Our building up to Christmas traditions

Along with the build up to Christmas come a whole host of traditions, some that I've put in place over the years but lots that have just sort of happened!

Christmas starts for me with an early trip to the garden centre when they've just opened their Christmas displays. Our local Haskins does several different themed areas, and if you get there early in the season you can enjoy everything before it all gets picked over. I never actually buy anything, but I love browsing the displays and seeing what they've decided should be in fashion this year.

Come December and the elves are back. We've been happily welcoming the elves into our home for the run up to Christmas for what feels like forever. There has been some criticism in recent years that their antics have become less interesting compared to the more exciting earlier years, but they've managed a few surprises. 

We don't watch much television so we never buy a paper TV guide, except when it's time to get the Christmas TV guide. It's a big part of my husband's Christmas, so he always makes sure to buy one as soon as they are released. But we very rarely splurge on the expensive Radio Times, he always manages to find one of the more budget friendly ones. 

One of our most time consuming traditions is the yearly baking, assembling and decorating of the gingerbread houses. I've been making two for years, almost always making my own gingerbread from scratch. I've got it down to a fine art now and although it's an effort I really do enjoy making them. The children love decorating them too, and they are always delicious.

At some point before Christmas we always sit down and watch Nativity! I'm not quite sure why this film appeals to me so much, but it wouldn't be Christmas without watching it. My favourite part is the establishing shot for the Mayor's reception which was filmed at Coombe Abbey where we got married, and I love all the festive songs and decorations. It's just a really fun film building up to a really sweet Nativity celebration.

Delivering the neighbour's Christmas cards is another festive tradition that the children have been helping me with for a few years. When they were younger I used to let them go out together, anxiously watching them from the window to make sure that they didn't get lost in our tiny cul-de-sac. Now I still send them out, but I don't feel the need to stand there hovering any more!

I never introduced Christmas Eve boxes, but the elves do always bring new pyjamas for the children when they leave on Christmas Eve. As they are a little more fussy now I've asked for some help this year to make sure that they get a set they really want!

Also on Christmas Eve we still make and sprinkle reindeer food. I keep it simple with just oats, some Cheerios, raisins and a bit of sugar for some sparkle. I love seeing them out in the garden in their pyjamas sprinkling it on the grass, even though they are enormous teenagers now!

The final Christmas Eve tradition is my husband wrapping his presents for me at the last minute. I didn't even realise that this was a family tradition until my daughter mentioned it this year. I hadn't known it was such a big part of her Christmas!

What things do you find yourself doing every year as Christmas approaches?

The 2023 Gingerbread Houses

Making a gingerbread house at Christmas is a tradition that I started back in 2012. I can't believe that it has been ten years of gingerbread houses! Well apart from last year as we were away the week before Christmas and we just didn't have time to make one. But I wasn't allowed to get away with that, and so we had to make Easter houses instead!

I use a recipe from Tesco which is unfortunately no longer available. My first houses were made using their paper template, but the more recent ones are made using some brilliant gingerbread house cutters which I bought in the US a few years ago. I've made gingerbread houses so many times that I have a printed out recipe which is annotated with the different quantities that I need according to how many houses I'm making. One year I made five! It is a bit of a mission though so I was glad to stick with just the two this year.

We had a lovely time making the gingerbread and then decorating the houses. As the children are getting older there is more that they can do to help, even if it's just keeping me company for the endless rolling and cutting out! We were reasonably successful this year, Mia's house did fall apart a little bit but I told her that just means that she can start eating it sooner!

The houses don't stick around as decorations, the children start eating them almost straight away. Which is probably a good thing, because there are so many other treats around at Christmas that it's good to spread them out a bit!