My Traditional Christmas

The Christmas season brings with it lots of festive traditions but I don't think there is such a thing as a traditional Christmas anymore.

There used to be the 12 days of Christmas and if I am honest, I am not even sure when that is supposed to start. A traditional Christmas dinner is Turkey but I've heard people having things like salmon instead.

People nowadays take parts of some traditions and mix it up with some of their own and we are no different in the Hazelden household, so I thought I would share with you a little bit of what a traditional Christmas is like in our home.

1. Start watching Christmas films on the 1st of November.

You probably all think I'm mad but I love a good festive film and seen as I buy atleast one new one every year, we have alot to watch and you can't watch them just once you know!!

2. Decorations go up on the 1st of December.

I like to make the most of having our decorations up, 12 days to me just isn't long enough and I think having the Christmas tree, the paper chains, the tinsel etc up makes the place feel more cosy.

3. Change my ringtone to something festive

Every year on the 1st December I pick a new Christmas ringtone, this year I have Elton John's Step into Christmas. Cheers me up everytime my phone rings :)

4. When wrapping presents Christmas music must be played and a little mulled wine helps too.

If you are like me, you probably find the idea of wrapping a mound of presents a rather daunting task. I admit I am awful at doing it, you would definitely be able to pick put which present was from me and no it isn't because I'm a tad tipsy from a glass or three of wine whilst attempting to wrap ;)

5. One sweet can be eaten Christmas eve.

I always see alot of people saying that they have bought the sweets for Christmas only to go and eat them all and need to buy more before Christmas has even arrived. In our house the sweets get bought and hidden and do not under any circumstances get opened until Christmas eve, of course after that they don't last very long at all.

6. Read the Night Before Christmas to the children at bed time on Christmas eve.

Now this is a tradition I have carried on from when I was a little girl, my daddy always used to read it to me and it is something that I have carried on with my own children, thanks to my dad buying me my own copy when I moved out. My little brother can recite the whole book without even looking at it!!

7. Open stockings on the bed before we go downstairs Christmas morning.

When I was younger we didn't have stockings, we got one present at the end of our beds, I always felt like I was missing out somehow so even before my eldest daughter was born, I had bought her a stocking ready. The trouble is I always seem to buy too many stocking fillers as the stockings are normally overflowing with gifts.

8. Presents are left on the Christmas tree to open Boxing day.

We have what are cleverly called Christmas tree presents, see what I did there! There is one present for each member of the family that is placed on the tree and left there til boxing day, just makes the fesitivities last a bit longer.

So what is a traditional Christmas like in your house?

xxxx

What Happened To The Traditional Nativity?

Although the memories definitely aren't as clear as they used to be, I will always remember my first Nativity play at school. I got the best part, oh yes, I was a mouse. I know what your thinking, a really important role, I even got to squeek as I scurried about with a tail pinned to the back of my trousers. It was the traditional story about Mary and Joseph and how baby Jesus came to be born. We sang songs like little donkey and it was a time for the parents to come and see there children in action.

Since having my own children, going to watch them perform in their own Nativity plays has been something I have really looked forward too, I come to think of it as a real part of our build up to Christmas. I was a proud mummy last year when Elise was picked to play the part of Mary.

However as happy as I was to see my daughter up there acting her little heart out I can't help but come away feeling a little disappointed every year.

The focus doesn't seem to be on the original story of the giving birth of Jesus anymore, it is more about putting on a big show. Half the songs they sing these days I don't even recognise, they are not the old ones we know and love, most are made up to the tunes of different nursery rhymes.

Gone are the days when every child seemed to get a some what meaningful role to play, last year some of the children in my daughter's school got to play rocks and trees, since when did these objects play a part in the Nativity?? Personally if I was a mum of one of those kids I would have been really upset for them.

This year the primary school that my eldest two daughter's attend aren't even putting on a proper Nativity play let alone classic one, they are just doing some little bits during their school's Christmas church service, we've been given a week and halfs notice to sort out a costume for our children. Freya is again breaking tradition slightly because she wants to be a shepherd and I'm not sure how many female shepherds there were way back when?

What do you think, should Nativity plays move with the times or would it be better if they stick with the convential story?

xxxx