Your Christmas Traditions and Rituals

5 Dec 2009

We all know the usual Christmas Traditions, but do you have any odd, funny or downright weird Christmas traditions, rituals or such that you only do at Christmas and at no other time.
Like eating nuts - just went out today and what seems like half a hundredweight of nuts (pecans, walnuts, brazils, some hazelnuts and almonds....oh and some chestnuts for roasting!) just fell into my trolly.
Now sat in front of the blazing fire, cracking nuts, drinking sherry and preparing to write some Christmas cards. I don't buy nuts at any other time of the year. dunno

We always open our Christmas pressies in bed, always go for a walk Christmas morning after some bucks fizz and always, always have bubble and squeak with the leftovers on Boxing Day.
I'm feeling wistful as we're off on holiday over Christmas this year so thinking of ways to carry on the tradition whilst away!

5 Dec 2009

Yes, I am civil to everyone for the day biggrin

5 Dec 2009

I always end up waking the kid up (which changes as normally it is he waking us up)I always wake up really early and every one else is still snoring,
I come down stairs turn the heating up, put the xmas lights on, put kettle on (making lots of noise as I go) talk to myself - usually things like oooh look at all these presents at the top of my voice, make said coffee waft it under Dek's nose for 2 minutes before being very cruel and drinking it myself :lol2::lol2: then I wake the son up usually by jumping on his bed and carrying on like I am 3 :giggle:
The double force that is the son and I then turn on Dek and jump all over him in the bed before he relents and gets up
After a few coffee's I open the champers drinkies

My son is really bad at getting up on xmas day, if I let him sleep like I did a couple of years ago 10am I gave in I just had to wake him up I could not stand it

5 Dec 2009

Not silly traditions no. There has to be snackage in the house, usually from about now till New Year. Nuts, crisps, chocolates, mince pies, shortbread and the like.
Christmas morning we wake up early (OK, I wake up early lol

) force *Him* out of bed then we usually breakfast on smoked salmon either with bagels and cream cheese or with scrambled egg on toast, washed down with a glass of bubbly.
Then I'll start getting the bird in the oven and a few other bits ready to cook, usually whilst drinking a Baileys or two wink

(mind it's still not usually 10am yet :lol: )
Then we'll open presents (not many this year, just one or two - recession don't you know) then sit and watch crap telly and eat heroes/celebrations.
Dinner is huge with the usual turkey, sprouts (even though no one likes sprouts lol) pigs in blankets, yorkshires (with every roast - i'm northern!), roasties, parmesan roasted parsnips a la saint Delia, stuffing, broccoli and maybe caulli cheese. No pudding - we're too stuffed and still have the one we bought 3 years ago in the cupboard :lol: The rest of the day is then devoted to eating more rolleyes

drinking more and watching rubbish telly till we go to bed.
Only difference this year is i'm NOT cooking for 8!!!!! It'll be our very first Christmas alone together and we're really looking forward to it. And I have 10 whole days off for the first time ever. I'm SO excited lol.
*Her*

5 Dec 2009

Stockings - even for 22 year old. The contents are always - a handful of nuts (in shells - no cracker dunno

), a couple of chocs from the tin, a 'special' choc - usually from Thornton's, a clementine, a puzzle of some kind, a book - usually of useful-but-useless facts, a smelly of some kind - usually from Body Shop or Lush (really makes the chocolate taste funny though).
Breakfast is either very posh porridge or croissants. Presents happen after breakfast is done, sweets (apart from stocking contents) are NOT consumed until breakfast is cleared.
Nowadays everyone can sleep as long as they like - until it is present time (ie I want MY presents).

5 Dec 2009

Quote by Kaznkev
breakfast is smoked salmon and brown bread,washed down with bucks fizz.
Doesnt half make the kids silly

Must be E-numbers in the bread or something... :lol:

5 Dec 2009

On Boxing day morning the local hunt meets in the hotel grounds and ride through the town and we always walk down to see them. Only once a year
Breakfast is boiled ham, still hot in fresh crusty bread, just as my dad gave me when I was growing up.
The wife and I always stay up till midnight Christmas Eve to open one present.

6 Dec 2009

No chocolates/nuts/goodies are allowed to be opened until christmas eve evening (the kids can have one chcolate before they go to bed).
Christmas eve I sit and peel and chop all the veggies for Christmas dinner. I do it in the living room while watching shit on the TV and we usually have a glass of something (usually sherry although we never drink it any other time of year).
Christmas morning the kids open their stockings in their rooms and are banned from waking us before
We sit around in our pj's and open the presents and I go and make crumpets with anchor butter (no other butter will do) and then Mr F builds toys etc while I go and sort out Fred (the turkey is always called Fred!!).
After their breakfast the kids are then allowed to pig out on whatever they want!!
Then we all have showers, get dressed and enjoy the day together.

6 Dec 2009

1st December...
Kids: :bounce:
Us: :sleeping:
Kids: Can we go to the crazy lady who give us vegetables!! :bounce:
Us: Yeh in a minute :sleeping:
We go to a local tree seller, that just so happens to sell their seasonal veg too (not gives them to us!!!)
Old short lady makes 6ft 2 skinhead man of the house stand aside while the wrestles chosen tree to the ground and wraps it in a bit of bailing twine.
6ft2 skinhead starting to feel inadequate!!
Crazy ladys cat jumps with muddy prints all over eldests best trousers (don't ask why she's wearing best white trousers to crazy ladys place, when all we're gonna do is go home and decorate, cos I have no idea!).
6ft 2 skinhead boyfriend tries to load bailing twined tree in car......... crazy lady makes him stand aside while she does it, nearly knocks kids out, who by now are sat in back trying to get away from muddy paws crazy lady cat!!
Drive home in car, everyones face squished on windows cos tree sticking out from bailing twine and taking up all of car!
Get tree out, then, xmas music on while we decorate tree/house..... Ahhh would make Val Doonican shed a tear :inlove: if he could hear his own songs over the arguing about where what decoration goes where, too much blue tack, don't use drawing pins etc!!
It's bluddy exhausting!!!
I LOVE IT!!! ROLL ON NEXT SUNDAY!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

6 Dec 2009

We usually spend Christmas Eve wrapping the kids stocking presents, although for at least the last 2 years that has been started after spending a few hours in the pub 'preparing' first. It tends to make for a very late night.
Christmas Day is the only day of the year there are no newspapers, consequently it's the only day we could possibly have a lie-in (yeah right!).
Kids get up and get sent back to bed until about 7:30am, then they all come into our room to open their stockings (even the older boys who aren't supposed to get stockings any more says Mr. Stuff rolleyes

) - we gave up putting clementines in a few years ago, they always ended up going straight back into the fruit bowl.
Me and him have coffee in bed courtesy of eldest 'slave' then himself gets up and makes me my first buck's fizz. It has to be orange juice with 'bits' in. Breakfast for grown-ups is smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.
The last 4 years, we have eaten Christmas dinner at a nearby uncle's house, but this year it's at ours because he's moving house a week before the big day (why he couldn't do the dinner, I don't know). I hope I will have been organised enough to do everything possible in advance, but I doubt it, it isn't my style. So by about 2 o'clock we'll all be snappy and stressed, but will finally be able to relax and stuff ourselves stupid with turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts (naturellement), cranberry sauce, gravy and other veggies. We have at least 2 puddings in the cupboard, and brandy butter from last year :shock: but usually can't be bothered/have room. Everyone has to watch Queenie at 3 but most don't really pay attention to the broadcast.
Tea will be sandwiches and mince pies for those that want it. I may need a nap during the afternoon, while the kids wash up from lunch, and Mr. Stuff puts toys together and burns the rubbish.

6 Dec 2009

work
lp

6 Dec 2009

the organisation I work for have now branded me "the man who killed Cristmas" after I sent out a rather silly email in response to an xmas drinks and 'secret santa' type thing.
I informed them that santa was dead after an horrific chimney blaze in 1973.
boobie-trap.
I thought my response was to the sender, and no 'all' on the list. So it went to th whole organisation.
oh well
lp

6 Dec 2009

Quote by __random_orbit__
the organisation I work for have now branded me "the man who killed Cristmas" after I sent out a rather silly email in response to an xmas drinks and 'secret santa' type thing.
I informed them that santa was dead after an horrific chimney blaze in 1973.
boobie-trap.
I thought my response was to the sender, and no 'all' on the list. So it went to th whole organisation.
oh well
lp

6 Dec 2009

Quote by Miss_B_Having
the organisation I work for have now branded me "the man who killed Cristmas" after I sent out a rather silly email in response to an xmas drinks and 'secret santa' type thing.
I informed them that santa was dead after an horrific chimney blaze in 1973.
boobie-trap.
I thought my response was to the sender, and no 'all' on the list. So it went to th whole organisation.
oh well
lp

I fear they may either no longer take me seriously... or take out a contract on me... depending on there feeling for the festive spell and how shattered their illusions may be
lp

6 Dec 2009

Quote by Kaznkev
work
lp

i knew it your really santa lol

oh no now santa in my head wears red latex :grin:

7 Dec 2009

Quote by __random_orbit__
the organisation I work for have now branded me "the man who killed Cristmas" after I sent out a rather silly email in response to an xmas drinks and 'secret santa' type thing.
I informed them that santa was dead after an horrific chimney blaze in 1973.
boobie-trap.
I thought my response was to the sender, and no 'all' on the list. So it went to th whole organisation.
oh well
lp

Memo
Ref: Light
The management regrets that due to cut backs this year there will be no light at the end of the tunnel.

7 Dec 2009

Every year a week before Christmas we as a family get in the car one and all then drive around for 2 hours looking at all the Christmas faerie lights. There are, as most will know, some amazing sites in the neighbourhoods around Britain. Usually grab a couple of bags of chips to have when we get home. simle pleasure I guess.
Hoever I do have a darker personal ritual... I always write out a Christmas card to the Jehovah Witnesses and post it through the door of the meeting house. biggrin