Can I ask what people generally do on christmas eve...? Looking for ideas.

[iloveholidays]

We are usually at family on Christmas eve then home at 5ish to get girls to do stockings, bath bed etc.

Because it falls on a Monday this year and DD3 is due in November we've decided to do family on Sunday 23rd instead, have Christmas Eve at home, then Christmas day and boxing day with family again. Hoping it will give me and DDs a chance to rest up before a hectic couple of days.

DP is the type of person who would usually just go and move in with family Christmas eve for a few days... Loves having lots of people around! So basically he's happy to have Christmas eve at home, but said he doesnt want it to turn into any other day so I'm looking for some Christmasy ideas to be festive but not tire us out!! :)

I'm thinking of making some festive cookies, watch a Xmas film and maybe go for a walk.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Make some reindeer food and sprinkle it on the lawn before the DC go to bed! (oats, glitter so it shimmers in the dark, and a couple of carrots - there must be bites missing in the morning!)

I Iove holidays- you should totally start doing Christmas day in your own house if that's what you and your family want to do. We did it for the first time last year and it was brilliant. We had my inlaws over about 3pm for the big meal and they stayed til about 10pm. It was great. You have all morning to chill with coffee and presents and breakfast and then sip wine all day as you cook. Our 3 kids loved it. They were used to visiting all day but we've stopped that now. Anyone can come to us but were not budging!

Its my favourite day, better than Xmas Day imho.

Most years I go a bit OTT Domestic Goddess (most unlike me) though there are usually just five or six of us at our house. I bake in the morning - mince pies, sausage rolls etc - cook the Xmas ham, prep stuff for Xmas dinner, make mulled wine, put on a spread of party food for us to nibble on all day, do last minute shopping and decorating, make a lovely meal for early eve.

In the evening, the kids watch Xmas films and have their new Pjs and bits and bobs. Then, when theyre in bed, DH and I get drunk watching telly and (badly) wrap presents.

This year I am doing none of it. PJs on all day, takeaway. Might still do the drunk bit

I go for a long dog walk with a group of dog-owning friends in the morning/lunchtime.

Then panto late afternoon with dh and the Dcs.

Iloveholidays - cake tine was £4. Bargain!

I make cookies for the Dc to ice, DH works all day and on Christmas day so my mom comes over to stay the night and have Christmas with us.
We write letters to Father Christmas and go for a walk to post them. We have lots of chocolates and party type food.
The kids open new jamas, bubble bath, dvd, slippers and have a bath then watch the dvd. I start on the bucks fizz approx. 9am Christmas eve and drink until boxing day
DH comes home about 8pm so we all have lots a few drinks and wrap all the presents.
I can't wait!

Christmas Eve- we have a light breakfast (croissants , scrambled egg on toast) .I make sure the wrapping is done a week before the Big Day, I've done the frantic last minute rush, it's no fun.

We take the DC out. When they were little we went to feed the ducks or reindeer (but they're too old and the deer are too stuffed with food to care) so last year we went to the park.
Then lunch is fish fingers (vegetarian grills for DH and I) chips, salad. Then trifle.

The Elves bring the Christmas Eve Hamper while we're out.
The DC watch a Christmas Film (Nativity or Elf is their favourite) then they have a bath, their new PJs, a late night buffet.
DD does her Father Christmas Tray and their letter (they are 10 and 13 )

I want to watch The Woman in Black this year (I like a scarey film for Christmas).
All the soaps (I usually watch Corrie and Emmers).

We sort out the stockings, put the presents out, the last minute preparation of veg. Set the table for dinner (we don't bother with breakfast at the table on Christmas Day). Wrapping paper on the living room doorway.

This year I reckon DH will escape to the gym at 6am though

mrsmplus3 - I would love to do Christmas at home, but unfortunately DP isn't keen. He is always the one who does the roasts in our house so I'd rely on him to do the dinner so doesn't seem fair to enforce this on him. He has said he'll do it in the future once we've done our kitchen :) I'm not too bothered this year as we'll have a newborn anyway... I'll see how I get on with him next year!! :)

Thanks for all your ideas. Starting to pull some ideas together... hoping DP will go for them (although at the moment he thinks I'm mad thinking about Christmas!) :)

We get a take away, loads of wine and watch t.v. Bath and new Jamie's on sprinkle raindeer dust, nibbles and port out for santa, and early to bed for dcs then do all the last minute wrapping and drinking.

We do loads on Xmas eve.

I tend to run to the shops for a couple of last minute presents, then I meet a friend for hot chocolate at the garden centre and we swap gifts.

I go home for lunch and clean round the house and we might do a last minute bake then we go to the pictures about half past three. After that we meet some friends and go for dinner, then head back home to watch national lampoons christmas vacation with a couple of drinks and get into pjs etc ready for Santa coming.

I may actually love Xmas eve more than Xmas day

OP, M&S do lovely nibbles but so do Sainsburys, Waitrose and Tesco etc. As I said we have a late lunch out but we always have nibbles (to go with santa's port) at night... parma ham, slow roasted chorizo, hummus, pitta bread and roasted peppers.

I need to step away from the christmas threads before I get too excited!

in previous years I have ended up nipping to the shops for last minute stocking fillers etc... even though they are never needed because the DCs have way too much plenty already! I think I'll set a cut-off date with DH so that no more shopping can be done after it.

I think I may be working on the 24th this year anyway :(

I always have to turn up at work but all kids are welcome so DD comes with me while DH goes for a wander and coffee in town (only 5 mins away). We meet up after an hour or 2, have coffee and a wander together to soak up the atmosphere, before we head home. This is a relaxing time - we make sure that we either have everything we need, or there is 1 small thing that is easily got - no long lists to get in a panic and facing huge queues everywhere!!

We try to get a nice walk in if weather is fine - sometimes we go to the large park in the city with lots of deer, a slight diversion on our route home. Other times just to local park or pier, and let DD into the playground there too to run off some excess energy .

DD and I bake for Santa in the afternoon - depending on energy levels I take pre-frozen dough from freezer and slice off rounds. Or we bake from scratch. I always keep a half roll of dough in freezer at this time of year to allow that flexibility. If I have loads of time and energy, I might make mince pies. IF!!

DD might have a few things left to wrap. (I leave mine until later, unless we are quite relaxed).

We might have a board game together. I usually end up organising stuff for Christmas Day food as well though, so DH and DD might play on dining table and chat as I peel potatoes. DH makes the stuffing.

Dinner last year was a smorgasbord/tapas kind of thing - loads of bits and pieces of cold things (cured and cooked meats, smoked salmon, squid, prawns, pate, cheese, cherry tomatoes, tapenade, french bread, crackers) and help yourselves.

Light the Christmas candle as it gets dusky.

We have new PJs for the whole family and organise ourselves for a movie in the evening (either tv or dvd), before a Christmassy bath (lush bath bomb), "Snowman soup" (hot white choc with marshmallows) and new pjs. Leave out carrot, milk and results of baking, beside stocking. Read "Twas the night before Christmas" for the first time (lots of Christmas stories here, but that book only gets read on Christmas Eve for the 1st time every year).

We do look at the lights locally, but usually on a night the week before Christmas rather than Christmas Eve as there's too much else going on by that point.

I'm loving all the ideas.

I'm thinking of brunch/wander round garden centre mid morning, then home to do some baking with DD1 and DD2. DD2 will then have a nap whilst we watch a nice festive DVD or film on TV.

Then if weather is okay we can go for a walk and come home and hope the elf has delivered the christmas hamper! :)

Christmas nibbles from late afternoon/evening - which I'll be lazy with and go and buy a load of stuff from M&S or Sainsburys.

Can't believe how excited I'm getting!! :)

you have to track santa online, it's a must do if you have young kids.

our christmas eve this year will be something along the lines of - up early, DD will watch a christmas film in her bedroom whilst i tidy up, cliff richard on full blast with a hazelnut or gingerbread coffee (or bucks fizz) in hand.

my auntie is doing a little get together early afternoon (adults only) so DP will take DD to his mum's for a few hours for hot chocolate and a visit whilst i have a bucks fizz and see family at my auntie's.

DD and i will go to my cousin's house for an hour, i will read our kids "t'was the night before christmas" and sprinkle reindeer dust. the kids loved this last year, they were so excited.

we'll get home for 5pm, DD will be bathed and put in her new pj's, i will put carols from kings on, we'll track santa, we'll sprinkle more reindeer dust outside of our house, we'll do the mince pie/brandy/carrot thing.

DD will be put to bed about 7.30pm/8pm, DP and i will make a massive buffet and lots of lovely desserts, the mulled wine will be opened, as will the bucks fizz, baileys etc... and we'll watch all the lovely christmas telly.

can't wait!

Oh, I forgot tracking Santa - both Norad site and Tracking Santa website are good. Norad better for actual tracking on the night, Tracking Santa more interesting in the run up with the stories, and earlier in the day as well.
santaupdate.com/

This is making me so excited!!!

Christmas Eve is always important to me as Christmas day itself is always over so quickly!!

We usually:

Bake mince pies with LOs in the morning
Go out for family meal about 2pm when DH gets home from work
Do the Elves Hamper (Thanks MN!! Started this last year)
Put out mince pie/carrots/sherry in fireplace
When munchkins in bed me and DH gorge on lush food:oysters, bucks fizz, twiglets
Late into the night DH prepares food for Christmas Day whilst I watch something cosy on the tellybox.

Things I'd like to add this year (after lusting after them on MN)
Tracking Santa online
Drink "Snowman Soup"
Sprinkle Reindeer Dust

PS What is Reindeer Dust and where do I get it?

PPS I definitely prefer Eve to Day!!

Xmas eve depends if DH is working or not.

This year DH has the day off :) We will cook the obligatory cookies for Santa, then maybe a walk in the woods (weather dependant!) Christmas movies then the traditional Chinese for dinner.

As a child we used to walk up and down this one road where the whole street was decorated.. Every inch of each house all lit up with the neighbours walking up and down collective for charity. It was a lovely atmosphere and we looked forward to it.
Yet to find anywhere like that here though :(

Midnight Mass?

MoonBlush - reindeer dust is basically oats with glitter in it. You spread it over the grass and the glitter should attract the reindeer! :)

We usually go into town very early. We have a fry up and then a little wander around the shops (tradition since I was a child).
Back home for some baking,prep and Norad. Dinner is usually nibbly bits.
We watch a bit of christmas tv, then head off for evening mass. Hopefully the elves will have visited by the time we get home so there's new pyjamas. Then it's baths, jammies Christmas film & the night before Christmas.
Love Christmas Eve!

what is this elf hamper i'm hearing of?

RuleBrittania i went to midnight mass the last two years, going to give it a miss this year, i prefer to be all snug in my new pj's getting pissed i do go to a gorgeous service the week before christmas though, carols by candlelight in our local church, it's beautiful. and i watch carols from kings on christmas eve so i think he'll let me off with missing midnight mass

FFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Nothing heralds the arrival of Daddy C than a big pot of melted cheese.

We may go to the crib service, depends on Weather and if DD is singing.

Family arrive and we have a buffet type meal with lots of prepared party bits, prawns, Indian bits, smoked salmon, naive ham all the naughty things you'd deem too expensive or lazy the rest of the year.

Then I tend to end up wrapping however often I swear I won't.

Saw this thread was active, can't believe so many of you are planning this day in minute detail already.

Sorry to be a killjoy but...as well as the details of every bit of food/drink you'll consume, and various other activities, what about setting aside some time to think about what Christmas is really about?

Or is that just not 'christmassy'?