FROM CHARLOTTE | Christmas Traditions

Do you have special Christmas traditions that you follow and look forward to each year or are you a take it as it comes type of Christmas family?

Today the lovely Charlotte Vallance is joining us to share her top twelve Christmas Traditions and what they mean to her.

Charlotte is a travel illustrator and normally works using fine liner and watercolour.  Charlotte also has a love for drypoint and silkscreen printmaking.  Charlotte mostly chooses to illustrate buildings that catch her attention, but sometimes a boat/bike/person/coffee will sneak in there too!

Settle back with a cup of something nice, this post is a lovely one.

Image by Charlotte Vallance

Christmas is such a time for traditions and I love it.  For years my family did the same thing at Christmas, or would alternate every two years.  Over recent years we’ve seen those traditions changing and morphing into new traditions.  It all depends on where everyone is and where we can get to – what with the increase of the amount of snow over the past 2 years!  But it always feels like Christmas.

So I want to share with you 12 things, and their stories that I feel to be Christmas traditions for me.

1. Christmas Cards

I love post.  As I get older I’m pretty happy that I have acquired some friends who happen to live in another country or are too far away to see recently because then I can send them something in the post and they won’t ask why I didn’t just give it to them and they are happy to receive something other than a bill through the letter box!

2. Photo Album

My Mum loves taking photos.  But like most of us, with the introduction of digital cameras and storage, the photos never get printed.  This upsets my Mum, so every Christmas for the past 4/5 years maybe, I print off the Family photos from the year and compile a photo album for her.  It’s a great thing as well for the whole family as we can all see all the events we’ve had over the year and be reminded of happy times we’ve had.

3. Gift Wrap

I love all of my presents to match.  This year I may even try and design my own wrapping paper as I’m in the process of perfecting doing silkscreen printmaking at home.

4. Gift Tags

One year my Mum had this great idea.  She had saved all of our Christmas cards from the year before (probably to inspire me to design one for myself) but she didn’t want to throw them away. So now, every year we use last years Christmas cards as gift tags for the current years presents.  Zig-zag scissors are used to cut out the front of the card – sometimes multiple tags come from one card. It’s great because we have very individual tags!

5. Home Decorations

I love it when all the decorations come out.  It’s a must that we have a wreath on the front door and foliage on the mantle piece as well as lots of fairy lights through out the house.  Lovely.

6. Christmas Tree & decorations

When I was younger, we would always have the same decorations.  We loved them and they had a good life.  As they die out we mix them in with red, gold and silver baubles.  The fairy on top of the Christmas tree is made by my Gran, and it can’t be replaced.

7. Woolly Scarf

It’s a must in the cold weather!  Last year I was lucky enough to receive a hand knitted one from a close friend.  I was blown away that she’d gone to so much effort, but that scarf does feel extra warm when I wear it.

8. Christmas Crackers

It’s funny how it almost doesn’t matter what you eat at the meal but if you start off with cracking crackers then it’s a Christmas meal!  My family does love the cheesy jokes.

9. Mince Pies

I can’t get enough!  My Mum has an alternate recipe that she uses for the mince-meat.  She layers it in a flapjack and its just divine.

10. Biscuits for Father Christmas / Carrots for Rudolph

I still do it, even though I am 24 years old.  It’s a tradition that doesn’t need to change.

11. Stockings

There is always an orange at the bottom in the toe.  My sister always complains that she doesn’t like oranges and that Father Christmas should please give her an apple instead.

12. Snowmen

Due to the excess of snow we’ve been seeing, here in England for the first couple of years in a while we’ve actually been able to have ‘white’ christmases!  Exciting times!  We all enjoy snow angles and sledging down the hills near our home.

I’m looking forward to what this Christmas brings, what will stay the same and what will change.

Love Charlotte

Thanks so much for sharing these traditions and what they mean to you with us Charlotte!  I am sure many of us reading dream of a White Christmas – just one!