What are your family's Christmas Eve traditions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French here. We used to go to Christmas Eve mass, but can't deal with the Church anymore, so we have a relaxing day at home and eat

Foie gras.
Biscottes.
Possibly a few vegetables and fruit.

And then presents the next morning, and boeuf en croute (beef wellington) for Christmas Day lunch. After that, a buche de Noel is too heavy. We usually make a light charlotte cake.
Often we have seafood for New Year's, with the buche.

We've ordered a buche.

We have crepes, with bacon and bubbles for breakfast, then skip lunch and have an early dinner. Nothing special on the 24th except parcel wrapping. We no longer have a dog so don't have to be so careful with chocolate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have adopted the Icelandic tradition, Jolabokaflod "book flood" where everyone gets a new book on Christmas Eve and we light candles and make the house cozy and we sit around reading and drinking cocoa and warm cider for a couple of hours.

Love this!!!

[Anonymous]

Everyone spends the whole day in their own room wearing headphones and looking at their iPad, computer, or phone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how do you do "reindeer foods"?

OP here. We put oats and holiday sprinkles in a little jar for each kid and they shake them out on the front lawn to attract Santa's reindeer to our house.

[Anonymous]

Interesting how many of us have the same idea - church and an appetizers dinner here too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French here. We used to go to Christmas Eve mass, but can't deal with the Church anymore, so we have a relaxing day at home and eat

Foie gras.
Biscottes.
Possibly a few vegetables and fruit.

And then presents the next morning, and boeuf en croute (beef wellington) for Christmas Day lunch. After that, a buche de Noel is too heavy. We usually make a light charlotte cake.
Often we have seafood for New Year's, with the buche.

do you know what foie gras is and how it’s made? A lot of restaurants that used to sell it don’t anymore. It’s horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically run around buying the last minute gifts for family we realize we’ll see Christmas day, wrap a multitude of gifts despite plans to wrap as I shop - running to CVS for more tape as I’ve misplaced the dozens I bought earlier in month. Another trip to the grocery store for whatever ingredients I’m missing for Christmas brunch - usually worked around husband running out to finally do his Christmas shopping (no joke.) Friends, neighbors stop in dropping gifts, wine drinking starts. At some point stop to TRY for sweet moment of hanging stockings, putting food out for reindeer and cookies and milk for Santa. Get kids to bed then two hours of prepping for morning brunch. Then mounds and mounds of gifts come out of hiding, stockings filled, we ring sleigh bells and go to bed.

Not my dream but the reality. Christmas Day is actually stress free and all the crazy before hand seems worth it but vows of being organized next year….

Yes, yes, yes, this is us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone spends the whole day in their own room wearing headphones and looking at their iPad, computer, or phone.

And here I though my family invented this tradition…

[Anonymous]

We go to eat Chinese. We drive around with three of us in our huge SUV looking for the most extensive and expensive Light Display leaving rating cards in the mailbox.

We then come home and drink a coke while we tell the story of how the modern day Santa in America was created to sell soda.

Then we watch the story of the fictional reindeer with the glowing red nose created by an employee of Montgomery Ward in Chicago.

[Anonymous]

It tends to vary but we always watch A Christmas Story at some point. The kids refuse to watch it before Xmas Eve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have adopted the Icelandic tradition, Jolabokaflod "book flood" where everyone gets a new book on Christmas Eve and we light candles and make the house cozy and we sit around reading and drinking cocoa and warm cider for a couple of hours.

Love this!!!

It's amazing, and my kids (now teens) look forward to it every year. I'm so grateful that they are all readers. We went through years where one kid only liked graphic novels so he was done with his new book in 20 min 😂 but back to cozy lengthy reading time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have adopted the Icelandic tradition, Jolabokaflod "book flood" where everyone gets a new book on Christmas Eve and we light candles and make the house cozy and we sit around reading and drinking cocoa and warm cider for a couple of hours.

OP again. This is such a great idea, especially since my kids are bookworms!

[Anonymous]

My mother-in-law sings in the choir for her church so we do candlelight service. Even though I'm not a Christian I still find it very spiritual to be singing o holy night by candlelight.

Usually we will go have dinner after services or before depending on the schedule.

[Anonymous]

As a kid, we went to the Christmas Eve church service, sometimes ate out, & always got to open one gift on Christmas Eve.

With my kids, it varies, since we are always away from home visiting family. But we sometimes attend church, usually have a nice dinner with one set of grandparents, & read The Night before Christmas. We also leave out cookies for Santa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Typically run around buying the last minute gifts for family we realize we’ll see Christmas day, wrap a multitude of gifts despite plans to wrap as I shop - running to CVS for more tape as I’ve misplaced the dozens I bought earlier in month. Another trip to the grocery store for whatever ingredients I’m missing for Christmas brunch - usually worked around husband running out to finally do his Christmas shopping (no joke.) Friends, neighbors stop in dropping gifts, wine drinking starts. At some point stop to TRY for sweet moment of hanging stockings, putting food out for reindeer and cookies and milk for Santa. Get kids to bed then two hours of prepping for morning brunch. Then mounds and mounds of gifts come out of hiding, stockings filled, we ring sleigh bells and go to bed.

Not my dream but the reality. Christmas Day is actually stress free and all the crazy before hand seems worth it but vows of being organized next year….

Finally an honest reply