Christmas Eve Traditions to Start with Your Family
The Christmas season is a special time of year and is oftentimes filled with traditions passed down from generation to generation. Christmas Eve is no exception! From hanging stockings to making cookies, Christmas Eve traditions add to the magical season.
Every family has their rituals for Christmas Eve night, but if you’re looking to add new to the magic, these suggestions may help!
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Christmas Eve traditions encourage time together as a family, special memories, and rituals that can be passed down from generation to generation. If you have a unique tradition you’d like to share, let me know in the comments! I love hearing about traditions from other families.
Christmas Eve traditions to start with your family
Open a gift
One of our Christmas Eve traditions includes opening one gift right before bed. My mom started this with my siblings and me, and we loved it! It added to the excitement of Christmas and encouraged us to settle in together before bed.
It was always the same gift: new pajamas and a book. My mom wanted us to look cute on Christmas morning for photos, and we had something to read while settling in for the night. Even knowing what the gift was every year, it was still so exciting for us as kids. We have kept that tradition with our children, and it’s one of my favorite moments throughout Christmas. Passing this tradition down to our children has been so special to watch. They talk for weeks before Christmas about what book they’ll get or the pajamas we chose this year, and it’s really fun to watch.
Read a book or watch a Christmas-themed movie
Whether it’s a movie or book, spending time together to wind down the night before heading to bed is a special Christmas Eve tradition to adopt. My husband and I will get the kids settled in, and while waiting for them to fall asleep, we’ll watch The Nightmare Before Christmas together and put the final touches on presents and stockings before heading to bed for the night!
Have a special dinner
While we don’t eat a feast of the seven fishes (because my children probably wouldn’t eat it!), we have a special dinner for Christmas Eve. We’re usually pretty busy on Christmas Eve, so to make the even simple, we have creamy chicken noodle soup and French bread. It’s delicious and easy to throw together so that we can settle in for the night!
Take the same photo every year
Next to the tree, around the dinner table, or right after putting our Christmas jammies on before bed, recreating the same photo every year is such a unique Christmas Eve tradition. To look back over the years and see the changes your family has made is a great way to remember the holiday season.
Attend a church service
If you’re not religious, this may not apply to you, and that’s okay! Christmas Eve service has always been one of my favorites, but we haven’t found one that works for us in the last few years. When looking for a service, I want to feel comfortable and welcomed, and I want the service to be memorable. If you’re looking for a service to attend, churches in your area should have a website with holiday services listed.
Set out cookies and milk for Santa
We always make Christmas cookies the week of Christmas. It’s a tradition we’ve done for years that the kids look forward to and give us a chance to spend time together as a family. Because Christmas Eve tends to be a busy day, this is the best option for us. The kids can still make cookies and set them out for Santa without feeling like we have too much happening on Christmas Eve to make it happen.
Give your neighbors Christmas goodies
We are lucky to love most of our neighbors. We’ve gotten to know many of them and look forward to saying hi occasionally. A simple Christmas Eve tradition that spreads joy is handing out treats to our neighbors. Baking has become an important part of my life; sharing that with others is fun! Whatever you want to share is great for cookies, bread, muffins, etc.! I like to bake mini loaves of banana bread because it’s unexpected, and my banana bread is fantastic. (If I do say so myself!)
Track Santa
Even my older children love looking up where Santa is and how quickly he’s headed our way! It doesn’t take much effort, but this Christmas Eve tradition is memorable and exciting for everyone.
Click here to track Santa this year!
Prep breakfast for Christmas day
I can’t tell you how nice it is to prep breakfast the night before and have one less thing to worry about the morning of Christmas. I can pull it out before kids start scurrying down the stairs and settle in while they open gifts. By the time we’re wrapping up gifts and stockings, breakfast is done, and we can sit down together for our meal!
Here are my favorite Christmas morning recipes:
Blueberry stuffed French toast
The recipes are big enough that we can snack on them throughout the day and avoid spending time cooking on Christmas. It’s perfect.
Play a board game
We love board games in general. They encourage us to spend time together without extra screen time. On Christmas Eve, we try not to go anywhere and spend the day doing things as a family. Part of our Christmas Eve traditions includes playing cards or board games. Give it a try, or make up your own game!
Final thoughts
Christmas Eve traditions don’t have to include extra effort to make the day special. Playing board games, having a simple and delicious dinner, or prepping breakfast for the following day are great traditions to adopt. Whatever traditions you start or continue, make it fun and memorable!
I hope you and your family have a magical holiday season. Thank you so much for being here today!
-M
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