What do you do Christmas eve?

[wakeupnow]

Thought it would be nice to share any traditions your family has for Christmas eve. We normally hold a mulled wine and mince pie afternoon for local friends before going to a navity play at the church about 6ish. After that it's a quick tea for the children, followed by the santa preparation of leaving out carrots, sherry & a mince pie. Then it's stockings up & bed for the girls. Once asleep it's out with the magic santa glitter dust and the excitment of Christmas begins!!!

I'm scuppered on Christmas eve - it's mil's birthday so she always wants a do . Used to be in her house, now she's older it tends to be in a local restaurant. but as dh is her youngest and our dc are the youngest by a long way (even mil's great grandchild is older, most have left or ar at uni, ours are at nursery and infant school) so whilst it is nice for everybody else it can be a bit of a trial for us as we have a couple of hours drive to get there (assuming the motorway is ok which is a big assumption on Xmas eve morning) so the dc want to run around and burn off some energy rather than sit and make polite conversation with relatives they rarely see and then have a very overpriced mediocre meal that drags on. And on. And on. They probably enjoy it as they all grew up together so have lots of catching up but I've always felt a real outsider so it's just a big nightmare trial.

And made all the worse because when I was little I loved Christmas eve, it was always lots of fun, my parents had a party in the evening so there were the preparations for that, people dropping in to say merry Christmas as they delivered cards, and I guess that I'm sad my dc are going to associate Xmas eve with being stuck on the motorway for hours rather than more fun things. And by the time we get home they are either going to be fast asleep from the drive and so miss putting out stockings etc. Or they are going to be on the rebound and wide awake and too energetic and excited to go to sleep meaning its all going to go horribly wrong. And I'm going to be awake until the wee hours doing all the last minute wrapping and stuff that I swore I would have done by now but haven't!

I know, iabu and am an old grinch, it's not mil's fault her bday is Xmas eve, that she wants to see her family etc. And I know I'm very lucky to have got away with never spending an Xmas day with her (last year was due to be the first but got scuppered by the snow :o ) as dh has never really liked Xmas so is not bothered by it so I know it could be lots worse.

But it was so nice last year not to have to go up the M1 (thank you snow!) it just made me wistful for a nice relaxed Christmas eve, even every other year would be good. Hey ho.

I'm looking to start some "CherryPie's Family Traditions" this year. Dh and I have been together for 8 years almost and married for 6. Our 3 kiddies are 5yo, 6yo and 17m.

Sometime in the day we'll go and buy some extra milk and a carrot for Santa and his reindeer. I imagine we'll also deliver our gifts to others and maybe visit a garden centre to buy the dc's their own special bauble - I'd like to do this every year for them.
I have put my foot down this year and demanded that we spend Christmas Eve(ning) at home as dh always wants to go out and spend £80-£100 on a meal for us and his parents. This year I'm doing a Christmas tea party where the older dc's and I will bake throughout the day, we'll make the sandwiches together etc. We'll also make the cookies for Santa. For drinks there will be Snowman Soup for everyone except our littlest one who will get warm milk with marshmallows.

Once the il's have buggered off dh will bath the dc's.
There will be Snuggle Boxes for them (when I talk dh into this) containing new pj's, an activity book and pencil, storybook, a cuddly toy and Reindeer Dust that they can sprinkle outside before bed. Then they can put the cookies, milk and carrot out.
ReadyBrek for supper to knock them out. Then bed, perhaps with The Polar Express dvd to watch.

All of the above is new really and not been done by us before - I'm not usualy a fan of routine but I want the dc's to be excited for what we'll be doing next as part of the build up.

Luckily I've explained to the dc's that Santa was running out of room on his sleigh so he has had to drop a few presents off already with a "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS" tag on them.

Then the real work starts. Wrapping the remaining gifts to put out. Placing glittery snowy Santa footprints on the stairs and near the tree.

Always on the lookout for new ideas for Christmas Eve - as a child we never had any 'traditions' as such and although it was still lovely, I want to make the whole day/days as magical as possible. Christmas Eve was just another day in my childhood.