To not tell my children it's Christmas eve?

[MamaHechtick]

I have this idea, that for this year we won't tell DC's it's Christmas Eve. We don't do Christmas Eve boxes and they are usually disinterested in their advent calendars by mid December so don't really countdown as such. They will be 5 and 6.

My idea is they will get a good night's sleep, and I'm thinking that waking them up early and telling them it's Christmas morning will be a far bigger and exciting surprise.

Would I be unreasonable or mean for doing this? I think it's the only year we'd get away with it. We don't have any plans for Christmas Eve except a fairly quiet day with just us at home. Friends I've briefly discussed this with seem a bit off with it.

eh? This is bonkers, I think they are going to notice.

Awful idea, the pleasure is in the anticipation!

What about

-Hanging up stockings
-Putting out snacks for Santa and Rudolph
-Going to bed with excitement in your tummy

YABVU!

I think you have fallen into the trap of thinking that Christmas Eve has to be really, really special. We are bombard with it from the beginning with the Elf and then building up to Christmas Eve boxes and it all has to be magical and about making memories and if you don't do certain bits then it will be dreadful.

But strip all the guff away, and like a pp stated, your routine, your memories is what makes it. One of the things for us is watching The Snowman before bed, but we do it every year and it is now the signal of what is to come.

We had a friend who did this.
We hadn't known the family very long and we had planned to go to a Christmas Eve nativity service together at our local church. We went to their house for mince pies and mulled wine before we set off for church. As we walked through the door, we were pulled aside and asked in a hushed, urgent tone not to mention to their children that it was Christmas Eve. My DDs were completely bemused by the whole thing and we were all a bit taken aback by her request.
We then went to church where our friend would have a coughing fit if anyone mentioned it was Christmas Eve and the whole evening was very odd. When the vicar went over to say Merry Christmas to them at the end of the service she pushed her children out of the door just in case he said anything about it being Christmas Eve or that Santa might be on his way.
That certainly made for a memorable Christmas Eve!

I passionately loathe Christmas. But even I faked it when my DC (now late teens) were that age. And 5 and 6 is different from 4 and 5. If they were newborn and 1, yes, forget it. They haven't got a clue. But at the ages that yours are now, they will know what's going on because everyone else will be banging on about it. If they show no interest, you're home and dry. But if they do show an interest, do the Track Santa thing (which mine loved, God knows why), and put a mince pie out for Father Christmas. That's all we ever did, and the DC were beside themselves with excitement. Christmas boxes didn't exist when mine were younger, thank God. I've never come across them IRL, so forget about all that stuff. It's only a few years when they find it all magical , so I'd just go along with it, if yours fall into that camp. And if they don't, thank your lucky stars.

This ay be the last Christmas they believe.

I'm with you OP. I think it is a great idea. I had a friend who was brought up with zero excitement on Christmas Eve. Until she was a teenager she wasn't involved in any of the Christmas prep. She and her siblings would broken on Christmas morning and go down stairs to find the whole house transformed into a winter wonderland. I remember asking her if she felt she had missed out on hanging her stocking and that sort of thing and she said she hadn't missed it at all. The excitement of Christmas morning lasted for days.

We always made presents a very small part of Christmas and always stressed that Christmas Day was only the beginning of the holiday.

Ah OP I can see where you are coming from but your two are a great age this year, it would be a shame to miss out on it. Christmas eve doesn't have to be huge fancy traditions it can just be the things that you all enjoy and the kids ask to do again. It feels weird the first year or two doing the whole leaving stuff out for santa when the kids dont really get it yet but when they are the ones leading it its so much fun. You will be surprised what ends up becoming your own family traditions. I think christmas eve is better than christmas day, theres the excitement and butterflies. We go to feed the reindeer in the park on christmas eve and get lunch out, then we call to my parents for half an hour before mass and when we get home we put out the treats for santa, take a picture in front of the tree and light a candle in the lantern for our front window.

Last year though we were trying to fit as much in as possible so we ended up last minute shopping in town and got to see all the windows lit up and lunch in Eddie Rockets and drove up to see a house that decorates in thousands of light for charity after mass. It was so late when we got home I just shoved in a load of finger food into the oven and we had it on the sitting room floor. This year we have been told by the kids that they want to do the same again, they loved going to town and having chips and seeing the house in light, hopefully its something we can do for a few more years. My very favourite part of the day is when everything has been done,everyone is in their pjs and we light the candle in the lantern to sit outside and you can see each of our neighbours doing the same thing. I am pretty sure it was only us and one other neighbour who used to do it but its lovely to see which houses have followed suit as their own kids have come along.

Dont whatever you do make the mistake of placing the filled stockings on beds when you go up yourselves, the 2.30am wake up call that santy had been was so not worth it

I adored Christmas Eve probably more than Christmas Day, it was all about the anticipation. We mainly just used to watch whatever cartoons were on, or tv specials and spend the day in our pyjamas with hot water bottles and a hot chocolate all the while wondering if 'he' would be coming, then want to go to bed really early but not before putting out a mince pie, carrot and drink. Fond memories

I've always preferred xmas eve to xmas day! When DD was 5 I told her Santa dsnt get to our town until 7am so it's v important to be asleep for as long as poss in case she's awake and he dsnt come. Completely wore her out on xmas eve and even tho she would normally wake at 6am every day, on xmas day I woke HER up at 8am. Please don't take away the magic of xmas eve- just manage the excitement better x

I think I would understand your idea more if last year they'd been so hyped up on Christmas eve that it spoilt Christmas day. But you are wanting to increase their excitement. I would just let it happen naturally.

Christmas Eve is exciting because it's the day before Christmas Day. Your DCs need to experience and remember Christmas Eve followed by Christmas Day to learn the association. It's not so much the events themselves. So for example new pjs are not that exciting. But if you build a tradition of new pjs on Christmas eve, the dcs will link that to the whole Christmas experience.

Traditions build each year just by doing the same things. Anticipation comes with maturity so 3 years live in the moment but 6 year olds anticipate time ahead.

Don't force it and don't avoid it. Like so many on here, I love Christmas Eve and have fabulous memories of bursting with excitement putting stocking on the end of my bed ....

We don't do anything fancy on Christmas Eve, we don't do Elf on the shelf or Christmas Eve boxes..it's the atmosphere we love, there's usually carols on tv from a beautiful cathedral somewhere, the smell of Christmas wafting through the house, family dropping in for a drink, midnight mass etc, it's such a lovely build up I honestly can't see why you'd want to miss it!

I'm glad you're not my mum n dad

OP if the children weren’t excited last year at very excitable ages, it’s probabky because you didn’t do enough to get them excited and make it seem special and magical.

So now instead of remedying that, you want to make it LESS special?

Alright then...

But who will give the reindeers a carrot so they can continue their journey. Santa might get cold without his whisky. You’re being very selfish at the expense of all believers in the world.

I came here expecting the op to say the kids were so excited it was a nightmare, and to control their excitement the plan was to not tell them... and I was going to relate and admit I had considered it too.
Even when my eldest was 23 months old he sensed something about Xmas eve and was a little monster. Each year since is about channelling the excitement so We don’t fall out. I have no comprehension of a child not being in the Xmas spirit, but I would try to have a fun day and get them to help prepare for the day

I totally get it
We've had some shocking Christmas Eve.......one so bad it completely ruined Christmas day for me and dh

I wouldn’t. DD is only 18 months old, so can’t speak for her, but Christmas Eve is the best bit! I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it!

There is only one magical time left in childhood, shared by nearly everyone, Christmas Eve morning to bedtime on Christmas Day. By all means put an end to it b making it not remotely special so it can be just like every other dreary day. Why not?

It's your family but this approach may not work this year and certainly not when they are bigger.
If you are worried about them not sleeping maybe try lots of exercise in the day or start the process of leaving mince pie out for santa etc early so time to go upstairs and bath/wind down before they get over tired.

Er advent calendar? How are they not counting down the days? Opening the last door is super exciting in our house. Plus leaving reindeer food, mince pie etc.

@vandree but when else woukd you do the stockings apart from when you go to bed yourself? Surely nobody is getting up at 3 am to do stockings????

I can never get to sleep for worrying we woke one of them doing the stockings. Really wish we had made a tradition of stockings arriving downstairs not in their rooms.

Bonbonours we used to leave them by the fireplace downstairs. Silly of us thinking the kids would wait til the morning to open the stockings quietly in their beds without waking anyone 😂 they went back downstairs to the locked sitting room after that . Which sounds mean locking their doors but I've had to wake them every other Xmas morning.

Oh Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day - the Eve is all about the traidtion and the expectation, for me. We deliver the last of the cards by hand, have new PJs (sorry not sorry), watch a movie, put out the carrot and the reindeer food (oats and glitter)....one year the ISS was passing as we walked back through the park at 5pm, I told her it was Santa on his way to India (don't pick me up on my understanding of time zones please) - it was absolutely truly magical. Don't deny yourself

I know someone who when the kids were wee and misbehaving before Christmas told them it was Christmas Eve on the 23rd so when they woke up there was nothing there for them - that’s mean!

That's bloody genius, evil but genius

Don't do it OP, Christmas Eve is the best day of the year .