It might sound a bit weird, but I never celebrated a normal christmas as an adult. As a young adult I would f.e. go climbing somewhere with friends and we’d sit around a campfire in front of our tents. Ever since I was pregant of my son (now 6 y/o) there was never a normal christmas either. I gave birth just before christmas, I was in court around christmas time with his father and very stressed for two years, we lived in with my parents, I was in a ward two times, etc.
This will be the first year that my son and I celebrate christmas with the two of us. First day of christmas we’ll be alone (and I really like that :)), second day of christmas we will visit family.
I have never even had a christmas tree of my own, ever!
And we never do anything with presents, because we already have our own Dutch holiday the 5th of december with our own bearded guy bringing presents.
Now…
Do people have nice christmas ideas? Nice little traditions you enjoy? Or you did as children and have good memories of? What are nice traditions in your country or your home? How do normal people celebrate christmas?!?!?
I’d like to build a nice Christmas day for the two of us, but I’m a little clueless what to do.
i like to make little things with my children. we just get out markers and paper maybe glue, super simple and easy so it stays fun, and we make little snowmen or reindeer and hang em around the housewhile we listen to christmas music together. we’ve also been getting in front of the tree and taking silly pictures. good quality time.
I usually take my fake 3-foot Christmas tree out of its box, put it on a small table, and put lights on it. I have good memories and bad memories. However, over the last several years I’ve had this plan of buying a bunch of small teddy bears, calling a local hospital to set up a date and time, and giving children with diseases such as leukemia a teddy bear. I always back out of the plan because, to be honest, I don’t think I can handle it. I hope one day to be strong enough to do it.
Mr Turtle and I are having a quiet Christmas together this year. We’re briefly visiting his mother first thing in the morning but then later in the day we will either go out for a picnic or have a nice lunch at home with traditional Australian Christmas foods like cold ham, prawns, potato salad, warm chicken, warm pudding with custard.
We are having my niece on Christmas eve for that same lunch we will eat on Christmas day. She is bringing a pavlova.
Christmas is all about the food in my family.
Actually, everything is all about the food in my family. No wonder I’m chubby
Could you watch the classic christmas shows? like rudolph, santa claus is coming to town one of those? the classic christmas shows always get me in the mood for the holidays. i watched already a christmas story. its one of my favorites, if you cant do that then try listening to christmas songs. these are just thoughts.
Thanks for all your ideas!! Nice to hear how people celebrate christmas on the other side of the world.
@kindness you gave me the idea of doing some volunteering or something else for a good cause with christmas and teaching my son about that. I have been discussing with my son what we could do. Maybe we’ll just donate some money to a good cause and I’ll have my son pick one that he finds important. Or we’ll go volunteering, if possible. I have found a christian organisation that asks for volunteers to have dinner with lonely or sick people that don’t have anyone to celebrate christmas eve with. I have asked whether we can also join as a mother-son family.
Another idea for christmas would be to go to a restaurant for a brunch buffet on christmas day. They have a special children’s buffet for decorating pancakes. Or we’ll make some nice food at home. He likes to help me cook, so that is a nice way to spend our time.
The rest of the day we can do nice things at home. I like the idea of singing carols, watching a christmas movie and doing creative stuff, making christmas things to decorate the house… @kissychrissy that’s a nice idea!
@Emilyj75, I’m so sorry to hear you will be alone with christmas and you are sad about that. I do wish for you to find kind people around you. I am sorry for triggering this in you or how do you call that. I wish we could cheer up your christmas too. You never know what might change in your life. I have been stuck alone in a closed ward with christmas several times, but life has changed. I genuinely hope yours will too.
My mom is Greek. We grew up with her making all kinds of delicious Greek desserts. But baklava is too hard to make I guess so we usually bought ours. We only had baklava at Easter time though.
It’s a really delicious pastry, with honey and walnuts. i guess that could describe a million other desserts too though, lol. You have to try it yourself to appreciate how good it is. Anybody can eat it but I grew up believing that it originated in Greece.
I recommend watching muppets Christmas carol in the morning and singing along…
Getting all fat and full with too much roast dinner
And board games in the evening.