Page 1 of 9 123456 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 110

Thread: How do you spend Christmas Eve?

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Lancashire, UK
    Posts
    54

    How do you spend Christmas Eve?

    I love finding out about how different nationalities spend Christmas and this forum is perfect for it!

    In all honesty Christmas Eve in our house is traditionally chaotic. I tend to rush around like a mad woman in the morning collecting last minute groceries and dropping any remain gifts before preparing what I can for dinner the following day. We the try to take the kids for a LONG walk to tire them out and ensure they actually get some sleep!

    We then like to attend the carol service at out local church. Its great for the kids they have puppets singing the songs and just so much fun.

    Once we get back we eat out with friends - this is my opportunity to breath and relax. When we return home normally around 7pm we begin all the exciting stuff selecting Santa's treat and drink, the elves drop some new PJ's for the kids and we sprinkle reindeer food out the front.

    the children go to bed and I end up speed wrapping what ever we have left to do before santa essembles his gifts resulting in the grown ups going to bed around 2pm! YAWN

    This year I hope it will be different with a very relaxed Christmas Eve with perhaps a visit to the cinema in the morning rather that lots of errands! I am full of good intentions!

    222 big sleeps to go
    Naomi

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Shavertown, PA, USA
    Posts
    19,401
    I generally have a crowd for Christmas Eve buffet dinner- my husband's family- so I spend the day cooking. I usually rush to the seafood store first thing in the morning to pick up fresh shrimp and scallops. If I've forgotten anything, I stop for that as well. Once home, I pop in a Christmas cd and start cooking - shrimp cocktail, bacon wrapped scallops, chicken marsala, stuffed shells, sausage and peppers, clams casino, rice, antipasto salad and crab cakes. We go to mass at 5pm, then come home and serve the buffet dinner around 7 or 8pm. My kids are 26 and 17, so Santa doesn't get treats at our house any more - I miss that! Enjoy relaxing and chatting with the family until late
    I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Old West
    Posts
    557
    Both of your Christmas Eves sound just perfect!

    I turn into Elf-zilla the morning of Christmas Eve, tearing about last-minute shopping and wrapping. DH cooks for the crowd that will gather at the home of his monster-in-law. By late afternoon, any minor disagreements will have escalated into arguments as we rush to load the car and schlep all the food and gifts to mums house. We setup the tables, finish preparing the food and drinks, smile for the crowd, ignore each other and spend the evening serving guests and opening presents.

    After clean-up we escape home to a quiet bowl of crockpot potato soup (my favorite moment of the day) before heading to a peaceful midnight mass. After such a long day, my DH becomes a cheery Santa and delights in opening a few gifts before going to bed.
    Last edited by Greetings !; 05-24-2011 at 10:50 AM.
    Joy to You!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    South Georgia
    Posts
    112

    :santa:

    On Christmas Eve, we usually take a trip to the grocery store for any last minute food or gifts. We have a pretty relaxed day before we head out to the Christmas Eve Service at our church. Once we are done with that, we drive around a small neighborhood completely covered in luminaries & another where everyone on the whole block goes all out with decorations! we head to a family friends house since neither of our families get together on Christmas eve and we have a wonderful supper there then open presents together. After that we head home, open our christmas PJ's and head to bed! I love Christmas Eve almost as much as i love christmas day!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    80

    :santa: Christmas Eve

    It sounds kinda strange but my wife takes our boys to het Aunts house, I'm always invited..But dont go, I stay home by myself and listen to my Favorite Christmas Cd, Have a few rum and cokes, wrap any gifts I forgot about, and just think about how lucky I am. to have what I am blessed with and be where I am.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Australia.
    Posts
    150
    24th of December is my Grandma's birthday - so we usually go there, order a pizza, and take it easy. Might have to skip that this year if I have to work.

  7. #7
    We have a Christmas buffet with a few drinks normally on Christmas Eve. Then we get in the mood for the big day by watching some films.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    24
    The plan this year is going to be the same as every other year that I can remember. I'll wake up, go spend time with my brother where we'll go to the mall because one of us has forgotten a gift for somebody and we need to take care of that. The afternoon is usually spent with NORAD open on the laptop while gifts are being wrapped, tunes playing in the background. In the evening, I make my once a year trip to church, as a favour to my grandparents who always request that I play a few songs on my guitar for the congregation. Afterwards I head to my grandmothers where my dads side of the family gathers and we have a few drinks and share some laughs before parting ways and heading to bed, knowing that the big day is just hours away

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    31
    Me and hubby live with our inlaws so we usually dont have to do much as my MIL loves to cook and hates anyone helping her so we only have to decorate and wrap presents which we get done early.
    I work 5 mins from home so usually I will work on christmas eve and hubby will be home. Our work does a BBQ and we will stop around lunch and just eat and enjoy ourselves an sit around and chat whilst slowly doing work and having a couple of beers. Hubby will stay at home and usually play video games or help tidy up a bit around the house.

    I usually finish up at around 3-4. I will go home and usually sit around with Hubby and watch a bunch of tv show christmas specials. wait until it gets dark then sit out in the street with all the neighbours watching christmas lights and have cheese crackers nibblies and drinks. everyone in the street does little tealights in papperbags. So the street usually has a christmas eve party. They will laugh and drink till just before midnight then they all go quiet and then scream "Merry Christmas". Then we all stumble home tipsy and go to sleep.

    I usually get up around 4-5 and pull out hubby's presents and fill his stocking. Then go back to bed until around 6:30
    Last edited by storm85; 10-22-2012 at 03:32 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Nashville, Tennessee, United States
    Posts
    16
    Going to mass and then eating cookies

Similar Threads

  1. How to spend this Christmas? Share your ideas
    By sunnyday in forum Christmas Crafts & Recipes
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-20-2008, 11:35 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


About ATC

    ATC "AllThingsChristmas" is a Forum Devoted to everything about Christmas, please enjoy our Forum & feel free to chat about the greatest day of the year.

Follow us on

Twitter Facebook youtube Flickr