What are you up to on Christmas Eve?

[ArtyFartyQueen]

DH is working so trying to think of ways to make it still feel special! I think we will bake some biscuits that we can give to neighbours and maybe watch a Christmas film and then I think we might be going to a friends house for some party food but DH has confirmed that yet!

Interested to hear how others spend Christmas Eve....

We have a traditional Polish Christmas Eve at home, which pretty much centres around food
Then I’ve made Christmas Eve boxes (controversial on Mumsnet I know!), with new Pjs, hot chocolate, marshmallows, Christmas mugs and a Christmas DVD - which we will watch while stuffing ourselves with paçzki (polish donuts)

My hubby is working and finishes at 2am on Xmas morning, I am taking 4 year old to see Mary poppins at 4:45 with the hope it will chill her out a bit and by time we get home it will be bed and bath before operation santa begins 🎅🏼

This year, we're having our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.

I'm fed up of not fully enjoying Christmas Day because of all the faffing in the kitchen, cooking, cleaning up, driving all the rellies home etc.

So, we're trailing it this year!

When my kids were little, we always used to go to the cinema in the morning, and meet friends and all the kids in the pub in the late afternoon.

Have a lovely day!

Being jealous of those not working! Would love to spend the day in pjs watching Christmas films but I'm doing a 12.5 hour shift

Dog walk to our local NT place, then lunch at a nice hotel, followed by a 3pm screening of Mary Poppins returns.

Home to some sort of chowder for dinner ......... plus chocolate.

We are at someone else's house for lunch so no pressure here, I just need to pick up the huuuuuge pork pie that is my contribution.

I'm working until 1pm then putting on a Birthday tea of things on sticks and jelly and blancmange for my partner. He's 55 but it's really for our niece's benefit (yeah yeah).

Finish prep for Christmas dinner.

A walk before it gets dark.

My DCs aged 15 and 13 have asked for steak and chips for tea and for us all to watch our favourite Christmas film Elf on TV before bed.

Food shop early (I know, I know...madness!).

Then breakfast and a walk along the beach.

Then baking and prepping for Christmas dinner. DC will probably watch a film.

I’ll listen to Carols from Kings, then put out a party food spread for dinner.

Once the DC are in bed, me & DH will open a bottle of bubbly and watch a film...and possibly get a bit amorous

Finish off some baking in the morning, then lunch & present opening at my sisters with her step-kids, then local cinema is playing Home Alone and I’ve got tickets to that, then home for Christmas Eve meal. DD7 has chosen duck!

Then a big clean up (which will be necessary and boring enough to convince DD to go to bed at a reasonable hour!)

I was wondering the same. It's our wedding anniversary so we normally do something nice like lunch or panto but she is working all over this year so it's just me and the DD,s. Think we will do a.last minute santa visit then for I will cream and then church at 4. Then have a nice buffet dinner and watch the polar express before the big bedtime.

Meant dh not she

In the morning a quick tidy up and preparing food.
I've got family coming over so a buffet at 4 and then to the first mass of Xmas at 6 although we will need to be there very early to get a seat.
One family member isn't coming to church and is staying at my house preparing a treasure hunt with little presents for the kids.
Get the kids to bed and get another tidy ready for the big day!

Pottering in the morning. Last wrapping of presents. Visit to a local beauty spot at lunch time. Home to listen to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings. Get together with local friends. Prep the vegetables for our Christmas lunch.

Working! I don't mind too much - there's always a nice atmosphere in the office on Christmas Eve and people usually finish early.

I'll do all my food prep in the evening.

Taking dd to soft play then mcdonalds lunch before home as dh finishes work in the afternoon. Then biscuit decorating for santa, walk to feed the ducks and put bird feeders up in the park, family boardgame (party Party party this yr dd is 4) dinner of pigs in blankets and chips, movie then bed

Need to pop into town for a couple of things. I quite like the atmosphere shopping for a couple of things on Xmas eve.

Then I will make the stuffing for Xmas day while DH sorts out the ham.

We always have lasagna for dinner on Xmas eve - DS refuses to change! So DH will do that - I think he is doing the ragu today.

Planning a xmas movie and chocolates and baileys in the evening.

Hard to get back to the excitement of past years now as DS is 17. I do miss that.

Elf breakfast and xmas eve boxes first thing then collecting xmas dinner at 9am. Then we are going to our local theme park with bil and sil and the dc 3 cousins. We do this every year. We ll see santa, go on the rides, see the animals etc then at 4 they do a santa send off with fireworks I love it!! Then home for buffet tea, new jamas, put stuff out for Santa and early to bed!!!

My DP is working- paramedic so goodness knows how late he'll be. We will be making a gateau in the morning and preparing the food for Christmas Day. I'm thinking I might cook the turkey tomorrow to lessen the stress on the day?
Then we'll go to the Christingle (sp?) service. DD has a dvd to watch so we'll settle down with that with popcorn and hot chocolate.
Off to bed for her and then FC will arrive at some point!

Christmas Eve for us is the same every year. We visit parents. They live within about 20 minutes of each other.
We will visit PILs in the morning and have lunch with them, and then visit my parents in the afternoon for tea. Before heading home for the night.

Tomorrow is a little different as FIL now has a scab at the hospital so we will go over earlier, drive them to the hospital, visit my grandma for a little while to deliver gifts, collect PILs up and then go back to theirs for food.

My sister, BIL and young nephew will be at my parents, so will be lovely. Teen Dd adores them all and loves Christmas Eve massively so will be excited all day. Even at 16y you'd not get away with no Christmas fairy delivering the new PJs etc! She loved it all!

Nice breakfast followed by a walk, possibly a stop in our village pub.

Home to bake and prep for Xmas day. Potter around with some cleaning and last minute wrapping no doubt.

This year we are having a 3 course dinner for Xmas eve (though not of Xmas day size!) which I will do early around 5pm.

Afterwards we will settle down with hot chocolates and Xmas films with a cheeseboard about 9pm if we're hungry and a few drinks.

Pop into town in morning for last bits food.
Then dh will hopefully take kids out for a quick walk so I can get presents from attic and hid in out room.
3pm we have family coming so making smores and a basic buffet and usually afternoon of board games

My sister is staying tonight. Instead of presents dh cooks steak and she brings wine. Tomorrow will be full english breakfast before she leaves, then depending on the weather tomorrow afternoon will either be a family bike ride or the cinema.

Carpet picnic for dinner and bath/bed for the children and action stations for us trying to get Santa to put the stockings in the right place after one too many sherries...

I currently ignoring the wrapping up, and drinking coffee whilst still in PJs.

I'll go for a walk later and drop last cards/presents with neighbours, run through mental check list of food/booze/household supplies for final shop (currently consisting of bog roll and emergency pint of UHT milk) and do last tidy/clear/decorate of sitting room and dining table.

A bit of food prep & usual cleaning/washing. Then a film. An early dinner followed by a walk round the village with the dc then home for a bath & in to pyjamas ready for me to read them the Nativity Story & The Night Before Christmas (I read these every year on Christmas Eve) then they'll put the bits out for Father Christmas & hang their stockings up then bed. At about 9 we'll put all the presents under the tree & in to stocking then go up ourselves. Hopefully the baby will be a bit better so I can get a half decent sleep. We'll get up at 6ish the next morning then they usually come down about 7:30

Party for friends. There will be about 15-20 of us plus various kids.

One pot stew and party food, a few drinks and chilling out. They all live in our village so everyone can walk home.

It's lovely, I don't feel the need to put on a show: it's simple food that can be prepped in advance and Christmas drums with friends and I love doing it. They tend to go about 7/8pm. Then it's loading the dishwasher, quick whizz round with the hoover and I'll prep Christmas dinner veg in water and then get presents out etc before bed. Have a sloe gin with a the fairy lights lit, appreciate the loveliness and possibly fall asleep on the sofa 😂

Kids go to bed later at about 9, so they sleep til a reasonable hour on Christmas Day!!