Thanks everyone for all you input in to this....You have all given me alot to think about and ways to improve our christmas traditions....

Thankyou all for sharing with me and I hope you all have a great christmas

Cheers Spinnychic

Growing up my Christmases were really horrible miserable affairs so when my kids came along I wanted to create what I thought was the perfect Christmas. It started with decorating the tree on Dec 1, if that fell on a Monday we would do it the Sunday before and not put the lights on till Dec 1. Secondly I purchased a special ornament for each person and after the tree was decorated in general the kids would put their special ornament on the tree while I took a photo. I also used to take a photo of the kids dressed up and send it on their behalf to their grandparents and god parents. As new people have joined our family they have received their own decoration and I have just purchased one each for my grandsons.

Fighting has never been allowed at Christmas, food is in abundance and we all sit down to lunch which with a large family is very exciting....the message is peace and harmony.

I also purchase a gift each year from one of the department store Christmas wish trees as well as making a donation of food. My children have followed suit and also make donations to those less fortunate in our society.

Christmas trees and decorations are such a personal thing.  When we lived in Australia we usually had a real tree each year, but they were becoming quite expensive that last time I bought one (Christmas 2006).  The place I got mine from in Sydney charged $70 that year.  It WAS a beautiful, almost perfect tree though but on top of all the other expense, it adds up.  Last Christmas was our first one in Jakarta and so I bought a "real" looking fake tree that even has pine cones on some branches and it was quite reasonably priced.  LOL then 2 days later I was shopping and down an obscure little side street I saw real pine trees .... almost unbelievable in this place!

Some people put their decs/tree up on 1 December and take them down on 1 January.  I put ours up early this year, and we started on 24 November as we have garlands over each of the windows and french doors in our oungeroom, as well as the stairs and these take a while to decorate.  Then it takes several hours to put the outside lights up.

If you aren't superstitious then it's all really up to you when you do it all though.

As for traditions, we don't really have any that revolve roun the tree and decorations LOL.  It just gets done as fast as I can get it up.  My son hasn't been interested for years and my 10yo actually constructed the tree this year but then pretty well lost interest as I took so long to get the lights on - I find the lights the most time consuming as I am quite particular about the way the tree looks with them on at night, so I either weave them in and out of each layer of branches or spiral them from top to bottom and both ways take quite a while to do.

One really nice idea is to make a small batch of bakeable dough or clay that you can cut shapes out of, then glue two pieces together leaving a gap in the top that you can slip a photo of the kids into.  If you do this each year you will have a lovely Christmas record of how they change from year to year and they also makes lovely gifts.  Or take your kids to a plaster fun house place each year and let them paint some decorations to add to the tree - I still have one my son made when he was 2 and he loves seeing it go on the tree each year.

On Christmas eve we make cookies together - shortbread with ginger powder in them (really yummy) type things that we cut into Christmas shapes and we use chopped small pieces of glace cherries or currants for eyes.

When I was growing up, Mum and Dad would always let my brother and I open one present when we came home from midnight mass on Christmas eve - I think that's the carrot Mum would dangle to get us to behave through mass when we were so excited!

One thing I do do with my kids though is let them help choose gifts for family members and  friends then help to wrap them.  The wrapping isn't great of course, but it's a good way to instill the giving process and they do get quite excited talking about how everyone will love what they have chosen.

i got pressured this year into putting mine up early (kids are getting older and seeing it at the shops!!) but usually i wait until the first saturday in december when everyone is home. decorations do go up before this around the house. we use fake as its a lot less expensive over time and a lot less messy although i still love the real ones as we used to have one every year when i was a kid.as for traditions we get our kids to buy each other a present of their choosing (i feel to teach them that christmas is about giving) and they also get to wrap them and put them under the tree early. they also get to decorate another tree whether it is a small one in their bedroom or this year an aussie christmas tree (gumtree branch) out the front. with old decortations so (according to them) everyone knows its christmas. whatever you decide in regards to tradition make sure it is something that is important to you and your family it could be the same every year or something different in the same catergory every year (ie giving a gift to a needy organization or giving to a different charity every year) cheers and goodluck.

My advice is don't wait too long...things get more stressful the closer it gets to Christmas day. And personally I love real Christmas trees. The smell is amazing! Yes it can be quite messy with all the needels falling out, but I think it's all part of the holiday spirit. :) 

We always put up our Tree & decorations on Pageant weekend. It's the family tradition you could say!!!

My son and I put ours up last week, but he told me to keep it from his sister's.And believe it or not it is still in my lounge room, and his sister's still can not see it,lol. I have been asked when his he going to tell his sister's when it is there, but still no word.But I reckon today is the best day.

karen

I put my tree up the weekend of the first of december ( I like it up longer or it seems silly) but the traditional day is the 12th I think. my nan always makes a big deal of it.

We all get into doing the tree. as well as decorating the house.

I have never heard of the put a bit up each day thing. I rather do it all at once. Looks better, but thats me.

Personally I prefer fake over real, if you have lights on a real u have a greater chance on the tree drying out and catching on fire. I wont put lights on the tree either as one year my fake one caught a little.

We dont do the chocolate advent callender either (my nan will but the kids one but they eat it all in 1 day. LOL, I will get around to making a qulted one, one day)

in the way of family rituals, I would say make your own. TBH unless you are rreligious the whole u have to do this and that doesnt apply unless u want it to. so I will leave my tree up til jan.