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

Christmas Eve Breakfast with my family then back home for an afternoon Christmas film, Christmas Eve Boxes for DS, DD1 & DD2 and treats. Prosecco and cheeseboard when the little ones are in bed.

If it's a working day, DH's office have a Christmas party for children in the morning. So we go in and there's face painting, gingerbread cookie decorating, balloons, an entertainer and a movie. We love it.

We leave at lunchtime, and go home and get started on the prep. We make the Christmas Day desserts, and we roast the ham, and friends call over during the afternoon. For supper on Christmas Eve we always have baked potatoes, half the ham, and honey roast parsnips (DH cooks). Then we put on a movie and it takes forever to get the kids to bed. But as soon as they go off it's gifts out, wine poured, and when it's all done we will be up having a midnight cup of tea.

We don't do any one thing, sometimes we meet friends or family, sometimes go shopping (not me so much but DP does his present buying late). We might make food in preparation for Christmas day, or do crafts or sweet making. or take the dog for a walk on the beach.

Kids like it if they get new pyjamas so they are agitating for that to be a tradition.

So Mumsnet when will we find out who the lucky winner is?

I am up early (ish) with a big cup of coffee and start on my list of things that need to be done! This is usually delivering any cards and presents that I haven’t managed to do yet, prep veg for dinner the next day, and a quick tidy and hoover whilst the kids lounge around.
We then have some lunch, walk the dog and then head off to the cinema with the kids (usually not a Xmas film! It has been Star Wars the last couple of years) and I pick up any last minute bits of food that didn’t come on the shop/I forgot.
Then its kids choice for dinner - this year I think they may choose MacDonalds as there is a new drive through on the way home from the cinema - and then we watch something together (often You’ve been framed Xmas specials), playing board games and tracking Santa (dcs are teenagers but we still do it!).
Then it’s off to bed for them and I have another quick tidy round before I fill the stockings and head off to bed myself (after I’ve eaten the mince pie & Baileys that we’ve left for Santa )

We don't have any set routine on xmas eve we go with the flow, definitely my favourite day of the year though. This year I am doing a North Pole breakfast for the dc cue lots of eye rolling from dp! then just chilling out at home all day. We'll do a nice easy, picky dinner and then the usual traditions of pjs on and leaving all the things out for santa and the reindeer. I have a xmas eve box for all 3 dds as well with little things in and it'll have reindeer food for them to sprinkle, then hopefully a reasonable early bedtime for the younger dc and then I can drink my body weight in hot chocolate and eat my body weight in cheese crackers and chutney. Can't wait!!

My DH is from a European country where Xmas is celebrated on 24th. So although we have our main celebration on 25th, on 24th in the evening we have a special family meal together often meat fondue, and open one present. Earlier in the afternoon we go to a nativity service at the local church. I settle down in the evening with some Baileys and prepare the stockings.

We always have a lazy morning watching xmas films. Then off to our local national trust place to walk the dog and see all the lights (we go late afternoon) Then it's home for a buffet tea and baths. While my husbands bathing the kids I get the xmas eve boxes out with a letter from santa. We go through the boxes, watch a xmas film and read the christmas books from their boxes with a hot chocolate. Put out santa's treats and reindeer food and put the kids to bed, ready for the madness in the morning.

It really depends on whether DD is at home for Christmas (XH and I swap Xmas and NYE each year with her). My brother is almost always staying but my DH is always working as we own our own business which is about an hour away and are open until about 10 on Xmas eve.

This year it will just be brother and I. We'll pop into town for a festive mooch and probably end up in the pub. There's been a recent (past 3 years) tradition of a few close friends/kids meeting up at the local Chinese for something to eat (which is next to the pub), so, although DD and DH won't be there I think we'll still join them.

We do a Christmas film and box with new pjs and usually my sister stays and we have some fizz and finish wrapping. Hope to be more organised so I can do some kitchen prep and maybe church this year.

Open Christmas Eve box first thing- it includes some activity books, new pjs, hot chocolate etc. Then walk to the parks to feed the ducks and wish them a merry Christmas. Home for lunch and put out homemade suet feeders for the garden birds. Kids do activity books/ play whilst I get things ready for next day. Around 4ish make a gingerbread house then have dinner. After dinner we walk through the village to see all the Christmas lights then home for a bath, new matching family pjs, hot chocolate and Christmas film. Then mince pie, carrot and stocking out and into bed. Done it every year and it’s the only day of the year which is pre-planned so much!!

Christmas eve-we decorate a gingerbread house in the morning, and watch a christmas film. In the afternoon we go to my aunts for party food and the carol service at the church. After its home or this year back to my nans for new pjs and a early bedtime for the children after a story and leaving milk and a mince pie for santa. We will pre chop some veg for the christmas day and watch a more adult christmas film like love actually or four christmases with celebrations chocolates and wine.

Stay in, gloomily realising the same old shit will happen yet again.
Cheap American burger bars would feature nowhere in our thinking. How bizarre!

There's a lot of hot choc and pjs going on. And wtf with the gingerbread house?
I bet you all just get pissed on class-appropriate alcohol ( white lightening/ gin )

Visit parents, watch films, attend church, drink hot chocolate and try to relax

Pj's all day and DD gets full control of the T. V. Remote! Xmas shopping online delivery arrives so I can prep everything possible for Xmas lunch. (peeled veg in pans of water, pre cook pigs in blankets and stuffing and bread sauce). I set out platters of posh cold nibble foods for everyone to help themselves so I don't have to cook! Then walk to the church for midnight Carol service. It's 15th century and bloody freezing, but it's all lit by candles and the atmosphere is magical. Also, DD is so tired by the time the day is over, we get a lay in on Xmas morning. And as she's already watched everything she wants to watch, we get to choose Xmas day viewing. Just before bed we retrieve hidden presents from our neighbour to put under the tree. Usually we sit there Xmas morning with a whiskey coffee WAITING for DD to wake up!!!

We just have us (me, DH and DS) and we have a party for us! Lovely party food, christmas movie, hot chocolates and just quality time with just us! Knowing that the following few days will be mad with the extended families!

Christmas Eve is stop-up night. We stay up later than usual and watch a good film, and have nibbles. Reading in bed is highly encouraged and hopefully, late to bed will mean a chance of staying in bed later in the morning, before the chaos that is Christmas day.

It’s a chill out day, wrap up with blankets on couch, watch Christmas movies and eat popcorn and chocolate. Have an easy to make dinner then put stockings up,snacks for Santa and Rudolph, go outside and see if we can spot Santa’s sleigh in the sky and put down reindeer dust. 🎅

Wrap the final presents and prepare the food for xmas dinner

I usually tidy the house. make sure gifts are ready for the kids and to lat minute prep for christmas dinner.

Whatever Mrs Mac wants. But it will usually involve a bit of relaxing.

Have a buffet and play family board games

Eat chocolate, and watch flims. A chill day