Traditionally Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and celebrating with your family. However Christmas traditions can be marred by seasonal stress and the pressure to shop, shop, shop! Keep your family focused on the true spirit of the season by celebrating your special family Christmas traditions.

Homemade ornaments

'My mother has kept all Christmas decorations and cards my siblings and I created as children. Seeing our loo-roll Santas and pipe-cleaner fairy decorations on the tree each year always makes us laugh and in a funny way reminds us of how much our mother loves us!'

iVillage member Tara

An ornament a year

'Starting when we were little, my mother gave us a Christmas tree ornament every year with our names on them somewhere so we knew which one belonged to which child. I have carried this over with my own boys. The good thing about this is when the time came for us to have our own trees in our own homes we had tangible memories and a set of ornaments to hang on our tree.' 

iVillage member courtx

A holiday paper trail

'My children and I love making our own Christmas decorations. We started with homemade paper chains. We recycle Christmassy adverts for paper links because of the bright colours and Christmas pictures.'

iVillage member hermansens

A festive Christmas Eve

'My favourite Christmas tradition, handed down since I was a child, is to go out and look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. When we come back home, 'Santa' has been there and all the Christmas presents are under the tree for us to open. We also open our presents on Christmas Eve.' 

iVillage member babs