What are your family's Christmas Eve traditions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We always opened family gifts on Christmas eve eith Santa coming in the morning. It meant that my parents wrapped a few gifts for us, we opened presents after mass (usually Midnight) and then they put out unwrapped Santa presents and went to bed. It also meant we just went downstairs and played with our toys rather than get our parents up. They slept in every Christmas! I am doing thr same now with my kids.

[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.

We do this too!

[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.

We do this too!

What a waste

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We always opened family gifts on Christmas eve eith Santa coming in the morning. It meant that my parents wrapped a few gifts for us, we opened presents after mass (usually Midnight) and then they put out unwrapped Santa presents and went to bed. It also meant we just went downstairs and played with our toys rather than get our parents up. They slept in every Christmas! I am doing thr same now with my kids.

OP again. Usually my parents (kid's grandparents) give them the one present they open on Christmas Eve, a matching set of holiday pajamas that they wear that night. It's a really cute tradition and makes for nice Christmas morning pictures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We always opened family gifts on Christmas eve eith Santa coming in the morning. It meant that my parents wrapped a few gifts for us, we opened presents after mass (usually Midnight) and then they put out unwrapped Santa presents and went to bed. It also meant we just went downstairs and played with our toys rather than get our parents up. They slept in every Christmas! I am doing thr same now with my kids.

OP again. Usually my parents (kid's grandparents) give them the one present they open on Christmas Eve, a matching set of holiday pajamas that they wear that night. It's a really cute tradition and makes for nice Christmas morning pictures.

Sound good

[Anonymous]

We usually have plans with family or friends and then A) someone gets sick or B) there is an extreme weather event and the plans fall through. Happens almost every year but luckily we have fun other times to make up for it! What can you do. This year my daughter woke up sick and I wasn’t far behind. My kids are both in elementary school and I am a teacher so I am sure that factors in

[Anonymous]

My uncle and my dad climb on the roof with their shotguns and ring jingle bells and pretend to hunt reindeer.

At midnight we release about 100 balloons to welcome on Christmas Day followed by about a couple thousand fireworks.

[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.

We do this too!

What a waste

We know. You’re a miserable crank. You don’t need to keep confirming it by responding to every comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

+100

This is is too.

[Anonymous]

Mostly hanging out at home during the day, doing some food prep, wrapping gifts. We had church at 7pm and I sing in the choir so had to be there at 6p. Fondue dinner after that and play a game while having chocolate fondue for dessert. Now the teens have gone to their rooms to do some gift wrapping, reading, games, etc.

Pre-covid we usually went out to a movie on Xmas eve day, a continuation of the tradition I had with my siblings. At some point in my early teens, when my youngest sibling was in 5th grade, my parents decided they'd had enough of doing Santa late at night so they sent us out to a movie and when we got back all the gifts were under the tree. And Mom & Dad got to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

This year, nobody wanted to see a movie so it was a pretty quiet day at home.

[Anonymous]

My husband worked. The kids read, watched tv. We ate dinner, watched a Christmas movie, read ‘‘twas the night before Xmas, made the overnight French toast and went to bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My uncle and my dad climb on the roof with their shotguns and ring jingle bells and pretend to hunt reindeer.

At midnight we release about 100 balloons to welcome on Christmas Day followed by about a couple thousand fireworks.

Finally, an honest reply.

[Anonymous]

i just got back to my bed after drinking the milk and eating a big piece of Black Forest cake that was left for Santa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My uncle and my dad climb on the roof with their shotguns and ring jingle bells and pretend to hunt reindeer.

At midnight we release about 100 balloons to welcome on Christmas Day followed by about a couple thousand fireworks.

Please don't release balloons!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My uncle and my dad climb on the roof with their shotguns and ring jingle bells and pretend to hunt reindeer.

At midnight we release about 100 balloons to welcome on Christmas Day followed by about a couple thousand fireworks.

Please don't release balloons!!!

Oh it was a wonderful release. The kids loved seeing them float into the sky.