Festive traditions have to be one of the most magical things about Christmas, I love the mundane things that become exciting and brilliant because it’s your Christmas traditions. I love continuing the traditions that we had when we were kids but I also can’t wait to put in place some of my own traditions with my future family.
1. Christmas Eve
For years and years, my family and family friends have always got ourselves all dressed up and we’ve taken around a tractor and trailer all decked up as Santa’s sleigh around our little village. We collected donations to give to a local children’s charity and had a jolly old time! This year will be the first year in ages that I haven’t been a part of it and I’ve got mixed feelings. Part of me is gutted to be breaking tradition, but another part of me is excited about a new adventure!
2. Christmas Stockings
Every Christmas morning of my whole life has begun with waking up early (when we were little my mum gave us a 6am curfew but since we’ve got older it’s got earlier!) grabbing our filled up stockings and jumping on my parent’s bed to open up all of our presents and have a jolly time. When we were really little we used to get a disposable camera in our stocking to document the day, once we got phones and cameras of our own the annual gift became a money tin to save for the following year. Eventually, that died out as well but I’m not too sure what the annual gift is supposed to be now!
3. Boxing day presents
This is another tradition which has finished for me but when I have children I would definitely like to start this back up is having boxing day presents. We were basically told when we were little that Santa has a big trip to make on Christmas eve so instead of going all the way around the world and home again, he would stay the night at the south pole before going back home on Christmas night. Since he had to go back past our house, if we went to bed nicely and were well behaved on Christmas day, he would leave us a small present on his return journey. I think it’s a great way to encourage good behaviour and a good-nights sleep after a busy and exciting day and it carries on the festivities for a little bit longer!
4. Sweetie Tree
This is another tradition which stopped and I have no idea why! We had a wooden Christmas tree which every year we would get two big boxes of chocolates and we would all sit around and sellotape the sweeties to the tree. There were a few baskets of chocolates under the tree which we were allowed to munch on in the run up to Christmas but the sweets on the tree itself got spread out between us after all of the Christmas decorations came down in January.
5. Christmas Eve Boxes
This is a tradition which I can’t wait to begin, for the first time this year I have made a Christmas eve box. I was going to make a separate one for my boyfriend and one for my sister but I decided to buy a big reusable Christmas box and put some pyjamas, Christmas films and treats in for them both. I can’t wait to make this a tradition and make up a Christmas Eve box every year!
6. 1st of December Day
This isn’t yet a tradition but my boyfriend and I were discussing it this year and I can’t wait to make this a tradition! One of my favourite days of the year (excluding Christmas day of course) is the first of December! I love waking up and opening my advent calendars, munching on chocolate and feeling officially festive! Usually the first of December happens to fall on a work day so we have decided that from now on we are both going to book the day off, chill out, open our advent calendars and do whatever festive activity that we fancy!
What’s your favourite festive tradition?
Love, Alice x
Adventuring as Alice 
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