Our fireplace last Christmas
So, the countdown to Christmas has begun. I may not have found the time to do the homemade Advent calendar I'd planned to do this year, but we're having just as much fun opening our shop bought calendar and burning our advent candle each evening.
Last night on Twitter, Pippa, Sandy, Jay and I were chatting about how family traditions mean so much more to us over the festive period than all the material stuff, and we compared some of our own ideas for traditions. Sandy, quick off the mark as ever, wrote a lovely blog post about the Calico family traditions she's planning to start this year, and I've decided to follow suit with my own post.
This year, the Young family hope to....
* decorate the tree together, to the sound of Christmas music (music from the rat pack, probably)
* find a local Christingle service to attend
* watch The Snowman at some point over the Christmas period
* give each other new PJs on Christmas eve, and all wear them for dinner
* eat Christmas eve dinner by candlelight
* open our stockings together in bed on Christmas morning
* have a special Christmas morning breakfast as a family (treats all round!)
* enjoy sparklers outside when it gets dark on Christmas day
And next year (maybe) we'll add these traditions...
* hang the stockings I've made myself
* bring out my homemade Advent calendar for its first year of many (I hope)
* add extra decorations to the living room after the kids have gone to bed on Christmas even (idea stolen from Lucy's comment on Sandy's blog)
* put wrapping paper over the door to the living room so Ez and Fonz have to burst through to get to the presents on Christmas day (idea stolen from Laura's comment on Sandy's post)
Do you have any special traditions at Christmas time? Beware that if you share them below, I am on the prowl for ideas so they may well become Young & Younger traditions too!
