I am someone who lives for Christmas. It’s my favourite time of the year – it always has been and unless I undergo a dramatic personality transplant, I imagine it always will be. I love the music, the food, the films, the magic and the general atmosphere of Christmas. So when Debenhams spoilt me to a little box of festive goodies that got me in the mood to write about Christmas traditions – well, I was like a Codie at Christmas!
As a child our traditions were pretty simple. We always left a mince pie and milk out for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph (of course!) and instead of a stocking, we’d have one present to open at the end of our beds. Honestly I think this was a way of making sure we didn’t get up too early, but I loved it and it’s something I want to pass on when my children are old enough!
My Nanna would always buy us an advent calendar and the first thing I would do is find my birthday on it, as I have a December birthday (the 12th, if you’re wondering!). I hope baby Wright does the same thing when he is old enough to understand numbers. And birthdays. I always have to remind Steven about advent calendars and there’s usually a last-minute dash to the shops to grab whatever there is – last year I got him a cereal advent calendar… This year I’m going to be more prepared. I love that Debenhams has an exciting range of grown up advent calendars to suit everyone. They sent me the amazing Clarins’ 12 Days of Advent Skincare Calendar and one filled with gin truffles. I know Steven would love the 12 days of Whiskey one (but as I’ll be days away from labour maybe that’s not the best idea!), but the Build your own Retro Calendar is super cool or maybe the Ferrero Golden Gallery for a sweet treat.
As my birthday is in December, we would always have a rule that decorations couldn’t go up until the day after my birthday but as I’ve grown older, I’ve gotten more excited to decorate my own home so we do them on the 1st now. I can’t wait to be decorating with a baby next year! We usually buy one special ornament each year too to add to the tree.
Steven and I have been Christmas elves for a local party company for the past few years and it’s been tradition that we work together on Christmas Eve. Steven is often bust for a lot of the other shifts but he makes sure that he is free to do that one with me and it’s such a magical, fun, wet and exhausting way to spend Christmas Eve – I love it! That’s one tradition that we won’t be doing this year as I will be far too pregnant for most of the month!
When I was a child the rule was that we had to be washed, dressed and had our breakfast before both sets of grandparents came over, and only then could we open presents. Now, Steven & I swap our gifts to each other at home and then go to his parents to do presents there (a few times we have stayed over on Christmas Eve and Steven has insisted on waking his poor parents up before 6am!). We swap presents with them and then we go to see Steven’s sister and brother-in-law and the children at their house so they can show us the presents they got from Santa and then we all head back to Steven’s parents’, so the children can open their presents there. We have dinner and play games and Pam makes sure we all have plenty to drink. It’s lovely.
This Christmas is going to be really different. For a start, we will (hopefully, unless he is very late!) have a baby! So I have no idea how I’m going to feel on the day, but I know it’ll be the most magical ever. Also, we usually go down to Peterborough the day after Boxing Day to see my family. This will be the first Christmas without my Mum, and with a tiny baby, so I think we will end up staying up here which will be quite hard. Boxing Day is quite a hard day for me anyway as from the age of 3 I spent it with my Dad and big sister and my Dad passed away 5 years ago.
But, I’m determined not to let anything take away the magic of Christmas. I miss my parents so much, and being away from my side of the family is really hard, but I am determined to make it a good day, and start some new traditions that will carry on for our little boy.
How about you? What are your Christmas traditions?
Thanks to Debenhams for spoiling me to my box of treats!