What do you do on Christmas Eve?

[SummerRoberts]

In our house we tend to have Christmas films on all morning and last minute wrapping/preparations going on.
I always make Nigella's Christmas rocky road and put into little gift bags as sort of a little Christmas Eve gift for everyone.
Then we set off it my mums with all the prezzies, duvets etc.
We used to have a Chinese takeaway as our traditional Christmas Eve dinner while we watched a family film but the past few years we've gone for an extended family meal at the loveliest country pub. They make it look so gorgeous and we usually get the big table next to the open fire.
Then we get back to mums, get into Christmas PJs, make some cocktails and even though I'm almost 28, mum will make us all feel our presents and try to guess what she's got us and never confirm or deny
What are your family traditions for Christmas Eve?

I like a stay at home christmas eve,
Cozying in, hot chocolate and crafts, feeding the birds.
There is usually some small item we have forgotten so a 10 minute tip to town a mile away.
We may go for a walk in the woods scatter some grain for the wild animals and birds.
I like a lot of candles and a real pagan christmas feel.

Bake a chocolate Yule log in the morning (nigella's recipe), then a walk by the river, late pub lunch, then movies and a cheese & pate supper.

Preparation bits and bobs - precious little this year as we're going to PIL for Christmas dinner. Tidying up, laundry etc.

3pm crib service in church. Children are invited to dress up as nativity characters and can all take part (Sunday school take the big parts so they can rehearse, but there will be eg 16 kings and 14 shepherds and 29 stars/angels/fairies).

Then pub for "pub tapas" which is eg onion rings, chicken wings, wedges, sweet potato fries, nachos. This is the DCs' top favourite Christmas tradition, and replaces previous takeaway tradition. We don't cook on Christmas Eve because there's usually too much other food preparation to do, and too little fridge space.

Home for Christmassy telly - the Snowman, the Gruffalo, Stick Man, Room on the Broom, etc. Simple food if anyone wants any more, like beans on toast or tuna wrap.

DC to bed. Assemble stockings (can't be done further in advance because the satsuma goes in the toe). Pile up other presents. We don't do that earlier as we have cats who would shred or otherwise defile them - they find the tree moderately disturbing as it is.

Go to bed ourselves, carefully placing the stocking at the foot of each bed as we go.

Xmas films/tv on. Track santa on iPad. I put a ham in after lunch. 3.30 sister, niece, dad arrive, collect dd, ds and dp and they all go to christingle at 4. I rush about getting buffet done, sit and chill on my own (favourite bit), until they get back about 5.30. They find xmas hamper from the elves on the front step when they get back. (I get a tip off from dp when they're at the end of the road). Open the hamper, eat the buffet (its a ham, jacket spuds n bits) chuck an out about 7 - 7 30. Put ds to bed. Dad zooms back with the pressies that have been hidden in his workshop. Put them all out and chill.

We prep the veg and make the stuffing and cook the turkey . We have fish and chips for dinner yummy! We watch carols from Kings, might go up to my db to deliver the pressies , prob have a visit from my very elderly parents and play scrabble monoploly and cluedo with my dds . We will watch anything to do with Morecombe and wise , only fools the soaps or anything murderous lol. Ahh thinking about it now is making me feel nostalgic I can't wait !

We're pretty lazy and get into a cosy, lounging around eating too much vibe nice and early . I usually finish off housework in the morning, but this year we are staying in a holiday rental, so none of that nonsense!

I usually do an old school picky spread for lunch which is pretty much what my Mum did in the '80s - sausage rolls, mince pies, crisps, nuts etc - but again, different this year. Plan on a pub lunch.

Later we play Christmas music, the DC watch a film and have baths.

I have my own tradition of going down to the local high street in the afternoon (on my own) under the guise of 'getting last minute bits'. This trip always includes a cheeky sherry or mulled wine in the local pub . But pub lunch this year might hamper that.

I HAVE to watch (or listen to on the radio) Carols from Kings. Nobody see is fussed, but its The Law for me. Often my mum comes over with DC's presents and we have a sherry and a chat about old times.

Up until last year, DH and I would get mildly sloshed while wrapping presents once the DC were asleep, but last year I got everything wrapped a week before and so we had a carpet picnic with champagne in the living room instead and things might have got a bit fruity .

I prefer Christmas Eve to the day itself, to be honest.

@Badders08 was that a stealth boast? 😂

We don't have a 'set' Christmas Eve as it depends on what other plans family have and how much preparation is required for the next day ( last year was a LOT, this year hardly any).

What will definitely happen is; last minute tidying, the church pantomime/ service, some yummy food, setting out snacks and stockings for Santa, a nice bath for ds (8) and The Night Before Christmas for his bedtime story.

We might visit ds's parents if they haven't made other plans and we dh and ds might even go out on their motorbikes as we're busy on Boxing Day. I think I'd like to put on a buffet/ nibbles for my family after church but it depends on what everyone else is doing.

😂

Something special with the children and any extended family that want to come. Last year was pantomine. Year before a show and Christmas market. Year before was a nice meal out and bowling I think. And so on......

Take day off, if possible. Family and extended family arrive from 23rd.
Our villages have a lovely Christmas Eve tradition. It starts with a nativity play which begins in the pub. Real sheep and donkey complete with fairy lights. Adults and teenagers in lead roles. Promenade performance with carols and candle lanterns to church. Short crib service with little angels and shepherds and kings aplenty. People welcome to bring their glass of wine. Collection of presents from children that get delivered to a reasonably nearby prison visitor centre. Then Father Christmas appears to thank them for their presents, check they're being good and give out small gifts.
Afterwards people pick a name out of the hat to tell them whose house they are going to supper at.
About 8 people cook exactly the same supper for 16-20 people each. Its always gammon with Cumberland sauce, baked potatoes, coleslaw and red cabbage with cheese and vegetable tart. Pudding is always a pavlova star. It's always the same and very much part of the Christmas celebrations. A few strangers turn up to the service and are welcome to come to supper but others find it a bit too odd to just turn up to someone's house to eat. The mid teens do a roaring trade in babysitting and take children home to lay out mince pies and carrots whilst the local parents go to supper. Some parents obviously prefer to go home with children. It's all very relaxed and finishes at 1130 pm with Silent Night in the square as the end of the evening and in time for those wanting to attend midnight mass.

We always have fajitas and nachos...but I am loving the idea of 'pub tapas' MrsHathaway

The night before Christmas Eve I bring all the Christmas story books to bed with me along with some chocolate brioche bread and cartons of juice and the dc get straight in to our bed and we have breakfast and stories in bed.

Dh works usually till 5ish, so spend the rest of the morning getting house sorted then go to our local garden centre with extended family for lunch. Home for Christmas films and the ceremonial opening of tub of chocolates.

Sometimes the crib service then the elf brings the hamper and its bath/story/reindeer dust and bed for the small ones.

Dh and I host a games night so usually anywhere between another 4-10 people come round for buffet and games.
Set up presents and stockings, dh hurriedly wraps mine(!) then off to bed!

Well normally we get up to five sets of pressies from the elves. They always leave us new pj's and usually new socks to wear out christmas eve when we visit the in-laws.

Once we're all up, we take turns going in the shower and getting dressed. Then off we go to visit in-laws where we have a buffet dinner.

We normally get home around 6pm, sometimes a bit later. We get into our new pj's and usually have the soaps on in the background while I prepare the veg and everyone else does last minute tidying. Afterwards we all chill with a Christmas film.

Once kids all in bed we fill their stockings and get all the pressies out to arrange.

Not sure how it will all pan out this year. Ds (10) has recently finished cancer treatment and at the moment still suffering with sickness, tiredness and being tube fed. I'm guessing we will be able to do most of the above, maybe not the visit to the in-laws or if we do, cut it shorter this year. 🎗

All the prep, cleaning etc. Make my great grandmother's secret stuffing recipe (everyone gets booted out of the kitchen for this though I have promised to pass on the secret to each of the dc the year they turn 16) and the Great Ham is boiled in the worlds biggest pot and prepped for the oven and the children work on a gingerbread house.
Supper is sneaky slices of ham "to check it's cooked", with soup and fresh bread while Santa's cookies are baking (the last three all come straight out of the freezer because by now I'm well and truly fed up of cooking)
The kids end up watching a lot of DVDs or playing games on the iPad, and DH takes them over to visit his mum in the afternoon (who makes Christmas look like a breeze while I huff about red faced in my kitchen)
Then they get home for a bath. We used to turn on the jacuzzi jets ( a rare treat because we're very careful with water usually) with lots of bubbles that get thrown about as snowballs, or stuck to their faces like Santa beards but they are too old for shared baths now!
Then into pjs, and we wind down by setting out treats for Santa, lighting the candle for the window, and snuggling in my bed for a Christmas nativity story.
Then into bed.
Then for the next two-four hours I cajole, command, demand, threaten and finally screech until they subside in terror and fall asleep.
By now, more than slightly tipsy, and disillusioned that my children's only Christmas memory will be of their mother losing her temper, I retrieve the presents, panic that I've miscountedand worry that I've lost something. I spend the next hour or more staging the mishaps of a large, drunken man as he staggers from the fireplace and wreaks havoc on my living room. And in the garden, I trample bushes, fake hoof prints and chew carrots.
By the point I fall exhausted into bed it has been Christmas Day for several hours and if I'm lucky I may have an hour or two of sleep before the first child awakes.

Badders - Ebay actually lists 36ff as one of my interests after several Bravissimo searches

😂

Muddling - I'm so glad DS will be with you for Christmas.

Loving all these christmas eves. Getting quite excited.

Breakfast out
Pub for 11am for an hour
Back home for a snacky lunch
Christmas film
Go to the nativity mass at 5pm if anyone can be persuaded to go
Back home for showers/bath
Christmas eve box/sack
Nice tea (no idea what yet)
Christmas movies til bed

Not sure whats happening this year as we are coming home from eurodisney late on the 23rd...but I'm hoping to have everything ready before we go

If anyone knows of any 24 hour supermarkets between ashford and portsmouth I'd be grateful

It’s my birthday Xmas eve but we always go for a lovely meal at the pub, wander around the shops, last minute wrapping then Xmas eve box :)

Like ida we always watch scrooged just before bed

Although people are beginning to complain

Thank you MrsHathaway that's very kind of you x 🎗

My DC are teens now so they don't do the "trip out to feed the ducks" or "trip to feed the reindeer"
They used to get a 'dress up outfit' for after dinner (not now )

We have a light breakfast , lunch is fish fingers or vegetarian grills, chips, salad , dips , trifle or ice-cream.

Last year DH and I had a wander into town (to see if there were any last minute bargains (there weren't)

DD and I usually go out on the 23rd (London) and we get a Lets Eat takeaway in the 23rd (Maccy D for DS)

Then the all important Christmas Eve scary film

Bake cookies for Santa in the morning as well as prepare for our buffet type early tea.
This year the Christmas Eve box is coming in the morning because of the timing of the Christingle service so we'll read the book in it, play the board game, have hot chocolate and watch Home Alone in the morning. Depending on the weather, we'll probably walk along the sea shore for a bit.
Then at mid afternoon my parents and in-laws will arrive. We'll have a relaxed meal and then walk up the cliffs to the Christingle service. Afterwards there are usually drinks/mince pies before walking home.
We'll bath (using new bath bombs from the box), put on new pajamas and eat the apples with cinnamon and sultanas which have been cooking slowly in the oven whilst we were out at church. We put out the cookies and a Guinness for Santa, read a book about the Nativity, check NORAD to see how Santa is getting on and then ds goes to bed.

We then play a board game, eat snacks made from leftovers from tea, drink and once it's safe hang up the stockings and move the presents under the tree.

This is the first Christmas Eve that I haven't had to work until 4pm! DH, DS and I meet in the pub at 430 for mulled wine, mulled cider and hot apple juice for DS then walk to church for 5om for Carol service (and I cry through most of it!) Then home for a film. DS goes to bed and once he's asleep we re arrange the room, lay presents out then go to bed.