What are your Christmas eve/Christmas day routines?

[becks]

On Christmas Eve I go out and about delivering friends and family presents at around lunch time. When I get back home I light a Christmas scented candle put some Christmas music on and me and the children bake some cookies to leave for Santa. After that I give them their Christmas eve boxes. I then have a little clean around while they put on a Christmas dvd and I normally start making the mulled wine After their bath I put them into their new pj's and read them a story, they put out the cookies and milk for Santa and a Carrott and some water for the reindeers. We sprinkle the reindeer food and Once they are in bed I wrap any last minute presents and start to put them all around the tree.... That's my Christmas eve.

 

[becks]

Christmas day...

Get up at about 7am and then the madness begins. Lol
I make breakfast.
The girls open their presents.
They open a few presents to play with while I start to prepare Christmas lunch and dessert.
We normally have lunch at around 1 -2
We have no set routine to Christmas day really. It's very laid back, plenty of good food and drinks. Plenty of nibbles and treats. My mum, dad and sister pop over at some point so that they can see what Santa brought and then later on in the evening we maybe have some fun playing a game together or watching a good Christmas movie.
If we get peckish I prepare some finger foods to munch on.

Reading that our Christmas day sounds pretty boring.. Haha. But we do have lots of fun and plenty of laughs and giggles together.

What is your Christmas eve and Christmas day routine?
X

 

[Reid]

Christmas eve I work 😢😢 I'm in retail so can't get out of it only time I did was on maternity leave and it was fantastic not all bad though as I do get a good few days after it off so hopefully will be the same this year. Xx
Christmas day it chilled out morning the latest my son's up is 9 put some christmas music on and let him dive in to his presents we have a late breakfast 11 ish bacon rolls. Then it's get ready christmas jumpers on I normally go to my gran amd grampas but sadly my gran passed away earlier in the year they normally went to there son's for dinner but I think I'll ask my grampa to ours he's reall special to me and has been a huge part of my life always there for me as was my gran. Dinner time OH dose all the cooking lol new pjs on for eating dinner lol and we just chill out let the wee fella play with his new toys stick on a christmas film or 2 😊 x

 

[faith82]

Christmas Eve we stay at home all day. We have a North Pole breakfast. I then give the LOs their Christmas eve boxes.
We lounge around I'm pj's/onesies all day. The LOs have an activity or toy in their boxes so they will play with those whilst I do some last minute cleaning & bed changing etc.
We don't have anything different for lunch.
After lunch we'll make cookies for santa (cookie mixture will be in their Christmas eve box)
They'll have a sleep/play in the afternoon.
We have a buffet for tea.
They'll have a bath after tea with their new smellies & get into their matching christmas pj's.
We'll put on a christmas film after bath time and have a snowman soup.
Read 'Night Before Christmas', put stocking out, leave santa some milk and cookies, leave the magic key outside, sprinkle the reindeer food and then they'll go to bed!
We'll then relax in the christmas lights with a drink & put out the presents later on before going to bed ourselves.

Christmas Day
We'll get up whatever time we're woken. I'm guessing it'll be early this year as DD will be nearly 4 so she understands everything now & she'll be really excited.
I make a cuppa before anyone is allowed downstairs!!
Kiddies will open all their santa pressies and pressies from us and we'll open each others presents.
DH will make breakfast. He insists on buying really expensive sausages and making hot dogs on Christmas morning...not my idea of a nice breakfast at all but I just go along with it lol.
We then get dressed in our christmas day outfits and go to either my parents or OHs parents for dinner. We open up more presents after dinner.
For the rest of the afternoon/evening we just let the LOs play with their new things
Have a light buffet tea then go home. We go to the other set of parents on boxing day and do exactly the same again!

 

[excited07]

Christmas Eve my dh works til dinner so me and the girls will lounge around in pjs listening to Xmas music and watching Xmas films/cartoons. I do last minute wrapping and drop it off to relatives. Once dh is home we go bowling with friends and let all the kids play together and then we walk home and get a take away. Once home we let the girls have their Xmas eve boxes and we all get into our new pyjamas and watch Xmas films before we out out the milk and carrots and sprinkle all the reindeer dust outside.

 

[leoniebabey]

Christmas eve last year we did north pole breakfast so think i'll do that again, then i tidy round while the kids play, then we have a picky tea and get the kids bathed and in their pj to watch a film before bed.

xmas day we get up open presents, have breakfast then get ready and go to my mams for lunch time to have dinner and chill and play then we go home, some years my youngest goes to his dads for tea time but last time he went boxing day.

Boxing day = SALES or football if were playing at home, then the kids go and it's mamas turn to have fun :')

 

[x_WelshGirl_x]

Christmas Eve -
OH is almost always working. Me and the kids get up, I strip the beds and stick the bedding ing the wash then tumble drier to be put back on the beds after lunch. I'll then give the kids their breakfast, once they've eaten, I'll put the TV on while I do the housework downstairs (wipe down kitchen, wipe around downstairs toilet and brush and mop). We will then go upstairs to get washed and dressed, i'll give the upstairs bathrooms a quick wipe down, dust and hoover the bedrooms. We will then probably pop to my mums for an hour or so to help prepare the veg. We will be home for FIL to come down (he stays christmas eve as he's on his own) and OH to finish work. I'm hoping to bake cakes with Alex while either Scarlett has a nap or FIL watches her. I'll cook the kids their tea, bath them, put on their new jarmies and put on a DVD. Before heading upstairs we will leave Santa's and Rudolph's treats out, we will go upstairs and read them The Night Before Christmas book and hopefully they will go to sleep. OH will pick us up a chinese take away, watch the soaps then put the presents out. Not sure whether FIL is going out with my mum and dad for the evening or joining us.

Christmas Day -
we will wake when the kids wake (lately it is around 7-8am). The kids can open their stockings in our bed. We will go down and open presents. My mum and dad will come down and have bacon butties, I crack open the biscuits.
Once we're washed and dressed we will then all go to my parents for more presents and Christmas Dinner. Normally we would then go to MIL's for a buffet tea but this year we will be heading back home and my parent and sister will be coming to ours for tea (dont know whether MIL will make the effort to see the kids Christmas Day or not).

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

Before there we're many kids in my husband's family every Christmas eve we would go have a big family get together at one of his family's house. Very boring, and we have to get all dressed up, which poo!

Christmas morning we would head to his brothers house, as he was the one with a kid. We'd exchange gifts and have a breakfast made with them every year, which I look forward to starting the day after Christmas! We then go get changed into more uncomfortable dress clothes, drive in LA traffic to another family members house for another stuffy dinner.

Thankfully this year my husband has said no to that! Christmas day will be spent at home or his brothers house, as is close. That we're not driving over an hour on Christmas day with kids.

 

[Scout]

Christmas Eve we do nothing special during the day. Around 5pm we go to my aunts house to eat and open presents with her family. Christmas Day daughter will open her Santa gifts and then we go to my parents to open gifts with them and my sister and her kids. We eat lunch and just sit around and chat. Other relatives sometimes drop by to see what everyone received. Very relaxed day.

 

[Phantom]

Christmas eve we go to a family dinner and open family gifts. When we come home its new Xmas pajamas and we open one stocking gift. Christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls and a special drink while we open gifts with the Disney Christmas Day parade on tv in the background.

 

[Tattoo]

Ah, these are my favourite type of threads!!

Our routines have evolved over the past few years, as we have small children now, but some things don't change.

Christmas Eve:
This year DD1 will be going to nursery in the morning, so I'll drop her off about 8am, then hurry home to finish off all the secret bits (wrapping, cleaning, any bits of cooking that can be done ahead of time).
Pick DD1 up around lunchtime, maybe earlier/mid-morning.
Bake something! I think we're going to do meringue snowmen from Big Cook Little Cook! Or maybe cinnamon swirls. Most likely both!
Head over to my parents' around 3 o'clock to go to church with them at 4 o'clock.
Church carol service Ah...Christmas has properly begun!
DH will finish work and meet us at my mum's and we'll all head home for a treaty dinner (something like pizza, or party food. Last year we had pulled pork in brioche).
Bath for DDs at 7, then hopefully off to bed! I'm hoping DD2 is sleeping through the night by then..!
Fill the stockings and stash them in our room (Santa delivers all stockings to mummy and daddy's bed in this house), chill out for a bit with a sneaky glass of vino and some snacks, put the presents under the tree, then off to bed ourselves!

Christmas Day:
Wake up when the girls decide it's time to be up. Everyone in our bed to open stockings and have Christmas cuddles!
Downstairs for a cup of tea and open some presents!
Bacon rolls for breakfast.
The morning is just grazing on yummy food, opening presents, watching TV and playing with toys.
Lunch is fairy easy, I tend to buy stuff pre-prepared or I stick to tried and tested usuals.
The rest of the day is chilled out with food, drink and TV!

 

[salamander91]

We don't really have traditions for Christmas eve but this year I'll probably take Flynn to mil's while DH and FIL build a couple of his presents (toy kitchen and table and chairs). Then I'll take Flynn home and get into Christmas pj's and watch a movie while DH goes to mass with his family. We'll set up presents when Flynn's asleep.

Christmas day we get up and open stockings then have a full English breakfast. We'll then go open presents and play for a while then get dressed and go to mil and FIL's for Christmas lunch and open presents from them. We'll stay there and play, watch movies etc until Flynn's tired and then go home

 

[DanielleM]

Christmas Eve; hubby is usually in work so the day begins with the boys opening their Xmas Eve boxes, then we head out to pick up last minute bits and bobs bread, milk, the turkey. We then go to McD's for breakfast in town then head home, it will probably still only be 9ish at this point. The boys will entertain themselves (YouTube most likely) whilst I strip beds and clean up before lunch. After lunch we will make cookies for Santa before watching a Christmasey film. Hubby will come home and we will have a chippy tea before the who showers/new pjs/reindeer food begins. Youngest will head to bed with a bedtime story by his brother. The night consists of me prepping all the veg for dinner the next day, then playing Santa once oldest ds goes to bed, then fall into bed.

Christmas Day; get up and open presents, start making bacon/ sausage batches for everyone who comes round, showers and dressed, start to make the dinner eat around 3pm, head to my aunties party around 6/7 then get in around midnight.

Boxing Day; chill out after the hectic run up to Christmas

 

[Mummy May]

Christmas eve we get up and open Christmas eve boxes. OH will be off work - I probably won't be. I will get home around 1. Prep veg, make cookies, watch a Christmas film then drive around in the dark to see all the Christmas lights. Come home and do baths, jammies, reindeer food and santa plate, and bed for the kids. We will have had tea wherever it fits in the day! Then me and OH chill out and watch tv before bed.

Christmas day the kids will get up, come into our bed with their stockings (which hang on their bedroom doors) then go downstairs and open all our presents. Meat will go on and I do pancakes and waffles for breakfast. Play with toys, inlaws come round about 11am and we have bucks fizz and open presents from them. Eat about 12/1 then DD goes to her Dad's. We then come home and chill out, drink/eat chocs. xx

 

[Eve]

Now I feel so festive

Christmas Eve I'm going to ask for the whole day off this year. Last year I had just one little one for half the day and it wasn't bad but the whole day would be better.

We tidy, bake, and do some activities before dinner. Then we have Chinese food with my parents, grandmother, brother and SIL and aunt and uncle along with OH, the kids and I. After that we open Christmas Eve boxes, get into our jammies, and watch Christmas movies. Before bed the kids put out reindeer food and and track Santa. I also get K to re-watch her PNP video and J too (even though he knows we are Santa ) but he plays along so well

Christmas day we get up, make coffe, kids open their stockings and them mum and dad come over to watch them open their gifts. We have breakfast and the kids play while we clean up the mess of paper and start to prep dinner. The whole crew comes back out for dinner and it's just so lovely!

I get the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it coming soon

 

[DanielleM]

I totally forgot about the kids tracking NORAD Santa all Christmas Eve!!

 

[Amarna]

Christmas Eve I work during the day and get home around 4pm. During the day DH will bake cookies for Santa with the girls and let them watch a Christmas movie. Either way we get dressed up and go to the candlelight service at church. It's so pretty, I just love it! And afterwards we stay for a bit and chat with friends while eating yummy baked things and having coffee/tea. Then we go home, put out Santa's cookies and milk and head to bed. DH might end up working that evening we won't know until a couple weeks before hand unfortunately. If he does we might have to do our routine things without him and that makes me sad to think about. Once the kids are in bed I wrap the rest of the presents, fill stockings and watch It's a Wonderful Life with DH while we enjoy some wine, it's our little tradition.

Christmas Day the kids will most likely wake us up at the crack of dawn. MIL and her husband usually visit us for the day and come over pretty early to watch the girls open their gifts. A big lunch will be ready around noon time and after that we will just relax, let the girls play with their new things, maybe watch a Christmas movie or two and enjoy the day.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Christmas Eve we will leave out the mince pie and milk for Santa and a carrot for his reindeer.


Christmas Day we usually go for a meal with my family and then to my grandparents in the evening for a buffet.


This year will be different as it is my MIL's first Christmas with us as she moved back to the area, so she is making us a Christmas dinner at home and then we will probably go to my grandparents in the evening all being well if I haven't gone into labour on Christmas Day!

 

[dani_tinks]

Christmas Eve -
Hubby works so me and DS will probably veg about in pjs for the morning, watching christmas movies, i'll finish some wrapping, we'll bake, put the pork on, dance around to christmas songs. Light the christmas yankees. Maybe go for a walk.

Christmas day -
Wake up at stupid o clock, snuggle in bed until J drives us mad! He can open his stocking presents whilst we have coffee. Then i'll make us breakfast. After breakfast we open a few under the tree presents. Then we'll head off to my parents for more pressies, christmas dinner and more christmas tv/movies. Probably walk the dogs. Then home to snuggle infront of the fire.

So excited!

 

[Eve]

Love reading these threads. I get so excited for Christmas!