What are your Christmas-Eve rituals?

[DarcyB]

I'd love to hear what you do for Christmas Eve!

[Mom2J112903]

Since Christmas 1999 DH and I (he was only my b/f at that time) have went out Christmas Light sight-seeing. Haven't missed a year yet, even the year J was born and J was 3wks on Christmas Eve. He stayed with Me-Maw that night ;)

 

My Mom started making chicken-cordon-blue (or however you spell it) when DH and I started dating for Christmas Eve dinner. We adopted that tradition when we were married.

 

J gets a new pair of Christmas PJs every year, he does not wear them until Christmas Eve and will wear them on our sight-seeing excursion.

 

So, DH will come home at 5p, I will have dinner ready and then we will go out for a few hours. When we get home, J will go to bed and Mrs Claus will wrap *everything*.

 

ETA-Santa will watch Mrs Claus try to get everything wrapped and under the tree before 2am while he watches "A Christmas Carol"

Edited December 22, 2010 by Mom2J112903

[AlmiraGulch]

My parents married 53 years ago in August. They wanted to have a Christmas party but didn't really have any money, so they invited over all of their friends and served White Castles and champagne.

 

They've done it every year now for 53 years, and I've continued the tradition with my family.

[BeckyFL]

We usually go to Christmas Eve service and then have a party here with various friends/family. I serve appetizers, cookies, etc. We light the fire, read the Christmas story and fellowship with friends.

[Jennifer in MI]

First of all, we have a TON of relatives here for the holidays. We go to church at 4 pm for the pageant. Come home and make pizzas. (Before family used to visit, this was the one time/year we ordered pizza out! But, when family started coming, we didn't want to order dinner - so now, I pre-make the crusts and sauce and set out a TON of toppings and we all make our own pizzas.)

 

Kids open 2 presents - new pjs (gotta look good for pictures the next day!), and an ornament. Some leave for the late service at church.

 

The rest of us fill stockings and drink wine!!!

[Michelle in AL]

We do a new puzzle during the day, go to church service at night and then to a family of friends for the evening.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Go to either my IL or my SILs for the extended family Christmas feast. Eat a pig (or pig's head) as part of it - Filipino tradition. All grandkids have to put on a show for the adults. Ds and dd have been practicing for months. Ds is playing Ode to Joy on his guitar and dd is play Jingle Bells on the piano. The other cousins usually do some kind of funny skit. Watch an animated movie together. Give each other presents - just between the extended family members - our own family presents will be for Christmas morning.

[Heather in Neverland]

We ALWAYS watch "It's a Wonderful Life". :D

[Jen in PA]

I will count this as a tradition because this will be our second year and I intend to keep it up indefinitely. I make a scrapbook of the entire year for each child to open on Christmas Eve and we spend time oohing and ahhing over each picture, pamphlet, ticket stub, and theater program and reminiscing. I thought this would be a nice way to get the kids in a frame of mind that emphasizes the wonderful experiences of the year and takes some of the focus off of presents..... I was so overwhelmed by how much they loved their scrapbooks last year. We look at them frequently, and I have really enjoyed putting together the ones for this year even though I am not at all into scrapbooking in general. This year we are adding in the new pajamas -- I will have them open and put on their new jammies, then we will sit and look through the scrapbooks.

[Desert Rat]

I try not to kill my in-laws.

 

Okay, really we open up a gift each-freshly laundered pajamas. We read a couple Christmas books. And we do have dinner with my in-laws. Some years are good. Some, not so good. This year I'm betting on the later.

I have a terrible cold and will be sipping on orange juice (with a bit of medicinal vodka). The OJ should help the evening. :)

[ChristusG]

Ever since I was born we go out to my grandparents house to do Christmas Eve. First we go to our church's Christmas Eve service (outdoors, candlelight, hot chocolate, cookies, snow in Florida). Then we head to my grandparents who live about 15 or 20 minutes away. We eat dinner there. My maternal grandparents, my parents, my two sisters, my family, my aunt, uncle, and cousins are all there. Then we all open the gifts that we have for each other.

[Dawn in OH]

We have loaded nachos and mexican hot chocolate for dinner. This year we will be decorating the tree. We are running late with that. And for the 2nd year we will watch The Hogfather.

 

We will get the kids to bed and my husband and I will wrap presents and watch a movie.

[Amy loves Bud]

Christmas shopping. We don't necessarily buy anything, but Bud likes to "get out in it" on Christmas Eve. :001_huh:

 

Deliver reindeer food to the neighbors.

 

Big Christmas meal in the evening.

 

Christmas carols, roaring fire, hot chocolate.

 

Everyone gets to open one gift (pajamas).

 

Send the kids to bed and have a nice glass of wine.

 

Can't wait! :D

 

ETA: Before the wine we fill the stockings and put the Santa gifts out. Pretty key piece of the evening!

Edited December 23, 2010 by Amy loves Bud

[RainbowSprinkles]

My dc get to unwrap one gift each on Christmas Eve - and it's always a new pair of pj's to wear that night. I always wash them before I wrap them :)

[JoyfulMama]

Dh goes shopping (sigh). I do any last minute cleaning/packing. Nice dinner at our house with my beautiful Spode Christmas Tree dishes. Church. Hang stockings, cookies for dessert. Christmas story reading. Bedtime for children.

Dh disappears for a while to wrap gifts, after asking separately for scissors, tape, wrapping paper (which are all in the same box). Meanwhile I nibble on cookies and finish any wrapping. We stuff stockings, gaze at the lights on the tree, and make sure a camera is charging before going to bed. I lay one item (unwrapped) on each child's pillow as I check on them for the night. Oh, and dh barricades the steps - he wants to be downstairs first, with camera in hand.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Sledding or skating if possible during the day (this ensures no one has trouble falling asleep)

chili for dinner

early church for whole family

Charlie Brown with cookies&cocoa and bed for the under 10 crowd

midnight church service for teens and mom

hopefully to bed when home if I've gotten things wrapped, which happens maybe 1 year out of 4

[Rosie_0801]

To shout (in fun) at my sister when she whinges about us watching The Muppets Christmas carol AGAIN. And shout at Dad too if he dares to say the same :tongue_smilie:

 

Watching the Muppets Christmas Carol is the right and true path to Christmas Eve-ness at our place :)

 

Rosie- "It's Marley and Marley, wOOOOOOO!"

[Classical Country Mama]

We ALWAYS watch "It's a Wonderful Life". :D

 

Ooooo! Wishing the boards had a "Like" button.

 

Think I'll steal that one. Thanks!

[littlebug42]

Watching the Muppets Christmas Carol is the right and true path to Christmas Eve-ness at our place :)

 

Rosie- "It's Marley and Marley, wOOOOOOO!"

 

My family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. We are there during the day and then come home, get in Christmas jammies and watch Muppet Christmas Carol. We have done it every year since Sweet-Pea was born. It is our tradition and I love it. Some years I have to work Christmas Eve but I am off this year and looking forward to it all even more.

[Rosy]

Usually we clean the house, have our big dinner, then get dressed up and go to our church's candlelight service. Then we come home, the kids go to bed and I stuff stockings, wrap presents, and arrange them under the tree.

 

This year we'll clean in the morning, but we're not doing the big dinner because DD5 is singing a solo in the candlelight service! :) And I've already stuffed the stockings and wrapped presents.

[In the Rain]

We always have the noodle dish that dh's sis served us on the first Christmas Eve of married life. We go to candlelight service at church, and then the kids open one gift.

[mcconnellboys]

We have dinner together somewhere, attend our church's Christmas Eve service, then come home and open our presents to each other, videotape the opening, call family, watch some Christmas shows on TV and try to get the kids in bed at a decent hour so that Santa can finish up and get some sleep, too....

[lmrich]

My son and my dad have played golf together for the last four years. I am so glad they have that special time. Also new, the kids exchange their gifts with each other. We decorate cookies, have a huge brunch, go to church, watch Elf, read The Polar Express, The Christmas story in Luke, eat cookies and set up the tree to look pretty - watch It's a Wonderful Life when the kids are quiet.

[fhjmom]

We have two Christmas Eve services at 5 & 7 o'clock. We attend both since DH and I coordinate our accessibility ministry and our CART provider does both services. We also have an ASL interpreter for both services and DH and I are there to hand out assisted listening devices. This year DH, who is in the interpreter training program at a local college and just finished ASL III, is going to interpret "O Holy Night" sung by a dear friend of ours. He sings every Christmas Eve and hearing him sing is one of those things that "makes it Christmas" for me. His is every bit as talented as any professional Christian artist I have heard.

 

After church, we drive around a little and look at lights then head home to watch "It's A Wonderful Life". The kids fall asleep and we fill stockings and put out Santa gifts. I also usually prepare a breakfast casserole so it is ready to pop in the oven first thing in the morning.

[Lady Florida.]

We have finger foods for dinner, and as long as it isn't cold, we get on our bicycles and ride around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights and decorations. If it's cold, we go in the car. When we come home, we turn on the tv and start watching the marathon of A Christmas Story. We don't actually sit down and watch, but we like it on in the background as we get ready for Christmas day (final gift wrapping, etc.).

[Laurie4b]

Christmas Eve service ( I direct the drama every year) , pot roast for our family, and I bake cinnamon buns (or sticky buns as my grandmother called them) for Christmas morning for our family and our next door neighbors.

[Denisemomof4]

My parents married 53 years ago in August. They wanted to have a Christmas party but didn't really have any money, so they invited over all of their friends and served White Castles and champagne.

 

They've done it every year now for 53 years, and I've continued the tradition with my family.

 

that's EXCELLENT!!! Do you have White Castles in GA, or do you buy them frozen?

 

I got lost in the Bronx a few months back trying to find White Castles. My friend strongly warned me to STAY OUT OF THE BRONX while I was driving my brand new SUV. I didn't listen, and ds and I were pretty freaked out. The GPS either didn't do a great job that day or I was too freaked out and missed a few turns. :001_huh: Oh well, we made it out alive.

:lol:

 

We always went to my parents around noon on Christmas Eve and got home waaaaaaaay after midnight. Then I'd wrap and stuff stockings. I usually got to bed by 3:00 - 4:00 a.m. and dd11 (now) would be up between 6:00 and 7:00. I always thought it was such a pain and now I miss it so much. :crying:

 

Our new tradition is to have a wonderful, fancy meal and relax and watch some good movies. I will be in bed at a decent time this year.

[Rivka]

We go to the short early family service at church. This is my last year directing the Christmas pageant! I never have to do that again!

 

After the service we'll stay for the potluck that's held in between the family service and the general service. We'll eat really good food and talk with friends while our kids run around being excited. Then we'll take them home, have them ceremoniously re-hang their stockings, and put them to bed.

 

My husband and I will bring out the presents and fill the stockings. Then we'll sit on the couch with the lights off and the tree lit, and drink a glass of wine.

[Tree House Academy]

Each year is different in our family. I always go to the candelight service at church. If ds11 is home (and not with his dad), then he goes with me. It is one of his favorite things to do at Christmas (and mine too). This year, he is with his dad.

 

Some years, my mom comes to stay with us. She is not here this year.

 

We usually let the kids open one gift on Christmas eve, but ds7 already opened his pjs this year...so that won't be happening. We are, however, getting our wood stove put in this year on Christmas Eve!!! :) We will make fudge, watch a Christmas movie (which we tend to do all season anyway), then off to bed for the kids.

 

Santa comes

 

Santa goes to bed

 

In the wee hours of the morning, Santa has to wake up and be tired the rest of the day!

[HSMom2One]

I grew up having a smorgasbord type of dinner with lots of finger foods and clam chowder. My husband loved this tradition so much when we married that we have carried it on with the addition of more seafood, especially shrimp cocktails.

 

We also go to a candlelight church service, and that is my favorite part. After church we come home to eat, play games and open gifts. This year we are sharing Christmas Eve with another family that we have become very close to, and it should be a lot of fun.

 

Blessings to all, and to all a good night!!

Lucinda

[nmoira]

Nice but simple dinner, kids to bed at the normal time after hot cocoa and Mr. Bean's Christmas, and setting out Santa's plate. DH and I wrap the gifts, stuff the stockings, and break out the wine and cheese after finishing Santa's beer.

[Homeschooling6]

We have a Polar Express day. I read the story, we watch the movie, I make tickets and once the movie is over they hand their tickets in for some hot chocolate and cookies. I usually have my Mrs. Santa apron on. This year we moved and I haven't found my apron :(

 

After the children are in bed my husband and I wrap all the gifts and put them under the tree. We fill the stocking too. My dh tells me I'm a good mama to our children and thanks me for all I do to make CHRISTmas special.

[Sarah CB]

We usually just have appies and finger food for dinner. We go to the Christmas Eve service at our church, and this will be the third year that our boys will play a strings duet at the service. Then we come back, read together, put the kids to bed and spend a couple of hours talking, having a glass of wine, stuffing stockings and doing any last minute wrapping.

[Tap]

Pizza diner with dh's father, and that side of the family. It started when my dh's parents split up in the 80's....so this tradition has gone on for over 20 years.

 

Before we leave, we let our kids exchange their gifts to one another.

 

I was raised opening presents on Christmas Eve, and dh on the Day, so this was a good compromise that works out nice for all of us.

 

Dh sleeps on the couch while I do all the assembly of gifts and Santa chores. Holiday weeks are crazy for his job, and by the time the holiday gets here, he is exhausted.

[RainbowSprinkles]

I will count this as a tradition because this will be our second year and I intend to keep it up indefinitely. I make a scrapbook of the entire year for each child to open on Christmas Eve and we spend time oohing and ahhing over each picture, pamphlet, ticket stub, and theater program and reminiscing. I thought this would be a nice way to get the kids in a frame of mind that emphasizes the wonderful experiences of the year and takes some of the focus off of presents..... I was so overwhelmed by how much they loved their scrapbooks last year. We look at them frequently, and I have really enjoyed putting together the ones for this year even though I am not at all into scrapbooking in general. This year we are adding in the new pajamas -- I will have them open and put on their new jammies, then we will sit and look through the scrapbooks.

 

I absolutely love this idea! :)

[EmilyK]

My mother's family is from a part of Germany where presents were opened on Christmas eve. In her growing up the tree was decorated then by the adults (with candles -- yikes) and it was part of the big surprise. So growing up that was our big day. We went to the Nutcracker then out to dinner then did presents. Christmas Day was extended family, but no celebration in my family at home.

 

My husband thinks this is nuts, so we do most presents Christmas Day, but we do Christmas presents (and an appetizer supper) with my parents Christmas eve after my younger son sings at a service.

 

Then I stay up late wrapping presents after everyone else is in bed but that's another story.

[Mrs Mungo]

Our non-changing traditions include making cookies, watching Christmas movies and unwrapping new PJs.

 

Other traditions vary according to where we live. Our current church has a Christmas Eve service that we will attend. After we get home we walk around the neighborhood and look at Christmas lights.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

We wind up our Advent devotions.

 

My daughter always has her pic with Santa on Christmas Eve. We usually go out to lunch afterward then it's home.

 

We spend the rest of the day decorating the tree, cooking, baking, and getting ready for The Day.

 

We make sure everythign is in place as a family then my daughter goes to bed VERY early. We finish up last minute wrapping, et c and usually watch a movie.

 

Hit the sack and . . .

[Mom in High Heels]

We eat a simple dinner (appetizers or ordered Chinese-yummy), watch a Christmas show (Rudolph, etc), put out cookies and milk for Santa and reindeer food and then put Indy to bed. After he goes to bed, James Bond and I watch Holiday Inn (BEST.CHRISTMAS.MOVIE.EVER.) while I wrap the Santa gifts (Santa only brings 3 gifts and wraps in plain red paper with white ribbon). After the movie, JB and I turn off all the lights except the tree and just cuddle on the sofa for a while looking at them before going to bed. Oh, and we eat some cookies and drink milk.

[cin]

I try not to kill my in-laws.

 

I have a terrible cold and will be sipping on orange juice (with a bit of medicinal vodka). The OJ should help the evening. :)

 

 

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

[cin]

We go to the Family Christmas Eve Service and then out for Chinese. That tradition started one year when the power went out. The roast in the crockpot didn't cook and we were stranded after the service (around 6:30 pm) on Christmas Eve with HUNGRY kids. The local Chinese restaurant was the only thing open! This year, we had an invite to a friends' Christmas Party, but the kids wanted Hong Kong Wok. Over their friends! I guess that means it's a TRADITION!

[AnitaMcC]

Christmas Eve during the day Dh takes the kids out shopping for my gifts.

 

Throughout the day we do lots of things....make a birthday cake for Jesus, bake more Christmas cookies, clean house.

 

Christmas Eve evening:

-Have dinner (just whatever... no tradition of what for dinner).

-Everyone open PJ present and get dressed in them.

-Call Dh's parents (they live in NY, we live in IL) and while on phone we would open the gifts sent from them. Often it is a guessing game of what presents go to whom... MIL often forgot to put tags on gifts (so she is on the phone guiding us with it all) -LOL. This year, they sent money as it just got too hard for them to do the shopping and shipping it all (for 10 people... Dh, me, friend, niece, two nephews, four grandkids).

-After presents, we would read "The First Christmas" story about Jesus' birth.

-Make hot cocoa, eat Christmas cookies and watch Christmas movies.

-Kids set out milk and cookies for Santa.

-Kids go to bed

-Me do a marathon of wrapping presents (niece started helping me when she was about 16, and Dh started helping a few years ago). We eat/drink more candy and hot cocoa. Dh does whatever... sometimes he helps, sometimes he gets in the way.

-Santas (me, Dh, Dd, niece) deliver presents and fill stockings, drink the milk and cookies kids left for Santa, Santa leaves a thank you note.

-Santas go to bed.

 

Christmas Day:

-Kids would wake up, get their stockings. The kids actually are very good about not waking everyone up. They usually are content to play with/eat whatever is in their stockings.

-While Dh cooks breakfast, kids open one gift.

-We eat breakfast

-Kids and I get ready for church and go to Christmas Mass around 11am, Dh starts cooking the turkey/ham.

-Get home after mass, we open presents and the rest of the day is whatever we feel like doing until dinner (around 4pm).

-After dinner we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and have birthday cake and icecream.

-Throughout the day we are talking to family on phone (Dh's family in NY, my family in IN and FL).

 

-My sister lives in a nursing home. When possible we have her here for the day, (she is doing awesome the last few years and is actually getting ready to move into assisted living in Feb). So niece and her fiance are picking up her mom in the morning and they all will be here for Christmas morning. Then they will head over to fiance house to be with his family in afternoon and then come back over here in evening. Nephews will take their mom back to nursing home around 8pm.

 

A change this year:

-Since Dh family aren't sending gifts for us to open this year... I am planning to take the kids to Christmas Eve Mass at 4:30pm instead of Christmas Day Mass. Everything else will probably go on as usual.

Edited December 23, 2010 by AnitaMcC

[TravelingChris]

We have our main celebration on Christmas Eve. Depending on where we live and when services are (here we have to find another church to go to since ours doesn't have a CHristmas Eve service), we do the following in some order= look for the First Star (children), special dinner, Church, presents. Our dinner is soup, sole or flounder, kasha with mushrooms, sweet and sour cabbage, borscht, and for dessert, an apricot and prune compot and then cookies and candy.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Since before I was born, one of my aunts hosted Christmas Eve at her house. She made the same food every year- standing rib roast, lasagna, ham, scalloped potatoes and green salad. We sat around her living room in front of the fire, listening to Christmas carols and opening small gifts from one another. Then, once the alcohol kicked in, people started getting loud and drowned out the Christmas carols! :lol:

 

Now, that aunt is too old to host, so we go to another aunt's house. We eat- not the same menu every year, we chit chat, we don't really do presents for everyone anymore- but, the best part is the dice game:

 

Each person brings 5 small wrapped items worth $1.00 and they are put in a huge pile in the middle of the floor. We all sit in a circle around the pile, and pass pie tins with dice in them. When you roll doubles, you get to take a gift and set it on the floor in front of you. When all the gifts are gone, we set a timer for 5 minutes. If you roll doubles, you get to steal a gift from someone else. Then, when it's all over, everyone unwraps the gifts and the trading begins! It's really fun. Usually, there is one gift that looks interesting from the wrapping, and everyone is "fighting"over it, and it turns out to be something silly like a pack of kleenex or something. One year, my aunt wrapped a framed 8X10 of herself, and that was the hot item. You should have seen the look on her great-nephew's face when he opened it!

[hsmamainva]

We buy new pajamas every year, too. So everyone puts on their new pajamas and we play a new board game. Each year, the game is different. This year, we're playing Yahtzee because it's easy enough for the youngest to play.

 

We eat pizza and shrimp and other finger dishes.

 

My oldest three then help to put out the presents after my youngest goes to bed and they can pick one present to open that night.

 

Nothing fancy or spectacular but my kids love it.

 

Oh...and we always track Santa at Norad!

 

http://www.noradsanta.org/

[Skadi]

I guess you could say this is what an Atheist Christmas Eve looks like. ;) For dinner, we usually have a Victorian inspired menu, with bouillon broth, quail or duck, potatoes a la maitre d'hotel, and fruitcake. We make Glühwein, and even the kids are allowed a small glass. Then we finish reading A Christmas Carol aloud before bed.

 

We don't do Santa Claus in our house, but we do fill the stockings before Christmas morning (the kids know we're the ones who do it, but it's a nice surprise to see extra gifts in the morning regardless).

[Mom in High Heels]

My mother's family is from a part of Germany where presents were opened on Christmas eve. In her growing up the tree was decorated then by the adults (with candles -- yikes)

 

LOL! Every year I see the candle clips for sale at the German stores and think wow, that would NEVER go over in America!

The trees they use over here aren't full trees like Americans use though, so there's loads of space between the branches. I personally think they're beautiful trees and would love to get one but James Bond says no (he can be such a humbug). For the record, I use the electric candles on my tree. ;)

 

We went down to the Christmas market (a huge tradition) and my mom and step-dad were freaking out over all the real candles burning at the stalls and in stores. Even at other times of the year there are candles burning in a lot of stores or in lanterns outside the door.

 

One of our dogs had to go to the (German) vet today for some tests and James Bond asked the receptionist what day it was and he said she looked at him like he was crazy and said "The day before Christmas!" I think it's funny that they do most of their celebrating on Christmas Eve, but it makes for a laid back Christmas day. Our German friends go to church at night on Christmas Eve and when they come home Santa and his elves have decorated the tree and left gifts.

[AlmiraGulch]

that's EXCELLENT!!! Do you have White Castles in GA, or do you buy them frozen?

 

I got lost in the Bronx a few months back trying to find White Castles. My friend strongly warned me to STAY OUT OF THE BRONX while I was driving my brand new SUV. I didn't listen, and ds and I were pretty freaked out. The GPS either didn't do a great job that day or I was too freaked out and missed a few turns. :001_huh: Oh well, we made it out alive.

:lol:

 

.

 

I have to buy them frozen, unfortunately, but frozen Castles are better than no Castles!

 

I don't blame you for driving through the Bronx looking for them. I would. BUT....i did go through a WC drive-thru in Brooklyn once and when I bit into them they had KETCHUP on them. :ack2: That's just wrong! I actually turned around and took them back to get some normal ones with no ketchup.

[zookeeperof3]

My husband cooks for 4-5 hours on Christmas Eve. We do the traditional Italian 12 fishes dinner at my inlaws house. The rest of us go to mass while dh cooks. Then, we go home, put out cookies, wine ( Santa is lactose intolerant), carrots & salt. Kids go to bed, while we drink wine and put out the gifts, leave reindeer tracks outside etc.

Kim

[Farrar]

The kids get new PJ's. We go to church. We have a huge spread of food buffet style. We all open one present from under the tree. And... most stressfully... everyone is responsible for providing entertainment in the form of something - singing a song, playing an instrument, choreographing a ballet (no, really).