When you’re a kid you almost always have some kind of family traditions.
These can be for all different occasions, including those ordinary ones, but definitely at Christmas time and everyone is different.
We always used to wake up to a sack of presents at the end of our beds.  We would open a few little ones while sat on the foot of our parents beds before having to get ourselves dressed, ready and downstairs to help mum with the lunch before opening anymore.

We would leave our mince pie, carrot and glass of whiskey for Santa
on Christmas Eve
(a bacardi and coke when my parents split up and it was just mum-ha!) and it was always such an exciting time even when i stopped believing.

 My Grampy’s birthday is the 28th and every year the whole family would meet up again for a lunch or little get together to celebrate and even though he died 10 years ago now we still all get together as a family.

It’s hard to remember the details of Christmases when I was younger but I remember how great they felt and how the structure of the day was.
How we would have extended family over for lunch and then chill out playing games and watching TV in the afternoon, evening.
I’ve always wondered how on earth people can be bothered to go out for a walk when theres so much relaxing to be done-guiltfree!
Though I must admit I’m not one for sitting watching TV all evening I like to play games and chat.  One year we had Christmas at ours and guests left so early I had a good old suck in the evening.  To me its supposed to be a busy day surrounded by family doing things we don’t normally do.

I remember receiving a Martine McCutcheon Autobiography one year as a teenager and sitting in an arm chair and devouring it all in one day.

We spent one Christmas with friends where we had to roll a 6 on a dice before you could open a present.
This was a little frustrating as kids after the novelty of making it a game wore off.

When my parents divorced, me and my sister would spend alternate Christmas and New Years with each parent.
Now as we are all grown up with children of our own, Christmas is as always a time for family but a little more spread out.
which to be honest i love as it makes Christmas feel like it lasts even longer, I’m not sure B shares my enthusiasm.

Today we had my mums side of the family around to ours for a little gathering, a few bottles of prosecco, mugs of tea, bags of crisps and biscuits later I had one very excited little man with some of his new toys and having regaled the family with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and showing off his hot wheels cars and tracks.
Unfortunately my mum and sister were already busy so it was aunties and grandparents round for our first Christmas in our house.
It gave me a good excuse to clean everywhere!

On Christmas Eve we will go and see B’s nan as we have every one in the last 10 years.  This is only the second she’s been alone and theres a probability B will have to work, so i’ll be taking LB up to see his Great Nan.  This little tradition is something I want to keep going.
Then my mum is coming over for some dinner (I’m busy trying to work out what scrummy dish i can cook up)!
Me and B always have a chilled out Christmas eve night just the two of us. We open a present each and usually sit down with some bubbly
and watch a comedy.
Then it’ll be salmon, scrambled egg and bucks fizz for breakfast while LB rips open his pressies from Santa and enjoy a chilled out morning
just the three of us.
(I must admit I’m looking forward to doing this at table rather than on the sofa like the last 9 years.)

Christmas Day will be spent with my Dad, stepmum, sisters, niece and nephew, aunt,uncle and cousins and my nan.
The first time this has been done actually on the Day rather than boxing day in a long time and I’m really looking forward to it, especially if my Dad pulls off another crazy stunt like this!

Boxing Day will be with my in laws.
B’s dad is cooking goose and seriously his food is to die for!
I may be stuffed still from Christmas Day but my mouth is already watering thinking about it.

Since LB came into our life (almost 3 yrs ago) there has been a few more little traditions come into our family…

We have been to see Father Christmas with my mum each year. Fed the reindeers and enjoyed a mince pie.

LB’s come along to panto with me and made his way up onto the stage at some point each year.

I’ve sorted Santa letters for LB and my niece and nephew via the NSPCC.

As this is the first Christmas I think LB will understand we have gone a little bit more full out than normal.
The decorations are a little crazier,  Our Elf Elvis has come along to keep his eye on LB and we have reindeer dust to sprinkle out on the lawn on Christmas eve.
We’ll also leave the compulsory mince pie and drink out for the big man before LB goes to bed, which we haven’t done before.

I’m so excited to maintain and develop these traditions.  Ones me and B brought together from our own families and then added to
as we became a family.

My last thought is….

I wonder how early LB will wake up!?

Merry Christmas Everyone-I hope yours is truly special x