What are your plans for Christmas Eve?

[Schnarkle]

I'm looking for inspiration for what to do tomorrow. I'd like to slob out in front of the tv but we'll need to get the 2 children out to let off some pre Christmas madness steam.

What are you doing tomorrow?

if its not raining we will be out with the DC in their scooters for a walk, then up to the Church for the candle service then home for food/films and Father Christmas

Going to lunch and spend the afternoon with friends. In the evening DS2 will be singing in the Cathedral Festival of Carols (he is a chorister). DH is going to that and I am taking our other DC to our church for the children's nativity service. Then we will meet up at another friend's house.

We are going to the harbour where there are some little shops, so DD and DS can buy something for DH/their daddy. Then we are going to children's christingle service, hot chocolate and marshmallow in a Thornton's cafe, followed by collecting DH from work, then maybe a little drive through the countryside to look at some xmas lights.
Home for christmas music, mince pies, new jimjams, christmas bedtime stories x a million, ended for the children with Night Before Christmas magical black and white book before bed. DH and I will drink wine and finish last minute presents wrapping, make dishes to take to our christmas lunch tomorrow.

Sounds lovely? What is probably going to happen is this.

DH will get up for work, I will struggle with back pain, will stick the kids in front of christmas DVDs while I collapse on the sofa, and try to find the energy to go to the christingle service, followed by more home/dvds then DH to take over while I collapse once again

Going to a supermarket.

Doing some wrapping

Going to crib service

Watching the Snow dog

Once they have finished tidying their rooms, we have braved the super market for the last bits we need, hoovered the house and sorted dinner we will take them to the local farm and let them say happy Christmas to the animals and play in the adventure playground.

Home, dinner, bath - elves hamper and please god bed.

Working until 6pm...seriously regretting agreeing to it now though.

After DC are in bed I will be wrapping presents and marking exam papers

DH is working, he'll be out early,
I'll get the guinea-pigs fed and out in their Pighouse then galvanise the DC out the door.
Change everyones bedding (fleece festive blankets on the DC beds)

Need to go to the bank
Buy Greggs bread
Parsnips

Taking the DC to the cinema
Home for hot chocolate
Sort out dinner and do the last minute stuff.

Then might have time to have a bath myself after they've done their Christmas Eve Hampers/bath/PJs

I'm sure I've got a couple more presents to wrap.
Sort the presents under the tree after DD does the tray for Father Christmas (she's 10.6 and still insists on doing it)
Eat what's on the tray
Put the wrapping paper over the doorway and put their stockings out.

God luck pav I love your honesty.

I'm post kidney stones with my fingers crossed that I did actually pass them because I've been so off my face for the last 2 weeks I'm not quite sure.

I'm hoping I didn't dope dream buying and wrapping presents tbh.

Last minute Xmas shopping in Leeds.

Back home, checking whether mate going through messy separation is joining us with her dc for Xmas Eve/Xmas Day/both/none of the above, & then taking it from there...

I'll be doing stuff like peeling potatoes whilst dh entertains dc (ie. keeps them out of my way!), then drinking much wine with mate (if applicable!) or with dh if not.

A Muppet Christmas Carol
The Santa Claus
Nativity!
The Grinch
A Christmas Carol
Snowman and Snowdog
Love, Actually.

Pavlov

Mine will be more like 'take DC to the Christmas service, try to stop DC2 wrecking the place, take DC home, threaten no FC this year, watch NORAD with DC1, shout at DC2, shout at both DC that there will be no FC and all their toys will be going to children who deserve it, shout for one last time that that is really IT, DC finally sleep, DP's (us) do the stockings and fall into bed.......all for it to start again in about 5 hours time

for me
crack of dawn emergency hair cut
off to town to watch Muppet Christmas Carol at the pictures
coffee anywhere open
buy few last minute presents maybe
home for frantic food prep to take to DMums tomorrow
dinner
baths and pjs
hang stockings
four nightmare hour bedtime coaxing sleep refusers to bed
frantic stocking present wrapping as is traditional in our house whilst drinking fizz
make cinnamon bun dough
go to bed far too late

What we did when the boys were little - take them to soft play and swimming then food and cinema and home to bed shattered :)

What I am doing tomorrow now that they are 11 & 12:

Praying that it isn't peeing down
Working from home until 3pm
Trying to find a garage open that I can take my car to that isn't too far to walk home from given that I am a, working and b, it will probably be peeing down and c, the kids will moan!
Cooking the Turkey
Trying to think of something the kids can do that doesn't involve me driving them anywhere
OH should be home 5ish but by the time we've had dinner etc there wont be much time to do anything that will tire them out.

Just hoping it doesn't rain any more and I can send them out with a couple of pound to amuse themselves with a scooter up to the park and shop. Or a scooter home from the garage if I can find one with a safe route home.

Hopefully up early-ish for a good breakfast before DH takes eldest DS skiing and I take youngest to see FC :)

The Christmas Eve hamper will be waiting under the tree after lunch. DCs usually get pjs but I have supersized it this year with sweets galore, DVD, festive socks, a "Santa Stop Here Please" sign and a few other bits.

Then for the first time ever we will be eating Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. I am so looking forward to a no-cook Christmas Day and DCs are excited that they get to stay up a little later.

Trying something new this year. Gym early doors while DH does DD's (1.5 and 4) b'fast. DH collects up all the DSD (3 of them - teenagers) for Christmas Eve Buffet lunch, watch Muppet Christmas Carol DVD while scoffing, DH to distract little kids with short park trip while I get the Christmas Eve hamper out (no doubt assisted by keen teenagers wanting the first peek!), hamper revealed on return from park, early baths for little kids and everyone into new PJs, settle with hot (warm!) choc, candy canes and popcorn for The Christmas Eve Movie: Polar Express DVD, santa key on door handle outside, milk and truffles on santa plate, check Norad, then little kids go to bed (normally by 7pm) after new christmas story book and DSD's sadly get dropped off at home ready for their christmas morning. Then I start peeling veg....

I'll sleep on all that I've read and hopefully my mind will jumble them all up and come up with a workable plan

clean oven first thing (stuff in there now to clean it overnight) cook 3 ducks, joint of gammon and a leg of lamb (might have to do one in the slow cooker), db will take the boys and dog to the park, i will peel and cook veg and transfer to plastic boxes to be stored in the garden overnight (no room in fridge), slice up meat and put in fridge, chinese takeaway for tea, then a christmas film with goodies and new pj's, boys to bed at 9 with a dvd, then sort out all the christmas presents to go under the tree. then collapse into bed having done the stockings. thankfully (sort of) the girls are at their dads until 4pm christmas day, so i will get a lie in until about 9am as the boys are not early risers.

We stay home Christmas eve. My nephews are coming over so are some of the dc friends for a couple of hours so will probably have 13 kids here for a while.
Make reindeer food, have a mad hour dancing to cheesy songs, prep food, finish wrapping, watch snow dog and eat naice ham.

Probably looking after poorly ds2 while cooking gammon and making a keith (quiche ). Give dc xmas eve hamper and watch arthur christmas dvd that is in hamper when dh comes home from work. Then wait forever for dc to go to sleep especially ds1 even though he is 12 to put out prezzies.

Or if ds2 isn't too ill I might show dh my new new christmas outfit to pass the time ;)

I've got a about a zillion presents to wrap, cos I've left it to the last minute as usual.

What's all this talk of "Christmas Eve hampers"? I haven't heard of them. Please don't make it sound so good that I feel I have to get out of my sick bed (just a cold, no sympathy necessary, a cup of tea would be nice though) and make/buy one.

I'm doing some last minute baking during the day, then working.

I was going to the GP for a blood test, then collect a parcel from the post office, then finish ds's Christmas shopping but he isn't feeling well so will be spending all day watching movies whilst pumping fluids/paracetamol/cough syrup into him. We'll have another Christmas day when he's feeling better.

pooter we don't do them, but Christmas Eve hampers have thing like new PJS, a Christmas DVD and/or story book, maybe sweets.