Campbells Christmas Stories

Christmas is a time of year for people to get together, whether with family or friends, and have a grand celebration to bring warmth and light in the dark winter months. For this blog post we asked some of our team members at Campbells to tell us about what a usual Christmas looks like for them. If you enjoy this blog post and would like to share your own Christmas story with us, find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Stuart – Head of Ecommerce
Our Christmas day starts with the kids bursting into our bedroom at 7am, at which point we get the stockings that Santa has filled and left outside our bedroom doors overnight. Once we’ve rummaged through that we then make a beeline for the livingroom (I go first so I can get the kids expressions) then we open all our gifts.
Once that’s done we have a breakfast of filled pastries, and have a relaxing morning while we wait on grandparents coming over. We’ll have the log fire going and Christmas songs on, and it’s all fairly idyllic. Then grandparents come over and spoil the kids some more, and this year we’ll just be having the dinner with the four of us, spending our first Christmas at our new house in the only place we’d want to have it!
Then we’ll no doubt watch Father Ted/Star Wars/The Snowman/Father Christmas or something like that.

June Murdoch – Account Manager
Xmas eve my daughter, granddaughter, and son stay overnight.
In the morning my husband is up 4.45am to do the milking as we own a Dairy Farm. He comes in 8am. Kids open their stockings and wait for Robert to finish milking. I go pick up my mum, then we all open our presents one by one.
I then cook the breakfast, which is a large fry up.
After I tidy the dishes, hoover, and set the table for 6.30pm.
When the second milking finishes at 6pm my husband’s mum, dad, and sister arrive for Xmas Dinner. This is all prepped and ready from the night before. I cook and serve 3 courses.
Two years ago someone left the candle burning and it set alight a napkin, burning flames hit the ceiling!
I then do dishes with a bit of help.
Then everyone goes through to the sitting room where we play a game. Followed with coffee and sweets to watch Mrs Browns boys. Then I run my mum home. So as you can see, it is a pretty hectic day!

Nicole – Marketing & Business Administration Assistant
My Christmas is generally quite quiet, it is just my family household (mum, dad & brother) – no kids
Full breakfast together (Campbells of course)
Opening presents
Chill out – new pyjamas, watch (poor choice of) TV, await dinner from designated chef (always dad)!
Eat dinner – traditionally have never had the ‘traditional’ turkey dinner, we normally have Gammon and all the trimmings.
Have a few drinks & normally play some games – ‘Who am I?’ ‘Cluedo’ ‘Pictionary’ etc

Kay – SEO Content Manager
My husband and I try to alternate Christmasses with our families. We’ll go to his one year, my family the next, and then we have a Christmas which is just the two of us. Our last Christmas with the two of us we spent a week in Lisbon and it was fabulous. Christmas at my Mum’s is very traditional, we do presents then have a turkey roulade and plenty of sides, veg, and gravy. Then we all stay up quite late and have a drink, occasionally watch a film together, but often we just end up talking the whole time. Christmas at my in-law’s is presents, walk the dogs, and a roast beef dinner. Growing up I always had traditional Christmas food on Christmas Day, and then Boxing Day was always spent with my paternal grandparents and we would eat Indian food made by my grandfather, particularly kebabs. This year for the first time I will be hosting the Boxing Day meal, and will be making kebabs and dal.

Niall- Paid Marketing Manager
Christmas in my household is very straightforward
Presents first thing for the children, followed by the clearing up of wrapping paper and photos of new toys, clothes etc.
Slight break while I make breakfast for everyone, pancakes with various toppings on offer since eating a full dinner later in the day and of course chocolate between now and then.
After breakfast, follows the merry go round of phone calls to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins both back in Ireland and to the family we won’t be seeing on Christmas day wishing them a Merry Christmas and reminding one uncle in particular to put the turkey in the oven (he put the oven on one morning about 20 years ago and then forgot to put the turkey in it for about 2 hours and has never lived this down).
After phone calls, rest of the morning is fairly relaxed, Disney Christmas films, and getting ready whilst moving toys into appropriate places and enjoying some family time.
Head round to my in-laws around 1 and then general chatting and films until Christmas dinner starts at 2 with starters – smoked salmon or pate
3pm for Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings – turkey, gammon, stuffing, pigs in blankets, carrots, parsnips, sprouts, 2 types of potatoes, gravy and more turkey.
5pm for Desserts, my father in law is a keen baker so will have made a choice of cakes for everyone
7pm Cheeseboard

During the gap between we play everything from Charades to Trivial Pursuit whilst all the kids vanish to play with Barbies or new games on a Nintendo Switch since “adults are boring”.
Christmas specials are on in the background but no one really takes any notice of it.
Christmas night usually finishes with eating some nibbles/ party food whilst rearranging the living room back to normal and getting ready for Boxing Day which usually involves seeing different family members or hoping for snow and sledding!

Robyn – Marketing & Business Administration Assistant
My family have never really had Christmas traditions as such, as we have a relatively small family. Christmas day is quiet in our home. Growing up, we would head to our grandparents to spend time with relatives and exchange presents. I am most looking forward to cooking for my family this Christmas as I moved into my new home earlier this year. Putting up my tree and decorating it was special. We would usually have a roasting joint for Christmas day dinner as turkey wasn’t a favourite in our house but I have managed to talk my parents round to having a turkey roulade which is just enough to feed the 4 of us and less waste. If this year’s dinner goes to plan, this might be my new tradition!