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

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Have a quiet night playing games by the fire

when my children were small, Christmas eve would be magical, we would drink hot chocolate, watch a Christmas film, then their dad would take them to the window and ask them to look at the sky for santa, I would hide behind the sofa and make sleigh bell sounds and their dad would say, quick get to bed, hes on his way, if he finds you awake he may not deliver here. They would scamper off upstairs and excitedly lay in wait for santa, then we would wait until they were asleep and creep in with the bags of presents, leaving flour footprints on the stairs...then have a drink ourselves before going to bed (actually not quite right, at some point on Christmas eve I would prepare the veg and defrost the turkey, lay the table in preparation for the next day)

Nowadays the children are in their mid to late twenties and I am single so my Christmas Eves are spent with the grown up children and friends at a local Indian Restaurant and the getting merry at the local pup before stumbling home...its still a fun thing to do but not quite the same as when you have young excited children and also not the same when you are single, but I still love Christmas.

pub not pup :)

I loved it when my son was younger and early evening we'd drive around checking out everyone's garden decorations whilst playing xmas songs on the radio. It was so peaceful and relaxing and our son would fall asleep and then we'd get home and carry him to bed.
No such luck now he's older ((big sigh)). Lol.

The 24th us THE big night where DH is from, so we have a huge family meal... and then do it all again the next day British style.

In the past it has been a time of great anxiety so basically just try to get to it relaxed and with a never mind it doesn't matter attitude if necessary. It is a very relaxed time in our household so nothing special just wrap up everything/anything that needs wrapping and try to make it a nice relaxing time.

Xmas eve is always about new pyjamas, a few little treats and home alone.

We get snuggled up on the sofa, get the fire on and that's us for the night.

An evening of christmas movies, christmas jumpers, eating chocs and drinking fizz or baileys :)

On Christmas Eve, we as a family go to the local cinema together to see a 'Christmas' movie. We then return home to check NORAD to follow Santa's journey. We make, build and decorate gingerbread houses together. We will either have a pizza take away or McDonald's for tea. We all put in new pjs, and scatter our reindeer dust on our drive. We then go to bed. It's all very relaxed.

Celebrate DD’s birthday until 3pm, when it officially becomes Christmas Eve in our house. Then it’s Christmas film, tea, bath, bed for the kids and open the champagne for me and DH.

Christmas Eve is more enjoyable than the Christmas Day, festive music on. DC’s are older now, but they all come home for the afternoon, traditionally we have party food Christmas Eve and play family games, with a small drink or two!

This is my baby's first Christmas! Used to be just me and my partner, we'd either work or do some last minute shopping. With my baby however we're going to watch some films, have dinner with the in laws and then put out some carrots and mince pies for santa and the reindeer. Then all snuggle in bed and wait to hear those jingle bells!

We always go to the crib service at church, then get home to find Christmas Eve boxes on beds. We have baths using Christmassy bath bombs then get into new pyjamas and snuggle up to watcha Christmas film and play games.

We don't really have traditions yet, but are having or first Christmas in our new home since having kids this year, so hoping to start some. Generally I'm busy finishing off making presents and prepping Christmas Day food, and making sure the house is tidy! I'd like to be a bit more organised this year tho, so we can enjoy a chilled out day as a family, doing some crafting, having a walk and walking a Christmas movie

It’s just myself and the little one on Christmas Eve, so we will spend Christmas Eve morning getting the last bits sorted for the next day then for lunch probably pop into McDonald’s to save me cooking ;) I’m sure on Christmas Day I’ll be spending all day in the kitchen so Christmas Eve is more a relaxing day then at night some Disney movies all cosy on the sofa before Santa :)

Have a mini buffet with some party food, and watch films.

We have Christmas dinner, (started a couple of years ago so I'm not stuck in the kitchen missing out on the children enjoying their gifts on the 25th), watch Christmas films, eat popcorn, drink hot chocolate, put on new PJs, read, and hang up the children's new tree decorations (building up a collection for them to take when they have their own Christmas trees if they want). I absolutely love it, can't wait.

Merry Christmas in advance to everyone!

We have Chinese takeaway and watch our favourite Christmas movies in our pjs

We go to a little cafe on the beach and have mince pies and coffee, and it had become a tradition that the kids all order ' ultimate hot chocolate' which is piled with cream and marshmallows!

After a few hours working we pack the car up and drive 250 miles to my Mum's in Scotland.

We all put our Christmas jumpers on, and have the radio on to sing along with and are in a really good mood (and I usually have a little emotional cry at any "driving home" references).

McDonald's always features somewhere en-route for a quick pit-stop, with a festive pie and hot chocolate for me. I love how we're usually not the only family decked out in Christmas jumpers in the queue!

We usually arrive at Mum's quite late and there's much excitement as we've not usually seen each other for a good few months, the kids race round the house generally being giddy kippers and we bring all the presents in to put under the tree. Finally get the kids to bed then sit and demolish the wine and cheese and festive nibbles whilst watching Christmassy tv.

Go to the Christingle church event and eat a buffet (has to include prawn cocktail for some reason). Wrap up any last minute gifts and bring them all down to put around the tree.

celebrate my daughter's birthday

In the past I’ve been incredibly disorganised and have spent Christmas Eve in a mad panic buying presents that I’d forgotten to buy and bits for Christmas dinner then dashing home to wrap them and do a bit more cleaning ready for guests the next day.

The only nice thing about past Christmas Eves has been giving my boys a little hamper containing new pyjamas, a DVD that we all watch together and some chocolate coins to eat during the film. It’s a lovely relaxing way to end the day.