Those amazing Christmas traditions!
As Christmas quickly approaches, lots of us are looking forward to spending some quality time with our loved ones and embracing some of those special seasonal traditions. From the silly to the serious and the downright ridiculous, there’s something about repeating certain things that makes Christmas feel familiar, comfortable and throughly enjoyable. Below are some of my personal Christmas traditions, which are also referenced in some of my books, which you can buy on Amazon using the links at the bottom of the page. Have a read below, and I’d love to hear some of your Christmas traditions in the comments section below!
Pre-Christmas
- Outside Christmas decorations go up December 1st
Christmas tree taking it in turns as to who puts the Angel on top.
Christmas Eve
Making reindeer food (the kids are 16 and 18 now, but we all still do it)
Tracking Santa on Google Maps
Going on Christmas Eve walk, pointing out planes on their flight path to Luton and pretending it is Santa’s sleigh
Me biting the chunks of carrot we leave out for the reindeer so they have teeth marks
Christmas Day
Having our Christmas presents in pillow cases and opening them in age order in the early hours – like 5.30am.
Wearing our Christmas hats from the crackers until we go to bed
Father (ie me) cooks Christmas lunch.
Going on the Christmas Day walk before lunch, always the same route through some fields near our home.
Family board game in the afternoon
Traditional tele – grew up on Morecombe and Wise, then Only Fools and Horses – today it is Dr Who, when it is on.
Boxing Day
Going to the in-laws on Boxing Day
Related books
Visitors at Christmas – a quintet of festive ghost stories
This quintet of Christmas ghost stories provides an excellent festive read, building on a tradition of spooky stories to send shivers down your spine during the festive period. These traditional Christmas ghost stories from Alan Peters have contemporary and relevant setting but keep that familiar uncomfortable feeling of tales in classic settings.
More visitors at Christmas – another quintet of festive ghost stories
Christmas traditions. Crackers and sprouts; trees and carols, gifts and…ghosts. Ghost stories at Christmas are a fondly held custom, dating back centuries. Who does not enjoy reading or watching Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – Scrooge is embedded in our culture. Alan Peters’ second book of Christmas Ghost stories keeps the tradition alive and thriving. These are gentle tales, ghostly, spooky and atmospherically spine tingling. Suitable for all the family, spirits abound in these short stories. Some less welcome than others
Dib Dabs, Allegros and Loving Thy Neighbour – memoirs of a 70s boy
It was rough, being a child of the seventies. Not only did we have to cope with the usual trauma of growing up, but were forced to wear the worst fashion since Charles I decided flowing locks and neck ruffs were the way forward. Even though Alan was never into glam rock, and punk largely passed him by (since he was an Abba fan), he still found himself as an eleven year sent out in pink herringbone flares, complete with short brown cardy, high waistband and black platform shoes.