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As Christmas draws ever closer, our wonderful authors have shared their favourite festive traditions with us! Read on the find out more…
Annie Burrows:
It’s not exactly a tradition… but when I first left home I always used to bake and ice a Christmas cake which I’d take home when I went to visit my parents. Somehow, it always got dropped at some stage of the long journey – and we used to joke it wouldn’t be Christmas if I brought a pristine, perfect cake home! (Always tasted fine, even if much of the icing was beyond repair).
I’m breaking with tradition this year by not having Christmas crackers. Crackers have bugged me for ages because it all ends up in landfill. What’s important is having the family home and ramping up the hygge… so chez Ella, it’ll be log fires, candles and mulled wine!
Louisa Heaton:
On Christmas Eve, my children are allowed to open their Christmas stockings. We open the small presents and gather together as a family around the tree and chat about our hopes for the new year. This begins our Christmas in a really lovely way.
Therese Beharrie:
My husband and I are usually up early Christmas morning, preparing our Christmas feast, before we head to our family to eat said feast 🙂 When we get home in the evening, we’ll watch a movie. Sometimes, I’ll sneak in a Christmas read. So really, our Christmas traditions are simple: food, family, and holiday entertainment!
Annie O’Neil:
We used to have a Christmas strawberry cheesecake, but one fateful year my springform pan sprung en route to the oven! The only thing I could come up with to make was ice cream sandwiches with some homemade chocolate chip cookies. They’ve been our pudding ever since!
Janice Lynn:
All my favorite holiday traditions center around time with family. It’s the one time of year when everyone makes a concerted effort to be home and to spend quality time together. I love going to my parents, visiting with my grandmother, and seeing extended family.
Heidi Rice:
Making gingerbread houses with my sons while watching a Christmas movie – Polar Express, Muppets Christmas Carol and Elf are our favourites. We used to drink hot chocolate while doing it, but nowadays we crack open the prosecco… which might be why the houses are a lot less structurally sound these days!
Susan Stephens:
Snacking while I cook as I wonder where those gifts of exclusive chocolates, or interesting bottles of alcohol have disappeared to before I even had the chance to taste! When I’m not puzzling over this, I’m either sharing the excitement of opening gifts with my family, or yomping across the glorious Yorkshire dales with our adorable dog Betty.
Susan Meier:
Our son, Mikie, once saw a white tree with red ornaments and loved it. After Christmas, his dad and I found a white tree for $5 and two boxes of red ornaments, also cheap. The following Christmas, we surprised him with them. Sadly, he only got to put the tree up twice. Now, it’s my tradition, a way to happily remember him.
Jenni Fletcher:
I tried to start a Christmas tradition of reading A Christmas Carol by the fireside every year, but unfortunately my family weren’t so enthusiastic. Now we sing along to the Muppets instead, which I have to admit is pretty fun. No one does Charles Dickens like the Great Gonzo!
Catherine Tinley:
I love the fact that many Christmas traditions are based around family. In my family, we have lots of Christmas get-togethers – beginning with a family walk on Christmas Eve. We all go to Midnight Mass together on Christmas Eve night, and we meet again in my parents’ house on Christmas morning to eat bacon sandwiches and exchange gifts.
Liz Tyner:
My favourite Chistmas tradition is having a small Christmas tree with real red and white fishing floats/bobbers for ornaments along with de-barbed lures and a handmade “No Fishing” sign. A miniature fishing rod and reel completes the decorations.
Nicole Locke:
When my son was three, my mother gifted him a coiled wooden snake, which he promptly whipped around to great damage. So, I put it away until the following Christmas when it could be his friend again. When I had my daughter, she got one, too. Thus, there are forevermore Christmas snakes under our tree.
Juliette Hyland:
When my girls were little, they asked to make cookies for a few of their neighborhood friends for Christmas. Through the years, we’ve expanded the tradition. Now we pass out goodies to our whole street. Watching my daughters deliver their bright cookie tins always warms my heart!