After dinner on Christmas Eve, we do stockings and they can open ONE package (always new pajamas!... package is the one marked with a candy cane taped to it!) after Mexican Food dinner. I try to make the stockings full of lots of fun things... and then we read the Christmas story from the Bible and then watch the Christmas Story movie over and over again with the lights off and a huge bowl of popcorn... I'm thinking of doing an apple pie this year!

Aah, traditions. Our family loves this special night.

It is so fun to hear what other people do. Please share!

Since DH and I have been married, we've always gone to his parents Christmas Eve. When the kids were younger, DH grandmother would read all the kids a Christmas story. Since all of them are older now, we do Christmas trivia that we take over. I always fill a small stocking for all the kids and then, great-gram fills whatever room is left with nuts and an orange. Their family has a tradition of serving Chicken Paprikash that's absolutely WONDERFUL!

Aah... love it. Thanks for sharing!

We always go out driving around looking at Christmas lights for about an hour. When we come home there is one present that has been placed by our tree. It's from Mrs. Claus! She has always left them new pj's so they look good on Christmas morning. Then we read a Christmas story and go to bed. Nothing fancy, but always fun!

We usually go to my Brother in Laws(sisters hubby) Mothers house. She makes a bunch of great Mexican food and we exchange gifts then on the way home we look at lights. After we get the kids to bed hubby and I finsih any wrapping or assembling then watch a movie and he goes to bed(while I wait up to put presents out). This year we are having Christmas Eve at my Mothers since sis and her hubby are in middle of divorcing. Mom used to go to inlaws also. So we are starting a new tradition this year after 20 years.

We always have finger foods for dinner.The kids open 2 gifts,one is pj's the second is usaully a small fun gift.After that we watch some kind of Christrmas movie as a family then when the kids go to bed Dh and I have champagne and watch another movie while we fill the stockings

We go to a special mass that starts with a parade of children who bring in poinsettia plants - they follow the biggest kid, who puts Jesus into the manger on the altar. If we get there early enough, my kids are asked to be in the procession, and I cry as I watch them. It's always the same song they walk in with, and you'd think the predictability of the experience would keep me grounded. But it is incredibly moving to me!

We also track santa on that website periodically during the day - that's fun for my oldest!

We have our fancy dinner on Christmas Eve...our tradition has been steak and lobster (just for the four of us~we moved out of state years ago). We all open pj's and the kids get to open one small item. Hubby reads Twas the Night Before Christmas and then we all go to bed. When we wake up in the morning, Santa has come and left our stockings stuffed and a couple unwrapped presents under the tree.

My side comes to our house on Christmas eve. We all exchange gifts and let the kids play. We just do finger foods so we can munch while we play games and watch Christmas movies.
After everyone leaves, DH, the kids and I load into the car to go light looking. We stop off at Starbucks and grab hot cocoa to drink while we're out. Then we come back, watch another short movie and it's off to bed for the kiddos.
Dh and I then sit down with some wine and watch another movie together, usually Christmas Vacation since it's not really something the kids should watch..lol

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Thanks for sharing.

Well for a hundred years we went to my grandmas house on xmas eve but this will be the 2nd year she has been gone so I guess its time to look for a new tradition but its hard it still feels like it should be me her & my dad & whoever else well with my dad & grandma being gone now we dont do anything. I guess I will eventually have to start our own tradiiton

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We used to do Christmas Eve at MILs house. Then our kids became old enough for santa and we started doing it at our house. Then I started working. This year I am in the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service at our church so that will take up most of the day. After we are going to MILs house. She is moving to Colorado next month so this will be our last year doing it at her house. I also am not working any more so next year it will be at our house again (after the service at church).

We will open our gifts from eachother on the 23rd.

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I laugh at you because you are all the same.

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Years ago when we lived in NJ, we had a plethora of Italian friends. We were really tight with one fam, the kids were the same age as dh and myself, but we were friends with the parents. The daughter of our friends always had the big Italian seafood dinner at her house on Christmas Eve, after Mass. I loved that when we couldn't be with with any of our own fam members, and this was waaaaay before we had kids of our own. Even though I am from an Irish immigrant fam, I'd love to someday incorporate the traditions of the Italian Christmas Eve feast int our fam traditions. Those Italian Christmas Eve celebrations were truly celebrations!
MZ

We always get deli meats and cheeses and make sandwiches, chips, potato salad, dip and veggies and snack type foods because our candle light church service tends to always be right during dinner, either 5:00, 6:00 or 7:00, seems to change every year, LOL. So we figure it's easier to not have to cook and we can eat before or after church or both or just snack all evening. DD gets to open one gift, usually a book or craft activity. Then we usually watch some Christmas movies.