What are your plans for Christmas Eve?

[Pennylane]

We are usually with family, but due to the weather we are staying home. What do you do special that night? I was planning on making our big meal Christmas day and am at a loss for Christmas Eve!

Thanks,
Ann

[KrisM]

We go to my family's house. Years ago, we gave up the meal and only do snacks and desserts. We found we'd rather take time with gifts, play games, and snack all day/night than have someone spending a lot of time in the kitchen working on a big meal.

These days, with kids, we start around noon and go to 6pm or so. The host usually gets a Subway platter or something for "real" food.

[bubbaray]

We go to church, have dinner and open one present each. Girls put out cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer -- making sure to put it on the TOP of the mantle and not on the floor because last year the dog (see avatar) ate ALL of the cookies and carrots and drank the milk! They go to bed, DH and I fill the stockings and put out the Santa gifts.

This year, b/c the ILs will be here, we are having rouladen for dinner. See my other thread begging for ideas as I have no clue what this is nor how to cook it or what to serve with it. ILs will be coming to church with us, which also should be interesting as they are not particularly supportive of our church. If FIL starts in (again) on how all Christians are evil and hypocritical, I might possibly snap.

[infocrazy]

DH has to work from 4 to 1 am. Boo.

Not precisely sure what we'll do until then but hopefully something that doesn't include shopping or cleaning. After dinner, the boys and I are going to decorate a Gingerbread Christmas tree to be our centerpiece/dessert for Christmas Dinner. :)

They will go to bed and I will wrap a gazillion presents for Christmas...and probably some cleaning for all the people coming on Friday.

[mecawa]

We just hang out at home, just the four of us. Before kids we use to do a huge party, but those days have passed!!! I actually kind of like it now though, because on Christmas we have the whole family (his side and my side) over to our house for dinner so it's like the calm before the storm, lol!!

[JBaxter]

Having my mom over for bacon wrapped sea scallops..

[kransden]

Being annoyed...
The church we go to decided to have the children's service at 4:30 and the practice at 3:30. No one will be there except the parents of the kids, no choir etc. Not exactly what Xmas is all about. We are going to an Xmas party afterwards, but it will be hard to have the food ready at 3:00pm to keep in the car until 5:45. I think I need to find a new church.

[infomama]

I'm starting the morning with 90 minutes of yoga.

Later we will have homemade soup and rolls, church, put out cookies for Santa and a little dog food for the reindeer, read the Night Before Christmas in front of the fire, bedtime for the girls.

Then Dh and I will build, wrap, drink a Christmas Ale ;), stage and to bed.
I really can't wait!!

[Corie]

Since we have moved to Rhode Island and we have no family anywhere
near us, we have started a new tradition for Christmas Eve.

For the past 3 years, we go out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant and then
we go to the movies. We are seeing the new Chipmunks movie.

We love this Rhode Island tradition! :)

[jenandahalf]

Probably same as always, hanging out at home watching Christmas specials on tv. Most likely with pizza.

[daniele_ut]

I think we are spending Christmas eve at home, possibly inviting a few friends over. We'll make some cookies for Santa, light the fire and just relax. My ILs are descending the next day, so I'll need the rest!

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Dinner, and then we watch ELF....
Festivus (tomorrow) we order pizza and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas...
Both nights DD gets one gift...

[boolady]

We're going to take DD to the family church service at 5 p.m., then my sister is coming over for appetizers and wine and staying over. I am very excited-- this is our first year doing this. We usually have more people over, or go down to my parents' and go to church with them and then go to their house and get home at some ridiculous hour, but I'm not doing it this year. DH will be on his 9th day of work in a row, my sister will be having her first post-serious-relationship-breakup Christmas, and my other sister and BIL will be at her in-laws 3 hours away. We're going relaxed and relaxing this year, and I can't wait!

[sarahsthreads]

Well, we're always at my grandmother's house for the evening. But if we were home, I would spend the evening making a gingerbread house with DD1 and tracking Santa on the NORAD site. Throw in the Charlie Brown Christmas movie or (and?) Rudolph, and that sounds like a fun, special evening to me! (And we'd probably be lazy and order in a pizza or something since there's so much cooking and baking to be done in the days surrounding Christmas Eve.)

Sarah :)

[shawnandangel]

I will be having the family over for Christmas Eve Dinner. When I lived up north my grandma would cook a spaghetti dinner for the family on Christmas. I wanted to continue the tradition when I moved down here but didn't want to intrude on DH's family traditions so I moved it to Christmas Eve. I make the sauce that has been in our family since before they migrated here from Italy. I also make a salad, meatballs, bread and usually an apple pie. It sounds so simple when I type it out but I will be in the kitchen most of the day tomorrow and Friday! I love it though and can't wait until DD is old enough to help. I remember sitting in my grandma's dining room as a very small child grating the cheese or rolling meatballs. I love the way it makes my house smell as well because it is the exact same smell as my grandparent's house. Ah, this post is making me tear up so I'll stop. After 5 years you'd think I'd be less homesick.

We will also be putting out cookies and milk for Santa although I don't think DD will "get" it. She has been taking presents out from under the tree and carrying them around the house with a big grin on her face though. :)

[LexyLou]

We go to DH's cousin's house. We've been going there every year for the past 9 years. It's awesome. She has 4 kids, and now we have 2, our other cousins have 1 and 1 on the way. Every year the amount of kids grow and it's loud and chaotic and just perfect. :)

[MichelleRC]

Since we have moved to Rhode Island and we have no family anywhere
near us, we have started a new tradition for Christmas Eve.

For the past 3 years, we go out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant and then
we go to the movies. We are seeing the new Chipmunks movie.

We love this Rhode Island tradition! :)

That's the way I spent most of my Christmas Eves growing up! (My family is Jewish).

But since DH is not, we will be home, just the 4 of us, watching whatever holiday movie is on Disney or ABC Family, and checking the NORAD website to track Santa's progress. We will put out cookies and when the kids go to bed, put all the presents under the tree.

I will make chili Christmas day. Traditional, no, but yummy!

[Twoboos]

My fam will come here for a traditional Italian Christmas Eve - no meat!! Everyone has items assigned from the menu. My Aunt & Uncle do all the "real" cooking, thank goodness. Everyone will come at 4pm - we start early and eat for a long time.

[Pennylane]

Since we have moved to Rhode Island and we have no family anywhere
near us, we have started a new tradition for Christmas Eve.

For the past 3 years, we go out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant and then
we go to the movies. We are seeing the new Chipmunks movie.

We love this Rhode Island tradition! :)

That sounds like fun!

Ann

[Pennylane]

You guys have some wonderful ideas! I just asked the kids what they wanted to do tomorrow evening and so now the plan is Crab legs,cookies, punch and watching Elf. Sounds fun to me!

Ann

[egoldber]

Driving 10 hours across country. Sounds fun, no? :hysterical:

And leaving at 6 AM to get to the grocery store before they close at 6 PM there. Sigh.

[JTsMom]

This is our off year for having my parents over, so it'll be just us, which is kind of nice too b/c it's so low pressure. We open family gifts on Christmas Eve, so we'll spend a lot of time playing with DS's new stuff. I'm leaning towards doing lasagna for dinner, and eating early.

[Melbel]

We plan to attend the children's 5 PM church service with my ILs and another family (their family is out of town). After church, we will host dinner at our house (steaks, scalloped potatoes carrots, etc.). After dessert, we each open one present. The DC put out cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer then sprinkle the lawn with glitter and oats for the reindeers to help find our house (?). Once the DC are in bed, DH eats the Santa cookies and carrots and drinks the milk. Then we fill the stockings and put out the Santa gifts.

[caleymama]

We'll be going to the early service (5pm) at church where the girls will be in the Christmas Pageant. This year I'm semi-directing it and DH has been recruited to be a shepherd (aka a wrangler for all the young shepherds/sheep).

Then we head to my parent's - they've had dinner on Christmas Eve with one aunt and uncle since before I was born. Now it includes my sister and her husband, my family, and my cousin & his fiance. Lots of yummy and usually Italian food for dinner... lasagna or manicotti... I'm hoping he makes sicilian rice balls again in particular (he's made them the past few years and are they are delish).

My Dad always read us The Polar Express and we opened the gifts from our out of town grandmother and aunt. DH and I try to read it to the girls if they haven't fallen asleep on the way home from dinner and then they go to bed. ETA: Forgot that they put out cookies/milk for Santa and sprinkle reindeer dust outside. Then DH and I relax for a few minutes in front of the fire and then fill stockings and put out presents. I also usually do the prep for a couple of breakfast casseroles (I think DH is making cinnamon rolls this year) for Christmas morning with some extended family. The girls have also been tracking Santa on the web the past couple of years too, so I'm sure we'll do that again.