Christmas traditions are what the festive season is all about. Some things are just a given, and bring all the festive feels when you see, do or experience them. Whether it’s the first time you see the Coca Cola advert, or when you dig out your decorations and find one that means something special, Home Alone is on TV or you hear your favourite Christmas song played on the radio for the first time. So here’s a few Geordie traditions, you know it’s Christmas in Newcastle when…

Steve and Karen sing the daily rendition of ‘sleeps til Santa’ each morning on metro radio. Twenty four sleeps to go…twenty four sleeps til Santa….’

There’s at least one person in your office having a festive bake for lunch every day.

And at least one person being sick in their bin after a few too many on a school night. 

You can hear the Fenwicks window music from the top of Northumberland street. And the queues back there too. 

A child you don’t know runs into all your Fenwicks window photos.

Central Arcade have their orange garlands up.

Metro inspectors are wearing Santa hats. And are still miserable.

You can’t get a table booking anywhere. 

The Fenwick’s faints start. When you get all wrapped up to go shopping in the cold, walk in to the heat and bright lights and end up feeling light headed. 

There’s a distinct smell of fake tan in the office every Friday.

The giant clock over the entrance to Eldon Square is counting down sleeps until Christmas Day.

You see Alan Shearer in Harry’s Bar. And the Harry’s Santa is standing proud outside again. 

Parents are screaming about ‘that bloody elf’. 

Everyone’s trying to find a ‘mam’ card they haven’t sent before. 

A grandparent takes a filling out after chewing a toffee penny.

Cinemas are showing Its a Wonderful Life

Your local pub is hotter than the sun packed full on Christmas Day with the windows steamed up.

Every neighbourhood has a house that goes over the top with lights and you do a drive by to see it.

The platforms at Central Station are filled with people in Christmas jumpers, carrying Costa coffees and, heading off to York, Edinburgh or Durham for a festive day of fun. 

The festivities are ruined for Toon fans with a dreadful Christmas run. As always. And that same group of fans all have their shirts off.

Panto is sold out at the Theatre Royal. 

There’s disruption on the metro lines so you can either wait for it to show up in 3 days time or get the number 900 replacement bus.

A trip to Asda is like taking part in the Hunger Games. 

On the Saturday before Christmas, the busiest shopping day of the year there will be just one checkout open in every shop you visit.

There will be at least one PT on your feed posting that ‘summer bodies are made in winter’.

It snows along Jesmond Dene and golf courses are filled with sledgers.

The NUFC food banks beat their total every year. And this year the new toon owners are matching all donations so be as generous as you can!

Everyone takes part in Cash for Kids to make sure all the regions bairns wake up to a present on Christmas Day. 

The pudding run, and Boxing Day/New Years Day dip in the North Sea happen at the coast. 

There’s always one mam posting how spoilt their kid was on Christmas Day.

Disney on Ice at the arena costs approximately £3000.

We pop into Stack for one and are still there 5 hours later fighting for a spot next to the fire pit.

The radge woman in the Blueline office is in a foul mood every time you ring.

You need to take refreshments for the five hour stint in the Primark queue. 

The Botanist is filled with Scots or Southerners enjoying their festive days out.

Everyone, (including me) is instagramming the limited edition Christmas cocktails at every bar.

Someone in every household leaves empty wrappers in the Celebrations tin. 

The traffic lights outside Haymarket will change four times and you won’t have moved.

Uber surcharge on Black Eyed Friday is x9. 

It’s time to get your ‘big coat’ out.

The Santa appears in the window at Wellfield. 

The Mal change their message board to say ‘Howay in a Manger’

And that is how you know it’s Christmas in Newcastle. What traditions do you have?

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