What do you do on Christmas Eve?

[byefelicia62]

Looking for ideas. In previous years I’ve booked breakfast with Santa or we’ve gone to the pantomime but haven’t been able to manage to get tickets for anything this year. In the evening we will get cosy and have a buffet tea as we do every year but I’d like to try and do something nice during the day. Both Dh and I have the day off work. Kids are 4 and 12.

We have a bit of a festive picky bits tea, watch a Christmassy film and bring the presents down once no kids. Don’t make a huge deal to be honest because there’s no need to rile up the excitement for the actual big day! It’s festive but very laid back.

Spend time cleaning out the dining room, prepping veg, laying the table etc.
On a bad year, be wrapping presents.

Will go to some sort of Crib service / nativity / carol service in the afternoon.

Will go to 'Carols round the tree' at 6pm then (depending on whose turn it is) either go for drinks at someone's house, or have people back here for drinks.

I’m not after doing anything too amazing or expensive, but I know if we’re just at home the eldest will retreat to his room on the PlayStation and it’ll just be another day. Maybe a family dog walk and a nice lunch would do.

We do family olympics
egg and spoon with eggs we have drawn a Xmas thing on like hollie or my son with draw something rude as usual
sack race - decorate strong black bags with glitter, tinsel or whatever then race
bean bag in hole throwing- usually doesn’t end up in the cardboard vox hole but they usually want to play throw the bean bag at the Santa teddy or something
darts - normal darts but my and DH get to have a good battle
limbo using tinsel as the rope - various cheaters in our family on this one
you get the jist
Then followed by a talent show.

very laid back. All a bit of fun and a joke. There are no really winners

I take DD swimming every year on Christmas Eve. The pool is always quiet and it’s a great way of wearing her out!

Carol service, peel sprouts, wrap presents, drink wine. Traditional.

We don't do much at all. All the shopping gets done 22nd / 23rd (we go after 9pm to the 24-hour supermarket). We go to the farm down the road to pick up the goose, then if we need to we stop off in the village to grab any last minute bits anyone wants like a newspaper, then we go home and prep all the vegetables / stuffings / pigs in blankets for the next day.

Then we watch some TV and maybe go for a walk. Traditionally we have frozen party food for dinner that we just chuck in the oven.

Later on in the evening someone will probably be panicking wrapping last minute presents (while I smugly drink mulled wine as mine are always wrapped and under the tree well before then!).

DD is a bit older now, and her dad and I are divorced. But still on good terms so exDH and my adult stepson always come over for some food and a film. I usually cook, am going to suggest a meal at the Indian round the corner this year. DD always stays at
mine on Christmas Eve and still insists on leaving a mince pie, carrot and brandy out- even though I’m pretty sure she’s never believed 🤣

Earlier in the day I often work, after a fashion, then pop up to the pub for a quick one to see friends and family.

We do a big dinner and presents with DH’s side of the family. It’s not a roast dinner, but it is a full festive event.

Lazy day. Christmas movies. Muppets Christmas Carol. Gremlins. Christmas Eve is one of my favourite days.

(Big) kids open their new pyjamas.

Used to have board games after the kids got in their new jammies but that didn't happen last year - DD was working.

Crib service when the kids were little. Now we go to Midnight Mass.

We are Danish - British household so have fusion Christmas. We have our Christmas dinner as the evening meal, dance around the tree (lit with real candles) singing Christmas songs, then open the gift basket from the elf. He usually brings regular PJs but we have enough of those, so considering an escape room in a box. Drink baileys.

I always start Christmas Eve with an early collection slot for the turkey etc at M&S. My mum always comes with me and we go in the cafe for a quick hot drink while we’re there. This year’s slot is 7:30am as I’m working so need to be back by 9. I’m wfh on the day and in reality there will be nothing to do, management normally tell us to log off at lunch time.

I’ll spend the morning on the sofa with half an eye on my emails but watching Christmas films with the kids and then in the afternoon we’ll play board games or go for a walk if it’s not raining.

Dinner will be a takeaway, I refuse to cook on Christmas Eve

Peel the vegetables for the next day and cook the turkey. This year I’m going to cook a beef joint as well. Elf, Muppet Christmas Carol with party food. Hoping there is a ghost story on bbc later in the evening then bed.

We are an all adult household at Christmas. On Christmas Eve by very longstanding tradition I listen to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge live on Radio 4 from 3pm while I make a large batch of mince pies. My daughter assists. Other than that, I try to get ahead a bit with the food preparation. It's all very low key here so not much to get ready other than food.

If Christmas Eve happens to be a Saturday, we do parkrun first thing, or volunteer there and take part in the Christmas Day parkrun.

As a child abroad (not Europe) wider family- aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins would all come together at someone's house to catch up, have nibbles and exchange gifts. Everyone lived within 30mins of each other. It would always culminate with a ball fight using balls of wrapping paper which was a highlight as a child. 😆

Invariably one of my lovely neighbours appears at 10pm with a random bag of shellfish that needs dealt with immediately… 4 Christmas Eves in a row now!

Our children are grown now but since they were very small we have always gone to a nearby hotel for Christmas eve dinner, its just around the corner so we don't need to drive. I used to work Christmas eve and was always wrecked, (retail) and we have kept the tradition going. Often some of our wider family are there too as they live locally. Afterwards we watch a Christmas movie and eat sweets until they all drift off to bed so we can do their stockings, yes we still do stockings for them, even though the eldest is in her 30s.

What? I need more details?

They want to use your fridge, want you to open their oysters, pick apart crab meat for them, cook and peel prawns??? I hope you get a generous helping?

This year- don't answer 😊

Kids open their Christmas Eve box in the morning which has a Christmas jumper for the day, Christmas pjs, some Christmassy activities, etc. to keep them entertained for the day.

DH is usually working but gets an earlier finish. We then head over to my parents’ house and watch a Christmas singalong together. Same one every year. Then family friends come round, we have curry for dinner and lay out stockings, sacks, treats for Santa and read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then chaos trying to get excited kids to sleep and all the presents in the right places.

Nothing specific. Some family might he working. Sometimes been swimming. Will be at my parents this year so will get out with them at some point.

No other traditions other than me going off to Midnight Mass while DH stays at home with DC and whoever else isn't coming.

Presents are all out under the tree already apart from stockings.

We always get a takeaway on Christmas Eve, then have a hot choccy with cream in our new Christmas mugs (which we decorate ourselves at a local pottery place). I will watch a Christmas film and eat chocolates while the kids entertain themselves and then early to bed so we can wrap all the Christmas presents… fall into bed after midnight and wait for the onslaught at about 8am in the morning .

Baking, pub, takeaway, Christmas film and hot chocolate. Then stuff out for santa and a Christmas story at bedtime. I love Christmas eve probably more then Christmas day

Chill, watch NBA, watch Christmas films, drink, eat and enjoy it 🙂

Usually visit friends to drop off/exchange presents in the morning. They always have a Christmas themed giant jigsaw on the go so we spend a couple of hours doing that and having drinks and snacks.

home to make mince pies and play Christmas music. Kids sometimes help.

In the afternoon it's the christingle service at our local church.
Both kids went to the church primary so we see loads of former school families going years back.

Special Christmas eve dinner (smoked salmon and scrambled eggs - we tried having it for breakfast on Christmas day but too much excitement and too full of chocolate coins to enjoy it so now it's CE supper). With the angel chimes alight and tinging. Friends from down the road might pop over for a drink.

Try and pack kids off upstairs not too late. Husband and I watch something on TV (usually the Ghost Story for Christmas) while stuffing the stockings.