
Love all of these! I really like the idea of opening the Christmas stockings in bed. That seems so special!
I love it when everyone piles into our bed and we all open our stockings I used to do this with my parents too 🙂
Awww I adore ALL of your traditions! Especially getting a stocking each and opening them on the bed. That’s so adorable! I’ve done Christmas at Hamleys before too, it’s so magical isn’t it! That train advent calendar is so sweet. I really want a wooden advent calendar and keep forgetting to get one. xx
Add it to your list for next year (the wooden advent calendar) you might even get one in the sales this year if you look about.
This is really lovely. We do an advent activity every day in the run up to Christmas (for example baking mince pies, having hot chocolate, reading our favourite Christmas books and making decorations). We always put up our Christmas tree on the first weekend of December. We try to go to our village carol service (although I had to miss it this year as I was working). There is a minature railway near to us that does a spceical Christmas train to meet Santa which we do every year. I make personalised crackers for everyone in our family to have with Christmas dinner. We are going to do a Christmas eve box for the first time this year too. We went to the pub for lunch on boxing day last year (because I didn’t want to cook another meal for 8 of us!) this is a tradition I’m totally encouraging!
Yep pub lunch on boxing day sounds like a cracking idea to me too! I like the sound of your advent activities they sound fun x
Such lovely traditions. We have a few little things we do, but nothing has ever screamed out “do this every year”. I fully intend to create some traditions next year. This year I will be introducing the Christmas eve box, but if I can get both bigger kids to sit down to the same film I will be very lucky xx
Definitely create some they are so special and make great memories x
I loved reading this Laura and it really got me int he Christmas Mood. I love going to church for Christmas..It’s something i’ve done my whole life and makes it special and we are also doing the Christmas Eve box for the first time!
There is something about a church carol service just before Christmas, it is something my husband’s family introduced me to and it’s lovely. I hope Sylvia likes her box 🙂
Thanks for sharing, it’s fun reading all about other people’s traditions 🙂 I am thinking of doing a Christmas Eve box this year we haven’t done it before but it seems like a fun idea so we might give it a try! x #PicknMix
This is the first year we have done it too, so I hope the children like it 🙂
What a lovely group of traditions Laura! It’s fun to have the traditions you had when you were little & then add to them. Having grown up stocking is fun. We all have stockings too but my husband & I give each other gifts in ours. I’d love to bring the kids to Lapland, it’d be an amazing experience! x
I think Lapland would just be amazing, I really hope we (and you) can make it.
Aw these are all really lovely. I love the advent train. My boy would love that! Merry Christmas! #picknmix xx
It’s really nice the train isn’t it, although I do find at the end of November I am running around trying to think of things to put in it!
You have some lovely traditions!! I would love to go to the kids service at a local church but we are always just way too busy to do anything like that. We spend Christmas with extended family so it’s a huge affair (albeit low key) because there are so many of us – and 5 kids aged 3-10!
This year we have 2 of the kids (and their parents) staying with us so we are thinking about doing the Christmas eve box for the kids because we have seen so many other people doing it! Then when they’ve gone to bed the grown ups will have a little tipple 😉
#thelist
That sounds like a busy but fun Christmas. If you can get everyone out to a carol service, I bet they would love it and I hope the children like their Christmas Eve box.
Lovely traditions! I love it how your traditions are a mix of everything – past, present and soon future! Our traditions have also slowly evolved over the years but the one thing we love doing – seeing the Christmas Lights with the kids in their PJs. But I think that would change soon with teenagers. #KCACOLS
Oh we are hoping to do a tour of local Christmas lights one evening this week – so maybe that is another one to add 🙂
So chriatmassy reading your list and exciting to gear up to the big day. Merry Christmas to you X #PicknMix
Merry Christmas to you too x
I love this post! I think your Xmas traditions are lovely!! I really would like to try the Christmas Eve box. It sounds great. Another thing that I would love to do to next year is an Advent Calendar but with little surprises instead of just chocolates like your son’s train. It is a really lovely tradition. Bella has always had her stocking ready in the morning of Xmas day. This year we are doing the Elf on the Shelf for the first time and my girls are loving it. It is fun. Back home we used to have fireworks at Xmas Eve at my parents house (back garden) which was something that I always loved to watch! 🙂 xx
I am really not sure on the whole Elf on the Shelf thing, I have seen it, but not sure it is for me. But I love stockings and the little bits you get in it. I hope you have a fab Christmas x
We have been given a Christmas Eve box this week and I’m so pleased because it was something we wanted to do. I think it’ll be more effective next year as my son is only 18mo but i still have PJ’s for him, Reindeer feed for the garden and I’m going to put a christmas book in it too. I love your idea of stockings and I think that will be introduced next year. I’m sure others will naturally evolve. Merry Christmas #KCACOLS
This is the first year we have done a Christmas eve box and I think it is such a nice idea. I definitely recommend a stocking I love getting all the little presents for it.
Lovely traditions 🙂 I really enjoy reading about how other people celebrate Christmas. Have a wonderful time!
Me too it gives me ideas when I read other people’s too 🙂
So lovely that you do something for others at Christmas 🙂 I’m a little jealous that you get a stocking, I’ve never had one in my whole life I don;t think!
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix hon, have an amazing Christmas
Stevie xx
Wow you have never had a stocking in your whole life? This needs to be rectified immediately! You must insist on one for next year x
These are all lovely traditions! I really want to go to Lapland too one day. Thanks for linking to #PickNMix I hope you had a lovely Christmas x
Lapland would be so amazing wouldn’t it? I hope we both make it x
I know I have commented this post already but I would like to say thank you for sharing this at #KCACOLS. As you know I have taken a little break from blogging but #KCACOLS will be back next Saturday 9th January so I would love to see you again!! I hope you had a great Xmas! Happy New Year lovely!! 🙂 xx
Thanks Franca I will be back this weekend xx