Christmas Eve traditions for the whole family

Christmas is the time when many families look forward to reviving traditions that have been passed down through the years. If you don’t have one that comes to mind, why not start your own? There are plenty of ways that you can make Christmas Eve as memorable and special as Christmas morning – and they can be as simple as grabbing a take-out meal and huddling around the TV to watch a classic Christmas movie.

Here, we’ve gathered some of our favorite ideas for family traditions – but feel free to come up with your own.

Eat a Take-Out Meal
Many families celebrate the holidays with wonderful feasts that are shared with others. Kids, however, sometimes find these meals overwhelming (and not particularly appealing to their appetite). Why not make it a tradition to order pizza or Thai food on Christmas Eve? Having a quiet meal at home that requires no preparation is always a nice treat for everyone, and gives you the chance to connect with each other without all the distractions.

Make a Birthday Cake
For families who want their children to know the reason behind the Christmas season, make a birthday cake for baby Jesus. Sing “Happy Birthday” and eat the cake for snack on Christmas Eve while someone reads a version of the Christmas bible story.

Make Reindeer Food
Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, have the kids put boots and coats on over their pajamas and head outside to spread reindeer food. Why should Santa be the only one getting snacks at each house? To prepare reindeer food, make small snack bags of oatmeal with a little bit of red glitter. The red glitter helps the reindeer find the food, especially if it’s spread over snow.

Look Out for Santa
Children who are familiar with the internet might be interested in tracking Santa on his Christmas Eve travels using Santa Radar. Younger kids can watch for Santa by going outside and looking for Rudolph leading Santa’s sleigh with his red flashing nose in the sky (a.k.a. overhead planes and radio towers). Some children might even be interested in making Santa scopes earlier in the day to help with their search for Santa. Santa scopes can be easily made by taping two empty toilet paper rolls together and then painting them red. Children can also glue white cotton balls around the ends of the “scope” for a finishing touch.

Go to a Church Service
Every year, more places of worship are offering family-friendly services in addition to traditional Christmas Eve services. Look for a service that is offered late in the afternoon or early evening and is catered to children. Consider attending an outdoor service or a Christmas pageant at a church not normally attended by your family.

Tour the Neighborhood
Whether driving or walking, take a few minutes and enjoy the wonderful colors of the festive season. Be sure to have some spare change and canned goods on hand to offer as donations for displays that are set up for fundraising efforts.

Christmas Around the World
School age children might be interested in learning about Christmas celebrations from other cultures. Ask the kids to learn something about Christmas customs from another country and share it with each other over dinner or a snack. This website is a great resource.

Watch a Christmas Classic
There are many great movies for families with Christmas themes such as A Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Home Alone. Find a holiday movie that everyone in the family enjoys and set time aside to watch it on Christmas Eve.