I love creating new Christmas Eve traditions each year.
We don’t always do all of them, but we usually do a majority of them each year together as a family. Each year is a little bit different, but it’s always a joyous time for us.
The key is to be together and remember what Christmas is all about! Jesus! It doesn’t mean we don’t do anything fun and secular, but our main focus is on Christ.
Of course, we always enjoy the Christmas Eve service where we sing and worship the one who made it all happen.
10 FUN Christmas Eve Traditions
- We always make a spread of appetizers for dinner. It’s junk food for us!
- We watch a different Christmas movie each Christmas Eve while stuffing our faces with all the goodies that mean ol’ mama doesn’t allow during the year.
- My mom has always provided my children and myself with new Christmas PJ’s each year to wear on Christmas Eve. She gives me new slippers to match, too!
- Doing the day, we like to make a Gingerbread house.
- We drink egg nog or Wassail during the day.
- We have visited a nursing home and called Bingo for the residents.(call the activity director ahead of time)
- We sing Christmas carols while I try to play the piano. Beethoven I’m not!
- We look at previous Christmas pictures of our family.
- We make a birthday cake for Jesus and the children decorate it.
- We set the table with birthday party plates, napkins, and balloons for the next morning.
Do you have any FUN Christmas Eve traditions that you want to share with us?
Read all 10 Days of Christmas Traditions and Ideas!
Have you pinned these Christmas Eve traditions yet?
Mom would always make homemade hot chocolate for us to drink after we went looking at Christmas lights or Christmas Caroling. Last year I started the tradition of making homemade marshmallows to add to the homemade hot chocolate.
Katina,
Yummy! I would love for you to share the recipe with us!
Hot Cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
5 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon to sprinkle over top
Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Add water. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk until hot but do not boil. Stir in vanilla. Serve in your favorite mug. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy. =) (Also add mini marshmallows if you desire) For Christmas cocoa, omit cinnamon and marshmallows, and stir cocoa with candy cane!!
Because my husband’s family has their Christmas gathering on Christmas Eve, we have even MORE fun! We also do the movie and the PJs (Though I get them) but we also have a dessert contest! Each year everyone pays $2.00 to enter their dessert into the contest and trust me, they are SNEAKY about hiding them! Then, anyone who is NOT entering a dessert is a judge. Plates are labeled with numbers, judges give 1,2 or 3 stars and desserts with most stars are winners. $ is divided among top three…there is a trophy…one of the kids’ old sports trophys that ends up with something added each year…you win, you add something and keep it for the year then bring it back! This year there will be a junior division and an adult division just because it is getting so big! But when it was combined…my 5 year old won! The next year an adult won. I just really goes by quality of dessert! EVERYONE looks forward to it and everyone is already planning their desserts! Fun times for all!
How FUN! What a great idea! Thank you for sharing, Suz!
I absolutely love the idea of decorating for His birthday! My younger two will LOVE this new tradition!