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What traditions do you have for Christmas Eve?


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Posted
I am in the kitchen baking for an army of kids and loving it. The kids are snatching warm cookies fresh out of the oven. Husband is telling me that I am spoiling them all as he is trying to hide the hand full of cookies. The older kids start arriving about 8pm and then everyone gets to open one gift. My normal tradition is to have them open a gag gift. ex. One year DH wanted an electric nailer so I bought him and hammer and glued an extension cord on it. He got the real one on Christmas morning. The kids love the gag gifts.:D
Posted

I am in the kitchen baking for an army of kids and loving it. The kids are snatching warm cookies fresh out of the oven. Husband is telling me that I am spoiling them all as he is trying to hide the hand full of cookies. The older kids start arriving about 8pm and then everyone gets to open one gift. My normal tradition is to have them open a gag gift. ex. One year DH wanted an electric nailer so I bought him and hammer and glued an extension cord on it. He got the real one on Christmas morning. The kids love the gag gifts.:D

 

LOL...that's too funny! Very creative!

Posted
We go to hubby's aunt and uncles house and have Christmas with them. Then we put out mild and cookies for Santa. daddy eats the milk and cookies and the dog eats the carrots. On Christmas day we let DD open one present and then take all the others over to my parents house and open with them
Posted

My husband owns his own business and it happens to be located next door to our home so on Christmas Eve I have a NO WORKING rule.

We always have the same menu:

French Onion Soup

Meat Fondue

Steamed Clams

Lobster (DD1 and I share a lobster, no one else likes it)

Warm Gingerbread w/ real whipped Cream

 

After an early dinner my husband likes to pop in his favorite holiday cartoons, "Yogi's First Christmas" and "Santa and the Three Bears" (no kidding). Then w/ kids in jammies we all head down (next door as well) to my FIL's house where we exchange gifts w. him and the rest of the family (we draw names). There will be cocktails and appetizers and Christmas music there but it is all very casual. I usually try to get the kids home by 10 or 11 and then my husband always stays an extra hour or so and when he gets home I am usually watching the "Christmas Story" TBS marathon. Then we play Santa and try to catch a few hours of shut eye.

Posted
We have to watch Christmas shows, eat cookies and before we go to bed, everyone gets to choose one present under the tree to open. It helps ease the "I can't sleep" excitement.
Posted
Everyone opens 2 presents at 6pm Christmas Eve. The presents are always a new ornament and a pair of Christmas pjs. Later we all read Christmas stories or tell stories of past Christmas's. Right before bedtime we leave out the milk and cookies for Santa and the kids go to bed. Me and DH stay up and watch It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas.
Posted
We've always been allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. My grandmother lives in Florida, and has for as long as I can remember, so we always get her packages early December or so. We've always opened up her gifts (or one) on Christmas Eve. One year, we just opened everything and slept in on Christmas morning, but that was before I had nieces and my nephew (or my oldest niece may have been really young).
Posted

Church, then to mom's for snacks and opening presents. Home after that to read a Christmas story around the advent wreath. Then bake cookies for Santa and put out reindeer food.

 

Once the kids are in bed throw out the cookies and milk, because the cat has drank out of the glass and licked the cookies. Sweep up the reindeer food, finish wrapping presents and put them all out then to bed. :D

Posted
Christmas Eve is celebrated with my Dad's family, and we got to Christmas Eve Mass as well, with so many little ones around, we usually go to an afternoon Mass, but Midnight Mass is my personal favorite. Christmas day is celebrated with Mom's family.
Posted
We drive an hour to my Grandmother's and have a huge dinner with my family and exchange gifts. Christmas day get go to my MIL's house and do it all over again with my husband's side of the family. Luckly we draw names on his side of the family to exchange gifts between the adults - all of the children get gifts from everyone. :)
Posted
My DH and I let the kids open 1 gift before bedtime, that is really the only 1 tradition that happens every year no matter what. Otherwise we just play it by ear depending upon what still needs to be done or if we get invited out.
Posted
Well, Christmas eve here is more important than Christmas day, so families get together on the 24th. On Dec 25th, Christmas is already over for many families. But well, not for me!!!!! I usually speand Christmas eve with my mom's family, and have lunch on the 25th with my dad's. There aren't many Christmas traditions, nobody puts cookies or milk for Santa, and very few kids know the Christmas stories. My daughter goes to bed early, and get Santa's gift in the morning, but she gets lots of presents from everyone in the family on the 24th. So, basically, it's the opposite regarding gifts: kids normally get all the presents on the 24th, and only Santa's gift on the 25th. I normally try to watch Christmas movies on TV, too, but I'm usually too busy for that...
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