Christmas eve traditions?

[dinoman]

Ok, most people have their normal Christmas day traditions - opening presents, having a big dinner of some sort, probably lots of family around. But what do you all do on Christmas eve? Our tradition ever since I can remember, is driving into town here after it gets dark and driving around and around and around.....and around looking at Christmas lights. I don't even know why we do it anymore, it was a lot more exciting when we were kids. But its just one of those things keep doing year after year after year. And now, something we've started doing the past 5 years or so is my grandpa comes with us to look at lights and afterwards we go back to his house for an hour or so and have hot chocolate, get into some of the treats early, and snoop through all the presents .

[dkh0331]

Go to the mall for x-mas shopping.

[crzy4reefs]

Things have changed a bit since we have Zack but for the past 3 yrs now it's been this

I do some sort of craft or baking with the kids (this year it's sugar cookies for santa). Then we'll open up gifts (stuff my mom as for me eric and Zack and then stuff for her and her foster kids). Then we have dessert and coffee and juice for the kids. Then we all pile in the car and go and look at all the Christmas lights.

Then tonight Zack and I will put out the cookies and milk and carrots. I'll put him to bed and me and Eric will grab nice hot cups of cocoa and watch the Christmas story and then I'll put out the rest of the gifts and stockings.

[BigSkyBart]

when I was a kid, our christmas eve tradition was as follows:

at somewhere around dusk, we (3 kids & mom) would pile in moms car & we'd head out to get out christmas tree, mighty slim pickins on the tree lots but when we found the right one, we knew it (prices were pretty good too!, in 6 hours they would be firewood)
go home, set the tree up dig out the decorations & start to trim the tree
mom always had a big pot of meatballs & sauce simmering away & a pile of fresh baked rolls for meatball sammiches
friends of the family would wander in & out over the course of the evening, have a sammich, have a drink, have a little visit, help with the tree & be on their way.
sort of an open house type of thing
when us kids went to bed, the tree was up, decorated & there wasn't a present in sight
a few short hours later when we got up on christmas morning, santa had been there & the presents were under the tree
ahhh, the magic of santa!

now that I'm a grandpa, I'm considering reviving some of that kind of christmas fun & magic when the little guy is more cognicent

[crzy4reefs]

Bart I think that's why I love the age Zack is at now he knows all about santa..... there are no presents under the tree and by morning oof: there they all are and I can't wait to capture his face when he sees all the presents. We have the santa ones wrapped in one type of wrapping paper and the gifts from us to him in another.

[crp]

A few days before Christmas, I have my annual Christmas breakdown.

I'll putter around the house today finishing up some last minute things like cleaning and cooking. We'll go to Church at 6:00. We usually go early to sit and listen to the chorus. Once Church is over about 7:30, I have an open house for friends. We'll have about 20 people here for drinks and snacks. Everyone leaves around midnight, kids go to bed, Mike and I have a glass of champagne while watching the tree and then we get all the gifts out.

My kids are too old to still believe so it's lost some of the magic

[Sk8r]

We watch The Lion in Winter. It's the perfect family. So inspirational.
We have some cookies and a shot of really good Scotch: I may crack that bottle of Glen Turret I've been saving for years, this first Christmas in the new and permanent actual house. Or we'll have Champagne.
Some years, if we're flush, we open a present on the Eve. But this year we're broke and opening one of mine might forecast the nature of the others, so no prezzies this evening, just a movie and the kitties and some diet-breaking sweets.

[amcarrig]

No small kids here so we just sit around drinking cocoa and watch A Christmas Story. I would bake but a friend of mine just dropped off a huge plate of cookies so I'm not going to bother making more. No tree this year as I didn't have time to get one because of the husband's fractured ankle...sigh

[TOURKID]

what time does xmas story come on? I need a few tradtions. I always want things to be very storybook like and of course they arent. and this years esp sucky.. Just been kinda upset today. xmas story and laced cocoa sounds good

[Paul B]

I play this guy
Here at this office party and at a Children's Cancer ward in Manhattan.
Tradition almost 40 years

[english83]

We just hang out until we have to go over to the Grandparent's apartment. And this year should be interesting, there will be almost 20 of us in a 2 bedroom apartment. We go there because Grandpa really never leaves the apartment anymore.

We all used to go to midnight mass as a huge family, but now everyone does their own thing. Before Grandma and Grandpa moved they had the perfect sledding hill in the backyard.

Christams isn't as fun as it used to be. Some of the magic has gone away. But I'm happy to say that I still get a visit from Santa. As long as I say I still believe I get a full stocking Christmas morning.

[Sk8r]

Please don't anybody looking for a sweet holiday film rush out and rent Lion in Winter. It's about the ultimate dysfunctional family: Henry IV, with Kate Hepburn as Eleanor. But it's OUR movie.

[amcarrig]

If I'm not mistaken, TBS should be running it for 24 hours starting today/tonight? Not sure though so check your program listing.

Originally posted by TOURKID
what time does xmas story come on? I need a few tradtions. I always want things to be very storybook like and of course they arent. and this years esp sucky.. Just been kinda upset today. xmas story and laced cocoa sounds good

[amcarrig]

Originally posted by Paul B
I play this guy
Here at this office party and at a Children's Cancer ward in Manhattan.
Tradition almost 40 years

Santa sure does have a heart of gold

[RandalB]

I generally wind up working Christmas eve. Is that a tradition?

[JENnKerry]

Baking cookies with the in-laws, lighting the fireplace by the tree (the only time we use our fireplace) and watching the first "A Christmas Story" at 8 pm, one of many times.

[Scuba_Dave]

The UA prevents me from saying what my tradition is

[redawg]

We usually have dinner at my MIL's house then open presents.
This year we live 12 hours away from her, and my husband had to work so I baked, set the table for tomorrow, cleaned, and watched tv. Oh, and had cookies and wasail!

[xxaquanutxx]

When I was young we would go to a show ( nutcracker mainly) and then come home wrap the last of our gifts and jump into bed to make the night to quicker for santa to come.

After I met my hubby I would spend the eve with his family as they have a big dinner and open gifts at midnight.

This year is the first year we are both in a different country from our mothers so we really dont know what to do. A friend was having a dinner but hubby didnt feel up to going so we may drive to the Bodden & Creighton estates. They do an amazing Christmas light spectacular every year and let people come and walk around their yards. So we will probably do that.

[jpfelix]

first we have my step-grandparents, then we have her grandmother's, then we have my grandparents (dad's side), then we have dad's.

tomorrow is our house and her parents. my mom gets squeezed in sometime before or after everyone else.

[meco65]

We were thinking about starting a tradition of makeing a Birthday cake for Jesus, after all he is the reason for the season.

[Paul B]

We were thinking about starting a tradition of makeing a Birthday cake for Jesus, after all he is the reason for the season

My birthday is also on Christmas day, can I have a piece?