Christmas Eve Traditions

[Valerie1979]

Anyone have any traditions for christmas eve?

When I was growing up my mom would make chili and we would have snacks and junk food when we got home from church and we would open our gifts on christmas eve.

[alina6]

Santa Claus comes around on the fire truck in the afternoon and then we head to church. After church we open presents to each other and then put the kids to bed and hope they fall asleep so that Santa can come. It is just our immediate family on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a whole other story. 

[kqa]

My mother used to give my brother and me Christmas Eve gifts early in the morning that were not wrapped, something very simple and inexpensive.

[diala84]

My family would sing Christmas carols while driving around town to look at lights on spendy houses every Christmas Eve.

[Valerie1979]

My family would sing Christmas carols while driving around town to look at lights on spendy houses every Christmas Eve.

this sounds nice.  i want to go see the festival of lights after church tonight on the way home

[sommap]

Christmas Eve actually starts out in the afternoon.  The kids traditionally play bingo.  When they were little, the got to pick out presents - they went for the soft ones as they knew they were clothes.  Now they play for cash.  We have a big dinner and then open presents.  After that is church. 

[thetotalfool]

My family actually has no Christmas Ever traditions.  They only do things on Christmas day.

[cowgirlx]

Yup, go over to grandmas and open christmas presents.  It is an all day thing.

[lgemini]

Yes! we go shopping for Christmas Dinner not for gifts.  Everyone will get to have what they like best.  My mother started it with me as a little girl, now I take my  kids out.  I hope they will do it with their kids. 

[ElleRich]

We have our KFC dinner tradition at our home and the kids and grandkids open up their gifts.

[Valerie1979]

Yes! we go shopping for Christmas Dinner not for gifts.  Everyone will get to have what they like best.  My mother started it with me as a little girl, now I take my  kids out.  I hope they will do it with their kids. 

this sounds like fun - are the grocery stores open later in your area on christmas eve or do you do this during the day

[loulizlee]

For the past few years, my husband and I have had Christmas Eve dinner with my son-in-law's mother, along with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  I'm not sure what started their tradition, but they always have homemade pizza and oyster stew, plus shrimp and snacks.  We really enjoy it.

[anubabs]

We just went to church n wake up early Christmas day to open presents.

[tigerlilly01]

We spend Christmas with my husbands family on Christmas Eve and have finger foods, snacks .... way too much food!!! and then go downstairs and build a fire and open gifts.  Christmas we usually go to my parents for dinner and my son and his wife and kids come up and we open gifts and have dinner.... this year we went to my parents on Christmas but left and had dinner with my husbands family.

[mjdoug03]

I can't wait to start new traditions with my family.  I have the husband, now all I need are the kids!