Xmas eve

[Lorijune]

How do you make Xmas eve special with older kids/mix of ages? My eldest is back from Uni and my other two are 14 and 4. It’s hard to get them all in one room doing something together. Any ideas?

We usually go out for a hot chocolate. This year we’re going to the cinema to watch the Willy Wonka film.

Those of you with partners who work a lot/away how do you balance your own work schedule if you have young kids? It feels ok for me to work when hubby is at home but pretty hard when he’s away all week and I have work/kids/housework and no free time at weekend either. We don’t have any family support either. Wondering if more flexible work is needed rather than a set salaried work (I’m a teacher.) How do you make it work?

We have Christmas Eve lunch out then a walk. Then back to ours for hot chocolate and Christmas Eve presents (always pjs and a book)

I think it's hard with that range of ages. I'd be tempted to ditch the idea of forced fun / "making memories" and let them do what's appropriate for their age group. You could go for a walk if there's any streets with lots of festive lights up, have a hot chocolate out in a cafe maybe, then head home for an early dinner, get the 4 year prepped for a sensible bedtime and leaving things out for Santa then just leave the 14yr old in their room on the wifi and let the 18yr old go to the pub to meet their mates!

We go out for dinner on Xmas Eve. I’ve got two adult dc and one 14 year old, I’ve booked a posh burger place. Before we go out we all gather at my place for mince pies and a glass of fizz.

We go bowling on Xmas Eve every year then I cook a big gammon ham with mashed potatoes and carrots and peas and a couple of nice frozen desserts.

We go to a cathedral service and out for dinner. Dd works on Christmas Eve so everything is later on.

The older children helped with the Santa stuff once D.C. youngest was in bed. So we’d have Santa steps, and he’d drop a few presents down the stairs in his rush.

usually we’d have a take away or toad in the hole and go to the church crib service- mist of our neighbours also all went to the church service.

watch a Christmas film, hot chocolate