Christmas Eve - tell me your plans for today

[newlabelwriter]

Happy Christmas Eve all! Obviously today is going to feel really different , we normally go for a nice long walk in the woods, cinema, church, dinner and then all the normal Christmas Eve things. Without all the bits we normally do in the day I’m at a bit of a loss as how to keep today special for the DC ( especially as I’m feeling zero festive) . I’m going to make everyone a nice breakfast and we’ll still get out for a walk (if it’s stopped raining) and thought maybe watch the NT panto on YouTube but any other festive tips would be much appreciated otherwise the DC will be up in their rooms on tik tok 🙄. They’re 10 & 12 so both non Santa 🎅🏻 believers (its DS’s first year of not believing) and I just want to make it feel as special as possible (without me having a mini breakdown). TIA

I’ve a few bits to do, season my lamb leg and trifle to make. Might run the hoover round. Local Freecycle closed (tier 4) so have some baby bits being collected that I put up on Olio. May go for a walk with my friend, it’s kept us sane this year.
Got to try to catch my postman with a card. Since being with DP who is also a postie, I now appreciate just how hard they work and in all weather, this year has been off the scale. He left at 5am in full elf outfit with jingly hat, it’s the finale of 2 weeks of Christmas jumpers and he makes a lot of people smile 😊

We will be cooking the turkey and prepping the veg ready for tomorrow. I will also make french toast so it can just be reheated for breakfast tomorrow. We will open family presents and secret Santa to leave the tree clear for Father Christmas to put his presents under it tonight. We will definitely watch muppets Christmas carol. Apart from that, cleaning, tidying and washing same as every other day

First of all we are going to have a big tidy up of the living room, kids bedrooms and kitchen so that Christmas feels more relaxing. I'm hoping we can go for a walk later, but it is forecast to rain all day so we might not. I'd also like to fit in a run if the rain stops. I have also said I'll make a Yule log with DD and some sausage rolls. This evening we'll get a takeaway and maybe go for a walk round the village and look at everyone's lights.

It sounds really nice but we are all missing relatives who now aren't coming because of Tier 4. So really I'm just looking forward to it all being over and moving forward.

Awake with baby for first feed (hopefully he’ll have a snooze now!).

Make FakeDonald’s breakfast for us all, then I’ve got one more gift to assemble and wrap (bespoke framed photo for my DH from baby). Hopefully finished by lunch. Walk around village once DH finished work and look at the Christmas lights. M&S pie for tea and then probably in bed by 9!

We own a farm shop so our morning will be spent at work telling people we have no Turkish delight, no chocolate liqueurs, no Marron glacé, no chickens, no Brie.......

.....and then as soon as we shut the doors and persuade the last customer to leave it’ll be home for pjs, hot choc and a Xmas film, takeaway from our local pub, put the kids to bed and then wrap every single present as we have done nothing! 😱

ocado delivery
put marzipan on Xmas cake
make marzipan fruits on top

find costumes for kids
deliver presents in village
go to outside open air nativity play with kids at church
listen to Kings carol service

may postpone making more mince pies

arrange Xmas presents for kids in sacks

I have to pick up my meat from the butchers and drop it off at my dads for stuffing (he is a firmer burger so the best person it stuff it right and I'm really messy when stuffing birds lol)

I have to make the sticky toffee pudding and sauce as well as peel the tatties ready for tomorrow. I'm making the cauliflower cheese today too because 2nd days cheese sauce is always better. Take my broth out the freezer and rearrange the shed to fit everything into overnight.

It's supposedly white outside from all the snow overnight and I really want to see but it will be cold downstairs so I'm staying in bed eve though I have loads to do and Ive been up since half 5 and my husband is snoring snd hogging the duvet.

DD is 2.5, I’m trying to keep things relatively calm and low key so she’ll sleep tonight! Got a floor picnic for lunch and we’re off to church this afternoon.

DH will pick up the turkey with DD (tradition) whilst I make the red cabbage and go for a run to escape for a while.
We will then food prep for tonight and tomorrow, a bit of cleaning and then final wrapping with a bottle of fizz.

We will be doing some baking
I still need to wrap gifts & pop to the shops for more candles
We may attend midnight mass depending on ticket availability - otherwise it'll be the live stream from Westminster Abbey

My DD1 is being discharged from children’s ward today and we bring my DD2 home from the NICU today also :) so lots of snuggles on the sofa and meeting new sibling as DS and DD1 have yet to me DD2.
Baths and pyjamas / chill and an early night
Will throw in a take away to !

I'm in Melbourne, and at the other end of my Christmas Eve: it's 5.15.

I was up at 6.00. to walk the dog
6.30. Bought seafood for Christmas dinner
7.00. Bought fruit, bread and flowers
12.00. Dentist, to halt abscess.

The rest of the day cleaning, and putting up deckers, nativity and tree.
Swept the front garden, which is a courtyard, so ready to sit out tomorrow.
Put out the bins and tidied the nature strip.
Now it's time to walk the dog again.
I'll start the sorbet.
Then I'll wrap the presents.

I live alone, so will have time for final hoover tomorrow before DD arrives for dinner.

My ten year old decided to get me up at 5:30 - thankfully everyone else is still sleeping. Will take me a few coffees to know who I am.

Feeling decidedly unfestive but am working on it and hoping as the day goes on Christmas spirit will find me.

Breakfast when everyone rises, food prep, my mum is coming over (tier 2, support bubble), hopefully a walk later and party food followed by Christmas Chronicles 2 and hot chocolates.

I’m about to head to the supermarket and then pick up the meat from the butcher.
We’ll make homemade sausage rolls this morning and finish tidying the house.
We have a pub meal booked for this afternoon followed by a Christmas light extravaganza for the kids.
I’m hoping today will make me feel Christmassy as all I’m feeling is a little flat

Working and food shop. Exciting.

Going for a walk in an hour to make the most of a crisp, fresh morning (and praying it will wake me up).

Wrapping a couple of last minute bits.

Making the meal I had originally planned for later today with family but now the other household will collect it takeaway style to eat in their own house.

Most of the cleaning was done during the week so just the kitchen needing cleaned.

I’ll shower and put comfy pyjamas on and hopefully be sat down no later than 4pm with a gin and a film.

We're up, I was going to make a fancy breakfast but DD (6 yo) wanted jam sandwich and a yoghurt so that's that 😂

We will be heading out to a park with a cafe in at about 9am to burn off some energy and have hot chocolates (take out).

Then home for lunch, at which point I may get DH to watch her while he's on his lunch so I can go have an hour of quiet, DD is so excited she sang her every thought to Xmas tunes yesterday and as much as I love her it was a bit annoying after a while!

Xmas crafts and baking this afternoon, DH finishes work at 4pm then we'll do NORAD Santa tracker, Xmas film, takeaway and get into her new Xmas pjs.

Hopefully she'll go to sleep before midnight so we can get the presents out early enough to settle in for a quiet evening of films and snuggling on the sofa for me and DH.

Working until 3pm, wrapping the remaining presents, making a trifle, making cauliflower cheese, peeling veg, hoovering house, making tea, trying to force over excited jack in the box children into bed, drinking a large baileys on the sofa, falling asleep on the sofa and waking with a fright at 2am to be santa. Probably.

I woke up at 3am for no reason what's so ever and am getting ready for work. What a lovely day this will be!

I'm having my hair cut (only available appointment). Then we'll have a nice dinner around 5, do a family zoom thing and then settle down to a christmas movie. Fairly chilled.

Off to work shortly, hopefully I'll be home around 6.30 tonight.

Going to have a very busy day at work followed by wrapping and sorting things out for Santa .

We always have a big dinner on Christmas Eve with a family gift exchange afterwards. This year for the first time ever we won't be going to Mass, and I feel really sad about that.

Someone will be dispatched to the supermarket to buy beer, which I forgot when doing my big shop after work on Tuesday. We're planning on doing a lot of baking after that. I have pies to bake and someone will be making a few batches of cookies. Might watch Home Alone or some such Christmassy movie in the afternoon. I bought myself some Bombay Sapphire gin which was on sale so we may crack that open and enjoy while we open gifts.

We celebrate Reveillon (Christmas Eve), so there will be lots of cooking today. Thankfully all my sides are ready so I just need to prep and dry the duck and make a glaze. I will also make a maple syrup pie and some meringues to go with the Yule log and Bundt cake. There will be a lot of Christmas tunes on the piano, board games and maybe a movie together.

We will have crackers and stockings today. Big presents tomorrow morning.

I think we will put the tree and decorations up today .

That's amazing @Whattheactual20201 enjoy the snuggles