Christmas Eve Traditions

[raine]

In Argyl of Pa...we stay home for Christmas Eve, our church doesn't have a service tho' sure miss that.I cook a HUGE dinner..this year is Italian, my NYC sister comes over as does my other sister with her husband, niece Kiah and baby Ian(first Christmas for him), my next door neighbor comes along as does my bestest girlfriend and her two dogs, which are sisters to my dog Maddie.My mom also comes over.We eat, open some presents and other wise just sit around in fellowship and good food.Christmas morning I make hubby get up at 5am so we can have some alone time together, while we wait for the kids to come thumping down the steps.Home for a little while then back to my Dad and stepmom for Christmas breakfast and presents.Come back home again for a few hours then off to my mom's for dinner and more presents with my sisters.It's hard when your parents are divorced, we spent soooooooooo many years running here and there on Christmas day, it wasn't really fun.Years back we decided to limit our running, good thing to that my mom and dad only live three miles apart from us and each other! My husband's family is mostly down in Lancaster so we make a point to get together on another day to celebrate.

Blessings, Raine

[ColdFront77]

Christmas Eve has never been a big deal for me and my very large, very close together family... even more so now living in Florida and the rest of them in Massachusetts.

Will probably go out to eat on Christmas Day, either with my parents or some of the neighbors... no plans as of now.

[StormCrazyIowan]

Bron.....careful with that EggNog now!! It's delish, but it'll give ya (well it gives me) a mean tummyache if ya overdo it!

[azskyman]

Growing up, Christmas Eve was always time at home with a fire in the fireplace and all of us at home just "revving up" the excitement.

Christmas Day started with dad starting a fire in the fireplace and once it was going we could find our way down the hall and out to the tree. Gift opening was methodical...rotating who got to hand them out each year, and then rotating how we opened them. We stretched it out as long as we could. Afterward, we made stops to three different cousin's homes for coffee cake and breakfast and to share in the fun. At night, my parents and youngest uncle and his family would have a turkey dinner and play 500...while the cousins simpy wore ourselves out after a long long day.

In adult years, with our own kids, Christmas eve was spent at my sister's house for many years. Ham sandwiches were on the menu and we had a gift exchange among our kids. That went on for about 18 years.

These days, we'll see how tradition evolves but this year granny and poppysky are heading to San Diego to be with Emma, our first grandchild. Last Christmas was a disaster, so this promises to be a lot more fun.

Along the way, Christmas eve candlelight services at church have been an on-again, off-again situation...often based on weather more than anything else.