Can't quite get into the festive mood but it will come! I am trying.
On Saturday my youngest (all of 21 years) asked when I would be making mince pies. I said it's too early but maybe I could make something else. I found a Jamie Oliver recipe for mincemeat cookies and as I had half a jar of mincemeat still sitting in the fridge from last year, I made them. One satisfied son.
On Sunday, that same son wondered whether there would be an Advent calendar this year, with chocolates, of course. Now, I didn't think I bought any last year because no one seemed interested. So on Monday I was out scouring the shops - couldn't find one. On Tuesday I found some in the Pound Shop. The choice was Hello Kitty or Forever Friends. My other son thought it would be fun to buy him Hello Kitty, but no I opted for the latter and with a wiry smile my son disappeared upstairs with his Forever friends Advent Calendar. Peace has settled and the season jogs on.
I have bought no presents and cannot bring myself to even begin yet......but I do have Christmas Crackers, Cranberry Sauce and a Quorn Roast for me and the other veggie in the house. The other purchase made is the annual jigsaw. I began buying one (usually with a funny picture) some years ago and it has stuck, becoming a tradition in this household. I then began thinking about Christmas traditions that have filtered down through the family.
When I look back there are many of them, some I am sure may be the same as yours or similar. As a child I always asked my parents what they had bought me. I would worry and worry but if they had told me I would have been devastated! I like surprises, even if I have an idea, until I rip the paper off I'm never 100% sure. I loved helping to put the Christmas tree up. Mainly we had an artificial one at home (as I do now) but one year we did have a real one and my mum moaned about it shedding, so it never happened again. I still have the fairy which I was given as a child by either my grandmother or aunt. It's rather delicate now so we don't use it but I can't part with it. The lace needs a good wash and I'm not sure how to go about it as the dress does not come off the doll. I'm terrified I'll ruin it.
I've always loved Christmas and we had a big sack to put all the presents in and it was my job (well I wasn't going to let anyone else do this!) to hand the presents out. We always opened presents after breakfast but for a few years my parents made us wait until after dinner.......that was hell. What do you do until then?!
Breakfast on Christmas morning was like no other in the year because we had ham sandwiches. Not this reformed pre-packed stuff you get these days but proper boiled-for-hours-on-the-stove (soaking, water changes etc,) ham. This was years before I went veggie and I loved it. The taste was wonderful. Mid morning there was mince pies to keep us going until the main meal.
Dinner - my favourite of the year - was roast turkey stuffed with a home made stuffing, roast and boiled potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts, cranberry sauce and giblet gravy, oh and sometimes devils on horseback. We also the bread crusts left over from the stuffing! (The dog had the giblets for lunch!) Then there was Christmas pudding with alcohol poured over it. My dad would set it alight, always great fun. Sometimes my mum or grandmother would have made the pudding. We always had custard with it - I adore custard! If there was room there were warm mince pies.
After dinner (and the Queen's speech) we would stagger into the front room and open the After Eights and Quality Street. Dad would always wash up and I would often dry. Then dad and I would play Ludo. We always played fast! Other games we would play were Tiddly Winks, Snakes and Ladders and sometimes Monopoly but that dragged on and often we would never finish. Ludo or Snakes and Ladders was my favourite. Later we would stagger back and attempt to eat sandwiches, cakes and home made Christmas cake (which we'd all stirred on it's making and I licked the bowl out afterwards!). Often I could only manage Christmas Cake. There was always nuts to crack if you were still peckish! Often I would go to bed so full I'd feel sick. I don't do that any more. We always pulled our Christmas crackers during tea but now I have a family of my own we have them at dinner and the Christmas pudding is served somewhere between dinner and tea as no one wants it after dinner.
We have the jigsaw instead of games (though we have had games in the past) and like my mum I do make my own mince pies and Christmas cake, though the cake is not a traditional one anymore as hubby is diabetic and no one eats that much of it so I make something lighter, put marzipan on it and just use a water icing. The last few years I've made it in a loaf tin rather than round. I make the same stuffing my grandmother did but in a dish not in a turkey but I do cook turkey for the meat eaters, though it's usually a crown.
Now we are in Advent the Christmas CD's are coming out. I'm on track for the festivities apart from the present shopping. Waiting for the big kids to let me know what they want - that might help. At least now I don't have to wait until the kids are in bed on Christmas Eve before I can put the presents under the tree!
What traditions do you have - past or present? What are you most looking forward to?
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| Mincemeat cookies |
On Sunday, that same son wondered whether there would be an Advent calendar this year, with chocolates, of course. Now, I didn't think I bought any last year because no one seemed interested. So on Monday I was out scouring the shops - couldn't find one. On Tuesday I found some in the Pound Shop. The choice was Hello Kitty or Forever Friends. My other son thought it would be fun to buy him Hello Kitty, but no I opted for the latter and with a wiry smile my son disappeared upstairs with his Forever friends Advent Calendar. Peace has settled and the season jogs on.
I have bought no presents and cannot bring myself to even begin yet......but I do have Christmas Crackers, Cranberry Sauce and a Quorn Roast for me and the other veggie in the house. The other purchase made is the annual jigsaw. I began buying one (usually with a funny picture) some years ago and it has stuck, becoming a tradition in this household. I then began thinking about Christmas traditions that have filtered down through the family.
 |
| This years jigsaw awaits |
I've always loved Christmas and we had a big sack to put all the presents in and it was my job (well I wasn't going to let anyone else do this!) to hand the presents out. We always opened presents after breakfast but for a few years my parents made us wait until after dinner.......that was hell. What do you do until then?!
Breakfast on Christmas morning was like no other in the year because we had ham sandwiches. Not this reformed pre-packed stuff you get these days but proper boiled-for-hours-on-the-stove (soaking, water changes etc,) ham. This was years before I went veggie and I loved it. The taste was wonderful. Mid morning there was mince pies to keep us going until the main meal.
Dinner - my favourite of the year - was roast turkey stuffed with a home made stuffing, roast and boiled potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts, cranberry sauce and giblet gravy, oh and sometimes devils on horseback. We also the bread crusts left over from the stuffing! (The dog had the giblets for lunch!) Then there was Christmas pudding with alcohol poured over it. My dad would set it alight, always great fun. Sometimes my mum or grandmother would have made the pudding. We always had custard with it - I adore custard! If there was room there were warm mince pies.
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| Sadly no longer here.....my lovely mum and dad (and Snowy the dog!) |
We have the jigsaw instead of games (though we have had games in the past) and like my mum I do make my own mince pies and Christmas cake, though the cake is not a traditional one anymore as hubby is diabetic and no one eats that much of it so I make something lighter, put marzipan on it and just use a water icing. The last few years I've made it in a loaf tin rather than round. I make the same stuffing my grandmother did but in a dish not in a turkey but I do cook turkey for the meat eaters, though it's usually a crown.
Now we are in Advent the Christmas CD's are coming out. I'm on track for the festivities apart from the present shopping. Waiting for the big kids to let me know what they want - that might help. At least now I don't have to wait until the kids are in bed on Christmas Eve before I can put the presents under the tree!
What traditions do you have - past or present? What are you most looking forward to?
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