Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

On Christmas eve my family stays home and exchanges a few gifts to each other. Towards evning when its time for baths and showers the kids anticipate the arrival of the Christmas elf. He comes when they are in washing up. He quickly opens the door and throws in new pajamas and underwear. Even though most of my kids are older they still love the Christmas elf bring their new pajamas.

When my brother and sister and I were kids, we use to line up for the placement of the Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene. At first my brother couldn't stop snickering. he always thought it was funny. He was the one that was to carry it into the room. One year I noticed that he wasn't holding it in his hand. He was turning red in the face and then reached down into his slipper and pulled the figurine out. He thought it was soooo funny and now that I look back at it, it probably was. Now when the families are together for the holidays, it's a tradition for one or both of us to pull something out of our shoes. Gifts cards are so workable! DCMerkle

Growing up we never had any Christmas Eve traditions. It's a little hard to say though since I really didn't grow up with my siblings. What they did before I came along, I don't know. My brother married when I was 6, my sister moved out not long after that as she was only a year younger than him. My other sister moved out when I was 9. So I don't remember any traditions. A few years back my husband and I started our own tradition. We go to mass on Christmas Eve. I always make sure I am scheduled to read and my daughter is scheduled to altar serve. We go to the 6pm Mass. After that we go for a walk through Christmas in the Park, a park in our town that is done up every year by the local companies and clubs. Then one year I heard about the idea of a Christmas Eve box. I decided to do that but took it one step further. You can read about it here: http://www.quazen.com/Shopping/Gifts/The-Christmas-Eve-Box.58111. So after our Christmas Eve box is opened we usually watch the movie and chow down on the munchies enclosed.

Though I'm a Hindu, we party on Christmas with my christian friends.

Christmas Day has always been travel day for us - my mother lives about 90 miles away and my in-laws about 50 miles away. From the time our kids were little, we always traveled so the kids could see their grandparents on Christmas. So we started our own Christmas Eve tradition for our family - we put out munchies and dip and finger foods and treat ourselves like company, and each person in the family can choose one gift from under the tree to open. As the kids have gotten older, we've gradually included other people in the Christmas Eve celebration - first, after we divorced, my ex-husband was always invited to join us on Christmas Eve (his birthday is Christmas Day, so we always have a birthday cake, too). Then my two oldest kids moved out - and now they bring their fiancees along on Christmas Eve. There are always best friends and boyfriends and girlfriends as well. We usually pack it in around 11ish and everyone goes home... and then a few folks sneak back to have a drink and help finish up any last minute gift-wrapping and assembly and put the gifts under the tree. The past few years, with the baby of the family in his teens, it's been really funny - they all sneak out of bed at some point to help me put their siblings' presents under the tree and help "play Santa" even though no one believes any more, then go back to bed and wait until the sun comes up to get up and open all the presents that they put under the tree themselves.

My husband and I and our two young girls have our own tradition, but as far as our families go, nothing. We take our girls out driving to look at christmas lights, then come home to watch a christmas cartoon. After we put them to bed, we make hot chocolate and sit around wrapping their presents while watching a christmas movie. For the first 7 years it was "It's a Wonderful Life". As of last year though, we got alittle crazy and started watching Adam Sandlers Eight Crazy Nights. We can only watch it at night though cause we would never let our kids within earshot of it, but it keeps us entertained while were wrapping countless presents. It's actually a great tradition and we enjoy it very much. Yours sounds great though. I used to love big family gatherings. I still do some but my family has gotten so crazy and impossible to deal with that it's just easier to do our own thing. Merry Christmas!

In the Philippines,we have this noche buena wherein the family eats together and gathers around the tree perhaps a few minutes before the clock strikes 12.Our family is no different with the other Filipino families when it comes to this tradition.Some families bring their extended family along when it comes to this feast but I celebrate it with my parents and siblings only most of the time.

We cook for Christmas day that way we can just throw everything in the oven to warm and eat. I think I may bake the cookies with the kids the day before Christmas Eve for Santa just so its one less thing to do. Then we always go to my moms house and do Christmas with her b/c we have such a large family its easier for us to do Christmas with just us on Christmas eve. Of course we eat then that night when we get home I always buy new pjs for everyone in my family and we unwrap those to wear to sleep in.

That sounds like a great idea, just family time. We all scatter so much that Christmas eve is celebrated by opening presents at one grandma's house so that Christmas day can be spent at the other grandma's house. We share that way.lol

That sounds like the the same family get together done one Christmas Eve here in the Philippines. My family usually join to celebrate the Christmas eve with my mother and the respective family of my brothers and sister. That is the night of giving gifts to each other aside from the exchange gift wherein before Christmas Eve comes each of us will pick one name of our "monito" to whom we shall be giving a special gift and the name of the "monito" is not revealed until the Christmas Eve comes. It is usually a night of fun and laughter as we start the exchange gift. And of course a family prayer to thank God for all the blessings for the whole year round is always done before feasting on a bountiful meal set at the table for the traditional "Noche Buena".

I know what you mean about the traditional Italian feasts. I am Italian and my mother has always hosted the Christmas Day lunch where one would eat beautiful food to the point of collapse, although the last couple of years my sister and I have taken over the cooking which is nowhere near Mum's standard or quantity. As far as Christmas Eve. My husband, my daughter and I usually go to the Children's Mass at our local church where the Priest has all the children dress up as angels and shepherds and sit up at the altar with him. It is really quite lovely and I am ashamed to say one of the few times I attend church! (Don't tell anyone!) We meet another family there and we go and have dinner somewhere afterwards and exchange gifts. That is our own little tradition.

We do have a Christmas Eve tradition. We go to mass then must be back before midnight strikes and have the Noche Buena or midnight feast celebration. It is also a family affair for us Filipinos and everybody must be at the table to enjoy the food served.

In China,the Christmas Eve becames a market opportunities for the businessman.So it is very busy for people in various ages. But for me, this day is commom.

we don't celebrate the Chirstmas Day here, our similar festival is the Spring Festival.Every family will have a big feast together. But we youngers also like the Chirstmas Day here, we usually have a big feast with good friedns and sing songs in KTV to have a happy night.

Ever since I can remember, on Christmas eve, my mother's family gathers, eats turkey, opens presents, and such. Not to mention gain a few pounds from eating such amazing food. But hey, it's Christmas; we can allow ourselves to gain a few pounds. Especially with the desserts that my grandmother makes. I have a few relatives, who would back me up on this. It's something we do every year.

I don't really have any Christmas Eve traditions other than my husband and I like to get dinner out somewhere. Usually a sub or fast food - what ever is open that night lol. This year we will probably get it earlier because my husband may have to work.

We have family reunion during christmas eve, seeing uncles, aunties and lots, lots of cousins, we have parlor games, which so much fun, and an exchange gifts.. Looking forward to see them all again.. :)