How do you spend Christmas Eve?

,we don't actually have any Christmas eve traditions. The day before Christmas eve is my twin daughters' birthday so we usually have a busy day onthe 23rd :) It'll be nice to relax and recover on Christmas eve. We'll probably watch Christmas films in the day, do some Christmas baking with the girls - mince pies and gingerbread cookies usually, then we take the girls for a walk, hope for snow and build a snowman if we get it, dash to the supermarket if we happen to have forgotten anything, and feed the girls early and put them to bed by 6.30. Before going to bed, we let the girls put out some of the mince pies and cookies for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. While I tuck them in, I tell them to listen very carefully to hear the bells on Santa's sleigh and my husband sits outside their room and rings some jingle bells outside their window :) this always encourages them to go to sleep straight away in case Santa catches them awake hehe Once the kids arein bed, hubby and I mull some wine, and set to work wrapping gifts for the girls' stockings. Once all the wrapping is done, we enjoy a glass of mulled wine, cheese and crackers, and the mince pies and cookies that we baked earlier :) I lay the stockings on their beds and go to bed myself - usually too excited to sleep! Hoho! :santahat:

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Originally Posted by Christmas_mama

,we don't actually have any Christmas eve traditions. The day before Christmas eve is my twin daughters' birthday so we usually have a busy day onthe 23rd :) It'll be nice to relax and recover on Christmas eve. We'll probably watch Christmas films in the day, do some Christmas baking with the girls - mince pies and gingerbread cookies usually, then we take the girls for a walk, hope for snow and build a snowman if we get it, dash to the supermarket if we happen to have forgotten anything, and feed the girls early and put them to bed by 6.30. Before going to bed, we let the girls put out some of the mince pies and cookies for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. While I tuck them in, I tell them to listen very carefully to hear the bells on Santa's sleigh and my husband sits outside their room and rings some jingle bells outside their window :) this always encourages them to go to sleep straight away in case Santa catches them awake hehe Once the kids arein bed, hubby and I mull some wine, and set to work wrapping gifts for the girls' stockings. Once all the wrapping is done, we enjoy a glass of mulled wine, cheese and crackers, and the mince pies and cookies that we baked earlier :) I lay the stockings on their beds and go to bed myself - usually too excited to sleep! Hoho! :santahat:

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My Dad always rang sleigh bells and "HoHoHo'ed" every Christmas Eve as well. I had forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me!

I know I could Google it, but I'm lazy. What is "mulled" wine?

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Originally Posted by MinnesotaMike

I know I could Google it, but I'm lazy. What is "mulled" wine?

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It's a spiced, heated wine. It's devine :smitten:

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Originally Posted by Christmas_mama

It's a spiced, heated wine. It's devine :smitten:

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I have had it and enjoyed it! Not that common here in the States!

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Originally Posted by ornamentmaven

I have had it and enjoyed it! Not that common here in the States!

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I've always had mulled wine around Christmas for as long as I can remember - even as a child I would have a small glass. If you separate it off before adding the gin, most of the alcohol is boiled out anyway :santahat:

interesting. I should look up a recipe.

I love these type of threads :)

ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" is always on the TV, even if the sound is off.

Christmas music plays all day (we now have 67 hours of Christmas music on Windows Media)

Last-minute gift wrapping.

Christmas Eve Mass at 5:00. The church is just two blocks from mom's house, so we always walk to and from the service. Since I was a kid I would, and still do, pick up a handful of snow on the way home and hold on to it until entering the house, because Christmas Eve snow is the most special type of snow (I know, I know ...strange).

Food and music, laughter, drinks, and sometimes board games for the night. ABC Family still on in the background. Then I like to end the night by watching some of the mass from St. Peter's at midnight.

The most magical night of the year!

We will normally travel to my Aunts house which out in North Western NJ and that means that 9 out of 10 Christmas' they will have some kind of snow -- even if it is just a dusting. Its great because I see extended family that I never get a chance to see during most of the year.

Normally we'll arrive around 330 or 4 in the afternoon and get re-antiquated with the family -- who's dating who, who's doing what in school, who's changed jobs.We're a bunch of LOUD Italians so you could imagine that there is quite a lot of chatter going on.

We normally start with Mussels and Oysters on the half-shell, shrimp cocktail, stuff like that. Then we'll move into the Main Course of Fish or Crabs, that's followed by the Caesar salad with Anchovies(!!), and then desert pastries and cookies --- I know everyone has different traditions but I personally can't see anyone eating Meat on Christmas Eve.

Normally after that some of the Family with young kids will start breaking off around 10. My Brothers, a couple Cousins, and I will often put the kids to 'bed' downstairs at My Aunt's (they always bring their Pajamas with them) And then we'll all head back to the dinning room late into the night telling stories over bottles of Sambuca.

I'm never home on Christmas Eve before 2 am. Thankfully my son is a good sleeper and, even though I end up carrying him to the car, sleeps through till the morning.

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Originally Posted by Fezziwig

We will normally travel to my Aunts house which out in North Western NJ and that means that 9 out of 10 Christmas' they will have some kind of snow -- even if it is just a dusting. Its great because I see extended family that I never get a chance to see during most of the year.

Normally we'll arrive around 330 or 4 in the afternoon and get re-antiquated with the family -- who's dating who, who's doing what in school, who's changed jobs.We're a bunch of LOUD Italians so you could imagine that there is quite a lot of chatter going on.

We normally start with Mussels and Oysters on the half-shell, shrimp cocktail, stuff like that. Then we'll move into the Main Course of Fish or Crabs, that's followed by the Caesar salad with Anchovies(!!), and then desert pastries and cookies --- I know everyone has different traditions but I personally can't see anyone eating Meat on Christmas Eve.

Normally after that some of the Family with young kids will start breaking off around 10. My Brothers, a couple Cousins, and I will often put the kids to 'bed' downstairs at My Aunt's (they always bring their Pajamas with them) And then we'll all head back to the dinning room late into the night telling stories over bottles of Sambuca.

I'm never home on Christmas Eve before 2 am. Thankfully my son is a good sleeper and, even though I end up carrying him to the car, sleeps through till the morning.

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Very similar to our Christmas Eve - right down to the "loud" Italian family!