Christmas Eve - tell me your plans for today

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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 finished work yesterday so today will be:
Clean out the (indoor) rabbit hutch and the guinea pigs enclosure.
Hoover the house
Dye my hair and paint nails
Get the turkey out the freezer
Give my sister the presents for her DCs
Change the DCs beds
Watch some Christmas tv when DH finishes work (WFH)
Then when kids are asleep: move all the presents to under the tree.

Delivering a last present to a dear little boy... Then prepping a Cottage Pie for dinner... Got to drop off some soup to an old boy I used to care for. Might take a walk down and see how much water is in the river later on!

Need to get washing up liquid and bin liners as just run out

Will take the dogs for a walk with DC.

Going to have Christmas Eve McDonald's - not my idea of fun but all the stuff we usually do has been closed as we are in Teir 4. Kids really want a McFlurry so why not ..

Today up a bit and do some washing

Supposed to be getting ready to go pick up my M&s food order. Im watching big fat snowflakes falling out of my window.

I'm sat waiting for my kids to wake up as it's my youngests birthday.

We've had the annual treasure hunt where DS gets Christmas socks and PJ's. Going for a run with my step mum and dp in a bit and ds is coming on his bike. Then after showers it's off to the butcher's and fishmongers to get the rest of the Christmas dinner bits. Going to brave M&S for naice party food for tea as we would normally go out to the local. We would also normally go to the panto this evening. Instead I'm building a chocolate house with ds, watching Christmas films and drinking hot chocolate.

Fingers crossed @Matchsticklady

We've had our Xmas eve box which includes a lego Xmas tree, dc2 is tackling that already.
After breakfast we'll do our volunteer dog walk.
I've also booked the local indoor climbing place and trampoline park to try and help with wearing out dcs. We've had massive issues previous Xmas eves and I'd like to get some sleep tonight!
We'll also watch muppets Christmas carol and go for a Xmas light walk.
I need to cook the gammon and yule log too which we'll eat later.
Lush bath bomb and glow sticks were also in the Xmas eve box so it'll be bath, watch the snowman then read night before Christmas and hopefully a good night's sleep

I find Bailey's with breakfast helps with the festive spirit

I’ve baked Nigella’s Christmas morning muffins for breakfast, so the house smells lovely.
Our plan is a nice walk & several doorstep present drops.
DH & I will prep the veg for tomorrow.
Will enjoy a movie late afternoon early evening, probably after everyone has showered & got in pjs.
We will also play a board game or 2.

It's my sons 5th birthday! We've done presents and pancakes, then we're off to the sea to collect shells. We're having a kfc abd mcdonalds picnic and youtube for lunch. Then this afternoon I got tickets to the only Santa grotto operating locally. He loves see8ng Santa on his birthday. I've also got the Christmas Eve box loaded up with gingerbread house kits, chocolate tree decs, hot chocolate and new pjs.

Christnas Eve is my best day of the whole year.

Little bit of tidying up this morning and might put a film on. This afternoon we are going for a walk round our local zoo, hopefully tire the kids out a bit. We discovered yesterday that we need more wrapping paper and sellotape. So I will be darting in the supermarket on the way back from the zoo. I will be making lasagna for dinner (dp cooking tomorrow). Then we will do xmas pj's and mince pie etc before putting kids to bed and wrapping.

Often one of us will be working, so we don't do a special breakfast or anything on Christmas eve.

Work till lunchtime ish then bit of cleaning. Yesterday's meltdown over the forgotten chives is mostly in the past, but still got a slight twitch - very high chance I'd queue for 3 hours to get into a shop then forget to use the bloody things anyway, so trying to hold firm. Christmas film tonight while the teenager tries to pretend she doesn't care about it all - but I can tell is v excited as asked for "dunno" so has no idea what she is getting.
Hope the flooding did not happen

@SpiderinaWingMirror

I find Bailey's with breakfast helps with the festive spirit

Now you've said that, we've got this in the fridge and I'm tempted to try some in the festive coffee!!

We are going swimming first thing this morning (tier 3). Will grab a takeaway hot choc on way home. Maybe a walk with the dog a little later around 4pm have a look at the Christmas lights before we settle the children down and wait for Santa!

I am going to work. Will finish around 6pm. I plan to make mince pies in the evening. DH has just gone to supermarket to do Christmas food shop. Hope to persuade DC to clean and tidy the house.

Walk with my brother. Church. Fairly normal to be honest.

Up early with new puppy! Meeting a friend this morning outside a cafe for a take out all fresco coffee (tier 3) & present exchange. Taking DS age 14 out at around 4pm to see a local house that is lit up for charity, annual tradition although usually on the way to or from the Christingles service. On the way home, we'll get take out pigs in blankets & halloumi popcorn from our favourite restaurant. Dinner tonight will be the traditional ham, with carols while I cook & potter in the kitchen. We will watch Home Alone. Also need to change bedding for all. I love Christmas Eve

We are isolating at home as I was tested yesterday with symptoms.

Lazy morning, pancakes for a late breakfast. Phoning grandparents. Watching the NT panto. Building Christmas lego. Baking cookies. Party food for dinner. Stockings up, baileys for me, kids in bed as early as I can manage!

In going for a run in the woods once it gets light.

The last of the presents to wrap

Make the cauliflower cheese for tomorrow

A deep clean of DCs bedrooms, started yesterday, but teens so you only get half a day. They will help, actually I quite enjoyed working with them yesterday, despite some of the vile things that we came across!

DS1 is cooking a special Christmas Eve dinner for us tonight, I will prep the rest of the veg with a glass of wine while he does it.

Three generations family quiz via zoom after dinner (our first attempt, but I have done a trial run with grandma).

DH is French (I’m British) and we live on the Swiss side of the Franco-Swiss border, so it’s always a mishmash of different traditions here! The French do gifts in the evening tonight but I can never bring myself to open all the presents before the 25th, so we do stockings tonight and main gifts tomorrow as a compromise.

I’m preparing tonight’s meal; whole baked salmon followed by sticky toffee pudding & eggnog cream. We’ll shortly be eating Christmas Eve breakfast of croissants and galette des rois, then DH is going to the butcher across the border to collect the meat for tomorrow (Guinea Fowl).

It’s forecast snow today so we’ll take the DC (4 & 2) for a walk in the forest before it gets too heavy. Then make Nigella’s chocolate gingerbread and call some friends this afternoon. We’ll WhatsApp PILs tonight over some Christmas cocktails then once the kids are in bed, watch some more Better Call Saul!

Gift wrap the stockings fillers and the 2 small gifts that arrived in these last couple of days. Prepare and cook most of christmas dinner. Will do roast potatoes and gravy fresh tomorrow. Pop to the store to grab few last minute things, top up gas and electric keys. Pick up a gift voucher in my allocated time slot at a beauty salon. Basically do as much as I possibly can before DC come back from their DFs house at 5pm.

@FloconDeNeige your day sounds amazing!! I couldnt do presents the night before either - what are you supposed to do on Christmas day?

Working til mid-afternoon.
Then planning to chill on the sofa with the husband, 3 y/o and the dog.
Couple more presents left to wrap but a majority of stuff is ready.

play some board games so the 5 year old can practice losing

Made me laugh but only because my 7yo is a slightly better loser than he used to be! Much perseverance was required