What are your family's Christmas Eve traditions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

[Anonymous]

Interesting how many posters are almost emphasizing that each kid opens one present. I find it surprising given how consumeristic is our society.

[Anonymous]

My mother (who lives many states away and DOES NOT TRAVEL FOR CHRISTMAS BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEOPLE AT THE AIRPORT (end quote)) sends way too many presents for my kids. I have given up on getting her to send less so instead we open all of grandma's presents after attending church. I keep an eye on the gifts they really like and I *casually* hide the rest in my closet. If they don't get asked about in a week they get donated. Grandma gets sent a video of the present opening shennigans. Everyone is happy.

Kids then put on their new pajamas, we set up snacks for Santa & the reindeer and I bribe my kids to go to their rooms by shoveling all of Grandma's presents into their respective rooms.

Parents set up the gifts under the fireplace and then have an adult beverage before going to bed early in anticipation of a 5am wakeup call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

You sound fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

You sound fun.

And you sound drunk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

Yep, it's an old mommy blogger thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For lunch we eat Wiener and potato salad. Everyone straightens their room in the afternoon and wraps gifts. Sometimes we go to mass, but probably not this year.
After dark we put the gifts under the tree and when everything is ready we ring a bell and the kids come down and open gifts. We have fondue for dinner. Everyone gets a plate with cookies and candy. We spend the rest of the night playing board games and reading new books.

Almost robotic

This is what Germans do. You don’t have to be mean.

Oh fondue on Christmas is so very German, I miss that!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

NP here, but we do this too. We mix rolled oats, sprinkles, and a dash of glitter in a bowl. Separate into bags for each kid to sprinkle on the front lawn for the reindeer

Oh geez, I hope you use biodegradable glitter.

[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.

This is just lovely!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Interesting considering Santa and the reindeer are already planning to come. Why do you need to attract them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

You sound fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Sounds wasteful. Is this some social media thing you do for clicks?

You sound fun.

And you sound drunk

Aww, you’re so predictable, but you tried. Here’s a sticker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Interesting considering Santa and the reindeer are already planning to come. Why do you need to attract them?

It’s called fun. You wouldn’t understand. We know.

[Anonymous]

Since our kids are older, some traditions have gone away although the elf does come by to say hi the day after thanksgiving.

We still go to 4pm mass (kids are 18 and 20 but one will do this because they'll see old friends there and want to look good; the other because they are oddly devout for their age and for our particular boring religion)

DH and I sit down with the Christmas cards we've received and look at them and interestinly, DH gets all sentimental. It's fun to not look, then do it all at once!

I sneak down some presents I've been hiding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting how many posters are almost emphasizing that each kid opens one present. I find it surprising given how consumeristic is our society.

I think (?) anyone who is saying this it’s because the rest of the presents get opened Christmas morning. But in some families the tradition is one present on Christmas Eve. I’m actually curious what the split is between how many families do the gift opening on Eve vs Day. Growing up no one I knew opened presents on Christmas Eve but now I know a lot more.