Monday 19 November 2012

Christmas cardmaking giveaway (c/d 29 November 2012)

While browsing in the local crafts shop earlier today (I needed some new brushes and paint), I found this pretty set of Christmas stamps. Long gone are the days when Papermania range of stamps was a bit of an embarrassment. They have changed their philosophy and have been making very decent stamps for the last couple of years. I've been thinking of doing a small papercrafting and cardmaking giveaway on my blog, and decided these stamps will be a nice gift for any cardmaker.

One winner of my blog giveaway will receive a set of Papermania Urban Stamps: Home for Christmas (Baubles) set...



... as well as the three different card toppers, two Christmas ribbons (red and golden) and a VersaColor inkpad in rose red.




I promise to send this prize as soon as the winner is announced and gets back to me with their address details. Hopefully you will have time to do some cards before Christmas.

To be in with a chance of winning, please leave me a comment, answering my question.
You do not have to follow my blog to enter this giveaway. I'll be very happy if you decide you like my blog enough to follow, but it won't give you any bonus entries.

My question is: what are your family Christmas traditions? or if you don't have any, do you have a particularly lovely/amusing/curious memory of your Christmases past?


For a bonus entry, leave me a comment on any other of my old posts.

Good luck!

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Many thanks for all comments, I enjoyed reading about your family traditions very much.
Wishing you all a happy festive season!

All the names went in the hat, and the winner is...

Shelly Jessup

Big well done, Shelly, I have emailed you.

60 comments:

  1. nativity at church on Christmas eve, gets us in the Christmas spirit.

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  2. We always make santa chocolate truffles on christmas eve

    @ashlallan

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  3. Having all the family around for tea :)

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  4. Always used to have Christmas Day at my grandparents' house. Remember it so clearly because the men used to go to the pub until Christmas dinner (well nearly dinner-time) and then we used to have 2 sittings because there was 12 of us. Still remember that to this day, although sadly grandparents have left us. Good luck to everyone :) :D

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  5. Oh dear, do I have to confess to this in public? With the Christmas dinner we always have balls of chestnut stuffing. And the family name for them is "reindeer poo". It's very embarrassing when we hae a guest at the table!

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  6. My father made christmas crackers and I make them myself as well when I can find the materials.

    (Anna Dinah Thomas on Facebook)

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  7. On Christmas Eve kids can open presents from my side of the family as Finns celebrate Xmas on Xmas Eve. In the morning they can have stockings straight away,my stocking is th elargest but is almost empty, kids are puzzled as to why santa always gives me just a curly wurly.

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  8. get up early christmas morning open the presents ,then have a light breakfast before family come round for christmas dinner

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  9. following you on gfc ianmaciver

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  10. I don't really have any traditions. I do remember my year my dad really didn't remember it was Christmas Day. We didn't get our presents until he was dressed, which took ages.

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  11. it never snowed!

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  12. we all go out for a walk with the dogs to work up an appetite

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  13. For us it is the whole advent thing. We have activities each day. I wrote about them on www.athriftymum.com

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  14. Ooh we have lots! But I guess the main one is that we celebrate on the 24th Dec (we are Austrian) :-)

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  15. traditions......christmas stockings / pre lunch tipple / open prezzies / snooze in front of log fire

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  16. I have to go around and find the perfect real Christmas tree for the kids to then decorate. This was rather spoilt last year by buying a new house and my new partner (husband now) going out with his Dad and buying the tree but it will revived with force this year ;)

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  17. We always have to open presents one by one rather than diving in so we can see each others faces! This can be a lengthy process lol as mum is always in and out sorting the lunch inbetween!!

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  18. We start with a "running buffet" on Christmas Eve with the family together to devour all the home made goodies Christmas morning starts with a German Breakfast (and we are not even German) then an afternoon Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings.

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  19. Always have to wait for parents to get up before we open presents and still do.

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  20. christmas eve, its bath time for the little ones, followed by brand new slippers and pjamas, then hang up stocking and off to bed

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  21. We always have our first full Christmas meal on Christmas Eve by candlelight. We all dress up for it - there's still such a sense of anticipation (and I can enjoy Christmas morning without worrying about the turkey!).

    Hazel Rea - @beachrambler

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  22. A lovely family meal watch my nephew open his presents & hope that it snows! :-)

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  23. enjoying christmas dinner at my nans with all the family around, swapping gifts... a lot of people who were there then missing now, so is important to hold on to those good times back then whilst making new ones with the new additions :)

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  24. Putting Ugly Santa on the tree! It was my husbands nans, he has seen better days, even with a new belt, hat and a paint job..but always makes us laugh.

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  25. We have fishcakes for breakfast at my dads house while we open our presents. Still at 31, my dad & I have competitions on who can take the longest to open their presents, the person with the last present gets the last fishcake:)

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  26. playing a board game before christmas dinner. used to be monopoly but it led to too many arguments!

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  27. Christmas morning visit friends then home for dinner with family.

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  28. On Xmas eve we unwrap new pyjamas and watch Xmas films

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  29. Playing a game of monopoly after christmas dinner!

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  30. We always watch the snowman on Christmas eve.

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  31. Watching the Snowman whilst drinking Sherry x

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  32. We always play games on xmas eve :)

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  33. I hate sprouts - every Christmas I eat one just because it is Christmas

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  34. Listening to cheesy Xmas tunes whilst putting up the tree, then watching 'Elf' afterwards x

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  35. We all sit in a big circle and my brother and I fetch all the presents from under the tree and pass them out, then we go round the circle and open them one by one - it makes present opening last ages and you get to see everyone's reactions! It's brilliant :)

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  36. We open our presents on Christmas Eve when it starts to go dark. After all the presents are opened, the kids play in the wrapping paper

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  37. We always make the christmas cake in August after soaking the fruit for a week in a bottle of brandy, it makes the cake very moist. My kids then help me to make chutney jams, and other christmas food. On Christmas Eve we have a Scottish High tea whihc is a min meal followed by loads of christmas cakes x

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  38. Festive family traditions put a smile on my face when i think of them. From roasting chestnuts on the fire with my parents and sisters, to leaving out a little "toddie" - hot whiskey -for santa to enjoy on his rounds. Now my husband and I have a little one, we'll all be going to gran and grandadfs this Christmas Eve to re-live those special moments. I can't wait!! Christmas for us will be in Scotland, so we may even get a fresh layer of snow on Christmas morning, now wouldn't that be a real treat :-) xx

    Katrina Leaver - mrskleaver@hotmail.co.uk

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  39. 'Gammon Fest' on Christmas eve - I invite all of my friends and family round for a feast on the hugest piece of roast Gammon that I can cook!! We eat, drink and swap presents..... it's the perfect start to the Festive celebrations!

    Sue Warr
    suewarr@hotmail.com
    @suewarr2

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  40. We have the 'After Christmas Present' - when you have deflating kids after the rush of so many presents has worn off, my dad always produces just one more...

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  41. Up very early on Xmas day open presents in pj's then all the family visit drink sherry topped off with an amazing Xmas dinner cooked by my mum! Me and my 2 year old little girl Grace been having fun hand making Xmas cards so fingers crossed we win :)

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  42. I can remember a snowy Christmas in the early 80's and making a snowman with my dad. I'm sure this happened and I didn't imagine it actually being a white Christmas :)

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  43. We used to all go round my nans and share a tin of quality sweet. Would love to have them Christmas's again.

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  44. Hello xx lovely blog xx
    About 7 years ago, my radiator burst open and leaked all over my 3 week old carpet...on Christmas eve.
    The repair man came, took it away, then returned several hours later with a bandaged hand. My old one had slipped and he cut his hand deeply on it and had to go to A&E.

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  45. Christmas stockings, advent calendars, and a new decoration for the tree. We HAVE to have sprouts, and if you don't like them you still have to eat one!

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  46. my daughter and I having a Baileys and putting our feet up when our company has gone home

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  47. Me & my mum just have a normal christmas but in the evning we stick on a pizza and watch tv and then get out the chocolate :D and will sat watchin tv to the early hours :D not exciting to most people but its amaing to me :D

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  48. We always have new pyjamas on Xmas eve, it's the joy gift the kids are allowed to open before the day itself!

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  49. We have loads of christmas traditions! My favourite is the last Saturday before Christmas when we have a girlie DVD evening when we snuggle together under a blanket on the sofa and eat loads of choccie while we watch Elf and It's a wonderful life. We always end up tangled together and one of us usually manages to drop off to sleep!

    Another of our traditions is that on Christmas eve, 'Santa' leaves the majority of pressies under the tree but he always leaves one small pressie of a chocolate santa in a stocking hanging on the outside of each bedroom door.

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  50. we always spend christmas at home and have a day of fun with the kids. I dont remember much from been a child but its nice to create new memories with my little family

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  51. Me and my Dad always go shopping on Christmas Eve for Mum's prezzies. We've done it for that long I can't even remember it starting, I missed last years though for 1st time as got a bug :(

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  52. No real traditions here, Christmas to us is about being together as a family. My mum dies shortly after my 21st, and it made us realise how important it is to be close as a family, and Christmas is the perfect time to do so. We do go to mums grave each Christmas morning to lay some flowers. Other than that, i tend to cook the dinner, and my dad wash up, after thats done we just chill out and have a good laugh, and remember good times.

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  53. The school nativity play and carol singing still symbolise Xmas for me

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  54. getting all the family together :)

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  55. We have to have 3 types of potato for xmas lunch! Must be roasties, boiled and mashed on offer! Then the best bit, is when the leftover mash comes out for boxing day with cold meats and pickles. Amazing!

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  56. In our family the main presents don't get opened until all the family are together, which makes for frustrated children who have to wait until the afternoon :)

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  57. there's a great photo of me aged about 5 stealing a chocolate off the tree and getting caught out

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  58. I've just wrote on here but it's not shown up! We have cocktails on Christmas eve, on the day will don't get up till about 10am then we start on the dinner whilst that's cooking we open our Christmas pressies. We always have a pic taken at the dinner table.

    @sjess82

    jessupshelley@yahoo.com

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  59. On Christmas eve we always make a gingerbread house and watch a christmas film, and then put on a new pair of pyjamas christmas eve night!

    robertfox24[at]aol[dot]com

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