hat do you do on christmas eve

[CodRestYeMerryGentelmen]

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chinese at my dads
pub
midnight service

although will be different this year as have NB ds who is BF

It's my FIL's birthday, so it's a nightmare. We have to go there for a party and get pissed.

Yes, I know we don't have to do that ... but MIL is fecking scary and attendance is, well, non-negotiable.

And then we have to wrap presents at midnight, pissed.

And yes, I know we don't have to do that either. We could do it earlier ... but we never do.

Open all the presents from my family in sweden (swedish tradition to celebrate on 24th not 25th). Big lunch in best swedish style with gravlax, meatballs, ham, with our friends and their children invited. After that, drop dead in front of the telly =)

I'd like to introduce some new traditions this year though as our daughter is almost 3 and very keen on christmas. So I'll be stealing good ideas from mn =)

[uses elbows]

Snowman Night!!!!

children's service at 6. tea towels on heads affair
drinks either here or a friends with 5 or 6 families

Depends.

Last two years midnight mass.

This year, we're on holiday, so who knows?

Celebrate my birthday

Usually cinema in the morning. Christingle service in the afternoon. Midnight Mass.

Would always be lunch with my nan round my mum's, but sadly this year nan is no longer with us, so we are going round my sister's instead, to try to make things very different.

During the day we visit my parents and DH's parents, and DH's grandad (all live in same town relatively close to one another, and only an hour from us). Then back to our place after dinner in time to settle down, watch a bit of santa tracking online, put FC's mince pie and drink out and then bed for DD.

Once DD is asleep DH and I have a drink and begin to prepare for FC's arrival.

Go to bed with a xmas film at 4pm so I can get up STUPIDLY early to open xmas presents with DP. This is from what I was like as a kid and it's never changed! Lol

TMMJ, what is this cheese shop you talk of? DP is a MASSIVE cheese lover and we didn't know there was a proper cheese place locally

like the idea of lovely restful day with nice family tradions

but we generally charge around doing lots of last minute things!

last year CE was a sunday and we had good friends turn up at church and come back for a lovley impromptu christmasy lunch. very nice.

only service at our church is too late for our wee ones so sadly church doesn't feature on CE for me atm...but we do have a lovley family christingle to look forward to next sunday night. Dh goes to the midnight service without me (as he's the minister) and I always feel bad about not waiting up to wish him a Happy Christmas...I usually fall asleep 5 mins before he gets in!

ahh too far for me to sneak to then for a cheesy (literally!) xmas gift. Will definatly tell him though, he will be the one holding up teh queue xmas eve most likely

I LOVE Christmas Eve!! We have 'open house' all day with family/friends dropping in for a drink and to exchange gifts. We go to mass at 6pm and then the dcs get stuff ready for Father Christmas in the fireplace. Once they're ready for bed, we take a photo of them under the tree. Then dh and I potter around the kitchen listening to Carols from Kings and tucking in to a bottle of Bombay Sapphire. Don't know why, it's the only time of year we drink it..
I think I like Christmas Eve better than the big day.

prepare all the veg.

go to granny's to have polish traditional christmas meal...12 courses open small presents.

go home and get ready for next day (lay table etc).

About 30 or so have a small room at a local pub restaurant chain (family with a few extended friends) and we have a meal and catch up.

Church if there's a service that fits, but we try and attend mroe over advent generally so the date as such doesn't matter

Sit around chatting while non drivers / non pg woman get pissed then all amke ways home at different times.

Finally we pump up airbed and crash out ready for round 2.

Decorate the Chrsitmas tree (we don't put it up till Xmas Eve), drink, help prepare veg (my mum is cooking for 23 this year!)...may go to the pub (or not as will be bf a soon to be born baby) and then go to church.