In case you were wondering there are only 10 days until Christmas!! AUGH! Can someone please slow things down??
Anne Shreffler was yesterday’s winner! She will receive an 11×14 original fine art print from my store! Congrats Anne!
One of my favorite days of the year is Christmas Eve. There is something so special about that day. The anticipation of what’s to come, and the magical feeling in the air as you await the arrival of the big guy. We have a few traditions that we do on the eve of Christmas that are my absolute favorites. The first is opening one present before bed. Every year the gift is the same, yet different…It’s pajamas! We each get a new pair of p.j’s to wear to bed and to wake up in on Christmas morning. (You’ve got to look super cute for the pictures that are taken on Christmas morning!) This is something my husband and I started on our first Christmas together, and I hope both of my children continue the tradition with their families.
Another tradition we have on Christmas Eve is my husband reads ‘Twas the night Before Christmas’ to the whole family. I love sitting back and listening to him read, while watching the children sit silently with eyes full of wonder as they imagine all the story entails. These are memories I hold close to my heart and know I will always cherish.
Do you have a favorite Christmas Eve tradition? I would love to hear all about it!
Comment below for a chance to win a $50 JGP Gift Card!
**Please Note: You may not use Gift Cards toward previously purchased items. Gift Cards may be used toward a new print purchase or session fee only.
My favorite thing to do every Christmas Eve is tuck the kids into bed, put all the presents under the tree and watch It’s a Wonderful Life on ABC while the Christmas tree lights glow.
Sara, I forgot about watching It’s a wonderful life! That’s on our list as well.
Growing up my favorite Christmas Eve traditions were going Christmas shopping with my dad and then coming home and watching “A Christmas Story” marathon. We would go out, fight all the crazies doing last minute shopping, he would take me out to eat and then we’d come home, wrap our presents and then watch our favorite christmas movie over and over and over. So much fun. Some of my favorite holiday memories.
Kara, that sounds like really fun father-daughter bonding time!
My favorite Christmas Eve tradition growing up was going to my grandma and grandpa’s with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. We would watch out my grandma’s front window for Santa and all his reindeer. Far off in the nights sky we would see a flashing red light and we were told it was the leader of all Santa reindeer….When we saw his light we knew it was time to head home. Once we got home we sat out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer and went to bed.
Today I do the same with my 3 boy’s. We go to great grandma’s on Christmas Eve and have dinner, open presents and my boy’s always get new pajamas from great grandma and they hurry to put them on. Once pajamas are on we look out the front window and when we spot the red light (cell phone tower) we pack up and head home. We set cookies and milk out for Santa and sugar and carrots for his reindeer. We turn on the Christmas tree lights and sit and glaze at how beautiful the Christmas tree looks. My boys always have a twinkle in their eyes from the lights and excitement of Santa coming. I look forward to this every year and I hope my children pass the tradition onto their families.
Angie, It sounds like you have a great family tradition! It makes me just a little jealous of your big family!
My favorite Chistmas tradition will start next Saturday. I will be spending it with the most wonderful woman in the world, my wife. I love you Jessica!!
Aw! Congrats on your first Christmas together!!
My favorite thing about Christmas Eve is dinner with my family. Now that I am married and have children of my own it is soooo nice to be able to host dinner for my my mom & dad now and continue some of the traditions from when I was little (like getting to open to just one small present!) Having children has definitely brought back the Christmas spirit like I remember as a child!
Rebecca, that is so true about having children! They do bring back the childhood spirit of Christmas! Such fun memories you are making for them!
I LOVE Christmas Eve almost as much as I love Christmas! Growing up, we also got to open one gift the night before, and we would always go to my step dads family for Chrismtas Eve festivities. When him and my mother got divorced, we continued to spend Christmas Eve together, as a family. He always made sure to set Christmas Eve aside for us, which was very special. Now that we’re adults, we (my mom, step dad, and all of us “kids” with our kids) have an appetizer dinner on Christmas Eve and exchange gifts. This year will be the first year that my family hosts Christmas Eve, and I’m very much looking forward to it! I also get the kids PJ’s to open the night before Christmas, and can’t wait to see them making cookies for santa wearing their warm pjs listening to Hanson Christmas. <3 This will be our first Christmas as a real family, and I'm beyond excited
It sounds like Christmas eve at your house this year will be so fun! I’m so happy for you and your growing family!
Our Christmas Eve tradition has been going on for some 40 yrs. or so now. Every since I left home we have always had “Christmas” at my Mom’s house on Christmas Eve. The kids are always excited to see what they are going to get over at Nana’s house. Santa and I use to have a few struggles about this tradition since he always seemed to leave the bigger and better presents over at Nana’s but we have kind of came to the understanding that SANTA comes and brings all the BESTEST presents under the tree at OUR house and Santa DOES NOT wrap his presents. I heard my little grand daughter whom we adopted telling her friend a couple of weeks back “Well, you know the presents that are from Santa cause the elf”s don’t have time to make and wrap all those presents so Santa doesn’t wrap his.” YUCKS !
I sure hope Santa doesn’t wrap at their house. The part that really touched my heart was when she said “It doesn’t matter what you get just be thankful”. Anyways back to the tradition, we all go to Nana’s have a HUGE, wonderful dinner, the kids are suppose to to listening to Poppa read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” while us girls all clean up, then it PRESENTS TIME !!!! And I cross my fingers that Santa and I don’t have a struggle this year. Merry Christmas !
Tina, that is so sweet about your grand daughter! I’m sure you are very thankful for her! Congrats on a 40 year tradition! That’s great!!
We never really had a Christmas eve tradition when I was growing up. My mom (or Santa) always waited until we were sound asleep in bed to put out all of the christmas presents under the tree. I remember wishing we could open just one gift on Christmas eve…but it was always so exciting to wake up Chritmas morning! It wasnt until my brother and I were teenagers that my mom confessed that she would sit up half the night, the night before Christmas, and play with all the toys she got us! She said she was testing them out….lol, no wonder the batteries always died so fast!!
This year is our first year where we will begin the Christmas Eve tradition I always wanted as a child…and maybe I will follow in my moms footsteps and play with all of Coltens toys! 
Amanda, what a sweet story about your mom! How cute that she would play with the toys! I think you should definitely follow in her footsteps, sounds like she had the right idea!
My family has a couple of Christmas eve traditions. We always draw names among the five of us and go the mall for one last gift; we team up and shop for each other trying to keep our gifts hidden. This gives the kids a chance to shop for each other and see Santa one last time. Afterwards, we bake cookies for Santa and when the kids go to bed, my husband and I stay up late, have a glass of wine and wrap all of the gifts. Our kids are now young adults and still insist on the mall tradition, that time together is always their favorite part of Christmas.
I love your mall tradition! That sounds like a blast and great family time together!
I always remember on Christmas eve my whole family would get around the Christmas tree and we all would listen to my dad read the first half of the Christmas story in The Bible. He would read up till Mary is about to have Jesus. then he would stop and we would pray and then all open one gift and it was also usually pajamas
Then Christmas morning he would Finnish the story and we would open the rest of our presents and stay in our pajamas all day and enjoy family. Those memories are so special to me that Nick and I have continued them. Now instead of my dad reading I listen to my husband read. its still so special.
Leah, how sweet that you are continuing your childhood tradition with your husband. I love that he is willing to keep that tradition alive for you, what a great guy!
Awww to my husband
my favorite tradition growing up was watching the old Christmas cartoons – like Rudolph and Frosty. We also watched A Christmas Story. Now I watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey or Elf. These movies get me ready for the next day!!!
Jessica, hooray for Elf! We all know I love that one!
My favorite Christmas Eve tradition growing up was preparing foods that’s something long, like for example pasta (spaghetti) it signifies long life in Filipino traditions, and wearing red and green costumes, or shirts that has something red or green print on it. The color green is a natural representation of eternal life, specifically the evergreen tree and how it survives through the winter season. That’s why, in Christian belief, green represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ. The color red symbolizes Christ’s blood which was shed during his crucifixion. Having dinner together with my family with lots of food to eat, like pork adobo, roasted pig (lechon as what we call it here in philippines), macaroni salad, spaghetti, and fruits..and after tomorrow morning, we share our foods to our neighbors.. i didn’t have much memories about gift giving since we do not usually do that in our home..i only experience gift giving or exchanging gifts in our school during our christmas party.. we also rent a karaoke machine and invite our neighbors to come over and have fun as we joyfully watch the sky above for the fireworks display…
Majal, thank you for sharing your traditions! I loved hearing about your culture! Karaoke and fireworks sounds like a blast!!