So for our first #TBT (Throwback Thursday), we are talking Christmas traditions.
I have to admit to having a few (actually, a few more than a few) of these. My rule is that nothing that happens at Christmas can be an anomaly; if it happens one Christmas, it must happen every Christmas there after.
Some of my favourites are our Christmas Eve movies - Miracle on 34th Street (1994) and a Die Hard marathon - accompanied by cocktails (or mocktails being that I've been pregnant the last 2 Christmases), gingerbread house building and a party food buffet.
I always buy Steve a fancy drink for Christmas and he gets that gift on Christmas Eve to open and enjoy (it's often Remi Martin cognac).
This year we will be tailoring these traditions for Harrison. Miracle on 34th Street is a must; I've watched it every year since I was a child so Harrison will too. Die Hard, however, will be saved for after bed time.
Steve's special drink will be wrapped up as a gift for 'Santa' and left with some 'reindeer food' and we will decorate the gingerbread house as a family of 3.
Presents are the next port of call for some new traditions.
I always had a stocking in my room that, come morning, would be full of presents from'Santa' (and always included an apple, a satsuma, a Terry's Chocolate Orange, a selection box and chocolate coins - I think the first 2 were supposed to negate the unhealthiness of the latter) and presents from family and friends were in the living room.
That shall remain the case, but we want to include some guidelines around the presents for Harrison.
I learned about this from a lady in a Facebook group I'm part of. The idea is to give a child 4 presents at Christmas -
Something they want
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read.
The idea is to limit the number of presents at Christmas and use birthdays to spoil, instead. As Harrison's birthday is 2 and a half weeks after Christmas, this seems like a good idea. He'll likely get an influx of things at Christmas with family visiting, where his birthday will be a little quieter, so we can focus the ridiculous first birthday spoiling on the 12th of January.
I'm thinking of making some special Christmas bags for the 4 things, so, if I do, I shall post photos and a little tutorial.
I'm really looking forward to this Christmas and all the new traditions it will bring.
What are you traditions for the holidays?