My Christmas Traditions

There are so many different traditions that people do, I have read many different ones and my favorite that I've heard is my friend who moves an elf statue around the house and tells the children that the elf will report to Santa and tell him if they are being naughty. This is fabulous and I may have to adopt this when I have any children.

My first Christmas tradition is putting the decoration up on 30th November ready for December. I don't know why this has come about, but it is what I do every year. My parents were not so strict with the date, but I am.
As soon as all the presents are wrapped they go under the tree, even if their for other people (this makes me look more popular than I am, LOL). I always arrange to meet people to exchange presents within two week before Christmas, I can't abide doing it any earlier. this is just my nature, I feel that any sooner and it ruins the run up to Christmas. Though there is one particular friend (Laura) who would open them as soon as she got them so I do my best to get hers to her as close to the big day as possible, this year we are meeting up on Christmas eve.

My best friend and I (Laura - as mentioned above) also have a tradition of buying each other a Christmas Tree decoration each year, This way our decorations grow and we have our own personal story to tell, I would love to start doing this with more of my friends, but then it wouldn't be so special.

I always open one present on Christmas Eve, I never choose a big one, but just something to open to tease for the next day, My husband has embraced this tradition with some rather zealous enthusiasm as he is a giant kid. This has been a tradition for as long as I can remember, My parents used to pick the present for me, to make sure it wasn't my main present, but as an adult I now choose.

I still have advent calenders always given by my mother in law and I have to have a stocking. Once again the big kid was happy to adopt this. I love waking up about 7/8 and opening my stocking, and we always put on our Christmas hats and wear them until we have opened the gifts. Then while I adjust (as I'm not a morning person) Nick makes me a cup of tea/hot chocolate and turns all the lights on as I come into the living room. Then we start to open our presents, we always take turns one at a time and try and have fun and make it last as long as we can.

When I had a dog, we'd always give him the paper to play with, that was the dogs Christmas, paper to eat! After all the present fun, I start to prepare for dinner, peel & cut veg, get stuffing mix ready and normally start cooking about 11. With dinner/cooking comes some alcohol, normally Baileys or Disaronno and Coke an of course some Crackers, and then wear the stupid cracker hats for an hour or two.

These are my tradition and I'm sure there are many others that do this and more,
What are your traditions, I would love to hear what makes your Christmas special!

My Week

My week has been so busy that it hasn't even been a week since my last post. First of all I actually figured out how to do a screenshot on my phone, YAY! I could have found out months ago if I had spent 3 seconds looking on the net but I didn't.

The store where I work had a fire, I was off the day it happened, but my facebook page was covered in updates, Thankfully no one was hurt and the store is ok, no structural damage as the staff were all let back in, if there was damage surely no one would be allowed back into the building. I have been told that it was a bunch of kids who set fire to a car in the underground car park! little shits, I sometimes hate the youth of today. I know that not much has Changed, things like that happened when I was a child, but it does seem to happen more now. I wish I could shout 'GET A HANDLE ON YOUR BRATS!' to the parents.

Me week has consisted of decorating for Christmas, I had lots of fun doing my tree and My husband was having fun being silly in amongst all the decorations. As soon as we had found our Christmas hats, We had to try them on, hehe. I bought a Noel sign and as it came out of the box i put it up the wrong way round. I have two advent calenders this year and they are both malteaser ones, I used to always love the Cadbury, but I had one of these little babies about 3 years ago and nothing else is better now. What can I say I am 26 with 2 advent calenders, a stocking and a big grin!

I made a Sunday Roast on Thursday and bought a ankle length dress that I am using as a nightdress at the moment during these cold winter nights, brrr!

I also had my nieces 1st birthday party, it was the first time I has saw her as they live away. I didn't manage to snap a pic but she has the biggest bluest eyes I have ever seen on a baby, Honestly they are just startling and almost unreal! I have a meal with the family tonight and a Christmas meal at my mother in laws Church Monday evening.

I will be doing these weekly posts as up to Christmas I have lots and lots to do and places to go and people to see. busy time of the year!