Our Family Christmas Traditions

I have several traditions I follow in the lead up to Yule.

I normally start in late October / early November by making mincemeat using a tried and tested Delia Smith recipe. I also make our Christmas puddings which all the family stir before they are steamed.  By late November I will have baked our Christmas cake, have a list of any gifts to be made (usually edible!) and start gathering together ingredients, boxes and containers to present the gifts in.

On the 1st December I root out my copy of Do Nothing Christmas is Coming : An Advent Calendar with a Difference which I read at some point each day. Whilst my religious beliefs differ from those of the author, Stephen Cottrell, I find the daily readings help me focus on what really matters to me about Yule / Christmas and also give me some mental respite from the hustle and bustle.

Also, we put up Advent calendars for December and June, which requires some preparation as they now have at least 3 between them each year, 2 of which are regular return visitors - a reindeer stables to which they add a piece each day (much bargaining and haggling goes on as to who gets to put Rudolph in his stable on Christmas Eve!) and a lovely Christmas village, to which a new building is added each day.  Closer to Christmas we will arrange candles near to the village to light each night and, as the village grows, this really gives it a lovely atmosphere.

Then, about 2 weeks before Christmas, we buy our Christmas tree (we always get a real tree) and bring it in after letting it stand in a bucket of water for a couple of days. Everyone gets involved with decorating it, especially December and June, who have now made so many decorations that we rarely have space for anything shop bought!

Each evening we light a candle to help bring the light into our family home, which we all enjoy and I find it often helps to create a calmer atmosphere after a busy day.

Yule is hectic as it is our eldest daughter's birthday and then Christmas Eve is December's birthday and occasionally it can end up being a slightly confused mix of birthday cake, carols and preparations for the next day! 

We usually attend a Nativity service on Christmas Eve afternoon and then head home for December's birthday dinner and birthday cake. This is followed by our annual reading of The Night Before Christmas (by Clement C Moore) before everyone hangs their stockings up in the hopes of a visit from Father Christmas. December and June usually go to bed fairly early on Christmas Eve, but not before sprinkling reindeer food outside on the lawn to help Father Christmas know where to land and putting out a mince pie, a glass of milk and a carrot.

One tradition my husband and I are hoping to avoid this year is that of the ridiculously late nights in the immediate run up to Christmas, our worst being about 3 years ago where we didn't get to bed until 5am on Christmas Day - all down to not being ahead with wrapping gifts!