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?

Oh Crumbs that sounds like a wonderful Village tradition!!

Cleaning
Cooking
Wrapping

Then slob out with wine in front of the TV.

crumbs do you live in The Uk? I've never met a publican in this country that would be happy to have a donkey traipsing through his pub, Christmas or not!!

Actually if anyones welcome to the dinner time festivities let us know where it is - I'm quite partial to a Cumberland sausage

Baths as soon as it gets dark, Xmas PJs on, festive movies for us all. Hot choc for kids, Bailey's for us adults.

We usually have steak baguettes for dinner, kids have hotdogs.

Before bed we leave carrots for the reindeers and some milk and a mince pie for Santa. Once kids are asleep me and DP sort out pressies, have another Bailey's or 3 with Xmas music on.

It's one of my favourite nights of the year.

Watch a bit of telly. Try not to get trollied and pray for spring.

Chinese take away and prosecco.

For the kids we do reindeer food in the garden and a tray for FC.

Pre kids we did midnight mass but they're still too young for that.

We try and make it as low key as possible to try pointlessly to manage the excitement levels.

It's my daughter's birthday on Christmas Eve, she'll be 5 this year. We usually have a little birthday party with just family, including her two lovely cousins if it's a year they're down south for Christmas. I do Christmas cake and mulled wine for the grown ups and she begins the marathon of present opening that having your birthday back to back with Christmas entails. I like it for the not least for the excuse it gives DH and I to keep Christmas Day just the three of us.

Before LO came along I used to like to spend Christmas Eve seeing if I could stay up late for the ghost story/horror film they used to show on TV. Do they still do that?

Just called DH ( he runs a pub) he has confirmed Donkeys would not be welcomed, he is also not keen on other farm animals, obviously I should LTB as he is trying to ruin xmas

Mad rush round in the morning delivering last minute family presents.

Nice walk somewhere with the dog and hopefully the dcs if they're not whining about wanting to sit in the car with their iPads.

Bake a ham, make some more mince pies - cannot ever have too many home made mince pies - have a lovely sit down picky tea with the ham, salads, home made honey & mustard sausage rolls, etc.

Prep a bit of veg for the next day.

Watch a Christmas film.

Put a glass of whisky, a mince pie and a carrot out.

Pack the dcs off to bed with a Christmas story.

Wrap some last minute pressies, have a big glass of wine and watch a slushy old film.

I bloody love Christmas Eve. Almost as much as the day itself. So nice that Christmas is on a Monday this year so we get a weekend-long Christmas Eve! ⭐️⛄️❄️🎅🏼🎄

We make sausage rolls and biscuits, take them with us to the crib service, and eat them on the way home. Then we go for a walk to find the magic of Christmas - we keep going until everyone is in the Christmas spirit. We get home to find that our elf has gone, but left us a bag with our Christmas Eve stuff. I do some Christmas dinner prep while listening to carols and watch whatever special thing is on TV. We have lentil soup with bread and cheese and salad to eat. Then it's baths/leave out stuff for Father Christmas/hang stockings g, and bed for the children. I take the presents downstairs to put under the tree and finish off the last of the wrapping. Then I head off to midnight mass and fill the stockings when I get home.

Love everyone's ideas !
Those who have buffets at home what do you have ? I'm thinking of doing this this year after the crib service and invite family who want to come . Just can't think of some nice easy treats to have .

This is my Boxing Day buffet list so far subject to numbers. Stars mean stuff that needs more prep than opening a packet.

*Ham
Smoked salmon
Antipasti
*Sausage rolls
*Turkey and cranberry rolls
*Hasselback potatoes
*Baguettes
Crisps
*Hard boiled eggs
*Caprese skewers
*Broccoli bites
*Bean salad
*Cold sausages
Cheese
Pickle
Chutney
Mayonnaise
Salad cream
*Carrots
*Cucumber
*Peppers
*Apples (dipped in dilute lemon)

*Trifle
*Mince pies
*Brownie

Silly I think DH would like to go down the route of family round Christmas Eve and have Christmas Day to ourselves but I hate the thought of not sharing the day with my family (3 adults & 2 teenagers) it's not as if there's dozens of them.

Which makes it a tough decision on how we move forward with our own traditions. I'm also aware it won't be long before the teens are off doing their own thing.

mrebear

Same

I have spoken to the 18, 15 and 14 year old and said i really want Christmas eve with us all together

As they get older and want to do their own thing they will always be welcome on Christmas day and boxing day

The DC wake to find new pyjamas on the fire place left by Christmas elves.

DH takes the DC to Costa for hot chocolate and to see Fenwick window while I do last minute wrapping, cleaning etc

We then go to cinema to watch a film picked by everyone, this year it's Jumanji. We pick KFC up on the way home, DC have a bath afterwards.

Then it's Christmas film, santa plate and milk put out and DC go to bed.

Probably going to be the last year of doing it this year as DC more or less teenagers and don't believe in Santa but think they like the fun of the day (hopefully)

Do you have Pinterest? Most of my ideas come from there. Search "party food" or "Christmas buffet".

We chill at home in the morning watching Christmas films then head to the PILs after lunch. Exchange presents with the PILs then MIL does a huge buffet tea. We usually wait to see the ISS go over then its time to head home and get ready for bed.

Bath with a lush Christmas bath bomb for the kids and new pjs. Then read Twas the Night Before Christmas and leave out milk/mince pie/carrot for Santa/Rudolph.

Once kids are in bed, the prosecco is opened, veggies prepped and any last minute wrapping done. We ALWAYS watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve so we put that on if we haven't seen it earlier in the morning.

We have our main Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve - a Danish tradition inherited from my grandmother. In the past this meant that we went to my parents and had Christmas Dinner there: main difference being the Danish Christmas pudding - a sort of sweet rice risotto with chopped blanched almonds and whipped cream folded through it, with one whole almond in it. Whoever gets the whole almond wins the almond prize. (Usually a Christmas mug).

Now we have it at our place (mum died 5 years ago and dad goes to South Africa), with SIL and her family and another close friend. Last year we has brined turkey which was a great success.

(Christmas Day we have roast pheasant with cranberries and traditional Christmas pudding)

We still open presents on Christmas Day.

It does mean I need to be a bit more organised in advance - but does mean that Christmas Day is not too much hassle, as the pheasant is quick and easy to make, and the pudding just needs to be put on to steam/boil.

crumbs you’ve outdone yourself! Sounds fab. I love a good Cumberland sausage, and real life donkeys

crumbs are the fairy lights actually attached to the real life donkeys and sheep?

I want to live in that village and then go home and watch The Holiday where single woman can afford rural cottage .....love that film

I wouldn't be happy if a stranger turned up to partake of my Cumberland sausage

We usually go the the matinee of the pantomime then for something to eat. The elves normally leave us new PJs so its bath, new PJs and Arthur Christmas. Its the only time if the year I have a baileys