Nothing beats the memories created at Christmas time; especially creating and re-creating Christmas traditions. It is a magical time of the year. A time for celebration and imagination. And for family and friends to reunite and rekindle their inner child.
This time of the year brings plenty of Christmas traditions, feasts, and festivities. There are those who love Christmas and those who prefer to worship it bah humbug-style. But, one thing is for sure – Christmas is as you make it!
I remember the joy of Christmas time as a child. The excitement looming as Mum never failed with her Christmas tradition of erecting the tree at the end of November; she could never wait long enough. The eagerness growing as the 25th of December neared…
Now as a mother, I appreciate the dedication my Mum made to our Christmas traditions. Her tireless efforts meant that we never noticed the endless list of chores she had to knock over before Santa arrived. Or the additional arrangements she worked on to keep the kids happy over the holiday season.
Mum’s Christmas traditions were a grounding for the love I now have for Christmas. She taught me about imagination, anticipation, enjoyment, and togetherness. For this, I will forever be grateful.
In case you are in need of some Christmas tradition inspiration, here are some Christmas traditions you might like to share with your family.
Letter to Santa
What is Christmas without the traditional letter to Santa? No matter how naughty or nice I had been, I was always encouraged to write a letter to Santa. The best part about this Christmas tradition – there was never any ask too big or too small. And Santa always knew how much he was appreciated.
Get the kids ready to create their own letter to Santa with this specialised stationery pack – shop here.
Tree topper
As well as helping her decorate the tree in as much bling and shine as we could lay our hands on, Mum would always let one of us place the topper on the tree. We would take it in turns each year, as according to Mum, this was a ‘special task’.
Placing the tree topper is still a big deal in my house – and I have passed this Christmas tradition on to my own child now too.
Looking for a special tree topper to mark your new tradition or the old one needs an update – see our gorgeous range of toppers here.
Christmas stocking
If you were good, your Christmas stocking would contain a few goodies on Christmas morning. But, if you had been naughty Santa would leave nothing but an onion in your stocking. I can remember many occasions when my sisters were left in despair grasping an onion in their hands. I also remember that they were probably old enough to know…
We would hang our personalised stockings near the tree so Santa would know where to place our gifts. This was one Christmas tradition where you definitely didn’t want to be on the naughty list.
Setting the Christmas table
I’m sure Mum gave us the task of setting the table so we kept out of her hair for the whole of half an hour. But, as far as Christmas traditions go, this was a job we could all chip in with.
From laying the Christmas table runner, to splitting up the Christmas bon bons, and putting out the special Christmas serveware. This job saw plenty of heated discussions about what should be placed where – but the result, according to Mum, was always perfect.
Christmas music
And my last Christmas tradition, but certainly not least; the kids were always in charge of picking the Christmas music.
Times have changed since I was a child when the tunes were pumped out from vinyl on a turntable. Nowadays it is more about downloads and CD’s. And, can you believe Dora the Explorer even has her very own Christmas CD!
You might already practise some of these Christmas traditions, and you may also have other family traditions that have been passed down or you have created. Whatever you do, there is something very special about Christmas traditions. Christmas truly is a magical time of the year.