I prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day...

[Thorilicious]

Christmas Eve feels magical, I love the build up (and the excuse the dcs have to go to bed early! 😂). Knowing all the wrapping and sorting is done, and I can just relax with a film and a glass of wine, after doing fun things with the dc all day.
Christmas day, although is exciting in the morning, and I love watching them open presents, is just a bit of a low after all the build up. It's normally a but frantic keeping the kids entertained, while sorting the dinner out.
Which do you prefer...?

Boxing Day.
No cooking to be done, presents to be enjoyed.

I know what you mean. In the future I'm going to try and make some simple plans for the days between Christmas and NYE to try to stop the flat feeling.

Christmas Eve, without a doubt.

Christmas Eve or Boxing Day!

I agree! Christmas Eve is magical and Boxing Day is relaxing. Christmas Day is a bit overwhelming in the morning and a bit listless in the afternoon.

Do you know what OP, I think I'm probably the same.
Also agree with other PPs about Boxing Day, no cooking to be done and presents to be enjoyed!

Boxing day. No cooking, no stress, mess has been tidied, tasks done. Just a day to chill out.

Me too! Love visiting Santa somewhere and then getting into new pyjamas and the excitement of bringing their presents down when they are asleep and sorting them into piles. Love Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is nice but we are up so early because of the kids I am shattered by dinner time but don't feel it's nice to nap and leave the kids to play alone so I battle through and end up exhausted!

Yes Christmas Eve all the way. It's the anticipation, I feel the magic. But Christmas Day is just hard work as I'm always cooking 😩

Christmas Day for me. I love it. Christmas Eve I am still wrapping presents and prepping food. On Christmas Day, we have stockings and brunch then presents under the tree. We go for a frosty walk and then cook Christmas Dinner to be eaten by candlelight in the evening with carols playing. It's always a lovely day. We eat later so that we have the day free to relax together and so we aren't all stuffed and sleepy by mid afternoon.

I love the build up to Christmas but I always find Christmas Day a bit flat, and the aftermath totally depressing as the return to work looms. Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year!

Oh yes! I love Christmas Eve much more than Christmas Day! The anticipation and excitement, Christmas Day always seems a bit of a let down with nothing to look forward to.

Christmas eve followed by boxing day

We have lovely Christmas days, last year my dad had to leave early cos his face hurt and he was tired from laughing (and normally he has to be forcibly removed!)

But i love the anticipation of Christmas eve and the relaxation on boxing day

I love christmas eve night too but really my favourite of all is boxing day. We usually go go Mass at some point and cooking etc. Boxing day is just relax and use op leftovers (I cook veg and potatoes again and put out the crackers etc)

Me too.

Christmas Day is always a bit flat. I hate Christmas anyway and only do it for the kids and because Dh loves it. But everyone has such high expectations of Xmas day, when actually it's just presents and a roast (we aren't religious which is one of the reasons I see it as pointless).

Christmas Eve, definitely. Going to the Watchnight service in a packed village church, the hushed awe and magic of awaiting the moment of celebrating the birth of Christ, listening to the traditional gospel readings, singing Silent Night by candlelight as midnight strikes, exchanging hugs and greetings with fellow worshippers.
Sadly this year the service will just be online, and we aren’t even going carol singing round the village.
Christmas Day itself is lovely too, watching the family open their presents, but for me is always tinged with sadness that DH can’t be there - he died when the DC were babies.

I agree, Christmas Eve always feels magical and full of expectation whereas Christmas Day although nice always feels a bit flat once presents are opened. I think there’s so much build up and pressure to make it great that by the day itself I’ve usually run out of stream!

No- Christmas Eve is awful- the children are stressed to the max and anxious (both have asd, not knowing what will happen the next day is the worst for them- we have changed what we do, and they always know their main presents in advance, but presents from other people cause stress!), I am usually wrapping until 1 or 2 in the morning, so I'm always tired. I have simplified and cut back everywhere we can, and MIL who usually joins us is the loveliest, most easy-going person ever, and genuinely would be happy with frozen pizza for Christmas dinner! But there's still all the work of supporting two people who find this time of year very stressful in general, and are always utterly shattered by the end of term.
Christmas Day is usually chilled and gorgeous, because all the tension is over

This year may be better- they finish tomorrow, so have a whole week of recuperation and sleep catch up before Christmas Eve. No-one is dropping round randomly either.
But of course, even though this year we have time... nothing is open really (tier 3).
They like the christingle service usually, but that's not happening this year.

One of them doesn't watch films, so we can't just spend the days snuggling and watching Christmas films...

@SnuggyBuggy

I know what you mean. In the future I'm going to try and make some simple plans for the days between Christmas and NYE to try to stop the flat feeling.

It's harder now we've got kids (one with ASD, making going out rather tricky), but DH and I would always plan something between Christmas and New Year - usually travelling to London for a museum or gallery, with a pub lunch. Or we would go for a long countryside walk.

These are some of my fondest memories of Christmas, seeing London (esp the City) really quiet, and making the most of the weird inbetween days when no-one is sure what day it is.

One week today!

Ok so it's not a day.

But my favourite 24 hours are from Midday on the 24th to midday on the 25th.

That's the magical 24h.

Christmas Eve afternoon and night is just so magical and exciting.

And Christmas morning is so special.

Afternoon on the 25th often feels a bit weird. I guess because I'm cooking a lot. And the excitement has sort of passed.

I do love Christmas Eve. I think my favourite is Boxing Day when everything is done and you can finally relax. Also Christmas Day evening.

I actually prefer the whole week before Xmas. We do panto , Xmas dinners , go to Christmas markets , carols etc etc. That’s the best part. I always find Xmas day fairly boring. Well. This is in a normal year ... this year a trip out to Tesco is exciting

This year, probably Christmas Eve. Kings College Chapel festival of nine lessons and carols.

@Paranoidmarvin

I actually prefer the whole week before Xmas. We do panto , Xmas dinners , go to Christmas markets , carols etc etc. That’s the best part. I always find Xmas day fairly boring. Well. This is in a normal year ... this year a trip out to Tesco is exciting

This! I finished work today & the lead up to Christmas is my favourite bit. After Boxing Day feels a bit like a count down to work, though I recognise I am very lucky to have a good amount of time off.