Sunday 28 November 2010

Pause for Advent - First Pause 2010

Good afternoon

How has your weekend been? Ours has been cold - no snow, just frost & subzero temperatures. It has also involved lots of layers, including thermals!

Can't believe how fast the past year has gone - here we are again at the start of Advent and the countdown to Christmas. Thank you to Floss for hosting this again - please pop over & see who else is taking part.




The first pause for me this year is about Tradition. I guess as the Pause is into its 2nd year that itself is destined to become a tradition. This time of year more than any other seems to hold many traditions within our family.

We have to bring out the fabric advent calendar which I bought for big sons very first Christmas. It is now beginning to look a bit tatty but the boys insist its the one we use. It has to be filled with chocolate coins or quality street toffees - nothing else will do!!


We also have to hang the stockings I made for the boys on the fireplace until Christmas Eve when they get taken upstairs and put on the ends of their beds. This isn't a wise move - when I made the stockings I sewed lots of little silver bells onto each stocking - it makes the task of removing them & placing them back a big harder for Father Christmas especially if he's had a drink or two ;)

All pictures recycled from 2009!!

Other traditions in this house include carol singing in the town square on Christmas Eve - MrVV's brass band plays & the rest of us go along & sing (badly). Again tradition dictates that we meet friends & exchange cards & Christmas wishes & kisses.

What traditions do your family have??

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Blogger has created a tradition of its own recently - going incredibly slow whenever I try & blog :( Not one I'd like to see continued long term!!




16 comments:

Maggie said...

Hi,
visiting you for the first time from A Pause in Advent, thanks to Floss for getting us all together again this year.
Your family's traditions sound priceless, brass bands & silver bells! Wonderful.
Hope you get the chance to visit me in Normandy during this hectic Adventszeit.
Maggie

Anonymous said...

Your traditions are lovely, and such an important part of your boys growing up.xx

Andrea said...

They are really lovely traditions and they are so important, I should think your boys will pass these on in their own families one day.
It must be lovely to have Mr VV play in the brass band, we all just sing, (badly too!) but thats half the fun,
Enjoy your Sunday evening!
Andrea x

Jenny said...

christmas is the perfect time for tradition! we did lots of lovely things when me and my brother and sister were small, and I'm sure that when I have children they will be things I pass down to them! some of my favourite memories from my childhood are stockings and advent calenders like yours! hope you are wrapped up warm on this chilly evening, jenny x

Andrea said...

Blessings,
andrea

Jen Walshaw said...

I am all for traditions, for me they are a big part of making memories and I am enjoying starting my own with the boys. I too have made them stocking and an advent calender. For us Advent is a time of contenplation and I adore seeing what every one else does,

Ellouise88 said...

The brass band and carol singing sound wonderful. I, too, have to hunt out particular chocolates to put in the advent calendar for my fussy girls. My Mum hated Christmas because all the family came to us and it was so much work for her (and nobody helped), so I decided I would start traditions like doing all the vegetables together as a family on Christmas Eve whilst singing Christmas songs, and the children being responsible for decorating and laying the table!

Unknown said...

Lovely traditions! We don't have kids yet, so no family traditions yet as such. But when we got to my parents on Christmas eve we visit the village dance which I love to got to as ceilidh dancing is so much fun! :) x

Unknown said...

How fun! We got to enjoy a community carol sing two years ago at a local church's outdoor Singing Christmas Tree and it was such fun! We've since moved so that did not become a tradition, but listening to Christmas praise and worship music in the car is definitely one of my favorite traditional activities for grandparents and grandchildren here - along with lots of craft projects including Christmas decorations, handmade greetings cards, and unique gifts. Thank you for the lovely Pause In Advent. :)

Elderberry-Rob said...

Wow your own brass band - how fabulous - I think the gifts we have had for years and bring out over and over are the best as they hold memories - my youngest likes to smell his sack - the smell for him holds all those happy feelings! I am trying to give up envy but your woodburner is so 'desirable' shall we say!

Serenata said...

Lovely traditions, very important I think, they make this time of the year so much more special.

Claire said...

Those stockings are HUGE!! haha. We go to a friends house on Xmas eve, the house is full of people and everyone takes some food :) Boxing day I work haha not such a good tradition..and Mr D goes to the woods to do boy stuff, so xmas day we have together. I can't wait!

Unknown said...

aww traditions are very special. The bells on the stockings made me laugh bless you i can just imagin you taking them off xmas eve ;-) Xmas eve my boys an i always light and let go a chinese lantern into the sky to remember the loved ones we have lost, we alway open the big tin of chocolates, and they open a present that i have bought just for xmas eve. We sit and watch a film together and when they are in bed i always read the story "The night before christmas" i love it, xmas eve is a magical time for me and hopefully them. Dee x

Sheila said...

hmmm, ive noticed that tradition of blogger too!!

Ok-our traditions...We go to the panto every year on Christmas Eve, after that we go by a house that is really covered in lights, put our pennies in the collection (the man goes to a lot of effort and gives all donations to the Salvation Army) We always go to a carol service at an old church near the University too, they do each little section in latin, gaelic, doric, etc...and its really beautiful.
x

Dawn said...

Are you sure you had no snow at the weekend? We did on Saturday - not a lot, but it was definately snow!

Diane said...

Lovely post - I love the way we all make our own little family traditions. xxxxx