Its a Christmas thread - don't come in if its not for you ;-)

We are given a person to buy a £1 present for - picked out of a hat prior to Christmas by me.

We do our £1 presents on Boxing Day and as they are usually something silly great hilarity ensues.

Yes yes me me me I love Christmas- I give myself licence to eat anything I want which I don't all year, I get to see my family (most of them) on one day, my sister and daughter and I do River Dance in the kitchen on Christmas Day and sing Songs from the Shows really loudly- we make up the words we don't know and the men disown us. I've made the cake which is how I start preparations and then first sortie to the shops on Friday so YAY lets talk about Christmas!!!! where's the emoticon?

Everybody in our house gets a stocking - albeit maybe a very little one - including any guests and their dogs!

The one ritual I CANNOT miss on Christmas Eve is watching Carols from King's, preferably with mulled wine and a mince pie (or three).
It's just not Christmas to me without it. When we lived overseas (for many years) I would listen to it on the World Service.

I LOVE Christmas too Teetime!!

I also really LOVE Christmas carols Witzend and will be getting out all my Christmas music cd's any time soon to play in the kitchen when I am working out there.

I am quite new on here - will there really be a Christmas emoticon - if so I can't wait!!

does not count as a Christmas emoticon GNHQ !!

We want elves and Santa and Christmas trees !!

[roast chicken] indeed! Bring forth our Xmas emoticons or the spirit of Christmas past will descend on HQ.

I too love Christmas - the music is splendid - lots of lovely carols. And I love being with my family. We do not go mad on present expenditure so that pressure is not there. We all have a lovely time - I buy a board game or similar for everyone every year and the children love that.

Our Christmas Eve tradition was for me to pick up mum and her the children and I would attend the Christingle service at the local church. Mum would then come to stay until 27th. When the children were in bed we'd have mulled wine and mince pies. Now it's D the GC and I.
Teetime can I come and join you and your sisters. It sounds hilarious.

Another Christmas lover here!

No particular family tradition but I just wanted to say I enjoy the Christmas period and sharing so much joy with friends and family because of it.

Yes it's over commercialised but you don't have to spend a fortune, who wants friends or family who do not appreciate, there is more to life than expensive gifts. If money is tight then I have never felt pressured to buying gifts, as long as children have something I don't usually bother and do not look for gifts coming my way either. It's not about presents to me.

Christmas is a lovely time of year and thank goodness my family and friends feel the same way. Why do some people seem to be hell bent on 'sapping the energy' out of those who enjoy Christmas.

I am however reminded of lost friends and family and I appreciate it can a very difficult time for many but that is because through life times like Christmas remind us how much
happiness and sheer delight we have been blessed with by simply sharing our lives with those we love.

All that POGS says above.Also love Carols from Kings too.Love mince pies too but they don't love me.?????

Me too, love every moment and the joy is starting now, my mince meat is marinading as I post and filling the air with the aroma of brandy and mixed spice. Next week the pudding, week after the cake.

Christmas is as commercial as you choose to make it, we do not go in for competitive Christmases, and while there are lots of presents, most are not expensive.

I think my love of Christmas started as a child. DF was in the army, we rarely had Christmas twice in the same house - or country, but come what may our Christmas Days were always the same. Wherever we went the decorations came with us, everything we did was unchanged. It was a fixed point in a life of constant moves.

We have many Christmas traditions. The first is to produce a Nativity 'Experience' that takes place on the first Friday of December during the town's 'late night opening'. We have a 'Bethlehem' scene' a 'shepherds' scene and finally there's a 'stable' scene where a real life mum, dad and baby are revealed. Each of the characters gives a re-telling of their part in the Christmas story and it's a wonderful thing to be involved in.

We attend a Christingle service together and also the local choral society Christmas concert; my mother in law is the musical director and my husband and father in law are in the choir. I do love to sit with my adult children and their spouses/partners - all feeling as proud as punch as the music washes over us.

At home the tree goes up on the 9th of December usually, in time for our youngest son's birthday the following day. On Christmas Eve we have a light family meal together (salmon, new potatoes and salad) and we play charades and other games after tackling the 'preparation of the vegetables' for the next day's meal.

On Christmas Day the traditions continue, but I'll maybe save that for another post as this is beginning to read like a book.

I love the whole Christmas season and try to pack as much in as possible - markets, mulled wine, Carol services, stately homes with their decorations, midnight Mass, the panto, the Nutcracker if I'm feeling flush, the carols from Kings, reading Christmas books, watching Christmas films, ghost stories, gingerbread lattes when I'm a tea drinker for the rest of the year. Drinking sherry while I make the dinner - again, the only time of the year I touch the stuff! Ditto Bailey's and hot toddies. All the traditional food and customs. And new ones, like the Advent calendar I download for my computer and look forward to every day. And I can't wait till the 3 DGS are old enough to be in Nativity plays and Christmas concerts

Christmas when I was a child/teenager was not family orientated, just going through the motions, really.

I have always made our Christmases family focused, enjoying all sorts of silly things with DH, DCs and other close family. Now DCs have their own families and others are no longer with us, we enjoy a variety celebrations on Christmas day. Sometimes they are quiet and reflective, sometimes hectic and noisy, but all fun.

I hesitate to come over the door step as I'm not a christmas lover.
I usually enjoy the day and a christmas walk with my sister on boxing day.
But I can't get rid of the panic I feel before it. (Starts every September)
And so I try to avoid shops, TV ads etc.
I have read the christmas threads with interest in the hope that some of your 'spirit' will rub off on me.
I must also add that I do have the very exciting prospect of going to see my little DGS in his first ever nursery nativity.

Christmas is not about spending money in our family its about spending time, that is more precious than any present. Its about the tree with decades old decorations, the same old jokes and stories and way too much food, Dinner is ready when its ready, by law Breakfast has to be chocolate. The number one rule is that its the one day we are not allowed to go anywhere and everyone must stay their pyjamas. We bring out a birthday card for baby Jesus that is ancient. Cant wait.

Cherrytree59 I suspect Christmas will take on new meaning after you've been to that nursery nativity There's something magical about young children and Christmas that gets me every time. I feel such an idiot sitting there with a big grin and tears running down my face. Mind you, I'm usually not the only one either

The first time Santa came to a 'Stay and Play' session DGS was just over a year old. Poor mite was taken unawares by the jingle bells and yo-ho-ho of it all that he promptly started screaming and I had to take him out of the room!

We don't have any particular Christmas tradition now, but it was always a given that we would spend Christmas Eve with my sister at their house. We would walk across the park in the dark with a flashlight, carrying their presents. One year DH bought a horrible singing lobster and set it going at the door while we hid round the corner. I thought she would wet herself she was laughing so hard! I miss her.

We have lots of family traditions which have been going on for so long they are part of the fabric of the season.

Where DD1 lives the residents have Advent Windows where, on each day throughout December, window after window is lit with a home made scene or display until 24 are lit - the final one always being a nativity scene. People tour the streets to see them and collection boxes are dotted around for donations to the nominated charity.

Unlike you Grannypiper we always dressed up in new clothes on Christmas Day. It's only the last few years that we have stopped dressing up. No children around these days so the excitement isn't there, but I usually have at least one son staying and my sister comes to me every year - she'd have a lonely time otherwise.

What enjoyable uplifting comments from fello Gransnetters I feel all glowie inside(not sure that's correct grammar but it's how I feel?) just as I did as a young child .Good to know that so many of you still maintain & enjoy the simple loving & traditional Christmases of a past era ?☃️??????ok I will stop now! Merry Christmas X

Having said no dressing up, I've just ordered Christine jumpers for me and my sister (a surprise for her!)

Lights go on early December, I just love them. The cake is made. Looking a little flat but hey the icing and a few decorations will sort that. We have a pre Christmas treat planned with the littlest and his parents in November. Unlikely to ever have the whole family together at Christmas because of conflicting needs and retail careers (don't get me started on the need to open shops on Boxing Day) so we do things round the two days. We will be with littlest Christmas Day - how lucky are we? We will see the rest before and after. Mr C and I have a booking to a National Trust house with a night time opening. We've a pre Christmas trip booked with friends to decorated caves. Then there's the Christmas market,the lights in town, the school carol service in the Church. A special treat restaurant meal. Anything else we can fit in! Do I like Christmas? Oh yes!! ??☃️