On the 9th day of Christmas, Domestic Sluttery gave to me, a brass collar from the V&A!
We're so excited to give away one of these brass collars from the V&A. We actually wrote about it way back in May and quite understandably they've sold out and now there are NONE LEFT. We have the last one and we've promised to give it away to a lucky reader and make them the most fabulously accessorised reader this Christmas.
What do you have to do to enter? Just leave a comment below telling us about your favourite Christmas tradition. Do you all sing carols together? Are you lucky enough to have two Christmasses? Is your favourite part of Christmas day watching the Queen's speech? We want to hear all about your traditions to get us in the festive mood. You've got until midnight tonight to leave your comments and then we'll pick a winner at random and announce in Friday's competition.
Wondering who won yesterday's polka dot dress competition? That was Gemma Reed! What was Gemma planning on wearing on Christmas Day? "I'll be dressing up this year in a gold and black dress having lost lots of weight I want to show off a bit." Maybe Gemma can have a costume change halfway through the day and slip into her new Lady Vintage dress? Gemma, just email us and tell us where to send your prize.
Good luck today, everyone.
Oh yawn, small print (read it). The competition will close at midnight (UK time) December 13th. You must be UK based to enter, sorry you lovely overseas readers. If you're anon your entry won't count and if you enter more than once, we'll discount all of your entries and tell you off. The winning entry will be chosen at random and you must claim your prize by the 14th or it'll be passed to someone else. Disclaimer: our Frances works for the V&A but the rest of us practically live there, exploring all of their pretty things. Siany's favourite Christmas tradition is buying a new bauble each year. And the Christmas sandwiches on the train home, nosed pressed against the window watching all of the snow fall in North Wales.
We have a treasure hunt every Christmas morning. Presents that everyone else has in their stockings we have laid out round the house with clues starting from the satsuma in the stocking. It's great fun and there are traditional bits to the presents as well, like the box of Ribena and packet of mini cheddars half way through from when we were kids and got hungry in the middle. Occasionally my mum will try to change it and update it now we're adults but we're having none of it!
ReplyDeleteI now spend Christmas morning and as much of lunch as I can stomach with my blood relatives and whoever else they invite for lunch.(They live in a housing complex so there may be an elderly tenant with no one to go to). Then it's tradition now for me to spend the rest of the day with my 'adoptive' family. On the other side of town where the house is fit to bursting with my 'Mother' Suzanne's own family from 3 year olds to those of 80+. There's always a couple of us she's taken in under her wing. It's a case of on your feet, lose your seat. Much laughter and fun. I'm sure I told this story to you last year but it's why I love Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tradition is hosting a big party for all our friends who live in London and whose families live far away. We have gifts, a big meal, watch Christmas films and as the hostess (or "mum" as they call me), I get to tell everyone off for trying to open presents early/sneaking food before the big meal is served/drinking too much wine.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas tradition has to be the 11 am glass of sherry with my nan (none of the rest of the family like it - their loss). We always sit down, have a wee glass in the special glasses that don't get used for anything else, and then we (I) laugh hysterically at the shade of puce my nan's cheeks turn as a result.
ReplyDeleteAs kids, my brother and I were under strict instructions not to open presents under the tree, but collect them and bring them upsatirs to open on my parents bed. In retrospect this was clearly so that they could get a lie in if we got up too early. We still do this every year. I am now 27 years old, and I will still be opening my presents in my pyjamas while my mum dozes in bed.
ReplyDeleteWe have
ReplyDeleteFave xmas tradition? I have two - firstly the Christmas eve drinks with old school friends, the kind of friends where you just pick up the conversaton from the last time you saw them, however long that may have been. THEN a new tradition! The annual Xmas Quiz! Each attendee writes a round and play round robin style, it's super fun with silly prizes. OH and of course maintining my record as the greatest maker of leftover snadwiches of ALL TIME.
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Every year i insist (i started the tradition) that i am allowed to open one present at midnight! it is now something i inflict upon my boyfriend every year.It is the grown up version of waking up at 4am and jumping on your parents bed! i PROMISE that if i won the collar it would be my midnight present to myself & i would 100% wear it all morning with my pj's.
ReplyDeleteOh, I've coveted this for ages! I work on Christmas morning at the place I keep my horses, gives the staff a day off and works up an appetite for lunch. The boss makes those of us who work on Xmas day bacon sandwiches and it's all very festive and a lovely way to start the day. Then off to my sister's for lunch, which is amazing because she is a fantastic cook, and I do dessert (which this year is probably going ot be pear and vanilla crumblepie from you lot). My family is lovely and we get on well, so there's no stress and no fuss, we do presents after lunch, and then we all bugger off home in time for Dr Who and a food-coma!
ReplyDeleteAnd I've just realised that 1) my profile had a random name on it and 2) that it was on here that I first saw it to covet it!!
DeleteMy husband and I have started our own little tradition of looking at Christmas Lights on Christmas Eve, really gets you in the spirit of things and we have a few favourite roads to visit now.
ReplyDeleteThe other tradition of seeing the families on Christmas Day is complicated and does involve planning to make sure both families are treated fairly. They all live close to each and talk so we'd be in trouble if they weren't! Tends to be pop in on one set of parents, then dinner with the other, then dinner with the first set Boxing Day!
My favourite Christmas tradition is going to Christingle and having to ask really nicely if I'm allowed an orange to decorate even though I'm probably too old now!
ReplyDeleteLast year I had to work on Christmas Eve and was heartbroken that my best friends were going without me... that's until I got home and they had made me my very own Christingle service, complete with oranges, carols and candles! Christmas magic!
At my familys house we always have the Christmas tradition of having a 'small' buffet made by my mum that always ends up with us going to bed really full then we make our own cocktails with whatever she has in the cupboards. All the kids (20+) also help peeling the veg and we still set out mince pie and whiskey for Father Christmas.
ReplyDeleteour stockings used to be on the end of the bed, but as we go to bed a bit later now Father Christmas delivers them to the doors of our bedrooms!
My favourite Christmas tradition is deciding with my sister about the Christmas menu. She loooves this time of the year and takes it very seriously so it's nice to see her giggling when I "play the game" or tease her. Cooking together and playing loud music in the kitchen is fun too!
ReplyDeleteI have always been a family girl and spend christmas day with my parents, brother and sister-in-law and niece and nephew. A few years ago a late night stop off to visit my goddaughter was added and for the past two years an early morning visit to my boyfriend's family has been added - he has a huge family including his amazing mum who accomodates us all, his two daughters, 3 brothers,7 nieces and 3 nephews! Couldn't wish for a happier day
ReplyDeleteMy favourite tradition is making mulled wine on Christmas Eve with my mum — she puts a pint of brandy in it and we're the only ones that like it. Winning!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas tradition is making the Christmas cake with my sisters in September! We start Christmas early in our family. We all give it a stir for luck and then take it in turns to feed it up until Christmas eve when we all fight over how to decorate it. Any decorating ideas for us this year?
ReplyDeleteI always put a couple of brussels sprouts in each of the children's Christmas stockings. Everyone knows that Santa takes out presents and puts in brussels sprouts if you are naughty in the run up to Christmas, yes? I treasure the look on their little faces as they see the sprouts...mwhahahaha...*
ReplyDelete*before anyone reports me to social services, I do actually give them their full compliment of presents and I am also saving for therapy for them when they are older.
*like* Tee hee hee!
DeleteMy favourite tradition is the Christmas pudding and custard, complete with coins. Us kids were very competitive about who got the biggest coin in their serving. I'll never forget the time my uncle filled his mouth with coins when nobody was looking and spat them out on the table yelling, with custard spraying out of his mouth, "I won!"
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas tradition is definitely Christmas posh breakfast - smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and maybe a cheeky glass of champagne whilst opening presents!
ReplyDeleteIt is an old old old family tradition to make a sacrifice to the god Arawn (of the underworld). But we're not really much in to killing or gods (no matter how cool the celts are!) so instead for the past 10 years we have all sat around the tree listening to Born Slippy by Underworld eating mince pies and sherry. It's definitely weird.
ReplyDeleteOur favorite Christmas tradition is making new decorations for the tree with the children. This year snow clay hearts & stars, footprint reindeers and boubles with googly eyes that stare at you! Its so sweet the children really enjoy coming up with new ideas each year and redesiging the tree. It also ensures we have plenty of family centred fun making all of the decorations.Then we all sit back with a glow of satifying acheivement.
ReplyDeleteMulled wine and roast chestnuts on Christmas Eve after the panto and crib service... total festive awesomeness :)
ReplyDeleteOur christmas tradition is not *nice*, it's not fluffy, but if you met my rather rumbustious and outspoken family, you'll see how it fits. When I was little on Christmas Day when pudding was brought out, Dad used to say 'We don't want your Christmas Pudding!', and as years went by, it became the family catchphrase. both my brother and I, year on year took great delight in saying something so subversive at the dinner table, as kiddies do. When old enough, I found out it came from the following satirical rhyme:-
ReplyDelete'It was winter in the workhouse, and snow was falling fast, "We don't want your Christmas Pudding, Shove it up your XXXX" '
Erm, Cheers Dad.
I left home nearly 20 years ago, and will be away for Christmas this year. But guess which Christmas greeting shall be going to my folks on Facebook? :)
Our family tradition is that despite being in our 20s and 30s, my siblings and I all invade our parents bedroom to open our Christmas stockings together first thing in the morning. As the years go by it's more of a squeeze with nieces and nephews added into the mix but long may it continue!
ReplyDeleteWith my family it has to be that we have two Christmasses....but with my in laws their weirdest tradition is that with they have a stunning and full Chritsmas dinner with all the trimmings...topped with KETCHUP on the side!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe breakfast glass of champagne! and the children waking up astonishingly early when they can't get up in time for school : )
ReplyDeleteI think my favourite Christmas tradition is the breakfast Bucks Fizz, or maybe the pre luncheon Baileys, or breaking out a lovely red wine we've been saving for Christmas Dinner. Perhaps it's the postprandial port and lemon, or the queen's speech jagerbombs or the Christmas tea old fashioneds...actually after that the Christmas traditions all get a little hazy...
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tradition is making flour Father Christmas footprints through the house using my Dads wellies (used to be grandads when I was a child). My Mum also loves Christmas so much so, that to keep the dream alive for the little ones she collects some sheep poo to leave on the doorstep, this is along with sprinkling mince pie crumbs and taking a bite out of the carrot that gets left out for Santa and Rudolph. Every year she opens the door and says oooh mucky Rudolph! The children absolutely love it!x
ReplyDeleteAmabel (as on facebook)!
Our christmas tradition is to go and see a show up in London. For the past 4 years it has been the wonderful adult circus of La Soiree- its not christmas for me until we're sitting in front of a stage with a bottle of wine and popcorn! x
ReplyDeleteWe still write a letter to Santa & leave a mince pie & carrot.(I'm 27 and my little brother is 23). I'm still waiting on that pony!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little, we took one of my Dad's socks to bed on Christmas eve, and Santa would leave us a satsuma, and some lego and other little bits in it. Now I am a mum myself, and my 2 girls (ages 4 and 20 months) will take one of their Dad's socks! I hope if they have their own children then this tradition of stretching Dad's socks beyond recognition will live on!
ReplyDeleteReading Twas The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve! Kids are teeangers now but it wouldn't feel like Christmas without this festive poem.
ReplyDeleteWe always go to the Pantomime at Buxton Opera House in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, along with half the rest of our village. Then afterwards we all go to the pub before home to prepare sprouts. My three boys loved this when they were little and now they are teenagers... they still love it.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite tradition is the present that my parents give us every year... a variety pack of cereals! This tradition has gone on since we were tiny, and it still makes us groan/laugh every year!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite tradition is arriving at my mum's house at around midday and finding she has prepared millions (not quite, but you get the idea) of fancy nibbles, in a bid to keep her excitedness from bubbling over before we arrive. Yum. We then eat them all with bubbly while we open gifts, and end up too full for Chrimbo dinner!
ReplyDeleteI like making up new traditions each yea - it's a running joke we'll try something new and then ditch it the next year. Getting dressed up in new clothes, fancy salmon breakfasts, mulled wine at lunch - these have all fallen by the wayside in favour of pjs, slobbing around and cracking into whatever booze is handy from about 10am. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite tradition is we wake up silly early like we did when we were kids and opening our presents together. The good thing is now we're older we've added champagne to the present unwrapping ceremony. Then dad goes and cooks bacon butties. When my gran was alive we'd spend the rest of the day trying to convince her all the tv soap christmas specials weren't on so we could watch movies on the other channels.
ReplyDeleteEvery year, my family gets together on christmas eve and watches the Muppets Christmas Carol. It's our version of the Queen's Speech, I think. All presents wrapped, final decorations are up, and then we sign-a-long to "After all, there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas".
ReplyDeleteMegasadface as this year I am away from my family for the first time to spend it with my betrothed. I shall have to introduce it there instead.
Every year I always cook the turkey on Christmas Eve, once the kids have gone to bed. Once the 'Santa chores' are done, and the old bird is ready, we carve off a couple of slices and have a sneaky turkey butty at bedtime! Can there be a better way to start off Christmas??!
ReplyDeleteSnowman shaped pizza, Hot chocolate and a Christmas film on Christmas eve with my husband and three children, then snuggles before bed. x
ReplyDeleteMine and my brothers Christmas tradition is basically to regress. Despite being in our late twenties our excitable inner 12 year olds run riot throughout the 12 days of christmas, always culminating in 'Hide The Baby Jesus'. Every year we whip the star turn from the nativity when our mam's not looking and hide him somewhere 'hilarious', to be discovered roundabout March (Yep, March- domestic sluttery was never true-er of anyone..)and followed up with an annoyed sounding text. It never, ever get's old.
ReplyDeleteI make sure I spend time alone, recharging and reviewing the past year. I love Christmas dont get me wrong but there are only 2 of us in the same country & my sis likes finding a warm country to bask in!
ReplyDeleteOur tradition is we go to Portugal to spend it with my husbands sister whos lives there. We go to someones house for midnight mass , the private church is freezing cold, we are freezing cold, no one really wants to be there and we are all desperate for it to end so we can go home and open presents. It is a tradition that no one really likes to break and the only return to a roaring open fire.....
ReplyDeleteMy Auntie Florrie would knit tea cosies as our Christmas presents. For all of us. Including the kids. Every year we would unwrap a cosy, feign surprise, stick it on our heads, and wear it all day long - even though they really made your head itch. Auntie Florrie died years ago, and with her went the Christmas tradition of wearing a tea cosy hat. But I've recently leant to crochet and have been whipping up quite a pile of tea cosies. This year, we'll be resurrecting my favourite Christmas tradition...
ReplyDeleteWe just eat and eat, till we feel a bit full. Drink vats of tea, the occassional glass of something sparkly and watch the totp xmas special - splendid!
ReplyDeleteIt's tradition to go to midnight mass (even though we are not churchgoers - we like singing the carols). After that we go to bed in anticipation of Xmas Day :D Despite my advancing age, I still live at home (saddo) as do my sisters (they have their excuses, I don't) so we all get Christmas stockings. For some reason my sisters come in to wake me up and watch me open my stockings, then I go and watch my sisters open theirs. We go downstairs, open our presents with all the family, then breakfast on pancakes. Then the rest of the day is pretty much based on food and enjoying our presents. This will be my last Christmas at home for a while though because I am moving overseas very soon :)
ReplyDeleteI make my boyfriend and brother wear 'amusing' Christmas t-shirts. They don't seem to think it's that funny, but it totall makes my Christmas Day :-)
ReplyDeleteNow we're all grown-ups in my house we each do each other a stocking. The trick is we have to deliver them during the night without anyone seeing you. If you bump into anyone while conducting your Father Christmas delivery, you both have to go back to bed and try again later. It's hilarious, who needs sleep when you have sugar?
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas tradition is actually a Christmas Eve one- My husband, friends and I all dress up in lovely new pyjamas and cuddle up under duvets on the sofa to watch Elf, accompanied by mulled wine and shop-bought mince pies (I'd like to say home-made but come on, I'm busy watching awesome Christmas movies!)
ReplyDeleteThat collar is amazing. Our Christmas day traditions include sitting down in the morning to watch a DVD someone has got as a present with bacon rolls and a vat of Quality Street.
ReplyDeleteThe best Christmas tradition I have is to spend the 23rd of December together cooking and eating a huge, boozy dinner with all my best girls. This Christmas event has always hosted by my friend Shalini for the past 7 years and so now is known as the much loved and anticipated 'Shalinimas'...
ReplyDeletePrevious themes have included 'Wrapped Up!' and 'The 12 Days Of..' where we each revealed our favourite day of the song with a yummy dish.
My 'Five Gold Rings' upside-down pineapple cake covered in edible glitter went down well that year! :)
The best Christmas tradition at our house isn't really a tradition, but it happens every single year..... we decide to sack off Christmas lunch in order to start drinking whisky and watching Westerns as soon as we're done with presents (about 11am). If, and only if, we don't pass out, we start cooking lunch at about midnight!
ReplyDeleteWe've got our priorities straight..... :)
My boyfriend and I started our own tradition of making each other advent calendars, this year I got tiny baby socks pegged onto rope with treats inside, I came home to this after a night shift, was a lovely Xmas surprise and a tradition we're going to keep up!
ReplyDeleteThis is my second Christmas with the hubby, and we melded two family traditions; appetizers and spiced cider with Christmas cartoons/music on Christmas Eve(from me, my mom and my twin sister when I lived in the states), and indulging in the Marks & Spencer giant Belgian Collection biscuit tin for Christmas breakfast(his as a child with his family - his sister continued the tradition with her family as well), followed by relaxation, too much food and wine/cocktails, more relaxation, too much dessert, more relaxation....
ReplyDeleteWe take a Xmas family pic each year on Xmas morning. This year it'll be my wife and I along with the kids. The kids being odie the dog, stinks the kitten, Friday the parrot and the two fish, lord morrow and mr cheeky monkey!
ReplyDeleteMy siblings and I congregate at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning, resolutely refusing to go down until we're all together. We're in our mid/late twenties now and all live apart, so it's a lovely feeling of both nostalgia and togetherness :)
ReplyDeleteroyle family christmas special ... makes me laugh and cringe with memories of my own family at the same time ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite (new) xmas tradition is that my fiance & I make each other massive stockings and open them together in bed. The first year mine was a total surprise and I nearly fell over it when I got out of bed without my glasses on. I'm really looking forward to this year as it's going to be just us and my parents on the day. My immediately family is BIG and everyone gets stressed but it'll be just us four and we're doing the cooking so we get to do things our way :) I can tell you there's going to be more booze involved.
ReplyDeleteMy family have a strange ritual of bringing out the most tatty, moth eaten snowman after lunch and everyone has a present from him. He lost an eye last year but mum is determined he's fine. I used to think everyone did this but the looks that I get when I tell people suggest this isn't the case.
ReplyDeleteWatching The Snowman on Christmas Eve, before leaving a mince pie, some Bailey's, and if he is lucky, some Hotel Chocolat Chocolate for Santa.
ReplyDeleteOur family tradition we're determined to keep going begins on christmas eve. Other half and the smalls all go out for christmas hair cuts whilst I put clean bedding on everyone's beds, then everyone piles back in to an afternoon of christmas films with a real fire going and then we're all allowed to open one christmas present each which will be fresh new christmas themed pyjamas and cosy slipper socks.
ReplyDeleteMy tradition is an excessive early dinner followed by sitting down with a dvd snoozing til its time for all the extended family to gather. My grandparents house is always mental the christmas night! With squeals and singing and even more presents!
ReplyDeleteSausage. Rolls. Hot ones. Just before present opening happens. This year I shall be spending the morning alone, but the prospect of eating more sausage rolls entirely makes up for this. X Laura
ReplyDeleteEvery Christmas Eve I watch Home Alone whilst stretched out on the sofa, dipping Quality Street into my huge mug of tea! Mmm Christmas bliss!
ReplyDeleteThe whole family goes to midnight mass, then we come back, have a glass of something cheeky and open one present each...technically it IS christmas at this point but it still feels pretty exciting...
ReplyDeleteGoing to the theatre on boxing day! After all the usual Christmas activities watching a magical show extends the festivities no end!
ReplyDeleteMy family goes to panto at the same theatre every Christmas Eve. There's usually around 8 of us, usually in Christmas jumpers and usually a tiny bit inebriated. The thing is, I work as an usher at said theatre and by Christmas Eve, I've already seen the panto many, many times over. But I love the panto and I love our family tradition and I love that I know exactly when the cast will appear with water pistols - I'm usually tucked nicely under a seat in time :D Then we go for a big tuck-in at a Chinese restaurant. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe fact I missed this by 2hrs makes me want to cry LOTS. Anyway just to join in my tradition is to watch Nightmare before Christmas as you get Christmas and Halloween together! (btw I am not a big goth, I just love the idea of having the best of both worlds!) x
ReplyDeleteI hav no idea what to say but i really want this collar. Anything else i can do instead? Pretty plz:(
ReplyDeleteThe tradition in our house is for me to bake the Christmas cake ..and for my husband to marzipan and ice it!
ReplyDelete