Whats your Christmas Eve routine?

[thelittlemermaid83]

Thought it be nice to share what we get up to on Christmas Eve, mine isn't that exciting but here goes...

Every Christmas since DD was born I have spent Christmas at my parents, last year was lots of fun as DD was properly into Christmas and knew what was going to happen etc.

I don't go to my mums till around 2-3ish, where we make sausage rolls etc for Christmas Day and then when it starts to get dark my Dad will take me and Kyra for a drive looking at everyone's Christmas lights. (DD is obsessed with Christmas decorations ) Its then time to find a film to watch on tv, last year we watched Toy Story 2 and have some dinner, we are having curry for dinner again this year. Kyra then leaves out her mince pie, beer (dads idea ) for Santa and a carrot for the raindeers and puts her Santa Key under the mat outside the back door, we then track Santa for a little while and then I take her to bed.

Then when I know DD is asleep thats when I get to work, I put together anything that has to be assembled, if my Mum hasn't had to time to wrap some presents I will do that for (not including my own) and then all try and arrange them around the tree. Mum then makes Santa footprints from the backdoor to the living room while Dad gets merry on the beer

I will make my usual phone to my best friend where we will giggle like teenagers and promise to ring each other on Christmas day so we can laugh about the joke presents we buy each other lol. I will probably not sleep as I'm too excited plus i have to top and tail with Kyra in the single bed which isn't always comfortable

I can't wait! Really excited about Christmas this year

 

[tennisfan]

We always have Christmas at home as my nan used to come over Xmas eve & go home the day after Boxing day. Last year she passed away so it was just me, mum & dad as my sister had Christmas at there house with her In laws.

We always cook the turkey & the ham on Christmas eve & prepare all the veg for the next day. Then in the evening we have a chinese for dinner.

This year is the 1st Christmas eve in a while i'm not working (I got lucky with who they crewed me up with at work) I will be cooking the dinner again this year but instead of it being for 3 & a dog, it going to be for 5 adults & 2 children I plan to make a Yule log on the weekend before as I finish nights then & have got the menu planned for Christmas day. All the snacky bits like sausage rolls etc will be cooked on Christmas eve to free up some time.

My mum will wrap any presents that need doing, if I have any left I palm them out to my mum & dad to do as I hate wrapping.

My sister, BIL & the kids will be coming over Xmas eve so we may take my niece out in the car to look at the lights in Wigmore, she will be leaving Santa & the reindeer some food which my dad will have to eat

My niece is at an age where she knows what is going on which is great, my nephew is still a bit too young

I would say I finish up the evening by watching the best Christmas film ever made: Muppets Christmas Carol but its my christmas present so have to wait, unless its on Sky before hand.

Also this year we are going to have to sort the presents out in the evening after the kids go to bed as we usually do this on Christmas morning but as this is the 1st year my sister has stayed over on Christmas eve we have to adjust

 

[wideeyes]

I will be at my parents taking gifts around and collecting gifts, then at home will watch our Disney christamd DVDs which we have watched every year since dd was 3. We also have a glass of champaign. My sister used to come around however she works christmas eve now. Santa gets a mince pie and a glass of Baileys here

 

[joolz1910]

We settle the kids down in their pyjamas and then tuck in to Domino's pizza while watching A Christmas Carol. The kids then sprinkle reindeer food on the back garden (bird food and glitter) and we hang up the stockings. They leave a carrot for Rudolph and a mince pie and Baileys for Santa. Then it's off to bed. Last year we tracked Santa's progress online too.

How do people do Santa's footprints? I might do that this year.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

we may take my niece out in the car to look at the lights in Wigmore

I don't think they are all lit up anymore (well like they used to be), my Dad drove around that way with us last Christmas and 3 houses had lights up. Kyra was not impressed, she expected Medways version of the Osbourne lights

We settle the kids down in their pyjamas and then tuck in to Domino's pizza while watching A Christmas Carol. The kids then sprinkle reindeer food on the back garden (bird food and glitter) and we hang up the stockings. They leave a carrot for Rudolph and a mince pie and Baileys for Santa. Then it's off to bed. Last year we tracked Santa's progress online too.

How do people do Santa's footprints? I might do that this year.

Raindeer food? What is that?

My mum uses flour and covers it on a big boot and stomps it around the house lol.

 

[Dimplenose]

I'm quite anti-social - after too many family arguments it's now just me, dh and the kids for Christmas eve and day.

Early morning dash to shops for milk and bread.
Day of finishing chores (washing etc.) so I only have lunch to deal with on Christmas day.
Lazy evening with simple meal - when the kids were small we'd go to McDonalds followed by the evening Nativity service at church. (Although we did spend one Christmas eve at A&E when an overexcited dd fell off her bed and split her chin open on wooden chair - but this isn't a tradition in our house!)

Now we'll eat at home in the evening, slob in front of TV and then go to midnight communion at same church.

Fall into bed about 1am.

 

[scottish mum]

On xmas eve we usually go to the village xmas party, all the kids from the village go and its good fun. We play all the old games like grand old duke of york, farmers in the den etc and nearly every kid from newborn to age 16 goes. It is really lovely. After that its time to track santa and get really excited. Kids have to be in their new pj's and hang up their stockings and leave food out for santa. Once all this is done we read "my special xmas adventure" it is a personalised book and soooo nice.

Once all kids are sleeping Santa does his job and if I'm not too tired i will go to the midnight service with my mum and dad

 

[joolz1910]

Raindeer food? What is that?

My mum uses flour and covers it on a big boot and stomps it around the house lol.

Reindeer food is bird food mixed with a bit of glitter. They used to sell it at our school Christmas fair. I will definitely get some flour and a big boot - trouble is our living room carpet is cream.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Reindeer food is bird food mixed with a bit of glitter. They used to sell it at our school Christmas fair. I will definitely get some flour and a big boot - trouble is our living room carpet is cream.

Make sure the boot is clean? Its should hoover up ok after just don't tread in it lol.

 

[Danauk]

Our Christmas eve really depends on what we are doing on Christmas day. Growing up we would watch a movie, put out a mince pie, carrot and sherry for Santa and Rudolph then I would go up to bed. Then I would sit in my bedroom window with my dad (I guess whilst mum was sorting out the presents!!) listening for santa. Once I had gone to bed my parents would put my stocking at the end of my bed. I was allowed to open these presents in my bedroom as soon as I woke up (I guess so I didn't want to go downstairs too early and wake up my parents!!)

Being a grown up we have had a few different Christmas eve traditions. If we have the families around for Christmas day our Christmas eve is spent peeling veg, making sure the house is spotless then going to church for the midnight service. A few years ago we were in WDW for Christmas, what we did then was what our Disney Christmas eve tradition will become (one we are repeating next year!! Whooooo!!) We went to the Magic Kingdom during the day, in the evening we went to the California Grill for dinner, watched Wishes from the viewing deck of the Contemporary, then went back in to the MK for Spectromagic. Then we went back to the Beach Club Villas and sat in the hot tub at midnight!

 

[Pinky166]

Reindeer food is bird food mixed with a bit of glitter. They used to sell it at our school Christmas fair. I will definitely get some flour and a big boot - trouble is our living room carpet is cream.

You could get some black glitter, that would show up on a cream carpet. Do the footprints from the fireplace to the tree, then pretend it's soot from the chimney.

 

[Lizzybear]

This year i'm working til 1pm on Christmas Eve but afterwards I will be continuing my traditions of watching The Snowman and Father Christmas and exchanging one gift with my bf at midnight

 

[Tinks1984]

Ours depends where we are up to really. If we need to prepare the meat and veg for Christmas dinner, then that's done first.

Then, in the last couple of years we've started to get a couple of the party packs of food from Iceland and we'll cook those for Christmas Eve tea-time and all tuck in whilst watching something on TV. I think this year I'll make sure it's the Mickey's Christmas DVD I picked up from Tesco on their BOGOF offer

Then I'll go check I've wrapped all my gifts up and then we'll get sorted and head off to midnight mass, I love the carols by candlelight service. It's so peaceful and I can just take a moment to remember the ones I no longer have with me without really being disturbed

It's usually a cup of tea and then off to bed once we're back home...ready for an early morning still, even though we're all over 20 in our house now! We can't help it, just need to be up early and enjoy the full day!

 

[hildasmuriel]

I'm loving reading of all your traditions.

Christmas Eve is my husband's birthday so we always start with cards and presents on that day too.
Usually he does some last minute shopping and wrapping.

The Crib Service at the Church is at 6pm and we always go to that, then we go round to my Mum's (my family, sister1 family, sister2 family and her in-laws) where Mum has put on a buffet enough for 84 people and a huge bowl of punch. My sister (who has too much money!) usually gives us all a Christmas Eve present to get us in the mood and then we eat, drink and chat the night away.
When we get home we usually just have time to track Santa before putting out stockings, carrot, mince pie and sherry, before we fall exhausted into bed.

 

[Muscateer]

I used to love doing all the getting ready for Santa when my DD was little.

Usually Christmas Eve day is spent getting all veg and prep done for Christmas Day and getting the house shipshape.

The best bit is when its getting dark and tree lights are on and all jobs are done and time to sit down to either a takeaway or niks naks and a few drinks watching a Christmas movie. Even though my DD is now 18 I still say she should listen out for Santas sleigh and we still do the track Santa around the world too. He will get to us 4 hours earlier than the UK.

 

[joolz1910]

You could get some black glitter, that would show up on a cream carpet. Do the footprints from the fireplace to the tree, then pretend it's soot from the chimney.

Thanks. Flour wouldn't show up (I tried a bit when the kids were in bed) but I like the idea of black glitter!

 

[buzz for boys]

We always have christmas as our family time just the 6 of us !!
xmas eve we will watch santa on Norad until about 1pm when we go dekivering presents to relatives and friends and wishing everyone in person a very merry christmas this usually takes us to around 5pm
When we get back home we all have a quick bite to eat (usually chips *** they are quick and easy) by now my kids are seriously bouncing off the walls and its time for another quick check on norad to see just how far away santa is before we get everyone in the bath and nice new pyjamas ( gotta look good for the photos in the morning )
When we have all 4 kids suitably bathed and dressed we sit and read the story night before christmas with hot chocolates all round.
1 last check on santas progress and its time to put kids into bed and the lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggg wait for them to fall asleep starts.

I have to be honest then and say of all the people in our house I am the biggest kid - my kids let me down each year and never wake till their normal time - kids these days just dont have the stamina we use to have !!!
I normally wake up all excited at 6am and annoy my hubby till one of my kids eventually get out of bed - dh always looks very relieved to see a little face appear asking if its morning

 

[craigs bride]

our christmas eve we go see some xmas lights that people have put up then home for a picnic tea
kids in the bath then dd4 will put out a carrot for rudolph a mince pie and glass of milk for santa
bed time will be a story then sleep ( hopefully lol)
i will then finish any wrapping then wait for midnight then put pressies in there stockings .then to bed to wait for the morning and see which one will wake early .
i've never done the footprint but after watching Jade Goody to it for her boys i thought i'd give it a go this yr .

 

[Jets fan]

I love Christmas Eve, it's always been a family afternoon/evening. As my nephews and niece have grown up our evening has changed. I have four sisters, 2 brother in laws, 4 nephews and 1 niece

Aged 0-8
We always had a party at mum and dad's house in Windsor from 4pm to approx 8pm. They always laid on a great buffet and always made the most wonderful punch. We played the usual family games, bingo etc. About 7pm my brother in law would dress up as Santa and come through the front door and the kids never knew it was him, not even his own 2. It was absolutely hilarious to watch the kids go up to him one by one, tell him they've been good and what they've been doing over the last year. He would then give them a little goodie bag each, which I used to put together. Sometimes we all laughed so much, I'm surprised the kids did not catch on. We got away with this for years!

Ages 8-13
The Santa thing only lasted until about 8/9 years old so we started to go to the Theatre Royal in Windsor for the matinee pantomime and then we would go to a restaurant for some dinner, this way nobody had to cook.

Ages 13-15
We started to go to the cinema for a couple of hours to watch different movies, if I'm right in thinking for a couple of years we watched Lord of the Rings. We would then go to a restaurant.

Ages 15+
We started to go to my sisters in Eton Wick. This was easier as Jayne is a twin and her twin, Tracy lives 150 yards down the road! I spend Christmas there as do my parents and we have great fun with the buffet and cocktails. We sometimes play games and do quizzes but it's nice to just chat and now that all of the kids drink, we have great fun with the cocktails, especially re-creating ones we have had in Disney!

I am glad that we have always made a big thing out of Christmas Eve as time goes so quickly, too quickly really, but luckily we all have wonderful memories. This year my dad will be missing as he passed away in May and 2 of my nephs are going out with friends to party. My other sister, her husband and 1 neph will be spending Christmas in Dorset with my oldest neph and his partner as they are just about to have a baby.

I love Christmas and everything about it!

 

[PoppyAnna]

Thanks. Flour wouldn't show up (I tried a bit when the kids were in bed) but I like the idea of black glitter!

Do you have a fireplace? We have cream carpet in the lounge too, but the tiles around the hearth are dark so we use Johnsons baby powder on the tiles, works a treat