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Bridget
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What does your family do on Christmas eve?
We usually go to the children's Mass, have a light supper, the children do their gift exchange and hang stockings. This doesn't really fill up the evening and they get quite wild which makes my husband crazy.
I need to structure the evening with more activities. Something that will occupy them a bit. Any ideas?
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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JodieLyn
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We do Midnight Mass.. even with all the littles.. I rather figure that if they're going to be wound up and not sleeping anyway.. we might as well be enjoying Mass.. and boy are they ready for bed by the time we get home 
We also do all our decorating on Christmas Eve so we have quite a full day.
We might actually put the trees up on the 23rd.. so they have time to "thaw" but we wait to decorate until the 24th. Soon as the house is picked up.. we can start.. and we have a soup or snacky foods for lunch and dinner.. finish up decorating.. get the kids into baths etc. Usually by that time a Christmas movie/special type of thing.. then getting everyone ready for Mass.. and Mass and come home, put kids to bed.
It does make for a late night for me.. because I (and usually dh) stay up late filling stockings and putting out gifts (they're wrapped before hand but not put out until that night.. I don't like fighting with the toddlers over them) Still it's a nice time with dh.
And because the kids were kept up so late.. they do sleep later than typical Christmas morning.
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Rebecca
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We always make fondue dinner on Christmas Eve. The kids think it is really fun and are pretty hungry after evening Mass. It takes quite a while and then we do a chocolate fondue for dessert.
Sometimes they put on an impromptu Christmas pagaent to surprise the adults which fills up the evening nicely.
We put on a fire in the fireplace and do our advent devotions followed by Oplatek, which is passed around the room. Each person breaks off a little piece and gives thanks for something that year. We continue passing it until it is gone.
Then we sing carols in the candlelight and the kids nod off on their own.
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Marybeth
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We have dinner with just a few relatives and then open presents. I am hoping to get ds to sleep early that night since we have big days for the next week. I know..I know..I can only try. 
What about a family game or a movie? When I was little we always played Trivia Pursuit or cards. I couldn't always answer in Trivia Pursuit, but I loved being on my Dad's team and trying to "help."
When my Dad was younger they all had to perform something for their parents ie: poetry reciting, dancing, piano, sing, a dramatic reading, etc. They worked on their talent in secret so it was a gift for Mom and Dad.
I know a family I babysat for always put on Kenny G and wouldn't allow their kids to talk as they lay on sleeping bags in front of the tree. The kids would fall asleep and the parents had some quiet time to relax before the onslaught of Santa!
Mb
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teachingmom
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We go to the 4 or 5pm Mass, at which my older girls sing in the children's choir, followed by dinner at my parents house for my entire family. So we don't get home until rather late and the girls go to bed right after family prayers.
But I did think of an idea for you. What about watching a family friendly Christmas-themed movie together, like It's a Wonderful Life?
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Genevieve
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We have a huge seafood dinner and open presents from people in our grab bag. Our family is very big so it's impossible to buy presents for everyone.
Afterwards we play a present swap game. We all try to contribute a few wrapped presents. Some of the presents are real gems, like CDs, clothes, items from the dollar store etc. Others (most of them) are fakes, like a padded rock in a huge box, and any other tricks you could try to pass off as a really good present. Everybody sits in a circle with all the presents in a pile in the center. Two dice are passed around, each given to people sitting across from each other. If you roll a one or a six, you can either grab a present from the center of the pile or take a present from another person. There is a lot of merriment as people try to guess which presents are real and fake. After about twenty minutes or so, the game ends and people get to open their presents. It's a lot of fun and the kids love it! Come to think of it, it gets a little wild sometimes so maybe it might not be the best idea for you. Oh well....
By now, it's about time for midnight mass. :)
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Sarah
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We have Christmas play in our house (very simple) where we act out the nativity.
We also have a dinner, open some presents, and the kids go nuts.
Tell your husband you kids are normal.
Maybe cut back on the sugar? Sugar gets my kids bonkers  . I have one kid, my oldest, who is just NUTS with sugar and it drives my husband crazy.
Have them watch for the first star because traditionally no celebrating can be done until they see the first star, then they can spend some time looking outside.
Have them open a new package of pajamas so they have to go put them on.
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ALmom
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We sound a lot like Jodie - except after Midnight Mass we enjoy our Christmas lights all fully on for the first time - We put baby Jesus out in the outdoor Nativity, come in for some carols (anyone still awake) in front of the tree with the lights all ablink, read night stories and the dc are asleep pretty quickly.
Before Mass we are finishing our decorations, and trying to spend some quiet family time together - reading, games if the children are all old enough, carols, hot chocolate and the children are generally making and wrapping the last of the presents. We have had an extended family dinner in the past but as that has gotten a bit tough, we're going to try to do the family dinner during the Christmas octave instead. Even the 4 yo gets into this (going through most of the rolls left over to wrap whatever he finds in his room. He has even been known to wrap a present for himself. Sometimes they continually add surprises to each others stockings (all homemade or recycled things).
None of the presents appear under the tree until Christmas morning (my husband have a bit of late night time together after midnight Mass and dc in bed to put out the finishing touches - usually me getting my second wind and my dh nodding but we have done what Jodie does to alleviate this by having everything wrapped and sorted long before and hidden in suitcases in our closet. I always do like to have some visually appealing surprises for the dc - so I usually set the table with fine China the night before, transform the Advent candle arrangement to some sort of Christmas centerpiece and do something to add extra highlight around the nativity so that it is still where our eyes are drawn first.
We have a Baby Jesus that stays hidden upstairs in my br until Christmas morning. No one is allowed downstairs until we all are awake - then we sing JOy to the World, process through the house with our Baby Jesus and place him in the manger. (If there are lots of dc all wanting to carry baby Jesus - we preserve the honor of carrying the big one for the youngest (with mamas help so it doesn't break) and the other children carry the figures of Jesus of the Nativity inside in different rooms). We eat breakfast (my dh wisely insists on high protein breakfast before any sugar) and then read the Nativity in front of the tree with all the lights sparkling. Then we open presents. My parents travel from house to house and they always save us for last as we are so slow to get around to presents that they still get to watch the children open and play with new things, though they do not expect any of us to wait for them. My dad stays around longer, too, if there is something he can help assemble.
Janet
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Bridget
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What lovely ideas, it's nice to hear the details of how others do Christmas.
I finally had the brilliant idea to ask Kevin what he thought we could add to Christmas Eve to give it more structure. He suggested caroling. Our children can play quite a few on the piano.
So we'll sing. I may try to squeeze a couple of new Christmas books out of the budget yet for new read alouds too.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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SuzanneG
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We used to drive my dad nuts like that too, there were 5 of us. So, we started going for a nice long COLD (minnesota) walk in the evening after dinner through the woods...running, singing, talking, making up stories, waving flashlights around. It sort of took on a life of its own. We were nice and worn out by bedtime. And, according to him, that solved everything!
To THIS DAY....anyone home at Christmas INSISTS on going outside for a walk in the woods on Christmas Eve.
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JennGM
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Bridget wrote:
What lovely ideas, it's nice to hear the details of how others do Christmas.
I finally had the brilliant idea to ask Kevin what he thought we could add to Christmas Eve to give it more structure. He suggested caroling. Our children can play quite a few on the piano.
So we'll sing. I may try to squeeze a couple of new Christmas books out of the budget yet for new read alouds too. |
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That's funny, Bridget. My first thought was to have a Christmas carol sing-along, but thought that was too obvious to even post!
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ladybugs
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What about Dad reading The Nativity Story? That's what we usually do along with our rosary....
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Bridget
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JennGM wrote:
Bridget wrote:
What lovely ideas, it's nice to hear the details of how others do Christmas.
I finally had the brilliant idea to ask Kevin what he thought we could add to Christmas Eve to give it more structure. He suggested caroling. Our children can play quite a few on the piano.
So we'll sing. I may try to squeeze a couple of new Christmas books out of the budget yet for new read alouds too. |
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That's funny, Bridget. My first thought was to have a Christmas carol sing-along, but thought that was too obvious to even post! |
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Well, ya know... sometimes I need help with the obvious. Actually, I didn't think that would appeal to him. But I am so glad it does.
We always read the Bible. This year we will have all the readers participate and read a section.
Suzanne, a walk we could do. We even have our own woods!
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Lisbet
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Oh a walk sounds great! What a nice idea!
Bridget, we usually buy one new book and one new game to keep us occupied until it's time for midnight mass. (we go every year with all the littles in tow, we love it!
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Bridget
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I would love to go to midnight Mass. But we host Christmas day here for 30 plus people. We would all be falling apart.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Cay Gibson
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After years of beating ourselves up to go to both grandparents houses on Christmas Eve night, my mother switched her family gathering to another night. Things were good for awhile.
Then we had a Christmas baby and the family gathering switched to my house.
Then Meme died in 2003 and our Christmas Eve nights were left bare and waitful. The first year we literally sat around staring at one another not knowing what to do. We were lost sheep, for sure.
I swore never to let that happen again. But, honestly, I can't tell you what we did the last two years on Christmas Eve. MOst of our celebrating is on Christmas Day since the day is spent here.
Perhaps it's time we start attending Midnight Mass.
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Bookswithtea
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We take some time to look at Christmas lights on the way home from the Children's Mass. The kids look forward to this and it stretches out the evening a bit.
When dh was a child, their family always ate dinner next to the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. We do this now. Each year one family member gets to choose Christmas Eve dinner (I have to keep a Christmas journal with a record of each year because its the most coveted job to be able to choose the meal! We also take turns putting baby Jesus in our manger during Christmas Eve dinner (Dad reads from Luke). Then we open one present before bed (which is always pajamas or slippers).
If we are still needing something else before bed we would watch a Christmas special (I've got a collection) but honestly, we always seem to be running short on time.
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Willa
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When I was growing up we did family activities on Christmas Eve. Sang carols; my dad often read a Christmas-related story or the Gospel; sometimes family games like poker (!) or an impromptu quiz game. We went to bed very early; motivated to do so, so we wouldn't miss out on Christmas Day
When we lived in Oregon we had a tradition of spending Christmas Eve having dinner with some very good friends either at their house or ours, and we opened our presents from each other on that day.
Nowadays we go to the Vigil Mass, then eat dinner and then whatever.... I guess we don't have a specific tradition now that most of the kids are older and because we had so many chaotic Advent/Christmas seasons in the past few years. Very often a child in the hospital or just getting home, so that takes up our energies. We still have an early bedtime if possible. Often my husband watches a video movie with the kids.
Since things are smoother and we actually have some spare energy to build traditions again, maybe this would be a good year to try to build up again. So this is an interesting thread.
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Willa
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mommylori
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We go to 4pm mass because all the kids are in it. Last year and the year before I didn't do anything other than church because my dh was in Iraq, this year we will do mass, and then my mother is comming out, it is her birthday so we will have cake. And watch the new for the Santa Cast so the kids run to bed.lol
When I was little we always did a little dinner after church adn set a place for jesus. We would sing my mom happy birthday and eat cake, then we got to open one gift. Afterwards my mother turned on the news for the santa forcast and we ran to bed not to miss him.lol
But this year I want to try to make it more special for her birthday, it is a rough day to have a birthday.lol
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Christmas Eve
