What do you do on Christmas Eve?

[SilkenTofu]

What does tour Christmas Even look like? I am thinking of sorting out an activity but can't think what.

We took dc ice skating last year.

We’re off to visit Santa at nearby national trust property. Then home for dinner and film

Meeting close friends for a dog walk in the forest then home to get ready for the big man 🎅🏻

Forest walk sounds lovely. We usually meet friends for a fry up brekkie . This year we are then going to a Xmas show at local theatre. Home to get ready for Santa! 😁 Anything like last year and somewhere in there dh will be roaming around trying to buy a turkey. Refuses to let me buy it before 🤦🏼‍♀️

8am collect turkey.
Sort out crockery, boil ham, prep veg, extend dining-room table
Afternoon family service at church, walk there and back.
Track Santa on Norad
Easy evening meal.
Stockings into conservatory.
When others have gone to bed, recover stockings and pack them.
Bring presents down from upstairs.

out for breakfast with friends, afternoon cinema or theatre, sometimes the local rugby match

Hang home made bird feeders in the park and feed the ducks with dd so they dont get hungry.

This year we havent booked a specific activity but in the past we have visited a reindeer lodge and waved off santa

This year well likley go on a woodland walk and then home for a relaxing few hours of movies and board games

We have traditionay gone to see my grandad and then lunch out. We have done that for the 10 years me and dp have been together but my grandad sadly died recently so we need to find something else to do with the children, a glass will be raised to him during the day (probably over lunch) but want to make it very special for the kids....watching this one with interest.

We always go to the cinema

Usually finish work mid afternoon, pizza for supper, kids to bed and then frantic wrapping if presents along with the realisation that I've forgotten to get a couple of presents for one of the kids or DH.

My DC are teens (they'll be 19 and 16) .
I always book Christmas Eve off work (I'll be in on the 27th)

DH and I went off to the local shops for a look about the last couple of years. He said there was enough bread but on Christmas morning it had mould so I'm not trusting him this year!

DD and I go to London on the 23rd then we'll order a take away .

Christmas Eve we'll have a lie in, might go to the gym .
Have lunch at home, watch TV, phone DParents.

Have a long bath (if the DC haven't taken over the bathroom)
They might go out with mates, I'll probably drop/collect them (I don't drink and I;m far too tight waddish to pay for taxis)

Either 1- go to work or
2- drive a million miles to family at the other end of the country.,

Dh is working til around 2pm, once he is finished we are going out for a meal. I’m considering taking dcs swimming on the morning or a walk round a local park, depends on the weather.
After tea it will be home for bath and new pjs before doing the Santa stuff and perhaps a movie before bed.

This year I've ordered a load of prawns/smoked salmon to collect from M&S so we'll have that with accompaniments and pink champagne for dinner (I'm wanting to start a new family Xmas eve tradition) then Xmas films in the evening

Working then a chilled evening before the big day.

Usually a trip to the local farm shop to pick up whatever my pie-obsessed DF has ordered, possibly also to pick up forgotten odds and ends, usually stuff like lemons or pickled onions. A walk for the dog, some veg peeling, other prep things like putting onions, bay and cloves in milk to infuse for bread sauce, then take DS to the park to burn off some excitement. Stock up coal and log supplies indoors, dinner for DS then snuggle up with him to watch something like Stick Man or some kind of cbeebies Christmas special, then put out carrot, mince pie and brandy for DH Santa & the reindeer.

Ham egg and chips for dinner for the adults, then a film or something like a Poirot or a Marple while I wrap DS's stocking presents.

Christmas Eve in our house is Snowman Night, has been since the kids were babies

new snowman PJs for everyone - even 16yo ds1 suspends his dignity for this one night

We make snowmen out of card/fabric/glitter etc while listening to a cheesy Christmas playlist, name them and then station them around the house (the kids look forward to seeing what Grandad comes up with, as he's an artist and his offering is always surreal)

then we decorate homemade gingerbread snowmen with icing and sweets

then we sit in the living room, watch The Snowman and eat the snowmen, with hot chocolate and marshmallows from our snowman tea set

it started because we used to have my bloody mother every Christmas Day and she wouldn't let me ice biscuits because she had a phobia about it...but it stuck

Walk down he road to church, for christingle. Loads of kids with oranges and sweeties.
It's lovely. Then go with a school mum family to the pub on the way home for something to eat. Perfect.

Get up, light my xmas eve candle and clean, move furniture around, prep veg, stuffing, desserts.

Dh picks up m&s order and perishables.

Watch xmas TV with kids. Older kids might pop in. Something to eat then new jammies, baths for the younger ones.

I love xmas eve and never leave the house.

I host for family and friends so like to get as much prep out of the way as possible.

Work 830am-1215pm, dh working 2pm-10pm!

We go to a local restaurant by the sea for brunch then the panto! DC are teens now and still want to do this which is great!! Then home for food and movies before stockings etc!

We meet friends for breakfast, I then take flowers to my friends daughters grave (her birthday was Christmas Eve 😢)

Then home to prep all the veg for the big day, whilst having a glass of Baileys. (Tip, we par boil the potatoes then drain, pat dry and put into Tupperware in the fridge. They go so crispy when cooked!)

We have a few friends pop in throughout the afternoon, watch a film and open the Cadburys Heroes.

Then I put out some nibbles in the evening, nothing fancy, and family and close friends come round for a couple of drinks.

After everyone has gone we watch some tv with the kids. Would then do the whole Santa thing, but this is the first year of having no believing kids 😭

It's my favourite day of the whole year!

Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year!

We go to breakfast with my best friend and her boy, then usually back to hers for a cheeky bucks fizz or two. Home to do prepping of veggies for Christmas day and set the table etc. Eat tea which is normally whatever we fancy but nothing rich.
Then it's the Christmas eve box which contains bath bombs, fluffy socks, a new book, hot choccy, reindeer food, some sweets and whatever else I find along the way. The kids have a bath and get in their Christmas pj's and we take our annual night light walk, looking at the lights and spotting santa in the sky. Back home for a movie and the reindeer food etc then bed and I dish out the pressies. My grandma died on Christmas Eve at 930pm so once the kids are in bed I always have a moment to toast her and all my other loved ones.

I do the bulk of my food prep on the eve of the 23rd when it's my turn to host so on Christmas Eve we have a lazy morning with bacon sandwiches then early afternoon we meet our friends with their children at our local pub for a couple of drinks and lunch. Home by early eve, we all have our showers/ baths and put on our Christmas pjs, light supper for our youngest 2. At 8 Father Christmas ( a friend ) comes to visit and gives each of our children a key ( even the 14 and 20 year old love this ) we then put out a mince pie, Gin and tonic  for Father Christmas and scatter reindeer food outside. Younger 2 go to bed, then a film with the older 2 with nibbles and champagne for the adults. I always get overcome with emotion once they are all in bed and we put their stockings out, then again when they all pile onto our bed in the morning to open them. I love Christmas .

I obvious screw up by not booking the day off work - do most people manage to save enough time off for Xmas Eve? I've always prioritised having the days off between Xmas and the New Year, but maybe you're all into something and it's better to have Xmas Eve off and then work on the 27th and 28th???? What do you think ?