What are you doing Christmas Eve?

[MsMiaWallace]

DH is at work until 2pm so looking at inspo for afternoon with 3 small kids.

What are you guys up to?

Christmas Eve we will prepare as much as we can for Christmas Day (no kids) including setting the table for tomorrow, which I absolutely love doing.
I’ll then go and collect my mum who always comes to us.
We have fish pie and salad (!!) for dinner and then put on our new PJs and watch It’s A Wonderful Life. I’ll have my first Baileys of the year as well! I only drink it at Christmas.

It’s what we have done for years and years and will hopefully continue to do for years and years to come. In many ways I prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.

Slow cooking a gammon.
Tidying the house.
Making a buffet tea for 8.
Prepping the dining room/table. We have 8 for Christmas this year.
Bring it on 🥰

When the children were young we would go to the 3pm Nativity service at the cathedral. Then walk home through the shopping area in the dark with all the Christmas lights up. Christmas film at home, nice food and bed. Feeling nostalgic for that...
Now they are older we still watch a Christmas film and have pizza. I refuse to cook a "proper" meal on Christmas Eve if I am cooking for the extended family the next day

Husband and I own a photography business and we will be doing a morning wedding and a late night one going into early Christmas Day.

Our children are older (20's) so it's not like we are needing to be up early for opening presents or needing to cook.

I'm very much looking forward to the two weddings.

Mince pies are good to make with small kids - I do the base from home made shortcrust and the top from bought puff pastry. Then it’s only cutting out and a dollop of mincemeat so no stress.
We’ll get out to the playground in the morning to work off some of the energy and excitement.
Screen time for DC1 while DC2 has nap. I’ll offer something like The Snowman but they’ll probably choose an unseasonal cbbc fave.
Church in the afternoon.
Fish pie or fish and chips for dinner. Carols on the radio.

working till 10 as its my shift, even though the shop shuts at 7 ,we then have to make sure the shop is sorted for boxing day ,we have been told there will no rota changes ,but once the shop is done we can go ,last time i worked till 10 ,i started at 6 and was away home by 7.30 ,but my last bus is 6pm couldnt get a taxi at short notice so had to walk an hour home

We decorate the tree on Christmas Eve whilst eating chocolate and bake leibjuchen tree biscuits. We used to have a special supper but the kids prefer to go out or work (pub jobs) these days. fine by us - we have a quiet night in doing last minute wrapping!

Panto!
Then home to attempt to get DCs to sleep, have a couple of sherries, do the switcharoo of empty stockings for full, and bed.
If they have woken up horrifically full of beans Xmas eve, I might try to get us booked in for a leisure swim in the morning too, but I'm hoping that won't be necessary.

A lie in and chilled day. Evening walk with my partner and a hot chocolate to look at Christmas lights.

Then a bit of prep for the Christmas Dinner, into matching pjs and a fish and chip takeaway.

Also some Baileys will be drank!

Crib service at the village church then hosting drinks with a few local friends

Normally, DH is at work until around 6ish then he comes home, we make sausage rolls and cheese straws and watch a Christmas film by fairy light.

This year we’ll be driving to Wales to spend Christmas with the in laws. We’ll nip up to the graveyard with some wreaths, DH might nip out for a couple of hours to catch up with his oldest friends at the pub and then the plan is to watch Santa Claus the Movie with niece & nephew with hot chocolate, the log fire burning and the world’s cutest but most stupid dog curled up on my feet. What is more likely to happen is that everyone will descend on the in laws, someone will crack open a bottle of something, a party will start in the kitchen and FiL will take advantage of the disruption by putting Sky Sports on.

We’ll open the Christmas Eve box over breakfast. Then we’ll go skiing in the morning and come home for a fondue lunch.

In the afternoon we’ll assemble the gingerbread house. The kids (5 & 3) will then have a nap and after that we’ll watch a festive film and get Santa’s & Rudolph’s snacks ready with the magic key. Once the kids are in bed, DH and I will crack out the chocolates and eggnog 😋

Shopping delivered hairdressers than pork dinner not cooking it again Christmas Day it’s nibbles that day, my Christmas films I love those, nothing on tv unless it’s a history documentary about Christmas.

Tidy up, walk the dog on the beach, have a coffee out, maybe see a friend if they're around, probably prep some veg or other food.

In the afternoon play a few games (Carcassonne, Virus, Jenga) with some hot chocolate, wine, panettone or something.

Later on, we set off NORAD tracker, put on Muppets Christmas Carol, then hang stockings and read a FC story to DS and lights out. We've never left out drink and a mince pie.

No last minute wrapping because I hate last minute wrapping. We'll clean the kitchen and lay out the stuff for breakfast and set the table.

I write a note to DS from FC saying how he's been a good boy and he hopes DS likes his presents. Rudolph and our dog get up to some high jinks - one year they went running on the beach and FC couldn't fly off they might play Fortnite on the PS this year!

We're going out for lunch with DH's family which means we stay at home just the four of us on Christmas Day.... bliss!

We always make hot chocolate on Christmas Eve before reading The Night Before Christmas and putting out the mince pie, whiskey and carrot.

We are taking out three year old to a local pantomime with his grandparents

No idea yet! I like the idea of baking something so I might do that with the kids, mince pies or biscuits sound good!

I love reading these, my only tradition is that I do a buffet tea . My dc are late teens / adults now but still ask for the buffet tea .
I’ll work till lunch time then home hope dh will have cleaned .
Then we may pop to the pub for a hour or so then back home for buffet .
The evening new pjs on and a few Proseccos , presents out before bed .

Carols from Kings, smoked salmon steaks, home made chocolate chestnut yule log iced with Nutella, then off through the frosted village street under the starlight to the Watchnight service at the village church.
There’s always a lovely magical sense of anticipation as midnight approaches, and we all wish Merry Christmas to the congregation and celebrate anew the arrival of the Christ child.
A previous minister used to time his service precisely, so that just as the church clock struck midnight, we reached the line “Strikes for us now the hour of your grace”, in the Scottish version of Silent Night - sung in near darkness with just candles flickering on the altar. The hair on my neck always stood up, it was such a perfect moment, encapsulating Christmas.

I'll be at work Christmas eve first time sinceDH and I met so it'll be different this year, we (sadly) are without children, so hopefully I'll get an early finish head off for a long dog walk and enjoy seeing excited families and children who are lost in a cloud of Christmas magic.

Home for something lovely for tea.

Working Christmas Eve this year but will be home by 4, get ready for Santa, pub, sticky sausages and dips and snacks and general mayhem . Best bit of Christmas for me!

My favourite day of the year!

We head out to the Christmas market and go ice skating.

Then home (Christmas Eve box is waiting for kids when they get home) and walk the dog

Then to our local which has an outside ‘alpine lodge’ for a hot dog and mulled wine

Home and make a Nutella Christmas tree for breakfast next morning

Get in to new pj’s and fluffy socks from Christmas Eve box and watch a Christmas film whilst tracking Santa’s journey on norad

Put out reindeer food, Santa’s drink and mince pie and go to bed! Love it!

I’m working but don’t know yet what time I’ll finish. DH usually finishes a day or so before ( he’s self employed). We’ll mostly be doing veg prep for Christmas lunch. DD will be 13 by Christmas but we will still put out a drink & mincepie for Santa & a carrot for the reindeer. We’ll watch festive tv. Sometimes have McDonald’s for tea.

A big muddy walk with family and lay flowers on Granny’s bench.
Baking cookies for Santa.
Opening the Christmas Eve boxes, putting on family matching pjs.
Watching The Grinch together.
Putting out Santa’s tray, sprinkling reindeer food in the garden. Excitedly checking out of the windows for signs.
Cheese board and champagne with DH after kids in bed.
Silently try and shift all presents out and arrange downstairs.

We are attending a suprise 18th party this year, very much looking forward to, but not looking forward to mad food prep in the morning before. But hopefully will be so much excitement it will send the kids off to sleep early.