Christmas day is the best day in a year for many, but it seems the magic starts the night before. Christmas Eve traditions set a special tone for joyful celebration, filled with love, laughter, and cherished family traditions. If it’s placing cookies for Santa, putting on matching clothes for the festive season, or even singing for the Christmas celebrations, then there is something that everyone can do. Families can begin setting up new traditions or follow prior ones and that makes Christmas Eve as exciting as Christmas. Here, we have gathered 45 different Christmas Eve traditions to help you get in the spirit this holiday.
Read Christmas Cards
Holiday greeting cards may well become a mere trinket in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Not only should Christmas foods be prepared and eaten during Christmas eve, but the family should sit down and read through the cards which they have received. Thinking back about the positive messages received from one’s friends and family could really be inspiring and encouraging.
Hide a Christmas Pickle Ornament
Among all the traditions related to Christmas, the Christmas pickle is rather peculiar and the children enjoy it. Put a pickle shaped ornament in the tree and then the children need to wake up and find it on Christmas morning. The one who discovers the toy first receives another piece, or the privilege of ripping the first wrapping. You can hardly find it complicated and it brings some fun competition to the event.
Play Christmas Games
Get the family together for some fun games for the season. Of course, simple games like charades or heads up are always a fun option but you can try seasonal activities including marshmallow toss hot chocolate game. These games will be funny and make everyone enjoy the company of fellow people.
Gather Around a Fire
It goes without say that the best part of a cold Christmas eve is a bonfire or an open fire. Snuggle under blankets, cook some roasted marshmallows while telling stories or singing Christmas carols or even doing other fun activities. I bet it is an ideal place for closeness and relaxation, or as it is sometimes called the “Do-Nothing Vacation”.
Take Festive Family Photos
Take yourors with these fabulous Christmas eve shoot inspirations. These pictures will be perfect regardless of whether you and your family members wore matching pajamas or holiday clothes. You may even use them to write next year Christmas cards.
Make Reindeer Food
Let us not forget the laboring reindeer that precede Santa’s sleigh. Combine oat, biodegradable glitter and sprinkle to make reindeer food for Christmas magic. Bury it in the lawn so that when Santa is flying his sleigh, he will follow it to your house. Children will surely enjoy it because it has something to do with imagination.
Go on a Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Transform a boring walk around the neighborhood into a fun filled hunt through this amazing holiday scavenger hunt. Christmas decorations list: Wreath, Santa Inflatable or Nutcracker – call out the number of items that you see. Still, it is a fun way to entertain early evening sHighway with local decorations and holiday lights.
Put Together a Christmas Puzzle
Have your children sit down in front of the table and engage in a family crisis. Select a puzzle suitable for the Christmas’ atmosphere. Probably, some snacks and hot cocoa and the whole picture will look incredibly warm and homely.
Celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes
Of Italian American origin, this celebration is evidenced by preparations of seven seafood meals. That said, you don’t have to strictly adhere to the seven dishes, which is primarily to remember that one should feast with friends and family. These include lobster, shrimp, and clams frequently.
Spend Time in the Snow
As for those who are blessed to enjoy their Christmas snow, (and even my beloved rain) make the most out of it! Make snowmen, snowball or sled riding. These outdoor activities are excellent in creating an opportunity to use energy levels up to bedtime.
Read ‘The Night Before Christmas’
When it is time to go to bed, read the family the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to create that homely atmosphere. It is a lovely way to relax and warm up for Santa throughout the night in a Christmas spirit.
Make a Yule Log Cake
Yule log cake, or Bûche de Noël, is as tasty as it is fabulous and this dessert is a perfect way to end a holiday feast. Get your loved ones involved in making this traditional Christmas fare on Christmas Eve. Some people prefer to eat it on Christmas day while others prefer to chow down early so no one will stop you.
Attend a Church Service
Making it to a church on Christmas eve before Santa Claus arrives is cherished by most families. It is when one deserves to think about the season’s purpose and be with fellow believers. Singing songs and lighting up lamps is a beautiful thing, does not matter who it is for.
Hand Out Christmas Eve Boxes
Place items such as small boxes with socks, hot cocoa or even a book as wear, food and entertainment. Give them to members of the family and make them watch it during Christmas eve.
Build a Gingerbread House
Gather all the people and help them build and design a gingerbread home. It is profoundly enjoyable creativity for all ages.
The Magic of Christmas Eve Traditions: Passing Down Heritage
One of the most beautiful aspects of Christmas Eve is the way it connects generations. Family traditions such as from the grandparents to the parent’s generation down to the children give a society a culture that it belongs to. These are no more mere traditions, but traditions which come with the experiences in the form of episodes, jokes, lessons that are passed through generations. Possibilities of preparing a special Christmas eve meal and or hanging of stockings or presenting worthy gifts to loved ones entail making of a number of dawns that can help families create the ability of weaving a fabric of memories that are worth cherishing in the many years to come.
Christmas Eve: A Time for Giving and Kindness
And that is the true magic of Christmas Eve – it is about kindness and giving. During this season, people give back to society or offer their blessings to the various less fortunate in society. This can be doing this by contributing to a local animal shelter, contributing to food banks, or even helping a neighbour who may be needy during the festive season. Both of them and all of these gestures, big or small, are the spirit of Christmas Eve – the world can and should be made better through small acts of kindness. And it makes everyone aware that the holiday is meant to give and share happiness and love to others.
Creating Lasting Memories Through Holiday Traditions
Of course there is a certain charm in keeping the Christmas Eve traditions because traditions are equal to memories. From anticipation of Christmas and waiting for Santa Clause to fireside and conversations with family members – every second is filled with pleasant associations. These memories may be captured in a photo frame, or may be etched in one’s memory, but are ways through which children have a foundation of happiness in their lifetime. The customs observed on Christmas Eve, whether major or minor, are the bonds that bring families together through the years building a fabric of memorable experiences that will be handed down from generations to generations.
