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Christmas Eve Traditions
What are your Christmas Eve Traditions? Would like to pinch some of your ideas if possible as we don't have a tradition as such other than visit some family. But I would like to start some this year especially as my eldest is 3 and more aware this year
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We are starting some this year as first year on our own. We will be having a nice tea (not sure what yet) and then bath for madam. Will try and watch the snowman or father christmas . Then it will be new pj's on and bed. We will stay up and get ready for Christmas day, Again just us. Perfect in my eyes. The inlaws are not sure about it. Tough.
Well im working in the morning. but plan to do a service in the afternoon, pub for drinks then home for picky tea & xmas eve hamper
We normally watch a DVD. Then the kids have a bath and meanwhile H put's their new PJ's wrpped up on their beds, sneaks downstairs and jingles some bells and I tell them it must be the elves, they get dried and run to their bedrooms to see if they have new PJ's.
Oh ours isn't going to help you... we watch Love Actually and then all go to the pub. Which isn't very kid-friendly really! When my cousins were younger someone would stay behind with them and watch TV but since they've turned 12 or so they've come with us.
I always try and get to the crib service at church. H normally works a late Christmas Eve but he's working an early this year, so i'm hoping for a family outing to church, then back home for something yummy for tea, and then bath the kids, and get them in bed pretty early. If H wasn't at home i'd do all the veg ready for the next morning, but i might not bother this year.
We don't do much until late afternoon. Have a buffet dinner, bath E and then give her her presents (new PJs & Christmas DVD). Watch Christmas DVD in new PJs and then put out mince pie, milk and a carrot for Rudolph before bed.
H and I then spend the night putting toys together, wrapping last presents, filling stockings and sacks, etc.
The last couple of years we have been to OH's aunty and uncle's. They have family round for playing on wii drum kit thingy and general TV watching and give us their own home brewed wines and ales. Last year the food was home made Chinese wan ton nibbles, the year before home made Indian curries and naan. Sad we will miss it this yar with being away, their food is insanely good.
We always went ice skating as a family on xmas eve and then we would all go home and we were allowed to open 1 gift which was always xmas pjs- and we would all sit together and have a hot chocolate and watch a xmas film!- When i say all of us:
Dad
Step mum
Me (25)
Brother(21)
brother(19)
sister(16)
husband(28)
we have done this every single year without fail.
But this year dad had a severe stroke and now lives in a warden control flat- he split from my step mum, and my sister has always been disabled but is now wheelchair dependant, so this year we wont be doing it !
Ours is a dinner of lots of finger foods like the party foods that iceland sell followed by the snowman on DVD and then the Grinch and then it's off to bed before midnight or else Santa won't come!
Early evening service at church and then a meal out and a few drinks!!! H works every Xmas and I work every other so Xmas eve is our Christmas.
We go to the crib service and usually have family back to ours for nibbles. Just before bed, we chuck a load of reindeer food out the front door and leave a glass of brandy, a mince pie and a carrot out for Father Christmas and Rudolph.
Things are going to be different in this house this year as it is the first Christmas Eve that J has spent with his daddy, so it will be the first Christmas Eve post-baby/post leaving home at 18 that I haven't put out a mince pie and a carrot. It is going to seem very, very strange not putting an excited child to bed. I'm beginning to regret the decision already tbh but it works out that we have him for more time when my actual family is here, but still, it is going to be hard. I expect H and I will snuggle up and watch a film.