What you do on Christmas Eve? Share with McDonald’s - £300 voucher to be won

[EllieMumsnet]

Whether Christmas Eve in your household is the calm before the storm or the storm before the calm, it can be a great day to just spend some quality time with family and/or friends. Christmas Eve is celebrated in a whole host of different ways, with traditions varying from going for a long walk, to having chinese takeaway for dinner, to even guessing what the presents around the tree are. With that being said McDonalds would love to hear what you and your household gets up to on Christmas Eve.

Here’s what McDonald's has to say: "“We know it’s a hectic time of year for families, so if it’s a quick coffee when you’re out shopping or popping in on Christmas Eve for some free Reindeer Treat carrots, we are here to help you get #ReindeerReady on your way to Christmas 2018!”

Is Christmas Eve a time where you stay in your Xmas pj’s all day and watch films? Perhaps you like to go to you the pub with friends and family? What about going for a winter walk around your local park? Are you still prepping the presents and dinner for Christmas day? Do you and your family host an annual Christmas Eve party? Or maybe you have a traditional Christmas Eve breakfast, lunch and dinner that you look forward to all year round?

Whatever you and your family gets up to on Christmas Eve share it on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

My husband normally works if it's a weekday and I take it off work. I try and spend the day playing with the kids but also prepping the house for Christmas Day - any last minute cleaning etc. I try and coerce them into watching a Christmas movie but they won't sit still!!!
We leave our cookies and whiskey for Santa and food for the reindeer.
Towards the end of the afternoon it's just nice to try and take it easy and have a longer bathe time and bedtime. We ready Christmas books before bed for the kids.
After the kids are asleep we order a takeaway and put all the presents under the tree, sit back and have some wine! And try to remember to go to bed early because we know the kids will be up early!!

A family day of baking and festive tunes! Finished off with a movie, bubble bath and treats left out for Father Christmas and his reindeer!

We have a relaxed day at home watching Christmas movies and then in the evening after the children's bath, Father Christmas has bought them new pyjamas.

We all pile into the car (kids in new pj's ) with blankets and ride around looking at the christmas lights.

We pick up a takeaway on the way home ❤🎄

We're either travelling to see relatives or if we're at home that year then sitting around, watching TV, playing games and chatting with the children. I normally have to sneak away to wrap last minute presents too.

Go down to the local village for carols round the fountain. Put out Santa’s mince pie and Rudolph’s carrot. Then put my little girl to bed and finish wrapping her presents with a Christmas film on in the background. Arrange presents under the tree and put her stocking on her bed.

It's DS's birthday. We usually give him his presents in the morning (in his room as he doesn't like being near the Xmas tree while he opens birthday gifts!!) then go out to our favourite Chinese restaurant for lunch then go to a local panto... he has a party for his friends at the end of term just to make sure they can come.

We usually brave the stores to buy the last pieces of fresh fruit and veg we’ll need but then it is about pkaying and having a good day.

We usually go for a long walk that ends with hot chocolate. We’re home by dinner time so we can eat, bathe, and get out the Xmas Eve treats like the new PJs, favourite snacks, decorate your own craft (like bunting or ornaments) and we watch The Grinch cartoon (classic), listen to Night Before Christmas (book on tape), and watch a movie.

Just before bed my children get the carrots ready for the reindeer and bicker over what Father Christmas wants to drink and eat.

Then I spend two hour trying to convince them to sleep so we can get our special visit and, when they are finally asleep, I can wrap presents for three hours, hopefully getting to bed before 2.

Every Christmas Eve we go out for afternoon tea. All the females in our family go, there’s about 12 of us. It’s a lovely start to the celebrations, time to sit and relax once all the shopping and preparation is done. DD always has Christmas Eve beans on toast as she doesn’t appreciate afternoon tea.
After that DD and I go back to my parents house. We usually have a takeaway for tea.
Then it’s bath, new pjs, and scattering of reindeer dust on the path, hanging the Santa key on the door and preparing Santa’s plate.
I love Christmas Eve.

This year we're hosting my elderly neighbour on Christmas Eve. She is widowed and by herself with her little dog so she comes to us for her dinner. Last year she came on the 22nd because I went to my mum's on Christmas day. This year she's coming to us on Christmas Eve and going to the local church hall on Christmas Day for lunch. Then her friend will be collecting her on Boxing Day for lunch and she's due back to us on the 27th for afternoon tea. Then various other neighbours will be hosting her on different days for afternoon tea. My neighbour was laughing that she'll have to join weight watchers after Christmas!

On our street we've ensured that my neighbour isn't left alone over the Christmas period. Unfortunately, so many are on their own for various reasons so if you're able to then invite someone for a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Dd is a teen now but we still do the same as we always did pretty much. She loves the whole day and still gets excited 😂

We visit both sets of grandparents on Christmas Eve. They on;y live about 20 minutes away from one another, about an hour from us. We visit on set in the morning, the other just after lunch. We will exchange gifts though none are opened until Christmas Day itself. We sit and chat, eat Christmas treats and normally have a Christmas drink, though do us normally driving so he just has the one.

The 'Christmas fairy' always visits my parents house. She leaves new nightwear, normally a sweet treat and in the past a soft toy or book. In the past dd always wore this home; mind she probably still would!

Home normally early evening, for another Christmas drink perhaps, watch something together on TV. Dd still leaves a drink/treat for FC but she insists its tradition. It's one of the few nights she goes up to bed before us so that 'he' can visit. Yes, obviously she knows but she just likes the idea of it all staying the same 😂 It's sweet. Then bedtime.

A fairly relaxed day and, as we don't entertain in Christmas Day, nor cook at home, etc, there are no big preps to fit in. Just family and relaxing together.

A visit to the church to look at the crib with a friend and her children and then back to her house for tea.

My parents usually host Christmas, so if we are not working I head round there with DH in the morning to lay the table so it is all ready for the big day. Then head home for a bit of a chill out and maybe watch a Christmas film. We then head out for Christmas Eve Mass with friends, pop into theirs afterwards for a quick glass of wine. Then it is home, for a nice dinner (usually dressed crab, followed by steak and chips, and treacle tart with clotted cream for pud) and then without fail, watch Muppets Christmas Carol with a few glasses of fizz! Think I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day!

Referee several family disputes using Arbitration of disputes: Christmas Rules edition.

Consider confiscating everyone's phones so the onslaught of texted rows doesn't continue without people stirring/inadvertently texting to the wrong people.

Decide against confiscating phones as it at least prevents the need for shouted exchanges.

Leave people with detailed instructions to keep an eye on something in the oven. Return home to find acrid smoke, a wailing smoke alarm, and charcoal lumps in oven.

Open fridge to find that prepared food in containers labelled, Do not touch. Part of Christmas dinner has disappeared.

I'm so glad that I don't do the above any more.

Christmas Eve is my favourite day.
We finish any jobs by late morning, then have brunch. Then we go to the big local park for a walk with a flask of hot chocolate.
Home for showers and the Christingle service, then we go out for dinner. Home for the bedtime routine with plate for Santa, then the long wait for DCs to fall asleep before we fill their stockings.
Our routine is set in stone, the DC get upset if we deviate from tradition at all, which is both lovely and frustrating.

On Christmas eve, I nip round with the hoover, dig out my table cloth, Christmas mats etc, have a bath and wash my hair Then have a light lunch. I might play a board game or cards with my kids in the afternoon or go for a walk with DH. I take any meat out to defrost and put my turkey in the oven late on Christmas Eve night then chill with a glass of wine while it cooks. This frees up my oven for everything else on the day. It does mean that I am late to bed though.

Traditionally I have always taken my two out on Christmas Eve and done something special with them - when they were little this would be to see Santa, after that we have had years at the pantomime and last year we went into town for lunch and enjoyed the Christmas Markets.

One thing that has never ever changed is that Santa always delivers new PJ's to wear to bed on Christmas Eve - the door bell rings and when they go to the door, just two parcels are lying there (the neighbour is hiding around the corner of the house). After baths we cuddle together on the sofa and read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' - they are way too old for this now (being 9 &12) but it's our tradition and we love it!

We go to the zoo! It’s our family tradition and it’s ace.

We're Jewish, so we don't celebrate Christmas-- though many Jewish families do use the excuse to come together over a festive meal and even spruce up the house with a bit of tinsel. We go to a Jewish community festival with a lot of our friends. It's a great break from routine and is a wonderful time to catch up with friends and learn something new.

One of us usually has to work but the other will take the children to whatever kids Xmas film is on kids showing at cinema then lunch at McDonalds and usually the working parent is home for 2pm, then to church for navitity around 4pm and home for dinner usually kids choice and games before bath and new pjs and popping drink mince pie out for Santa then off to bed for kids. We then get all the presents out for under the tree and fill stockings and have z drink or two.

I work, then I wrap like a crazy person, having started wrapping in November and then thought 'I'm totally ahead of the game this year, no Christmas Eve wrapping for me'. Except this year I totally will get it all done by then

This year I'm working 1400-0400 I work with offenders so I will no doubt be assaulted, shouted at, verbally abused and cried on. The same on Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year too.

If I'm off (it's happened once in 15 years) I have Christmas tunes on while I get the house sorted, about 5pm I open a bottle of Prosecco and watch Santa Claus: the movie and have party food for tea.

I don't know what I'd do if I was off with DH as it's never happened

I try to have all the presents wrapped etc before Christmas Eve.
This leaves the day for a walk with the dog, watching old films on the tv,
Preparing the veg etc for the next day, and playing Christmas CDs.

Christmas Eve we go to Mass and then on to a meal out with family before going home opening our Christmas Eve Pjs and popping them on for bed

We normally spend xmas eve doing any last minute bits and then doing baking for Santa's treats.

Then the kids get into their xmas pjs and we watch a Christmas film and have party nibbles type food for tea.
We then normally track Santa on NORAD, put out reindeer food and gets the kids to bed.
DH and i then will relax for a couple of hours and then do the whole laying out stockings etc whilst failing miserably not too make any noises! (That's the worst bit-always scared we are going to get caught)
Love Christmas eve, nothing beats that feeling as a child of excitement and waiting for the magic to happen.

Pick up the turkey, get the last bits from the shops and in the evening go for a drive to look at xmas lights on houses.