Christmas Eve

[Gemini]

For many years I'm sure we were all putting excited little ones to bed, wrapping last minute presents, and filling stockings.
At our stage of life most of us won't be doing anything like that.
Do you have a Christmas Eve routine or tradition?
Do you go out, have friends round, or just relax at home? Do you go to church?

We don't have any regular Christmas Eve thing. Usually we just stay at home, and eat something nice but light , often fish.
The year before last we went to my ex OH's house where he and his wife had an open house party. My DDs and GC went and it was very nice. We are invited again this year. I would like to go but it is a long way and a lot of dark county roads to drive down. My night driving vision is poor, and OH isn't keen to go as it is so far. As I would be expecting her to drive I can't really insist!


I'm undecided what to do if we don't go there. We will probably just stay at home.

[ZIZI]

Usually husband will have been working an early so we would eat and have a bottle of wine, sometimes go to midnight mass at the village church which, around here, starts at 10.30 because the vicar says he gets a better attendance than starting at midnight. 10.30pm mass does not quite have the same ring so he has continued to call it midnight mass. This year we are away at a hotel so we may go to the village church depending on husband as he is working an early (again) on Christmas Eve and if it is too long a walk he might not want to do it.

[Qwerty]

We have carol singing with the local brass band in front of the village Xmas tree, I try and get there every year , I’m not particularly religious but there’s something very goose bumpy about it, there is also the nativity scene there. I
always cook bouf burgignon sp wine and candles lit grand !!!! We see lots of friends there as well lots of mwah mwah kisses and seasons greetings , people in the pub opposite come out to listen , when we walk home it’s usually very cold after an hour stood outside , walk in the house smell the dinner heating on full blast magic

[Enfys]

That sounds lovely Qwerty.

[Nanto2girls]

It's usually a quiet night in for us.

[Oma]

We usually have a quiet night in front of the Telly with a M&S meal as we will have been making deserts all day to take to DD's
SIL loves B's Jaffer cake and its his Christmas day treat but it takes a coupe of days to make , then its something like a luxury Bailys trifle to make or a Cake or something like that ,
We Bring all the gifts we are taking downstairs and make sure they all in a big Ikea bag so easy to transport ,
I like Christmas eve

[Plantaholic]

Christmas Eve used to be when we hosted was a time to do the veg. Grown in the garden. Making trifle, bread sauce, stuffing turkey etc but as I do not host Christmas now, I offer to help where I can. OH and I used to love Boxing Day on our own, eating when we wanted to in front of a log fire.

[Daisy]

Plant - I think our pattern over Christmas is much like yours was. Christmas Eve is always frantic, with preparing the vegetables, the turkey, making bread sauce, making the turkey stock etc and setting the table. But I always stop for the Carols from Kings and put my feet up for a while. We never seem to get to bed until the early hours and then up again early to start cooking. But this year we have no plans yet, and may be on our own.

[Gemini]

I always made my mince pies on Christmas Eve, listening to Carols From Kings on the radio. Now I make then early and freeze them, as I find we often want to eat them before Christmas. In the evening as well as looking after the children, and waiting for them to fall asleep to fill stockings, I also did some veg prep for the next day. Husband was always Christmas Day cook, I just did the fripperies like setting the table, so I got away very lightly in that way.
One year DD1's then boyfriends parents invited us to an annual Christmas Eve afternoon mince pie and drinks gathering at their house. I was totally amazed that anyone had free time on that date! My youngest child was then about 5, theirs late teens, so a different set up!
Now I am that person with an unhurried December 24th.
If we hosted for many on 25th I suppose I would be doing some preps, but as it's OH, mum and me, it's easy.

[Daisy]

I still seem to be rushing round frantically on Christmas Eve - but then I don't get organised ahead like you do, Gem!

I can't believe that we used to have Open House on Boxing Day. A lot of our friends were too far away from families so Boxing Day was often a bit of a non-event, so we'd have visitors coming and going all day! I used to prepare large quantities of chilli a week or so beforehand and freeze it, and do a huge cheese board, piles of mincepies, and of course Christmas cake and nibbles and just let people help themselves. It was fun, but quite tiring, and we never got to bed until the wee small hours! I certainly couldn't do it now.

[Avo]

Nowadays we go to neighbours for drinks. Much different from when we had a young family!

[WeeGranny]

I think this year we'll be celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve like the Slovaks do...when in Rome etc! We are going with an open mind and will take it all in our stride.
DS says it'll be fish for dinner....but freshwater fish rather than a nice bit of cod!
Then we'll have another Christmas on New Year's Day with DD and family and open presents then!

[Gemini]

Good to do something different sometimes WG

[Mimi]

Christmas Eve is going to be something completely different for us this year.
When we were first married Christmas Eve was non stop . Mince pies,sausage rolls etc were made, excited children were made busy by making last minute decorations for Father Christmas as he always found time to put the decorations up , trim the tree and fill stockings when he visited in the small hours of the night.
Then as DC got older it was a more relaxed time, still non stop cooking but Father Christmas had delegated the decorating of the tree and room to DC so decorations went up a few weeks earlier.
Then it was just OH and myself so Christmas Eve became rather quiet, just a normal day but this year it’s going to be different.....
We are going to DS and DILs Christmas Eve and staying over night coming home Christmas night. Really looking forward to it .

[Gemini]

I would be too Mimi