Come and share you Christmas Eve traditions ! many of mine have been inspired by Mumsnet !

[fakeblondie]

I just love hearing about other people's traditions and many of ours I now realise I have started from mumsnet threads !
The biggest hit and one we will always do with dc was lining the entire drive both sides with empty jam jars on Christmas eve . pop a tea light in each one and light. . . .just as Dc look out window to see if they can see Santa at bedtime there is a lit up landing strip for Rudolph ! beautiful.

Other traditions we have are . .

Always go into town for a hot choc Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve hamper for all dc with new pyjamas, reindeer food, DVD to watch < (Polar Express last year ) , marshmallows to toast on patio burner before bed.
Always go to church to candlelit service and have champagne when we get home.
grown up tradition of cuddle with Santa ( DH ) in front of the fire last thing as it's the only night in the entire year we know dc won't come downstairs !
DH always delivers sacks dressed in full Santa Outfit incase of peeping ! DC are 19, 16, 9 and 2 !
love it x

I love this, been thinking what traditions I would like to start with ds (only 18 days old but never too soon!)
I love that your dh delivers in Santa outfit think my dh would like this (maybe in a year or 2?)

This year will be my DDs first Christmas so I'm very excited. Some of the things you do sound lovely, I can't wait until we get our own family traditions l. Before I had dc my Christmas Eve tradition would include a bottle of wine

Christmas eve hamper. Usually new pjs (all in ones this year), hot chocolate and treats.

We always watch muppets Christmas carol. I have done since i was a child.

We also do the Christmas eve hamper. The elves drop in into the boys bedroom by magic while they're in the bath. It's surrounded by snow and glitter so we know it's magic.
The hamper contains pj's, their stockings, a magic key to put outside so Santa can get in, a Christmas dvd, sweets, popcorn, milkshake.
I want some more traditions so watching with interest

Sit around watching crap TV, drink, sacks by the fire, cookies plus beverage-of-choice for Father Christmas, put the children to bed.

Job done.

Oh, the night before Christmas Eve we watch the Polar Express and have hot chocolate and takeaway pizza. I invented that tradition all by myself.

We have a chinese ince the do are asleep.

I used to wrap all the presents (when it was just ds) but now there are 3 dc it would take forever.

My mum stays over and we always have a baileys hot chocolate.

We always sit and watch Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. Then we have dinner and then bath,bed for the dcs. Then dh and I sit with a bottle of wine and marathon wrap the presents.

I love that peacefulness and the calm before the storm. We always end up going to bed really late.

This is nicest thread ever!
Our Christmas trads when younger; my sis & I always decorated the tree together with Christmas CDs on, munching on clementines & tree chocs then did big parental reveal with all lights out except tree fairy lights so tree looked magical! Not Christmas Eve but so many fun sibling memories most of the time we were at each others throats

Christmas Eve we always watched the snowman & Santa sent mummy new pjs for us in advance.

Favourite day of the year tho was primary school Christmas party day... Everyone in best frocks, entire day & school (only 60 pupils) devoted to party games, lunch was birthday tea style cakes, sarnies, etc. As it was getting dark Father Christmas would arrive in his sleigh outside (schoolroom was Victorian so no low windows to spoil the illusion!) then come in & we would all sit round tree and be called up for presents from him before going home.

wish I was 7 again. Wish my children could go to a rural school with 60 pupils. Sigh.

We watch christmas films whilst assembling our gingerbread house. Then this and everything required (usually 2 car trips) is scooped up and transferred to my mums where the family gathers. Tea is always steak.

We sleepover at my mums despite it only being 3 streets away so we are all there for the morning. Ds has new PJ's.

Wish I could do the new pj thing but 2 dcs have birthdays in October and November so MIL always gets them new pjs for that.

Bring DD to work (we have to show our faces for an hour, and most families bring the kids)

Follow that with an amble around town for a short while, getting any last bits and enjoying the atmosphere and a hot choc

Once we get home, we have a look at Norad to see if Santa has set off yet and periodically track him all evening.

In the afternoon, we make cookies for Santa (depending on energy levels and other mania - either from scratch to keep someone busy or just slicing them off a spare bit of dough I keep in the freezer from previous batches)

While DD is busy baking, I concentrate on peeling all the veg for the following day, and DH makes the stuffing. I also try to clean out and set the fire for the following day (although last year, DH lit it and DD never seemed to notice it might be a problem, so we may end up doing that again as it was a rare relaxing night!).

Once it gets dark, we light the Christmas candle and say a few prayers for those who died, Christmas and Jesus birthday, and all the blessing's we've had during the year

Last year, dinner was a buffet of cold meats, salads, various anti-pasto dishes and fresh crusty bread.

DD puts out her stocking, milk and cookies, and a carrot

We open the Christmas Eve box under the tree for new PJs for all of us (silly slipper socks included this year), Christmassy bath bombs for DD and I, and Snowman soups for all.

Then nice bath for DD and bed, and the first reading of "Twas the night before Christmas" of the year

Then DH and I relax with a glass of wine, and hopefully just watch tv until time to set things up for the morning before going to bed (including making sure I've left things for breakfast handy - oranges to squeeze, roll of croissants to bake, and maybe some bacon to grill, definitely Christmas blend coffee to plunge) - some years though, I spend the evening frantically wrapping.

We go to the local Kristingle service and then pop into a neighbours for mulled wine and mince pies.
Then we come home and there are always new pjs for everyone on their beds - got that one on here.
I read the Night before Christmas in front of the living room fire to anyone prepared to sit still and listen.
Then DDs do carrot, wine and mincepie for Santa and scatter reindeer food on the lawn.
They put their stockings on the ends of the beds, plus DD2 has a tiny one that her Y3 teacher knitted for each child in her class which she puts out for her teddy.
Then they go to sleep and around midnight we retrieve the stockings and fill them. One for each of us including my mum.
DDs are 15, 13, 10 and showing no signs of wanting to do things differently.

We do early baths, 'surprise' early present from Santa to let them know He Is Watching (pjs) previously agreed movie/DVD with popcorn and leaving out snacks,drinks & reindeer food before bed. Followed by frantic last minute prep. One thing I would recommend if poss is get your presents down & in shed/ garage before bed to save you trying to sneak up and down the stairs rustling and swearing giggling with dcs listening out. And if they don't settle jingle some bells as a warning that need to sleep NOW

our pyjamas/book are delivered by Jack Frost, who is the chief elf.

I started a tradition last year which my two love. I take one into town to buy the other one a Christmas pressie. I took them into lots if different shops to l

Look around but ended up going mad in the pound shop. We wander round looking in shop windows and seeing the lights. Then take the other one the following week. Love it and they can't wait to do it again thus year.

Sorry for the two messages and dodgy spellings. My phone has a life of its own.

Last few years ours seems to be have a take away curry so as to avoid one day of cooking before the next few days!! Gives us time to wrap pressies (which we always seem to be doing, never seem to be organised to wrap before) at the last minute, get santa sacks out of the loft. As well as leaving stuff for Santa but as we usually have the fire going DCs don't understand how he gets down a hot stove pipe!

The Christmas Eve hamper thingy sounds like something I shall have to adopt.....

Our little traditions are - carpet picnic with party food, a Christmassy DVD, a tray for Santa with a little glass of Baileys (because that's what Santa likes to drink when he comes to deliver our presents), a mince pie and a carrot for the reindeer....

In the morning, I'll do the cooking prep for tomorrow, do the slow cooker ham in cider and generally get the kitchen organised.
DH will get the cleaning done in the rest of the house.
DC will watch a Christmas movie or two.

After lunch, we'll all go for a big walk with the dog. Whilst we're out, our neighbour will come in and take away Avery (our Christmas elf who has been watching over them since 1st December) and leave the Christmas Eve hamper which is a goodbye present from Avery.

We'll have ham, mustard mash and green beans around 4pm then give DC a 'christmas bath' (santa bubble bath is in the hamper, will play christmas tunes on my iPad and maybe have some candles on) and get into jammies, slippers and dressing gowns.

We'll go outside and light the candles for the runway and throw down the reindeer food, back inside for hot chocolate and a movie.
Put out Santa's drink and cookies then up to bed to read 'twas the night before Christmas.

DH and me will get tidied up, dishes done etc then watch 'its a wonderful life' whilst drinking copiously. (Not so much as to have a hangover though)

Can't wait. Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year.

We get up on Christmas Eve morning and light the fire, then set about making the house smell delicious. Porridge for breakfast. Lamb casserole in the slow cooker, we put the mince pies on to cook (mincemeat is already made, pastry made and in fridge), I make the starter for Christmas Day (caramelised red onion and goats cheese tartlets this year) and dd bakes things for family (spend Christmas Day with my family, boxing day with ILs). This year she's making chocolate truffles and fondant snowmen.

Once the fire is roaring, casserole simmering, starter and mince pies cooling, I put the pudding on for its second long steam and then we wrap up and go for a walk round the local town, stop at the bakery for nice bread for lunch and breakfast the next morning, stop in and wish friends a happy Christmas, look at the decorations, start the wearing the dc out routine.

Then home for fresh bread and muffins, bacon, a cooled mince pie etc and Christmas music, few games.

Wrap up again and out to the coast for a nice long walk, games, storytelling etc. When the sun starts to go down and it gets dusky, we tell dd that FC is closing the veils between the worlds so as not to be spotted and we need to race home and get ready for him. Home via church to light a candle, sing some carols, pick up grandad.

Once home the master elf has usually been and left pjs, bubble bath, hot chocolate, reindeer food and this year the Arthur Christmas dvd. We chuck more wood on the fire, dish up lamb casserole with bread to dip and apple pie and custard (pie made on the 23rd) to finish. Bath and pjs on and then we watch a film, tell stories, sing songs, play the piano, snuggle etc until the dc are yawning. Any family or friends who have joined us go home now.

Reindeer food scattered, carrot, mince pie and glass of milk left out, stockings hung, dc chased up to bed for bedtime stories. I collect vintage children's Christmas books and we read lots of them before bed. DD likes Shirley Hughes the most and I often read some of Tolkien's letters, always finishing with The Night Before Christmas.

DH and I fill the stockings, put out presents, put out Father Christmas footprints and then we have hot chocolate by the fire. Last year we watched back some footage of dd's christmas mornings so far, ate mince pies and reminisced.

Then to bed, fire damped down ready for Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year.

Oh I forgot. I painted a picture of a portal to the north pole a couple of years ago. It's just a painting of a snowy lane which winds to a point where it disappears. It hangs in the dining room during December and dd peers at it all the time trying to spot Father Christmas. On Christmas Eve I swap it for an almost identical picture I painted. except you can see Father Christmas in this one, just disappearing round the corner with a reindeer and a few footprints in the snow. It's a magic picture you see. Leaves imprints of magical folk on it...

Best thread ever! Makes me wish today was Christmas Eve!!!

I'm so inspired that I'm taking my two littlies into town to buy wrapping paper (well, it's a start!).

ISeeThreadPeople - can I pleeeeeaaaaase come stay at your house?