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The Savvy Scot

Personal finance and lifestyle blog

4 Personal Christmas Traditions

By savvyscot

4 Personal Christmas Traditions

One of the things I love so much about Christmas time is the different traditions and routines that families hold. Some people open their presents on the 24th, some open them on the 25th; heck some open them as soon as the get them. Some people like to eat turkey, some like to eat fish – some go out for dinner! Tradition is such a wonderful thing and it unites us and reminds us what family and friends are about. Here are four of my personal traditions.

 

My Freaking Awesome Traditions

Going Out Partying on Christmas Eve

I realise that this heading might make some people think eh.. WTF?! But it is true πŸ˜€ ! Since the age of about 16, I have been going out for a social night out with my friends and welcomed in Christmas from the dance floor of a nightclub! This year it might even be Gangnam Style! (jokes) No,I am not an alcoholic, but instead all my friends from back home and school get together and reunite. My family normally go to bed early anyway, so it is not like I am missing out.

 

Christmas Day Swim in a Loch

I realise we are starting to see a crazy-like trend here, but I assure you I’m not! For the last few years, we have welcomed in Christmas day by running into a Loch (the Scottish word for a lake), submerging ourselves underwater and running out! It is at times like these I wish that I was not blogging anonymously… I have an amazing video which documents the evidence. (Message me if you really want to see)!

 

Poker Night with Friends From School

This tradition has been going for a LOOONG time! In fact, this year probably marks a decade of our annual poker night meeting! Essentially, a group of around 20 of us from school meet, drink, drink more, eat the hottest curry we can, drink some more and play poker! Our game is well known to go on into the very early hours of the morning; the record being 9.30 am. I am pleased to announce that I have won twice, finished joint top once (we split the pot) and second twice as well. We all end up ‘buying-in’ for about Β£10 each (if there is no monetary prize, there is little point playing… right?) and the winner comes away with a pretty decent pot! Win or Lose, it is an amazing way to catch up and ‘take-off from where we left-off’.

Christmas tradition

courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

 

Bothying on the Eve of Christmas Eve

I can’t claim to do this every year; in fact, it has been a number of years since I did this. For those of you who don’t know what ‘bothying’ is – Scotland has a number of cottages that are situated in isolated locations. So isolated in fact, that you really have to know where they are to find them! An organisation is responsible for the upkeep of these cottages and permit you to stay in them free of charge. There is no electricity, no toilets and no running water – although they are usually situated next to a stream! There is no way to book them, so you have no guarantee if you will have the place to yourself or will be sharing it with 10 others!

I have visited bothys a number of times and you can actually meet some great and entertaining people! A 5 mile + walk is usually required to get there, so you can almost instantly disregard a lot of potential visitors. Generally, on December 23rd they are usually pretty empty! In the past, we have walked in with head torches in the pitch black, arrived to make a fire, share wine and tell ghost stories. Even as I write this, I recall how much fun these adventures were and the truly happy memories associated with the event. Perhaps this would be the perfect year to return and introduce bothying to Mrs Scot.

 

How do you like some of my photos from Christmas Walks in 2010?

Got any of your own traditions that you would like to Share with me?

Filed Under: Adrenaline Junkie, Reflection Tagged With: bothying, christmas eve, christmas routine, Christmas traditions, organising a poker game, poker, poker night, swimming in a loch, winning at poker

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Lovely comments

  1. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    December 20, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    The last tradition sounds absolutely awesome! I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland (I am listening to the Braveheart soundtrack as I type this) but made it as close as Ireland. It sounds wonderful. Definitely something we’ll have to try when we make it there. I like going somewhere and doing something that’s off the beaten path and not touristy.
    John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..5 Fun and Frugal Last Minute Christmas GiftsMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:37 pm

      Cheers John… Let me know when you plan to head there – I will give you a tour of all the secret castles πŸ™‚ … Braveheart is awesome – you have got me feeling patriotic now! πŸ™‚

  2. Pauline says

    December 20, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    I’ll have to check the bothys on my next trip to Scotland, looks like just my kind of place! On the coldest day of Christmas, my grandfather had declared “St Icecream day”, and would take all the kids out in the rain to go eat as much ice cream as humanely possible. We’d go back frozen and with a huge sugar rush that drove our parents insane, it was awesome.
    Pauline recently posted..How much do you spend on gifts?My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      Hello! Thanks for the reply – replyme should be installed now, so let me know if you get this. That St Icecream day sounds phenomenal!! πŸ™‚

  3. Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com says

    December 20, 2012 at 10:35 pm

    You got some good (and quite unique) traditions there. I think I would enjoy them all! My favorite has always been a big family hike on Christmas Eve. We typically end up in the mountains in the county I live in. A great way to burn some calories for the feast that follows!
    Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com recently posted..β€œDad, Does Our β€œElf on the Shelf” Have a Penis?”My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      Cheers Kyle… Glad to hear you guys do something fun on Christmas Eve too – that almost sounds like a tradition to me!!

  4. Budget and the Beach says

    December 21, 2012 at 12:00 am

    Some day when we know each other better I’m going to come hang with you for Christmas. Sounds like fun…well except for the poker part. Not much of a card player. Those cottages sound very similar to places in New Zealand along a hiking path. I don’t have any kind of tradition at all. Kind of boring huh? I make my own each year. πŸ™‚
    Budget and the Beach recently posted..Looking Back, Looking Forward: Part 2My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:40 pm

      For sure!! Making new traditions each year sounds v exciting to me πŸ™‚

  5. Canadianbudgetbinder says

    December 21, 2012 at 2:00 am

    You have some pretty cool traditions there mate. I personally don’t really have any except going to the relatives, loading up on food and drinks and having a great time! Happy Holidays mate! Mr.CBB
    Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..Budget-Friendly Christmas Decoration Ideas For The HomeMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:40 pm

      Why Thank You MR CBB! Your ‘traditions’ sounds pretty awesome (even if they aren’t unique)! Do you have a favourite board game you play?

      • Canadian Budget Binder says

        December 21, 2012 at 4:55 pm

        Not really mate, I’m not into board games or video games.
        Canadian Budget Binder recently posted..Budget-Friendly Christmas Decoration Ideas For The HomeMy Profile

  6. Kim@Eyesonthedollar says

    December 21, 2012 at 4:31 am

    I don’t have any traditions quite like those. We are starting out own with playing board games and watching Christmas movies with out daughter. Things change a bit when you have a kiddo at Christmas. Those bothys sound really cool. Colorado has a yurt system that sounds similar, although I have never tried one. I need to do that.
    Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..It’s Fun to Stay at the YMCA-Gift Exchange RevealMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      I LOVE boardgames too! Risk has got to be one of my favourites! I have heard about the Yurts… I think it is almost the same idea. When you going to try one? 2013? πŸ™‚

  7. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    December 21, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    We definitely do a yearly Christmas/Holiday Poker tournament! Our biggest year we had 30+ people and the pot was right around $1,000. I’ve won a couple times. Recently we’ve started to go to the casino afterwards and play blackjack into the wee hours of the morning. It’s a good time!
    DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Enjoy the Holidays without Breaking the BankMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 21, 2012 at 3:44 pm

      See we just keep realising we are more and more similar DC! $1000 pot sounds amazing.. the biggest we got to was about Β£250. I love the idea of hitting the casino after – although that is a vice of mine that I have to control πŸ˜›

  8. Anne @ Unique Gifter says

    December 21, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    These are great past times! My friend has started hosting a bow-tie Dec 24th party, it is lots of fun. Everyone’s supposed to dress up in all sorts of crazy ways. Lots of people made their bow ties themselves and wore them with T shirts πŸ™‚
    Anne @ Unique Gifter recently posted..Fireworks: Wedding Gifts & Gift ExchangesMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 25, 2012 at 12:24 pm

      That sounds amazing!!! I love the idea of picking out a crazy bowtie! I saw a few funky ones the other day actually – I love any excuse to wear a bow tie (usually with my kilt) …. Merry Christmas Anne πŸ™‚

  9. Daisy @ Add Vodka says

    December 22, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Those sound like fun traditions. I didn’t know what bothying is but that sounds like so much fun!
    Daisy @ Add Vodka recently posted..I Have BIG NewsMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 25, 2012 at 12:22 pm

      Thanks Daisy – Bothying is essentially camping, but instead of staying in a tent, you stay in a bothy (a cottage which is free to use – no water / electricity etc.) It is a LOT of fun πŸ˜€ – Merry Christmas

  10. Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter says

    December 22, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    Wow, Your traditions sound awesome. We typically get together with our families and play lots of games together. A couple years ago we ended up having a Wii tournament that lasted till 4 am. It was nuts. Lots of laughs. Now we seem to play rounds of Ticket to Ride. It is really fun.
    Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..Staycations Are For Suckers!My Profile

    • savvyscot says

      December 25, 2012 at 12:20 pm

      Thanks! πŸ™‚ I love playing games at Christmas too – I learned a new one this year called Ligretto! Ooooh and we have been playing some serious Tiger Woods on the Wii… even if you don’t like golfing, it is a LOT of fun πŸ˜› – What is Ticket to Ride?

      • Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter says

        December 27, 2012 at 3:02 pm

        It’s a board game. You can get it off Amazon. You should check it out.
        Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..How To Organize A ProjectMy Profile

        • savvyscot says

          December 28, 2012 at 2:33 pm

          I will certainly do that… I just got hooked on Ligretto! πŸ™‚

  11. Michelle says

    December 29, 2012 at 3:48 am

    I want to go bothying, a word and action that I have just learned. Thank you for defining this for your U.S. readers! In Colorado people will hike to cabins or yurts that are located throughout the mountains.

    • savvyscot says

      December 30, 2012 at 4:21 pm

      Hey Michelle! Glad to hear it has taken your fancy… Great to hear Colorado has a similar offering! πŸ™‚

  12. chris_moneyandi says

    January 7, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    Okay Scot, you’ve finally convinced me. My next holiday is in Scotland. I’ve done a fair amount of what you call bothying in eastern europe over the last year. It’s amazing how interesting (but 90% of the times also REALLY weird) people you can meet in places like that. Will definitely get in touch for some tips on where to travel up there if you don’t mind! πŸ™‚

    Btw. happy new year, hope you had great christmas!

    Cheers,
    C
    chris_moneyandi recently posted..Cloud of Poor JudgementMy Profile

    • savvyscot says

      January 9, 2013 at 9:23 pm

      Yes, I failed to mention how ‘weird’ some of the people you meet can be.. that said, they are normally innocently weird! Glad to hear you are considering a trip North… hit me for some advice whenever Chris πŸ™‚

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