What will you and your family be doing on Christmas Eve?

[SNOWMANdymoo]

I almost prefer Christmas Eve to the actual day itself - just all the anticipation, snuggled up together and being all cosy.

We will probably just have a nice walk and hot chocolate somewhere before coming home, putting ds and dd to bed and then opening up a bottle of wine and sharing a nice cold meat, pickles and salad kinda tea.

What about you?

I'm the right one LOL!

I'll be working till 9pm in the labour ward.

having an 'open house' party, hoping people will pop in for a drink throughout the day, its a christmas, belated house warming, plus its dh's birthday on christmas eve, party.

anyone want to come?

nice quiet day, light dinner of pasta or something, midnight mass at 9ish, one present for dd, cake and brandy left out for santy, dd to bed, cake and brandy for mommy and daddy , leave out the santy presents, then to bed.

We're taking the kids on the Santa steam train in the evening which is our family tradition Then dropping off pressies at the inlaws before going home for a late tea.

Does anyone else like tracking SAnta on Xmas Eve, my DS almost wet his pants with exceitment last year!!!!

www.noradsanta.org/en/default.php

DH, dd and I will be flying to Fortuventura (sp?) with my parents!! Ooooh I can't wait.

ooh surely the hockey household is not the only household that have our christmas dinner on Christmas Eve?

When we had our first christmas away from family in our own place I just didnt want to spend the day cooking and miss the special time with dd so I decided to do a candlelit christmas dinner for me, dh and dd on Christmas Eve. Its so lovely, all quiet family time and chilling out - then get dd into her christmas PJs and into bed - its lovely. Makes Christmas day very relaxing, plenty of cold meat left with baked spuds and trimmings and ltos of relaxing.

We also have a nice lunch together, usually something simple like soup and bread and dh gives me and dd (and ds this year) a dvd as an early present which they then watch in the afternoon while I'm cooking and I watch mine with dh after our christmas dinner - blissful day and prefer it to christmas day actually because of all the anticipation of the next day.

Got polar express and the snowman dvds this year for dh to give the kiddies, thanks to someone on heres Woolies offer recomendation.

Cant Wait

Trying to cram all the visitors who are coming to stay into our house!

Morning and for brunch: PIL's house (may visit DH's grandparents if no time on 23rd)

Afternoon and early tea: my parent's house; my brother and sister will be there and possibly my nana and grandad

5:30pm - church nativity service

evening: party at friends near us

Then home for a later than normal bedtime, having left out cake and drink for FC

Mandymoo I love the pre-Christmas days too.

We have a hectic run-up with three children?s parties in the two days before Christmas Eve (nightmare time to have a birthday) and we are also planning to go to the dress-up nativity in town on Dec 22 I think.

Then by 24th I have the bird in the fridge, all baking etc done, just need to do the last things.
DH usually takes the kids to see his family for the day (lots of rellies and other pals all in spitting distance of each other so he makes a day of it) leaving me (and my mum this year hurrah!) to prepare all the veg, ice chocolate log, make Christmas day desserts (creme brulee or choc mousse), make stuffing and stuff bird, make bacon rolls etc. All the while listening to 9 lessons and carols (oh am welling up at thought of the chorister singing Once in Royal David?s City).

Then we have a bit of a rest with a mince pie or so before the kids and DH come home, put out pillowcases for Santa to fill (!), carrot and mince pie etc.

I spend the evening doing all outstanding laundry tasks so that on Christmas day there is no washing on the racks, waiting to be ironed or waiting to be put away. I might add that this is the only day of the year on which this is the case!

Love reading others' plans - but that it is only me doing the veg! Do the rest of you do it on Christmas Day then? Arrrgh it takes us hours!

Mears - hope that is a nice Christmas Eve for you with lots of precious Christmas bundles.

should add that the parties we have in run-up are ones my children are going to, not ones I am organising thank goodness! lol.

Have invited PILs over for a Chinese takeaway lunch as we're going to my folks' on the day. They will probably fall asleep on the sofa in the afternoon while we go to the park and try to teach dd (3) to ride her bike.

Hockeyandivy I plan to do a big Xmas dinner on Xmas eve next year as we're not going anywhere and our youngest will be nearly 3.

Will take the girls swimming in the morning - burn off some energy.

Relaxing afternoon at my dads and off to bed for the girls.

My brother and SIL come over for a chinese, and then we play games until 11.30 when we go to the midnight service.

Home to bed to grab a few hours kip!

Morning - probably a walk through town for a few last minute bits.

I'm working 2-6pm but I shouldn't complain as it's double time, so I'll be watching teh last minute madness and also preparing for the madness of the sale on boxing day (I'm working 7-1).

Will get home about 7ish I reckon, bath DD's get them both to sleep then I'll start getting the presents out etc, it's so exciting isn't it???

church in the morning it's the only time we go. walk in the park then out for lunch, afternoon doing some baking with ds then present from jack frost, bath, story and bed for ds. dh and i will open a bottle of wine and get sloshed

Kids are at their Dads so I will be moving pressies around for 'Santa' later that evening.Kids back at tea time and then we are going to the Christingle service then bed

Christmas Eve = Snowman Night chez Greensleeves and I am SO excited, I could burst

It'll be just ds, dh and me in Berlin (Xmas Day will be with 2 of ds's godparents, Boxing Day with ILs). We'll have a quiet day, maybe a walk in the afternoon, a glass of mulled wine, and once ds is in bed I shall take the underground through the night to go to English midnight mass (dh will stay at home).

We have family friends and neighbors over for a drinks party

driving for 2 hours up the m6 to get my gran.

then driving her to our house.

then doing a buffet late lunch thing for me, dh, dd, gran, my sister, her boyfriend, MIL, FIL, SIL, her husband and their daughter.

that's it!

For the first time in about 15 years dh isn't working on Christmas Eve, hurrah! He'll be able to come to the crib service with me and the kids and join in with tracking Father Christmas and all the mince pie on the mantlepiece malarky. I can't wait.

kids will put bits out for santa and his reindeer and then, when they are in bed I'll do the veg, then I'll spend hours trying to remember where I've hidden their pressies.

I will go very early in the morning and collect the turkey from the butcher's. Will prepare veg and anything else I can prepare early! No doubt have to go to Tesco for something I've forgotten!

Wish no doubt watch Christmassy films in the afternoon.

Evening we go carol singing with our neighbours ending up at a neighbours house - she has stables with donkey and sheep in - so much like a nativity it's fantastic for the children. Wander home looking for Santa and reindeer poo (something DH started!!).

Children will get new pj's, sit for a photo and go to bed (after hanging stockings of course). They'll put food and drink for Santa and reindeers first.

I will then sort all the presents into piles in prep for the morning. Off to bed...