I adore Christmas, always have and I'm pretty sure I always will. It was my Dad who was the major Christmas nut in our family, always making it feel special and somehow, even as kids, we never ever argued on Christmas day. There was something eerily magical about it, right into my adult years.
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| This year, Carson and I made a plate for Santa's mince pie and Rudolph's carrot. |
Christmas Eve we got one present to unwrap from our parents - new pyjamas. So we'd all get a bath early to change into our new pjs, whilst dad would run up the road to the chippy for sausage and chips for tea. We'd munch through our tea in the living room on the floor whilst watching The Snowman - usually followed by Scrooged on VHS that my nan had taped from her Sky. Am I the only one who is conditioned to believe that Christmas isn't Christmas without Bill Murray? Anyway...
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| Finley and Carson in their Christmas PJ's 2015. |
I think Christmas Eve was the only night of the year that we'd all go to bed when we were told without moaning, but not before the obligatory mince pie and carrot were carefully placed on the hearth and our stockings all laid out in our own personal areas of the living room.
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| No fancy colour schemes for us. Just an explosion of all things festive. |
We had quirky little Christmas Day traditions. No TV for anyone until after 6pm (and as we grew older that also became an "MPFZ" aka mobile phone free zone!). Some of my school friends found it weird I'd not watched the hottest Christmas movie at the time on terrestrial TV but I really didn't care. It's what made Christmas different. The mini variety pack's of individually boxed cereal to choose from for breakfast. Buying these at any other time of the year just felt... weird! I mean seriously, you knew Crimbo was coming when Mum bought those bad boys!
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| New PJ's, mince pie and carrot, thumbs up to that! |
I replicate these traditions with my own children because I really want them to feel how special it can be, just as I was lucky enough to with my brother and sisters.
Carson, being 7 years old now, is just at that stage were he know's what Christmas traditions we do and is really into them now too. Christmas eve, before bed, he asked if he could be the one to open the variety boxes of cereals and place one each for all four of us into our bowls at the dining table ready to be opened in the morning. Bless. Never known a child to be so excited at such a small thing but it shows that these little traditions really do add to the suspense and excitement of Christmas. For me, anyway.
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| Simply must get a pic in front of the tree every year! |
I love my family with all my heart. Even the hubby who's a bit of a grump when it comes to Christmas - he still gets involved, for both the kids' sake and my own traditional churning, memory making joy, however sad that may be to some. What I would give to have one more Christmas as a little girl again. If you could bottle the anticipation and magic up it would be priceless. Alas, my young days will never return so I use every ounce of that wish as the fire power behind making my own children's Christmases everything it possibly can be. Filled with love, magic and difference to any other normal day of the year.
I'd love to hear of any traditions that you guys have, do you follow any of the same as we do?
