Tuesday 14 December 2021

How we celebrate Christmas

We don't do Christmas. Well we do decorations, cards and presents and like to eat well, but we've not done Christmas in the traditional way for a very long time.


We met 21 years ago. We are a blended family, with kids spending Christmas with their extended families. We would have a party with family and friends over the New Year, the kids would still get their gifts, all together and we'd do a roast of sorts, pull crackers and tell silly jokes. We'd eat beans on toast on Christmas day, stay with friends or visit my Gran for the day. Then we moved abroad, with only 2 kids still at home. 

In 2010 we gate crashed a friends on Christmas Eve and slept on their sofa and went to the pub for a few drinks. Then stayed in a hotel one of our kids worked at, had Steak and chips for dinner and ate breakfast with Bristol City FC on Boxing Day.

The kids spent their Christmas when we lived in South Africa with their UK family, we spent it with different friends over the next 4 years, then we moved to Dubai and spent our first Christmas in a hotel and for the next 6 years we booked a Christmas Brunch and one or two of the kids joined us each year.

For Christmas 2020, we spent Christmas on our own. Peter was in Saudi and I was in a hotel on the beach in Dubai. With that in mind you'll understand the blog post I've linked up with last week.

We do however have some Christmas things/activities we do regardless of where we've been living.

Visit Santa - even if it is with the dog.


Explore the neighbourhood to look at the decorations. Not as glam as Dubai, but our friends house and just as much fun to see.

Dress the cat up.

Visit a winter glow. This one is in Malvern.

Persuade Peter to wear an item of festive clothing.

Christmas bedding.

Dress the dog up.

Borrow a neighbours child for crafting activities.

Our last UK Christmas was 2009. I can't remember what we did, but I found a picture of the tree piled with presents.


I've bought a new tree this year and decorated it with all the ornaments we've collected since we've been abroad. A combination of flags, camels, cactus, palm trees and beaded ornaments and a wide selection of safari animals.

The fireplace.

Decorations from South Africa and Dubai.

Decorations bought from our travels.

A rather wonky new Christmas tree.

Presents received and presents to give out.

Anyone else make such a mess? It's not like the movies is it with just one box held by your partner while the family put baubles on the tree and sing carols.

New Traditions.
Cake decorating, Christmas outfits and Christmas day with the next generation.




8 comments:

  1. Christmas is different things to different people. When my children were small I made so much effort planning weeks ahead with cooking and crafting that I wore myself out. Nowadays, things don't have to be homemade and I save my energy to have fun with the family - much more important! Have a fabulous time however you celebrate.
    Pamela
    www.style-yourself-confident.com

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    Replies
    1. I've yet to shop for food and there is less than a week to go, we'll eat whatever is in the supermarkets, less stress

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  2. This is solid proof that a Merry Christmas might look different every year!

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  3. Lovely Christmas celebrations. Merry Christmas x #pocolo

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  4. I'm a bit late commenting but it's always fascinating to know how other people spend Christmas. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2022 #pocolo

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