I love the way that every family has its own Christmas traditions. When I was little my Mum always held a Christmas eve party for family, friends and neighbours. My Aunt would always bring a pasta salad (literally famous in my family and made using a liberal amount of tomato ketchup, classy right). Another Aunt would always get tipsy and a little, ahem, honest. We got to stay up late and it felt really special.

Purpledad and I are a little limited on traditions. Perhaps it’s because I’m easily bored and lack focus. Or perhaps because the children are still pretty young we just haven’t got our traditional festive mojo on yet. Anyway I think perhaps if I plan some traditions here on my blog I will stick to them, refer to them year after year. Help sort the Purple family Christmas traditions so my children, once grown, don’t suffer from some kind of breakdown at Christmas because I never did the elf on the shelf for them!

Looking around the blog sphere it seems most families have a traditional way to spend Christmas eve. Many families make special food for reindeers, and bake cookies for Santa. Some families take in their local neighbourhood lights, others head somewhere for a country walk.

We do not have a plan! I certainly won’t be mixing up glitter and oats for Rudolph, nor fashioning pasta into Santa’s likeness for a festive dinner. I’m thinking that for the Purple family some kind of walk might work, perhaps a morning walk followed by lunch out. I’m always in favour of a meal that doesn’t involve me cooking and if it’s a tradition then it must be upheld.

After we return home from our jaunt then we could all relax at home. For dinner  I will go with our current tradition of filling our dining table with buffet food (in a nod to my Mum’s parties but without the hassle of inviting anyone) and letting the family help themselves whilst watching something festive on TV. So that’s Christmas eve sorted, brilliant.

Then the children can sort out Santa’s snack, mince pie (home made at some point in the week prior to Christmas, see I’m motherly and wholesome) and a glass of something warming. Having not prepared special reindeer food the reindeers will have to make do with a carrot, unless my pixies get to it first (they love a carrot those little scallywags). Stockings will be hung and excited children tucked up in bed. I might even go crazy and read them ‘The Night Before Christmas’ as a bedtime story.

Christmas day we have sorted, thanks to Purpledad’s family’s traditions. Stockings are opened in bed with us, and then everyone has to get dressed, washed and breakfasted before the front room door (containing the tree and presents) can be opened. Then the present fest, food fest, fun fest that is Christmas begins and I get to drink champagne whilst building Playmobil and scoffing chocolates, hooray.

We have one final little tradition in our house, which I love as it involves more presents. Everyone has a small gift wrapped and hidden on the Christmas tree. At some point late afternoon when everyone is relaxing we get to find and open our ‘tree presents’.

So with two sleeps to go, and very excited children in the Purple household this will be my final post before Christmas. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas and see you sometime after boxing day.