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

Ha - see, I'm the other way round and, after ramping up the excitement all the way through December, I try to keep it on the down low on Christmas Eve. Other than the (sssh) Christmas Eve box I try to do no. Christmassy things - just in case they don't sleep!

It's a tricky day, in limbo, I found making a ginger bread house good or doing a panto.

We go for a nice long walk with our Xmas jumpers and Santa hats on, find a play park and somewhere nice to eat. Maybe do some arts and crafts - nothing messy! If weather isn't great then maybe cinema or bowling.

Once wee one is in bed I make sure I'm organised for the next day and sit down with a film and a few glasses of wine.

It's refreshing to have a quiet relaxing day as the run up is usually madness and school finishes late enough so there aren't many days before Xmas to enjoy family time without the Christmas chaos

This year we are making paper chains, doing a ginger bread house and hopefully going for a a walk (try to wear them out a bit!) via the bakery to get fresh bread. Then post lunch we'll have a Christmasy film and popcorn.

Probably not the answer you were after but I’m happy as Larry prepping all the veg etc for the following day with Michael Bublé for company.

Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year! I start the day with a baileys coffee then go to a local bakery to pick up the cinnamon rolls for breakfast for Christmas Day. While we're there we get some nice Christmassy tarts and treats and come home to have some soup, fresh bread and treats. Sometimes we go to the crib service at the local church and make some cookies for neighbours and I put Carols from Kings on TV. We are so lucky where we live that Santa from the Round Table comes down our street in his sleigh just as it gets dark and when we go back in he's left the Christmas Eve boxes for the kids. We watch a film and when the kids are in bed we eat a 7 layered dip my family always made at Christmas, along with party food, cheese and baileys or snowballs and Christmas chocolates. It feels like a full but fairly relaxing day. Even thinking of it makes me feel happy

DH and I have a Christmas tradition of goi g shopping. Nowadays we leave the teens at home. We pick up last minute it's presents and more importantly but each other's stockings. aww usually give each other 1.5 hours to shop. We also have lunch somewhere really nice.
Drive home for the 4pm Christingle service in the village church, followed by supper with friends at our house (usually ham, salad and dauphoise potatoes) and a few games. Last minute wrapping and bed.

Perfect Christmas Eve.

Visit a local Christmas fair. Have previously been ice skating. See the Christmas lights in the city and have cake and hot chocolate in a cafe.

Then home for a Christmas film and a small pre-Christmas gift of a book, chocolate and PJs for DD.

It's my favourite day of the year too. We have no structure or rules really, but I almost always make cinnamon rolls and for supper we have a baked ham with chips or baked potatoes, red cabbage, cauliflower cheese and Champagne.

We used to go to Christingle before supper but I think this year now that the dds are late teens we will do Midnight Mass instead.

Visit family.
Prepare all the veg etc for Christmas lunch so minimal effort required.
Long walk with the dog.
Carols and Michael Buble (DD loved him when she was little and now it's not Christmas without The Bube).
In the evening we usually go to a Chrsitingle service at church, then home to watch The Snowman.

We are lucky that we never host Christmas (last year aside where we were home and cooked) so no endless kitchen stuff for us
Dh is working AM so will likely take kids to cinema, walk dog

We have my cousin and her husband (cousin in law?) Over for a big lunch... usually with a loose theme (often Spanish or Swedish food).

So just the five of us (me, SH, DD, DCous, and DCousIL).

It's the high point of our Christmas.

Sometimes Dp has to work but In this house I tend to get up early and do a quick clean and tidy up - even though it'll be a s**thole 24 hours later 😅 get last minute stuff ready, watch a film, sometimes visit family we won't see on Christmas Day. Usually get take away though. Even if its just McDonald's drive thru or maybe a Chinese. Cba to cook on Christmas Eve 😅 j try and fit in a long walk to try tire dc out but doesn't usually work! The evenings are just spent trying to get dc to sleep and getting presents out without waking them 😅

Dd is 8. We have breakfast with santa booked at a local country park and we will then spend a couple of hours walking round, feeding the ducks and having a play. Then she will probably go to her dad's for a couple of hours whilst I deck out the house and do final wrapping etc. We will then watch polar express and other Christmas movies do some crafty bits and eat crap before she goes to bed

Early morning visit to the butcher, baker and farm shop. As kids my sons loved selecting the veg for Christmas dinner. ( I know, bizarre, but through necessity ( single parent) they had to come with me, it evolved as a tradition), it is part of how they 'see' Christmas.

Family arrive and together we decorate the tree, followed by a service at the cathedral.
When DC's were younger, a long walk, a bath and I always placed a Christmas book on each of their pillows. We'd gather in one bed and read the stories together to settle them for sleep.

We've kept all of those books and get them out every year. Often even as young men they will pick up one or two - the Jolly Christmas Postman is still a favourite!

We may have wandered into town for 'coffee and cake' when they were small. Now, following the cathedral, we book a couple of sofas next to the log burner in our favourite wine bar, a couple of drinks and sharing platters.

@Deansgate that sounds absolutely perfect!
I am imagining you and your family in a snowy Cotswolds-type place, although perhaps not if your username is a giveaway!

I hope my children still love Christmas when they grow up too. You've obviously always made it lovely for them.

@Liverbird77 - thank you!

It was a struggle at times, my exH wasn't interested in making an effort ( but often 'impressed' the kids' with huge presents like motorbikes - which they never used because he didn't have the time or interest to help them ride) I had no option to work against spending big money and falling into an over commercialised version of Christmas. It had to be about time and effort, but simple.

They still say one of their best presents was a 'dressing up box', which was an old chest filled with charity shop clothing, hats, jewellery, glasses etc

It is so heartening that as young adults they still want to be at home, that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without!

@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!

Because it is set at Xmas.

Can anyone tell me why stop the cavalry became an Xmas song?

We usually bake cookies for Santa and watch a Christmas film.

Just a warning that we did ice skating one year and it was hell. It was really crowded, none of us could actually do it and the skates were really uncomfortable. DD cried a lot. I would book it for another day just in case.

Can anyone tell me why stop the cavalry became an Xmas song?

Because it's got Christmassy sounding bells in it, and one of the lines (repeated) is Wish I was at home for Christmas.

Most shops play the Now That's What I Call Christmas compilation over and over again through December, and it's a standing joke between me and DP that I always land on Stop the Cavalry. Within seconds of me going into a shop, it will be the next song, if it isn't the one already on.

@Deansgate

Early morning visit to the butcher, baker and farm shop. As kids my sons loved selecting the veg for Christmas dinner. ( I know, bizarre, but through necessity ( single parent) they had to come with me, it evolved as a tradition), it is part of how they 'see' Christmas.

Family arrive and together we decorate the tree, followed by a service at the cathedral.
When DC's were younger, a long walk, a bath and I always placed a Christmas book on each of their pillows. We'd gather in one bed and read the stories together to settle them for sleep.

We've kept all of those books and get them out every year. Often even as young men they will pick up one or two - the Jolly Christmas Postman is still a favourite!

We may have wandered into town for 'coffee and cake' when they were small. Now, following the cathedral, we book a couple of sofas next to the log burner in our favourite wine bar, a couple of drinks and sharing platters.

This has proper warmed my heart @Deansgate!!! Dd's dad flits between feigning interest and being completely apathetic towards her. My dp grew up dort poor and has worked bloody hard for the very comfortable life he has. He massively over compensates for his childhood by buying dd everything she asks for - in spite of my endless pleading to stop, that as a single mum on about a third of his income I cannot afford to keep up. Unfortunately it gives him immense joy so I lose every year. So I do understand the frustration at lavish gifts.

Last year I spent hours trawling ebay and Facebook marketplace for the lego friends rollercoaster set.

I am lucier this year that I have changed jobs and had a fairly good pay rose so it has been easier to save through the year to afford it this year.

Dd always says her favourite part of Christmas is making gifts for people, our neighbours love flapjack so we always make loads for them, I bought photo baubles last year and we took some nice pictures and printed them and dis them as gifts for my parents.

This year I have bought acrylic paint pens and baubles so she is going to decorate them for her cousins. We have some stick on gems and she has researched the braille alphabet (neighbour is blind) so she can make her a bauble with her name in it etc.

I do fall into the trap of wanting her to have nice things to open (see my thread) but I do love the family time so much. I have the whole of Christmas and New year off for the first time since mat leave so I am super excited!!!

Lots of tiring the children out. Elf leaves to go back to Santa and leaves behind a Christmas Eve box with some hot choc, new pjs, sweets and my old copy of The Night Before Christmas from when I was a child. We try to go to the theatre if there's a childrens play on. If not a nice long walk in the park. We like to track Santa on NORAD. Later on I do the rounds of supermarket for last minute yellow sticker bargains (always fun) before bath, bed and Christmas stories - once the kids are asleep I crack open the baileys and do the wrapping while DH goes to midnight mass with his brother (kids go to church Christmas morning usually). Die Hard 2 or Christmas music on the telly.

I have enjoyed reading all the wonderful ideas for christmas eve.
Like others I enjoy it as much ( and maybe even more) than christmas day.
I would also suggest low key, if no visit to cinema, then maybe see friends, but just relaxed.
When my kids were young then a baking day- had to make and decorate cookies to leave for santa when we hang stockings.
Even buying a giant swiss roll , chocolate log, pre made fondant to allow the kids to make a yule log, with sugar decoraions and sprinkles. Makes the kids feel involved in preparations.
Movies, crafts, paper snowflakes are easily made with white a4 printer paper, folding and scissors.
Reading christmas books, poems, music.
I love christmas eve!!!

Christmas starts at 3.00 Kings College broadcast and repeats of earlier years while we are doing things.