Growing up my family had a few Christmas traditions that I remember. Christmas eve for example was a big night. There was cake, new jammies, a movie and leaving a treat for Santa. In the morning we had to wait patently upstairs while our father would go down and check if Santa had been. When the bells in the banister went off, we knew he had been, and the madness ensued.
When M was growing up, I tried to have little traditions like that with him. We did the visits to Santa, the writing of the Christmas list that we left on the tree, only to find in the morning it was gone and in its place was a sweetie. We always baked a festive themed treat, had snowman soup and on Christmas eve we got into our new jammies and watched a movie before leaving a snack for Santa and going to bed. Even the presents became a tradition. The stocking for example is where you go to see if Santa brought you any sweeties.
When he learned about Santa a few years ago most of our beloved traditions all but vanished. We had to rethink the whole lot – but it was in some ways better, as M got to have a say in things. Rather than going to visit Santa for example we would pick a day to go to Glasgow together. We would visit the big coffee chains and try their festive menus. We would go and pick a new ornament for the tree and we would pick our new jammies. While there we would make a point of walking about the city centre and take in all the Christmas lights and decorations, finishing with a trip to Millie’s cookies for a box of yummy treats before we headed home. That last one is a Glasgow tradition we have and do every single time. We still have the snowman soup and bake Christmas goodies but now we also have our try the festive McFlurry too.
This year we have to rethink again. Its just not feasible to have a trip up to Glasgow. Even if we weren’t in lock down, I can’t walk far before my abdomen starts to cramp and harden which is uncomfortable as hell so being in a busy city centre, miles from home is the last place I wanna be. My anxiety would allow it to be fair. It has just been a rough year. So instead, we must make do with what we can here at home. Like I said yesterday, it’s a Covid-Christmas after all.
I have had some ideas though.
Costa Coffee have Terry’s Chocolate Orange and After Eight hot chocolates this year, plus a quality street Purple one in a hot chocolate and latte … Starbucks has the Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate and a toffee nut latte (they do have gingerbread and eggnog, but they don’t appeal to me in the slightest) so instead of going up to Glasgow to try them, I’m going to make them all at home. I’ll probably space them out over a couple of days as one thing that always worried me about our festive drinks was the sugar rush he would be on all day and the subsequent crash on the train home.
He got to pick his jammies – and they were ordered online and delivered.
Our Christmas bauble this year is from my mum and we have some ideas on what we want to bake, though that has doubled since we have more time at home.
We might not be able to go see all the lights and decorations, but that’s a small price to pay for staying safe inside and over the Christmas holidays I have some Harry Potter treats planned that I’m hoping, even if he decides he’s not a fan of the movies, will still make him happy.
I have even roped B into some of this and we’ll be taking a trip to the drive through so we can get the Celebrations McFlurry. All he’s asked for in return is he wants in on the Terrys Chocolate Orange hot chocolate day and would like some baked goods.
We’re all gonna get so fat over Christmas … and we’re all ok with that 😊