Ah, it’s Christmas Eve! Most families have their own Christmas Eve traditions, I know mine does. I remember every Christmas as a kid, getting all dressed up and going to my Nanny’s (maternal grandmothers) house. My cousins and I would anxiously await getting to open our presents and play for hours after we opened our toys.
Then we would hop in the car and drive about 5 mins to my Great Nanny’s (maternal great grandmother) where Santa would make an appearance every year! They both lived about an hour away from where I grew up and I remember driving home every year and looking for pretty Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music.
We all still go to my Nanny’s for Christmas Eve, although it’s evolved as the family has grown, I still see most of my cousins and all of their kids.
Just in case you are looking for some new Christmas Eve traditions this year, you can check out some ideas here. Or read on…
1. Make a Christmas Eve box – This one was new to me and I found it as I was looking up ideas for this post. For those who love gifting (raises hand) this is a great idea! Yep, I would much rather give a gift then get one. You can do a theme such as, tacky Christmas sweater or pj’s, Christmas themed mugs or glasses, nerdy, Christmas movies box, outdoors, whatever your heart desires. Whatever you choose, I think it’s a pretty great idea!
2.A Christmas Story Drinking Game – I
3.Each person buy a meaningful ornament that sums up your year – Then share them with the family before putting them on the tree. You can also do this with your spouse or partner as a couples Christmas Eve tradition. Before you go to bed on Christmas Eve give each other an ornament that represents your favorite memory of the year together.
4.Play Christmas Movie Trivia – again you can make this your own or you can google Christmas movie trivia games. There are tons of options and printables.
5.Bake Christmas cookies together – I actually may do this one this year. I haven’t baked or eaten a single Christmas cookie this year, sad, I know. Try a new recipe or find a classic favorite that you all love! If you end up with a ton of cookies share them with friends or neighbors.
6.Have a Gingerbread House decorating competition – I am a very sore loser and my whole family takes competition pretty seriously. Ya know, there is nothing quite like a little holiday competition! Either pair up in couple or each person decorates their own!
7. Drive around a take in the Christmas lights – As I mentioned above, this really reminds me of my childhood. Who doesn’t love Christmas lights! Throw on some Christmas music, grab some hot chocolate and cookies to go, and drive around to find the best light displays.
8. Watch Christmas movies together – This is a long-standing tradition in my family! My Mom, Sister and I watch the Jim Carey version of The Grinch each Christmas. And last year the MR and my brother-in-law decided to throw Die Hard into the mix! So now we all watch Die Hard before we go to sleep on Christmas Eve. I know, it’s controversial, but we consider Die Hard a Christmas movie, do you? We also always watch A Christmas Story as we are opening gifts on Christmas morning, thanks TBS! haha
9. Do a book exchange – I’ve mentioned in several posts that my family started doing this a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve. We pull names out of a hat at Thanksgiving and buy a book and chocolate for the person we pulled. The whole idea is to get that person a book that they wouldn’t necessarily pick for themselves but that you think they would love!
10. Enjoy – enjoy your time with family!!
The boys and I will be back in January!
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