Every family has their own set of Christmas traditions, and every family has their own way of doing things. Sometimes, however, as children grow older, or families change dynamics – parents might split, marry new partners, or there might be other children in the mix – those traditions can change and vary.
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, and the traditions that we learn through childhood add to the magic for our remaining years. If you are looking for some new Christmas traditions for your new kind of Christmas this year, here are some ideas for you.
Stirring the Christmas Pudding
If you make your Christmas pudding at home rather than buying a one from a supermarket, then you’ll probably already know all about the importance of everyone getting a turn at stirring it.
If you do ordinarily buy your Christmas pudding from a shop, why not try to create your own this year? Every member of the family must stir the pudding mix and make a wish as they do so – that wish is supposed to come true after you’ve eaten the pudding itself.
Save The Decorations
Many families keep the same Christmas decorations to use year after year, which is lovely – it’s always exciting to pull them out of storage and reminisce over them. What’s even lovelier is to buy new personalised Christmas decorations each year to add to the older ones. You’ll end up with a large array of different decorations, each one with a year and a memory attached to it.
You can choose a specific date each year – such as 1st December – to organise your decorations, and make the creating and choosing of them part of the tradition too. Then, when the children get older and move out, have their own homes and their own trees, you can gift them their personalised decorations, and the tradition can continue. Christmas decorations can also be used to remember those who are no longer with us, and ‘in memoriam’ personalised decorations can be a beautiful way to ensure that our missing loves ones are still around, at least in spirit.
The First Gift
Those gifts sitting under the Christmas tree can look awfully tempting, so why not start a little early? Opening the first gift on Christmas Eve is a Christmas tradition that many families enjoy – the children all get to pick one present each and open it before the big day itself. It’s a good way to quell some of the major excitement that will be going on, plus it’s a nice way to start celebrations off with a bang.
Christmas Eve Boxes
Some families have decided that Christmas Eve boxes are the way to go. Children are handed beautifully decorated boxes filled with an assortment of gorgeous gifts that they can use on Christmas Eve.
Hot chocolate and marshmallows, sweet treats, a new pair or pyjamas and a book or DVD are all perfect – you can then snuggle up with a hot drink and snacks in brand new PJs (always a pleasure) and have a good read or watch a movie together.
Decorate the Table
Whether you’re expecting a van load of guests or there’s no one extra coming over for Christmas it doesn’t matter – Christmas dinner should be eaten at the table, not on your laps in front of the TV.
The table needs to look beautiful and festive, and decorating it is another fantastic family tradition that you can take on. After the excitement of the stockings and presents, once breakfast is out of the way, have everyone get involved in making the Christmas table look as wonderful as possible. You might add candles, holly leaves, crackers, glitter and sparkles, you might get the ‘good’ crockery out and pour some fizz into the ‘posh’ glasses. Whatever and however you do it, having everyone get together to make it look perfect is so much fun.
Having A Sing Song and A Christmas Walk
Once you’ve eaten all that Christmas turkey, all those potatoes and sprouts, all that Christmas pud, you may feel like sitting down and sleeping for the rest of the day – but don’t! Start a new tradition and get outside! Wrap up warm and go for a little walk. You might just go to the end of the street and back, or perhaps you’ll take a longer stroll. Take everyone with you and sing Christmas carols as you go – it will wake you up, make you feel more comfortable, and get you ready for all the board games, charades, and Christmas TV to come.
*collaborative post*
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