Family Christmas Eve Gift
Those of you who open your gifts on Christmas Day know that, on Christmas Eve, the kids are almost berserk with excitement, wanting to open presents! Here is a fun thing to do on Christmas Eve to jump start things. This could be a new tradition– It would even be a great “family” Christmas Eve gift to give. Of course you can add or take away the things you use in this gift to fit your budget or for the situation maybe adding even a few fun gag gifts.
Wrap a large box with a bow on it and say, “This is to be opened as soon as it gets dark or on Christmas Eve.” I made a silly little poem to put on it but you could write your own.
Here is mine
Christmas Eve is here!
For this we have waited all year,
So let’s begin the fun,
And open this box for everyone.
Place things in the box like:
Pajamas for everyone
New slippers
Funny Christmas hats, antlers or light up noses
A Christmas book
A Christmas movie
A Game
Popcorn
Mugs
Hot Chocolate with marshmallows
Cookies
Like I said, pick and choose what you put in there to make it more meaningful for your family. I recommend including mostly stuff for a fun evening together and everyone loves getting new pajamas for Christmas so this makes it like a Christmas Eve pajama party!
Photo By: Mary Rotman
Sounds like fun. Warm and cosy. I like getting a new nightgown or pajamas too for Christmas and new booties or slippers.
You know a nice Polish tradition is to have a supper (meatless) on Christmas Eve and wait to see the first star come out. Also, Midnight Mass is nice going to.
We usually go to church on Christmas Eve too although Christmas Eve is when we do all of our celebrating. We use to open all of our presents on Christmas Eve, have a big feast of special finger and buffet type foods and then Christmas morning Santa would come and I would cook a big Christmas dinner. After my husband left I stopped doing Christmas dinner. I was spending all of Christmas Eve and day cooking because there was often only 3-4 of us and I had to do all the cooking. Most people have one person bring pies another a salad and do sort of pot luck but I had no one else to bring anything I had to do it all. I was not only exhausted but didn’t get in on much of the fun so we scaled back. I started doing up a ton of food for Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day we just goofed around all day playing with the new presents and snacking on leftovers from the night before. It was so nice and that is the way we have done it every since even though there are many more of us now.
I know this sounds so selfish but one of the best Christmases I had was one when I was snowed in. We had done all the present opening and fun get together on Christmas Eve. My son’s family and I barely made it home from Tawra’s afterwards driving through a blizzard. Usually we got together again on Christmas Day but couldn’t because of the blizzard. I stayed in my pj’s all day (I never do that unless I am sick), pulled out a big bottle of Pepsi, my favorite Christmas dip and chips and watched Christmas movies all day. It was so relaxing and cozy with the snow coming down.
For the last 6 years, we have had Peking duck for Christmas dinner. All the years my kids were home and we had dinner at our house with the grandmoms and us, I cooked a huge Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. One year, we got a gift certificate and decided to have duck from our favorite Chinese restaurant. This is a special duck preparation and you have to order in advance and pick it up on Christmas Eve. The amount of food we order now has grown since everyone wants a few leftovers for another day. But, the cooking time for me is minimal and we so enjoy having something other than turkey for dinner. I do make a chocolate pie (no one likes pumpkin) for dessert. After dinner, we open our stockings and relax before my son leaves for his house. Then my husband and I watch a Christmas movie and just enjoy the lights on the tree and the calmness of the evening. Now that the grandmoms are gone, it’s a little lonelier but we are glad to be together. I do miss having little ones around but we are happy with our celebration each year.
Hehe, seeings flashbacks of the movie “The Christmas Story” where they are eating Christmas dinner in a Chinese restaurant. Love that part where they chop the ducks head off and just their reaction to it. No doubt I would do the same thing..lol.
Thank you for the idea. This year I am working both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Being a nurse does not take a holiday:) I discussed this with my kids and told them I would be working. They both asked if I would be there when they opened their gifts in the morning. I told them I would be. (my work hours are from 2-1030). They both were ok with me working on Christmas day as long as I’m home to watch them open their gifts in the morning. That actually took a lot of stress and guilt off of me. If my kids are happy, then I’m happy. We will actually be having a dinner and everything on Christmas eve since I’ll be off. The boys and I will be following santa on the “Santa Tracker” too. You’re ideas a just what I needed. Thank you.
That’s such a nice idea. I think I’ll do that this year though it’s just the hubby, kitty, and me. Thanks, again for another great idea. We really don’t need anything this year, so we were just going to have a really nice meal…now we can eat and celebrate in new P.J.’s.
Remember, we women are really the ones that bring Christmas. We do most of the cooking, shopping and cleaning. Schedule what you want to do/not do as pleases you. Besides, nobody wants to spend the holiday with an ill tempered person who exhausted themselves trying to please everyone.
Jill, being snowed in and staying in pajamas sounds good to me, and I like the religious parts of the holidays anyway. The Mass in the pretty Church, the trees, the magic of Christmas Eve, and the quietness of the night. It feels special Christmas Eve.
Oh this is a cute idea. I get the littles new pajamas every year and they open them up on Christmas Eve. That’s the one gift I let them open. I love this idea and will have to use it next year. This year is their dad’s time to have them through Christmas Day. But they get to come home in the afternoon. YAY!!! On Christmas Eve my church hosts several candle lighting services. We sing carols and listen to our Pastor preach about the real meaning of Christmas. It really is nice. Christmas morning oh about 4:30 my twins wake me up by telling me that that Santa came. I always joke “Santa, santa who? I don’t know any Santa, so go back to bed”. It’s so much fun. I love that sound of their feet as they keep running back and forth to the Christmas tree to look at what is under it. I get out of bed, still going about this person named Santa start my coffee pot and they go and wake my son, who is 16. Then ‘Santa’ is picked and that’s who gives out the presents to everyone. I have to be honest, I hate it when my children aren’t with me on Christmas morning. But it gets better once the 3 greatest gifts God has ever given me in this life, comes home. That’s Christmas to me. Wow, long post huh? lol.
Not long at all Stacey. You are so right there is something about little kids and Christmas morning. I don’t think anything can equal that excitement, joy and fun.