Sorry, I have another christmas question!

[ludaloo]

I just wondered if anyone had any ideas, or anything special they do on christmas eve? I have 3 very small and excitable kids, who drive us nuts all day! The evening is worse still as they get hyper!
Growing up it was tradition for us to open one present the night before christmas...I guess to keep us quite for a moment! We do the whole, glass of milk and mince pie for santa and a carrot for Rudolph (although dd1 insisted we put them for ALL the reindeer but I didn't have enough to spare, so they all got celery!!) I think opening a pressie might make matters worse though...they will want more!
Any ideas on how to while away those LONG LONG hours??

We usually go for a long walk and have a play in the park then come back for a bacon sandwich, hot chocolate and watch the Polar Express

Ahhh love the bacon sandwich and hot choccie plan!!!! (whats the polar express?????? )

Its an animated film and I love it, brings on the feeling of christmas perfectly in my eyes, gives me goose bumps etc Polar Express

you could always do what my SIL did once... she pretended christmas day was the day after, i.e. boxing day and that way she managed to get a full night's sleep and nice long lie in on christmas morning!! you can only get away with it once though

oh it sounds perfect! I think I might buy it...is it ok for a 3 and 5 year old

love the idea of polar express radley. we used to all watch the snowman.

nowadays, i love to watch christmas vacation (chevy chase) in the run up to christmas. always gets me in the festive spirit!

did she really! and they bought it.....hmmmm I like it!

We go for a long walk on the beach just after lunch, then settle down to watch a Christmmassy film - The Santa Clause, or last was the Polar express - like radley says its a great film. Then before bed one of reads "The night before Christmas" to them. It calms them down, a little

oh yes..the snowman..forgot about that one...they usually have it on tv don't they

ludaloo, its an ideal film for that age.

In fact, I have just bought the 2dvd boxset that i've just shown you, the copy we watch was given to us and is a copy

that's a great idea saltire (reading the night before christmas). my DDs just a babe right now but i really look forward to doing this in a few years, when they know what it's all about and believe in it. So lovely!

You could always watch Santa's progress on the Norad website, and when you want them to go to bed just point out that he's getting nearer and they need to go to sleep.

This gives them something special and exciting to do, whilst giving you the ideal opportunity to get them snuggled up in bed without getting over-excited.

My children are 10 and 8, and we still track Santa every Christmas Eve (though probably more for my benefit than their now! )

Track Santa

we have our Christmas dinner on christmas eve. we inherited it from dh's family and back in pre-kids days if we had chistmas with his dad I really didn;t like it - without kids what else isthere to do on christmas day but eat a slap-up mea, but with kids it really comes into its own for so many reasons

• you do all the cooking on Christmas Eve ie you don;t feel you are slaving away on christmas itself
• Christmas feels longer - it starts the minute you stop slaving and put the turkey on the table
• you have complete freedom on Christmas Day to do what you/the kids want - you don;t have to say "not now dear I need to make the gravy" - it's my one Christmas rule - I do what the kids want me to do all day
• it makes Christmas Eve special

Yes, HCC, my sister does that! Brill idea! (as you say, even for us adults; i love this kind of thing)

oh yes a book too...good plan. I kept their curtains open last year and told them to stay in bed and watch out for rudolph. It completely backfired as they kept shouting down that they could see him...had to end up closing them again and then we had tears because they couldn't see if he was comming!!!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

hmmm must look for "A night before christmas" ...ooohhhh I feel sooooo christmassy

LOL ludaloo

that tracking site HHC, doesn't it suddenly get really busy and slow as the whole world's tracking santa???

me too ludaloo and it's october!

its madness! we should start a christmas appreciation in October thread Missybabee!
Off to put the christmas hits cd on

I plan to make some salt dough decorations today with the kids...I have lit the fire...very exciting!

Hmmmmmmmmm the only night before christmas i can find is Barney, and I somehow don't think you mean that one do you Ludaloo?

urm no I don't think so Radley

just back from putting DD down for her nap.

think we need to make sure we revisit this thread on december 1st so we can be sure to get into the christmas spirit for real then. i never normally think about christmas until december .

god, now my dh is talking about christmas!

Amazon have it, i can't do links i'm afraid, or i would show you.
The author is Clement C moore