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

Now that I think of it, we never have a Christmas Eve dinner

Do you? I just remembered we don't because we have lunch out then just snack for the day feel really weird now!

On Christmas eve we have a chilled morning, then out for lunch on the way to town where we have a walk around the shops, followed by the children's service at the local church. Back to the house for a family dinner followed by Christmas eve box opening, bath and a Christmas film then bed for the little one.... then a large glass of wine for me watching Die Hard 🙂

We went for a Happy Meal last Christmas Eve, and we had a wonderful much needed sit down, chat, drink and meal, it was just what we needed. I intend to do this again this year - the carrot sticks are a great idea ! I have no fixed plans for Christmas Eve (as long as everything is bought, wrapped, and the food is in the fridge). I am hoping to pop into church with the DS to watch the carol service at 6pm - it's so nice to hear and appreciate the meaning behind Christmas. The

As little as possible! We usually watch The Muppets Christmas Carol but we avoid shops and town like the plague! In the past we have gone to the pub for a meal & get-together with other family members but that depends on how busy everyone else is. This year one of my jobs is to make the soup for Xmas dinner. It's going to be cream of roasted sprout.

If we’re at home we have curry or Chinese takeaway or pasta then have a Christmassy film or DVD, got chocolate etc. We still put out the carrot and mince pie for Santa even though DC don’t really believe any more they like getting the ‘Santa present’.

If we’re staying with family it’s similar although it also includes sneaking the Santa stuff into the car!

Shopping at around 6-7am, then home to start getting festive ... Pick up other family members early afternoon and - once I'm home from that - the door gets locked and the drinks get opened! We'll have a family meal, nothing too heavy; put our son to bed; put out the JD & carrots for Santa and his reindeer ...

Due to split families for both me andpartner, we alternate spending christmas eve as christmas day at one parent each year.

We don’t really do anything specia, the day is special enough with all the anticipation of Christmas Day. For once both my husband and I will have the day off to spend with our boys so I think it would be nice to spend it together watching Christmas films.

We generally go to visit my Gran on Christmas Eve, then go to the supermarket for any last minute bargains, and some lunch maybe, then home to sing carols round the village tree. Usually pop into the pub for a couple of drinks then off to my parents with DC. I always read DC The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve we all go round to my mum and dad’s my husband and 2 daughters and my sister her husband and kids. We then have a nice meal together before settling down to a games night before the kids leave out there snack and drink for Santa before bed. We then all get up together in the morning so the children can open their presents

We have an "open house" on Christmas Eve.
Between 12/5 friends and family can call in and have a drink and some nibbles and catch up!

It's great as people can come and go as they please and it gets different people speaking to each other.

It's compulsory to wear a Christmas jumper, and there's always mulled wine for the adults, and a hot chocolate decorating station for the kids!

Food is a big buffet with pigs in blankets with cranberry dip, homemade mince pies, and lots of other treats.

After that, it's into pjs for a movie before the big day.

This is our first Xmas with our little boy who will be 11 months, so wish me luck!!!! 

We try and have a family day of just relaxing and watching films , listening to music and an early night!

I go around to my Aunt's house with my nan.
We set the table for the next day.
We cook the meat. Peel the veg and put them in water.

I normally cook a spag bowl for those who are there.

We wrap any last bits, put together any toys, put batteries in etc....

Eat chocolate and sort presents into piles for the next morning

This year we have a Santa visit booked. Normally a special dinner of the kids choice then a movie and bed.

We decorate a gingerbread house, watch a Christmas film, go for a walk as it first gets dark and look at outdoor Christmas decorations locally, then put out milk, shloer, a biscuit and a carrot before bed.

If I’m not working then it goes along the lines of Long walk with the dog.

Fire lit and Christmas films in the early evening
Something yummy for dinner.
DC in bed
Operation Santa!!!

We watch a Christmas film as a family. Once the kids are in bed my husband and I exchange one gift and have a small glass

We go and see the Christmas lights - a nearby road, loads of the houses do really elaborate lights and collect for charities. It's so Christmassy, we love it. Then home for cuddles, Christmas films and hot chocolate, followed by a treasure hunt where the kids have to find notes from FC and at the final clue there are matching Christmas PJs for them both and a note reminding them to leave a mince pie and a carrot out! Once they're tucked up in bed we wrap presents and drink wine- bliss!

We have the day together doing nice things. I try and have all the Xmas chore done before Christmas Eve so we can watch films and go for nice walks. I love Christmas Eve.

I think DS (27 months) will start to understand the Christmas excitement this year, so we might start some proper traditions- watching the Snowman and leaving out mince pies on a special festive plate for a start. Hopefully he doesn’t follow me and my siblings example and get up at 3am!

Last few years my daughter has been a 'panto babe' in the local panto...We watch her perform in the afternoon, go to McDs on the wya home for tea (and treat them to a McFlurry for dessert which they are not normally allowed) and then go home to get ready and watch a film....

Its a day for prepping for Christmas dinner. N the evening we have a nice meal watch TV and then finally midnight mass before bed

We try to follow this schedule:

Get up
Make sure everything is prepped for Xmas day
Go for nice long walk
Drop off presents to people nearby who we won't be spending the day with such as friends and their children
Come home and put some Christmas music on and make mince pies
Go to church
Come back and have bubble bath (not too long though)
Jammies on, Christmas film on (either Elf, Santa Who, Love Actually or Deck The Halls). Also have mince pies made earlier with some wine (none for me as I'm pregnant).
Put DD to bed (she's only 18mo so won't be too difficult).
Last minute packing/arranging and then off to bed with us (normally after 12am to see if we can hear Santa ).

In future, we'll leave carrot and milk out for Santa and his reindeers

We usually go for a good long walk in the woods, in anticipation of being home for the next few days.

There's a place we go that is quite normal but quite magical, steeped in local history and in Christmas Eve it's so quiet, like we're the only people in the woods. We often stop somewhere for a hot chocolate and head home for a Christmas movie and some last minute prep. Then we open a bottle, get Christmas music on and start the bedtime Christmas rituals, stockings, a mince pie for Santa and Christmas pjs. Heaven.

We track Father Christmas on NORAD, watch Christmas films, bake treats for his imminent arrival and go out for a walk after tea to see if we can spot the sleigh in the sky, at which point we rush home for a bath and a story of "The Night before Christmas" before bed!