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

After all the stress of organising Christmas, kids work etc, me and dp go to McDonald's and order £30 worth for just us. It's our tradition!

I love Christmas Eve.

We usually go and see a panto on the evening but this year have an afternoon showing. Then we will maybe have a walk somewhere.

We do food prep for Christmas Day, have a buffet or a Chinese takeaway early in the evening and then drink mulled wine or Baileys while wrapping and making sure the presents are all in order. Sometimes we have friends round for a quick drink.

Excited!

We usually have a chilled day, watching Christmas films together, bit of Christmas dinner prep. Then at bedtime we will sprinkle 'reindeer food' outside and leave Santa a drink and a cookie, new pjs on and early night for the kids

We go to see Santa on the local train in the morning, leaving the rest of the day free for a gentle Christmas build up. It helps that the kids are currently 1 and 4 so we're just starting out with our family traditions. And I try to sneak off to Midnight Mass, much easier now I'm no longer at the mercy of a breastfeeding baby!

We watch a Xmas movie as a family and stock up on lots of snacks to eat and share on the day.

We used to go out to friends but life is so hectic now the children are older we use the day to clean the house and prepare for Christmas Day before a buffet meal together and then a Christmas movie.

Have to watch Love Actually - our favourite Christmas film. Usually whilst wrapping last minute! I like to do the same traditional things with my DCs that I did as a child - last part of the ritual is reading The Night Before Christmas by candlelight.

I have always loved Christmas Eve MORE than the day itself, it is the anticipation. I always get mega excited cannot wait for people to see the gifts I have got them. Funny enough I hate getting gifts myself, I really am not bothered about them. The day itself is such a laborious chore for women, spend the whole day sweating in the kitchen from crack of dawn till midnight constantly feeding and clearing up after everyone. The eve is much better for me watch Muppet Christmas Carol with a tub of chocs on my lap, singing along.

Up super early for a long walk in the woods to try and get them tired for the evening :-) then hot chocolate with best friends to exchange gifts for the morning. Then off to grandmas to peel the veg for Xmas lunch. Back home for movies and sweets (kids) and wine (mum) and G&T (dad) and hopefully off to bed at a reasonable hour.

Think I’m working during the day. In the evening we put out a carrot for Rudolph & a glass of something with a mince pie for Santa. We used to sprinkle reindeer food on the doorstep but have recently learnt that you shouldn’t use any with glitter in. DH & I finish prepping the veg for the big day. We’ll probably watch a family movie with popcorn 🍿 & I like to see the carols from the cathedral.

My husband takes the children to Christmas Eve mass ; even kids who've never grown up going to church love the Nativity, carols and coziness . Ido last bits, take a long shower and whip up bit of a spread whilst they're out, but I might just send them to maccie D's to prolong my couple of hours 'me time's, so that I'm ready to full pelt again !

This year we are going to see Father Christmas at a local children’s farm (probably for the last time as the children are 8 and 6), then milk and cookies, Christmas film and early bed with the children. Looking forward to it 🎄🙏🎅🏻

I do a coke ham and baking with the DC. They are way too old for Father Christmas now but we still make festive rocky road with ginger nuts to leave out. I also make a baked lemon cheesecake for Christmas Day as no one likes dried fruit.

OH takes DC out in the afternoon to visit his elderly aunts and deliver them flowers while I potter in peace doing last minute bits, then they bring chip shop chips home to have with eggs and the coke ham.

We have Christmas dinner-i work in hospitality and have to work all over Christmas but we are shut Christmas eve so my parents come over and we have Christmas dinner. Then go to the crib service. Home, baths, new pjs and a film. Then read the night before Christmas (even 14 year old dd comes in to listen), then the waiting game to do the stockings.

Go somewhere nice to see Santa during the day. In the evening we go to a Christingle service then have picky tea while watching a Christmas movie. Then once the kids are asleep me & dh have a drink while sorting the presents out.

I love Christmas Eve as much as I love Christmas Day, but I do sometimes miss the days when I used to meet my friends at lunchtime and then just start drinking. That was fun!

I'll be at work. At McDonald's. Least I get Christmas day off.

we get together with family, have some food, watch a Christmas film, the children play & get Christmas pyjamas, this all leaves them warm out so they go straight to sleep ready for Santa’s visit! nothing beats family time at Christmas!

Usually a walk into town to see the Christmas lights and get us in a Christmassy mood and a hot chocolate and a nice lunch. Then home to watch Christmas movies and eat. Then stockings up, Santa’s milk cookie and Rudolph’s carrot 🥕 before the kids go up to bed.
It’s usually lovely and relaxing can’t wait for this year with us all together.

Christmas Eve is my birthday, and usually it's spent doing last minute preparations, visits to drop gifts, shopping for vegetables, decorating the tree and if I'm lucky I get to drag everyone round the woods for a walk.

Last year was spent on a hospital put you up bed on a children's ward, with a very mentally disturbed child (not mine). At 3 am Christmas Eve morning she looked over at me and said "I'm sorry I just wanted to spend your birthday with you" I was cold, exhausted, sleep deprived. It messed up my birthday and Christmas grrrrrr but I shall always have fond memories of this child. She'd had the worst life you can imagine and yet she retained this naive will to happiness, hope and a sense of humour. I don't work with her now, but I remember many hours talking about her future and encouraging her recovery, spent in MacDonalds. For her these regular outings offered a sense of normality, freedom, some independence.

I can't go to MacDonalds without wondering how she is now. I miss the caramel lattes!

We have a family day usually snuggled up watching Christmas films eating chocolate. It has become a bit of a tradition to follow this my some sort of take away

We watch Christmas films, or Episodes of Christmas specials, I prep bits for Christmas dinner whilst listening to Christmas music and we track santa. Did this before having kids and will continue to do so now we have DD, expect we will now leave cookies and beer out for santa as well. And we always have a Christmas Eve KFC apart from the one year they sold out of chicken!

Drive 80 miles to remote rural location and elderly parents house with reluctant and slightly resentful teenagers.

On arrival, makes beds and put some heat on in baltic guest rooms.

Thereafter get stuck in to utter chaos in the kitchen to start peeling and preparing everything for Christmas Day.
Then cook evening meal.
Then wish that I'd brought my thermal underwear.
Then wish that I'd brought more alcohol.
Try not to kill my elderly parents.
Try not to kill my children.
Eventually over-tired, peeled, basted and par-boiled out, crawl into a cold, slightly damp feeling bed and pray for oblivion and the strength to survive Christmas Day.

The nearest McDonald's is an hours' drive away so the thought of "popping in" for reindeer treat carrots (whatever they are) seems slightly ludicrous!

Christmas Eve is a working day for me as I'm a vicar. The morning is spent sorting out the last minute bits of family Christmas the. In the afternoon it is the crib service which is fabulous festive mayhem. Then back home for a family meal which is lots of takeaway stuff as everyone has run out of energy. I put on the alarm so that I don't fall asleep in front of the telly as I'm taking midnight mass. The first service of Christmas is very special and then home for a restorative glass of festive something before setting the alarm for the morning services.

Every Christmas Eve, without fail we have roast gammon. We did it as a kid in my family home and I have carried on the tradition. These days, Christmas Eve is my Mum's night to have us so we have gammon round hers.

We don't do any presents on Christmas Eve, though I have been trying to persuade my other half to let us all have one present on Christmas Eve for years... I'm yet to win that one :)

Go to the Children's Carol Service in the afternoon with my children. Last year my parents put on a cooked breakfast to keep us all going as they do a lot of cooking and help at the Midnight Communion, as does DH. While they are out in the evening I do the stockings and have a couple of drinks while watching the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special, the Father Ted one and stuff like that.