What do you do on Christmas Eve?

[bandthenjust]

Im after some new traditions.
I usually go out for coffee in the morning, then have a 'leisurely ' stroll around the shops. Party food/buffet thing in the evening.
Last year, we stayed in, played board games and stuffed our faces.
what do you guys do?

We both work all day 😖 (retail) pick the kids up from my mums, walk into town to see Father Christmas, home for hot chocolate and a Christmas movie, put Santa's mince pie etc out before bed

Ohhh i feel f or you! I've worked in retail too! What you do afterwards sounds really nice though. Can't top seeing Santa on Xmas Eve.

Have Christmas Dinner! Honestly - I finally got my DH round to the idea a few years ago and we've not looked back since. =)

On top of that we watch something like Elf, plus we do advent books. Usually we have a Christmas Santa story and a nativity story too.

Watching this thread with interest. I know it's only August but I'm feeling very Christmassy all of a sudden!

We also do Xmas dinner... Xmas day is then SO relaxing!

Do you eat leftovers on Xmas day? Ive got no chance of having Xmas dinner on another day. I hate the actual food. Cooking it is a labour of love for my family

We have all the neighbours around for a party in the evening. So we usually spend the morning tidying up 😂

We book the day off work so we are all home. The kids (now teens) wake up to a Xmas eve hamper. They get new Pjs, bubble bath or lush bath bombs, and some other sweet treats etc and it always contains a Xmas dvd and a board game. We all have breakfast, snuggle under a blanket and watch the Xmas dvd, then play the board game and we always go out for tea (usually Frankie and Bennys) and look at Xmas lights on the way back and get back about 8ish. They have a bath then bed. The rest of the year including Xmas day we are really welcoming to family and friends but Xmas eve is our day and we don’t see or invite anyone else.

I sometimes take the kids to the shops in the morning, we go and see a local father Christmas have a small lunch go to church then I get Chinese on the way home we watch a Christmas film then go outside see if we can see father Christmas sleigh in the sky then kids go to bed, me and oh sit and drink Bailey's till were sure kids are asleep then get the pressies out.

Morning DH works from home. I tend to do a few jobs like set the table and keep DS(6) entertained.
We go to the 3pm Christingle at Church. Sometimes we then go to DS’ Godmother’s Christmas Eve party. Other times we have friends round for drinks.
Book, food and drink for Santa, make sure DS is asleep, put presents out, flop!

Put up the tree and bake gingerbread men in the morning.

Christingle at 4pm. Home for a picnic under the tree. Watch 1960s version of The Grinch. Eat gingerbread men we made in the morning. Bath for DC with a red Tinti bath colour. Hang stockings on the mantelpiece. Put out milk and mince pie for Father Christmas (carrot for Rudolph). Read last book the Book Advent Calendar. Bed.

DH and I run around like crazy organising the gifts under the tree. Finally a gin (usually The Bothy's Gunshot). Bed.

Usually housework, meal prep, last minute deliveries. I try to keep the day free and succeeded last year. Cooked lunch, then church at 3:30. Our village has a children’s christingle and it’s standing room only in places. We love it. Everyone is done for the day, kids excited, the church is all Christmassy, it’s reflective, away in a manger by candlelight. And then it’s home, chill, kids to bed, snacks. Every other year I have a houseful, this year it’s thd quiet one and I can’t wait :-)

I always take my son to the local theatre on xmas eve, they always do a xmas production that's a bit quirky and has a local feel to it. Before or after depending on time of show we have a hot chocolate and baked treat eg cookie in a café in town.

Then its home for a nice tea, sometimes a takeaway, or sometimes just something yummy and easy to prepare, xmas film and pjs etc.

DH usually brings the kids down to visit his family so I have time for the food prep and hoovering. In the afternoon, it's time for a festive film (it'll be Home Alone this year) with hot chocolate and tasty food, probably in our christmas jammies. Then put the kids to bed and wait till all hours for DD to actually fall asleep.

bbthree that sounds so nice! I spent the majority of last Xmas Eve with dh and dcs. Really chilled out.
You all have good Xmas Eves! chinese takeaway is definitely worth thinking about.

First steam of the pudding and some other baking to fill the house with Christmas smells. I put something in the slow cooker for later and we go for a very long afternoon walk either at the coast or at a National Trust property with the aim of tiring the DC. When the sun starts to go down, we tell the DC that it's a veil of magic being drawn down and it's time to rush home. Magically, a Christmas Eve hamper has appeared in our absence with a letter detailing all of the good and memorable things the children have done over the year. We eat the slow cooked dinner and then one of the baked goods from the morning with custard. We hang stockings and leave out milk/biscuits and carrots and then bath, books (incl. The Night Before Christmas of course) and then bed. I then do some veg prep, lay the table, fill stockings etc and DH and I sit by the fire and feel very festive. Some years we go to carols by candlelight too but the DC are staunchly atheist so are less interested.

This year we went to the pub at 4pm with friends and the kids and it was tremendous.

We do Christmas with the in laws on Christmas Eve. Head over at lunch time for presents and a mid afternoon Christmas dinner. DH is from a very big family and it's the only day all adults and kids get together. This year there will be 10 under 13s (including 2 newborns) and 11 adults. We head home around 6pm to start our Christmas bedtime traditions with DD.

DH only gets Xmas Eve and Xmas day off so we do his family Xmas Eve and mine Xmas day. Means my house stays clean and tidy and I don't have to cook for anyone!

showofhands that sounds like it requires a lot of preparation!

Cook the gammon in the afternoon, 6pm mass with family and friends, pub for a couple of hours with family and friends, home, warm gammon sandwiches with pickles and crisps, track Santa on Norad, xmas jimjams on, put snacks out for Santa and reindeer, bed!

I'm loving the idea of going to the pub/family and friends (so the house stays clean)

I usually work and DD comes with me, we escape about 11.30/12 to meet DH. Go to M&S to get DD birthday cake and party nibbles, then get lunch in town before going home. Might go for a walk en route.

At home, joint family effort to peel potatoes, prep veg, make stuffing, bake cookies.

Smorgasbord type dinner (cured and cooked meats, smoked salmon, cooked prawns, squid rings, cheese, tomatoes, carrot sticks, hummus, olives, nice bread etc) of cold picky things.

Light Christmas candle together and take a few minutes to remind ourselves of the good and bad of the year.

Get out CEH - dd lays out her stocking, milk and cookies and then goes for her lush festive bath and into new PJs. Back down for hot chocolare, before I read Twas the night before Christmas in bed.

Dh and I relax with a beverage and try to get an early night once DD is asleep.

Although last year, we did a Christmas Eve swim in the local yacht club and I am considering talking a days leave rather than going in for the morning at work as that was great fun!

Barely any prep tbh. Bit of baking (I batch prep sausage rolls and mince pies at the end of November and freeze them, cook when necessary), stick stuff in the slow cooker and go for a walk. The hamper just has decanted hot chocolate, Christmas books and pyjamas and some bubble bath in it. It's a v relaxed day really.

Wrapping in the morning. Light lunch. Christmas film in the afternoon. Pub around 5 then home for Xmas eve dinner which is always a ruinously expensive m&s seafood platter (no cooking and it’s my favourite meal of the season!). Games after dinner, more wine. Midnight mass which is always magical, then home to collapse!

God I’m excited already

DD and I go to London on the 23rd so Christmas Eve starts with a light breakfast (toasts , croissants ,coffee)

Lunch is always fish fingers (for DS) and vegetarian grills for DH,DD and me. Chips (triple cooked) dips , salad. Then trifle or ice-cream

DH and I go down to the shops for a wander (usually get the bus so no trouble parking), get any last minute things.

Film (something Christmassy ) , the Snowman .

The DC have their Hamper on the 1st now .

Late night buffet - crisps, sandwiches, salsa, French bread, cheese

Watch something creepy at night (I like a scary film, last year DH watched Peaky Blinders )

The Guinea-Pigs Annual Christmas Photos. They have their Christmas hats on, then get rewarded with the veg trimmings.

Fall into bed !

Popu lar theme seems to have a really laid back day! I like the idea of thay, but at same time I love the hustle of last minute shopping.