Christmas Eve traditions

[WCsweet<3]

My mother and I spend the day baking for the family. Cheesecake, peanut brittle and fudge are the standards, but we usually throw something else in as well.
We use to go up to my paternal grandmother's house on Christmas Eve, but since she is dead, that ended. We are carrying on the tradition of eating spaghetti and meatballs.

christmas eve service( son is always in chrismtas pagent at church), we open one gift, dinner is usually enchiladas or lasgna, get the kids to bed put rest of gifts out /and assembled, bite a piece of cookie off to show santa was there , and crash ......
big breakfast the next morning, presents and dinner ,and finally a movie or two

[nikki1920]

Listening to John Denver and the Muppets A Christmas Together record/cd/mp3 files.
Its not Christmas to me until I've danced to The Electric Mayhem's version of Little Saint Nick. Imagine my surprise when I found out that they didnt do the original, it was the Beach Boys, lol!!

[Thetagirl218]

Christmas Eve is a little different this year since my mother's side of the family has decided to not participate. In the past, we would all eat Christmas Eve dinner together, go to church, and exchange gifts with that side of the family.

This year my immediate family and I are going to eat dinner out, go to Christmas Eve service, maybe open one present.

When we were kids, my sister and I would always write a letter to Santa and put it on the plate which held cookie along with glasses of Diet Coke (Santa was very picky...). When we came downstairs on Christmas morning, we would have a letter from Santa sitting on our pile of presents, and we had to read it before we opened our presents!

[LucyKKG]

My dad always celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. We're having Norwegian-style dinner (ribs, sausage, red cabbage, lefse, julekake, etc.) then opening presents and all that jazz. We did that even before my parents got divorced (I think) 15 years ago. That's just how we've always done it.

My dad's family stopped going to church after his parents died, but I still go with my mom. I'm going at 3 today which is kinda weird since it'll still be daylight. I know my dad needs help with dinner, so that's why I'm going earlier.

Alright, I gotta go make the cabbage and some green beans! Hooray for stuff that can be prepared ahead of time!

[AGDee]

Since my divorce, Christmas Eve is Christmas for my kids and I. So, they opened gifts this morning at my house. They're playing Rock Band 2 now. We're going to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner and then I'll drop them off at their dad's house for their second Christmas. They'll be back here either late tomorrow or sometime during the day on the 26th.

This year, my brother arrives on the 26th and my dad and his wife arrive on the 27th so we have a very extended Christmas! We'll be celebrating the whole weekend

[Tippiechick]

We go to my husband's family for a HUGE get-together. Then, we drive home.
Usually, it's my side of the family for Christmas Day. (This year my side is on Saturday...)

Not really any "traditions" other than playing $25.00 Dirty Santa at the huge get-together...

Christmas is not a religious thing for my side of the family. So, no services on Christmas Eve in my "denomination" unless they already fall on a night w/ church services. And, even then it is regular services.

[GammaPhi88]

Christmas eve my family orders Chinese food and watches Home Alone 3 together. We adopted the tradition this year of mixing drinks and playing Kosherland. (Jewish version of Candyland I found at a joke shop...its just too fitting).

Christmas day we all volunteer at a soup kitchen. It's actually my favorite part of the year.

[LightBulb]

We always open a present on Christmas Eve -- and it's always pajamas.

[RaggedyAnn]

Growing up, we always celebrated Wigilia, the Polish version of 7 courses. After the death of Babci (my grandmother) and my uncle's divorce from Ciocia (Polish Aunt), this tradition ceased. My brother and his wife hosted a German Christmas Eve a couple of years.

My husband's family always made fresh cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. We adopted that tradition once we moved in together.

[PinkRose1098]

Christmas Eve in my house involved going to Mass (so I don't have to get out of my pjs until I absolutely have to the next day) and then coming home and having snacks and cookies. This year I made 10 different types of cookies/ sweets. The munchkin get to open one present before bedtime and its off to dream land. Mr. PinkRose and I then get to open all our presents. This year we decided to watch one of the movies he got for Christmas and didnt' get to sleep until 1am.