Christmas Eve

[angeltattoo]

What do you do on Christmas Eve? We never plan anything and it always then just feels like we're 'waiting' all day.

The kids are a bit older now (8 & 6) and I don't have to spend the entire evening wrapping and also for the first time in 8 years I am not cooking Christmas dinner, so no mountains of veg to peel.

So it would be good to do something nice but I can't think what, what do you do?

Thanks

Love Christmas Eve one of the best days of the year.

Will visit my Dad’s grave, the churchyard is very busy, one year we went on Christmas morning and it was very upsetting, will not do that again.

I work then we tend to have a nice stroll through town, stop off for a hot chocolate somewhere. We head home and watch a Christmas movie and eat some dinner.

DD is now 9 and she's Santa's helper, so she packs the grown ups stockings, puts the stuff out for Father Christmas and goes to bed.

Once she's in bed, Dh and I prepare for our North Pole breakfast in the morning, fill her stocking, put Father Christmas' gift under the tree and head to bed.

During the day we all do christmas dinner prep. Chopping. Laying the table etc. Really nice-christmas music playing and very festive.

Then we go out for dinner-such a treat

Once home DC (now all Uni aged and up) go upstairs and watch christmas films etc whilst DH and I drink fizz and set up the presents etc

Adult dc now, so I get them sorting out dishes, tablecloths and cutlery etc, a general tidy-up, any last minute buys like bread and cream, and we often go to the Christingle service at the church late afternoon. Only time we ever go to church all year, and everyone is lovely and welcoming.

All adults now , but we used to have something like lasagne and garlic bread or a M & S Chinese meal ( live rurally , no takeaway ) for dinner
I’d try not to go shopping , go for a walk if the weather allows
Watch a Christmas film , special bubble bath
Bed at a bit later than normal , leave out that snack for Father Christmas and wake up at stupid hour

Our kids are older now so we see friends for a walk (hip flask in the woods) then back to one of our houses for far too much prosecco and a takeaway. Start as you mean to go on!

@beachtosunset

I prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day because of all the magical atmosphere. The promise of it all to come: Decorating the dining table, my list to Santa, listening to the Carols at Kings with homemade sausage rolls, hearing Rudolph's hooves on the roof top, watching A Christmas Carol.

I'm 8 years old and have an MN account.

I love you more and more with every post beachtosunset.

Takeaway and board games or a panto

Anyone seen any good Clinique deals?

We eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. My OH takes the children out to see Father Christmas earlier in the day, then they come home and make gingerbread houses or candles, or some other Christmassy craft thing. I spend the day cooking and listening to carols. I prefer it to Christmas day.

@Newdad19

Anyone seen any good Clinique deals?

Sorry wrong thread!

My DCs alternate christmas between us and their dad. This year they're with us, so they'll be with their dad until 4pm-ish on Christmas Eve.

DH and I will have breakfast in bed, a quiet morning, and then finish any wrapping or organising that's left to be done.

When the DCs are at their dad's for Christmas, my middle child comes shopping with me at 6am (even if I have nothing left to buy, because it's our thing) and then we have a McDonald's breakfast together. Lazy morning watching Christmas films and tracking Santa on NORAD before they go to their dad's. Then DH and I go to a local Indy cinema to see It's A Wonderful Life

A big group of friends, lots of kids and even more adults, all together for afternoon drinks and nibbles that ‘must’ finish in time for the children’s service at 5. No one ever goes to church and we usually roll home a bit pissed at about 7 for a quiet meal for three followed by a film and twinkly lights. Love Christmas Eve best of all.

We have a games night & get a new game each year.

We tidy up in the morning, go for a very long walk with the dog and get hot chocolates...we go home to roast ham and mash and gravalax cheese etc
Kids all have baths and we put a great movie on and snuggle up till bed time.

Last couple of years we have gone to see the local deer (reindeer) on Christmas eve

I love all your plans, so excited! But please could someone tell me why Die Hard is a Christmas film? Never seen it but perhaps I should!

We used to do a big family meal out (with my family who we spend all of Xmas with anyway as dhs don't do much) covid put a stop to that meal last year and we all discovered staying in was what we wanted. So we started a new thing of a Xmas Eve Chinese and tv which well carry on this year. Unfortunately I have a new job which will mean working until lunch but I'm very aware of how lucky that is.

I hate Christmas and can this blimmin red box get out of my face!

Just me and DP. Pre Covid we always went to the cinema to see It’s a Wonderful Life in the afternoon, then something like Pizza Express pizzas or M&S dine-in at home in the evening. A long bath for me, and we have one present at midnight.

Last year we went for a big walk round the neighbourhood to spy out all the trees/wreaths which was actually really nice. DP took a walk down to M&S afterwards and came home with masses of yellow stickered stuff which we froze and were still eating in February!

Christmas Eve is the best part of Christmas to me too. Can't watch Carols from kings anymore though as makes me blub too much!!

@Lysianthus

I love all your plans, so excited! But please could someone tell me why Die Hard is a Christmas film? Never seen it but perhaps I should!

Bruce Willis is a cop trying to get home to his estranged wife and kids for Christmas, via his wife’s ill-fated Christmas party.

I love xmas Eve. My youngest is 17 now but the routines been the same for years (apart obviously from last year)

I’ll go collect the food order early, come home and do a quick clean round and then bake. We usually roast the turkey too.

Lunch is from greggs: festive bake and a Christmas cup cake for me. Then cinema if something is on, bowling if not, and out for dinner. Home to watch tv, put santas mince pie and stockings out, get a nice festive drink and we always end the night watching national lampoons Christmas vacation. If DH and I aren’t tired we follow it up with the father ted Xmas special.

I’ll hear dd2 get up around 4 to check santa has been (yes,still) but she then tiptoes back to bed until 7.30 am.

Last year was hard, I can’t wait for this one.

We will be in the USA (south west Florida to be precise, Fort Myers Beach 😬) back to our usual Christmas! So we spend the bulk of Christmas Day on the beach after presents in the morning, it will be me and DH, DS5 and DS2 my parents and my DB and SIL. We go for 22 days on the 9th Dec, pre covid we’ve done it since the kids came along, takes the emphasis off presents and back onto family time. We just buy one small gift per person, under $10 usually chocolate or gourmet popcorn etc or baby sitting vouchers 😂 usually just call into a diner on the way home and have whatever we fancy for dinner there.

Thanks everyone, all sounds lovely.

I did think about booking panto tickets but I was unsure and booked for a few days later instead.

Long walk with hip flask followed by prosecco sounds appealing

Also ice skating, there are rumours of a pop up rink coming to town, is a good shout!

Thanks all