Christmas Eve ideas ?

[MsMiaWallace]

After a crappy year I'm thinking about Christmas.
What are you planning to do Christmas Eve? Do you go anywhere or have traditions?
I'm after inspo!

Every Christmas I make a mega batch of cranberry & white chocolate cookie dough about 10 days before Xmas and distribute to friends & family, I alway freeze ours and then defrost & bake on Xmas eve.
We enjoy a family walk and then have a hot chocolate. Tea is usually a Chinese takeaway.

I don't have to work at Christmas and usually work my last day on 22nd. 23 is the day MIL arrives and the day I get in all the shopping

24th is tottering day, MIL and DH go and do theor Christmas shopping. I usually finish last minute wrapping. For years and years now I've acted as sidesman for the Christingle service at a very large church and usually am home by 6.30ish - once all the money has been counted.

Christmas Eve dinner is baked ham, roasties, carrots and broad beans in parsley sauce followed by mince pies and boozy cream. And we hark back to 1994 every single year which is when I went into labour all those years ago .......and unto us a son was born

Clear table after dinner and set it for Christmas lunch.

Try to be in bed by 10.30 and up at 6 to do last minute prep re stuffing and peeling (usually only 6 of us now) and be at Mass by 9.15.

I have to "work" the morning if it is a weekday, or take a full day's leave. It depends if we are staying at home or travelling "down home" to extended family if I want to go in or not (no issue taking leave, and generally little or no actual work gets done if you go in - but I have done important tasks some years that I've been in). If we are travelling, I will generally take it off. If we are not, generally dd comes in with me and we used to meet DH later on the main shopping street nearby to buy DD's birthday cake (for 26th) in M&S and any other last bits before having lunch together and going home to do our preparations together in the kitchen and slow down as a family. Nowadays, DH has to work also and his senior managers (overseas) have dictated a full day must be done. He closes down the office in the early afternoon and sends everyone who has been in home (as one of the senior people, and usually the only one present, he can do that) but he can't get into the city centre as a result.

For me, going into the city, doing a couple of hours wandering and chatting to colleagues with coffees, chocs etc flying around is no hardship. And I can do any last minute shopping I need to.

We have never been interested in farm, play centre, cinema trips etc. 24th, it's more doing any work/shopping needed, visiting family (sometimes), and preparing things for 25th and spending time as our own family- we're often very very busy in December with work and social and DD sports and social things, so slowing down is important for us at that stage.

We do an alpine Christmas supper with cheese fondue, raclette and pierrade.

Slight excitement two years ago when the fondue burner set fire to the table cloth. Soon sorted without the assistance of the Fire Brigade.
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Pate, crusty bread and cheese with champagne here when the kids are in bed ..... cant wait!

I used to work up to Christmas eve, get let out of work around lunchtime and have drinks with whatever friends were in London, go home around 5ish and have dinner and mulled wine with DP.

We now have a 3 year old, so things are very different! No traditions set as yet, except our old one of a nice dinner and mulled wine but we're building on that. Last year was the whole tray for Santa then putting together huge toys once DD was in bed, ready for the next day and prepping for hosting Christmas day. This year, I think I'll include a Christmas eve walk around the neighbourhood to see the lights.

Oooh I love christmas eve. I get up early on Christmas eve and also get my 2 DC up so they're tired by bedtime. I blast christmas music and start preparing for Christmas lunch. I cook all the meats if I havent already done so on the 23rd. I'll prep all the veggies and also prepare christmas breakfast. I make a sweet and savory dish and refrigerate ready to be bunged in the oven next monring. We'll then have lunch, something very quick and simple, before heading into town to do last minute shopping and then we pop into see family on our way home. Ill do a spot of cleaning when we're back home and make a homemade hot Chocolte in the slowcooker for our movie later on. Then will do something with the kids like watch a movie or do an activity. DP usually works until 8pm on Christmas eve and when he's home I'll have a little buffet or a Chinese take out ready for everyone and we'll then delve into the family christmas eve box. It'll have new pyjamas, slippers, hot water bottles and a christmas mug for us all. My Step mum also makes a xmas eve box for my DC so they'll open that too which will have a sweets, toys and magazines ect. When we've changed into our pyjamas we'll settle down to watch the polar express together and when the kids on the train ger their hot Chocolte I'll serve my DC hot Chocolte at the same time. After the movie we'll go to the garden and sprinkle the reindeer food and see if we can see santa flying over head. My mum will be out in the alley way with some bells and she'll ring them. Kids faces are always a picture when they hear the bells and we know santa is near. Dc will go to bed after and after santa has been we'll finally go to bed 🎅

We have a child oriented breakfast with a Christmasy table cloth and paper plates etc, usually donuts and chocolate chip muffins etc. Then around 3pm we have a big cold ‘picky’ lunch with nice crusty bread we spend ages around the table pulling crackers and chatting, we also always go to the pub they have lots of arcade type games in the family room for the kids to play one, we meet up with my parents and brothers family in the pub, we tack father Christmas and try to tire the kids out before bedtime.

We get up and have a North Pole breakfast that the elves left for us. Get dressed and head to the park to feed the reindeer and go for a little walk. Go visit family and have lunch,then head home to make cakes or cookies for Santy. One of us makes dinner while the dc have a bath then they open there Christmas eve boxes that we got them with new pj's and sweets. Have dinner watch a movie and eat the sweets, then it's time to get cookies and drink ready for santy. We throw carrots in the garden for the reindeer leave out a magic key for santy as don't have a fire place. Leave the sacks under the tree and stockings out head to bed to read a Christmas story. I'm so excited for it!!