What do you do on Xmas eve?

[Gameofmoans81]

I’ve had covid all week so knackered and hardly been out but have a 4 year old here who is giddy with Xmas excitement - what do we do tomorrow? What do you usually do on Xmas eve? I feel like we need to pack it full to make the time go fast but family all live far away and friends are all with their families so at a bit of a loss

So many people mention church on here for Xmas eve. I don't know anyone that goes in real life. Do you go all year round too?

@Pineapplewaves

but he's left his wrapping or some other important task until the last minute leaving me in the living room by myself!

Do you not like being alone???

It's usually activities with the children and Carols at Kings on TV. Then it feels like Christmas.
We have done Christmassy crafts a few days earlier this year. The boys did an artificial flower arrangement each. I like to get them doing things that are a bit different. They had a robin decoration to put on it and some pine cones to stick in.
My older DS was happy as long as his was better than our four year old's. Only problem is DS4 fell on his arrangement as I was taking a picture of it. So that went well.

We are baking buns with Christmas sparkles tomorrow, which we usually do. The children will all have a mixing bowl each to prevent arguments, it will be chaos, then silence when they are decorating/eating them.

I'd work on the assumption of it lasting about an hour - vicars generally finish their sermon about midnight and then you'll have the Communion part afterwards.

Cooking the stuffing and pigs in blankets to take to my sisters. Making the cheese board.

Curley blow out and pin curls at the hairdressers.

Last minute bits to buy.

Then nothing. Tv and early night

Clean the house in the AM, followed by veg prep and making onion gravy. Afternoon dog walk, decorate gingerbread cookies to be left out for Father Christmas, picky party food tea and Muppets Christmas Carol.

We usually go to a Christingle service and take the dog for a long walk. Christmas film in the evening. Depends somewhat if it’s the weekend and DH is off work.

When kids were younger we’d decorate Christmas biscuits or make a gingerbread house.

@santaclauseiscomingtotownnnn

Happy birthday. It's my birthday tomorrow too. 🙂

We have a street carol shout along with a gazebo and mulled wine and will go to winter wonderland in the day

Working in the morning - I have 3 classes to teach (Pilates, LBT & pump) then in the afternoon doing some studying and taking my dog.

We always do the same..

breakfast with santa
make peanut butter & banana cookie for our dog
disco bath - lights off, neon glow sticks, Christmas music
film, bufffet tea & bed

Then I get presents out ready & go to bed.

Homemade waffles and Christmas Eve boxes in the morning then clean and veg prep before a walk to the village for hot chocolates. Film then cheese night with family in the evening. I love Christmas Eve, the children are so excited.

We don't do anything fancy but everyone helps including the dc
Strip the beds and wash the bedding and put it back on
Prep the food for Christmas Day
Hoover and mop
Make the table arrangement for Christmas Day
Soup for lunch
Walk to the village pub for a drink
Home for a film, buffet dinner and maybe a board game
Showers and into pyjamas
Put out mince pie etc for Santa
Read Night Before Christmas
Bed for dc
Put presents out
A glass of port and the BBC Ghost Story for Christmas
Fill stockings
Bed

As little as possible. I've cleaned today. I will prep veg and other bits tomorrow. I'm going to take my young son to a local Christmas venue tomorrow before it closes. My eldest is coming home for a few days so I've got a run to collect her. I'm a lone parent so it's all on me. I want as chilled day as possible as I'm utterly exhausted with it all.

I’m working all day. When I finish, probably watch a bit of telly, burn the last bit of my advent candle. I hope kids will tidy and clean the house. They said they would.

Prep turkey, prep stuffing, cook hams and half cook roast potatoes.

Then dc and I will finish some wrapping and watch a Xmas movie. We always go for an Indian meal in the village then home, light the fire, have a bath, pour a drink and watch tv. When dc goes to bed dh and I sort presents out.

Might have to nip to a shop tomorrow to grab something I've forgotten.

Prep the veg for Christmas Day
Make the sausagemeat stuffing
Mop the kitchen floor and clean the downstairs loo
About 4pm we're going to the pub for a couple of hours to meet friends. Adult DC are coming too.
Then home with a takeaway to chill in front of the TV.

My primary age children give me a foot peel treatment then deep clean the oven followed by bleaching out the fridge freezer with Chris de Burgh on in the background followed by a bovril and new underwear.

Prep food for Xmas Day
Maybe a walk
Telly
Board games
Prawn cocktail for tea
The snowman on TV

Morning: Long dog walk with everyone to blow off some steam.

Afternoon: cinema. This year we're seeing Wonka.

Evening: Christmas jammies, Dominos and a Christmas film.

Our kids are a little older than yours but we still have one in primary school.
Hopefully a lie-in tomorrow. I'll walk the dog and have a sea swim while DH makes bacon sandwiches for everyone when I return.
Around 2pm we'll all head out to walk the dog on the beach, heading back up into town and stop at a pub where we usually bump into several friends. We have a restaurant booked for 3.30 so we'll eat and then head home to drop the dog off. Carol service at 5.30 in the church then home for Christmas movies/board games or whatever we all decide to do together.

We’ve done different things on different years. Often it was a quiet day when my kids were small. Party food and Christmas TV and pottering.

The last few years we’ve gone out (kids now late teens). We went to the cinema and for a meal one year, to a carol concert last year and tomorrow we’re going to the theatre.

I think if your kids are little, though, a low key day is nice. Watch The Snowman, bath and early night so you can totally relax and have a 🍷

I'll do the prepping for Christmas dinner - youngest may help but oldest and DH are each playing the organ in different churches tomorrow morning. everyone will sort themselves out for lunch and i may get a quick run in. DH will insist on being left in peace and quiet to listen to Carols from Kings. Then at 6pm we allchange into more formal clothes ready for 7pm champagne and nibbles around the Christmas tree. Presents taken off the Christmas tree and distributed - they are quite small and light as they go in a mini stocking that hangs on the tree. (Main presents under the tree are for Christmas Day). Then a formal sit down dinner with a fish main course (tomorrow is salmon en croute). DH and DC will head off to church at about 10.15 for choir practice before midnight mass - I'll stay home and drink more champagne whilst peeling the prices off DC's stocking presents. I'll head to bed after putting the stocking presents in piles and DH will fill and deliver stockings to landing outside bedroom doors once DC have disappeared.

Our Christmas Eve is formal and structured as DH is half German and grew up with Christmas Eve being the main celebration and time for presents whereas my family observed Christmas Day so we have to compromise and it seemed more fun to do more rather than less.

I’ve hosted for god knows how many years and always spent Christmas Eve cleaning and prepping ready for guests.
This year, we’re not hosting and going to DD’s for xmas day so tomorrow I’m going to have a long walk in the morning, do a bit of washing and ironing, maybe give the bathrooms a once over then we’re going out for an early dinner via the pub then watch crap telly with a few drinks before bed by midnight, I can’t wait 😝

Hahaha! I started reading this seriously! I need my primary age children to give me a foot peel! 🤣🤣🤣