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22 Special Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas

August 5, 2020 by Jackie 11 Comments

Before the holiday season gets too crazy, let’s talk Christmas Eve tradition ideas. Couples may come from entirely different worlds when it comes to their Christmas Eve traditions. So it can be tricky to start your own traditions that make the holidays special and meaningful for your own family. Here are some ideas to help! 

Contents
1 Fun Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas For Kids
1.1 1. Movie
1.2 2. Live Nativity
1.3 3. Christmas Eve Food Traditions
1.4 4. Christmas mugs
1.5 5. Christmas Eve Traditions: PJs
1.6 6. Reindeer Food
2 Christmas Eve Traditions For The Family
2.1 7. Cookies And Carrots {Of Course!}
2.2 8. Christmas Eve Storybooks
2.3 9. Resolutions
2.4 10. Christmas Gifts For Baby Jesus
3 Additional Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas

Fun Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas For Kids 

Are you trying to come up with some great Christmas traditions? Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

1. Movie  

Every single holiday my mom gave us a new movie.  This is the only time we got new movies, so we always looked forward to it! With digital movies available now for streaming, we buy one from Amazon and pop some popcorn.

Live nativities are a great way to celebrate Christmas Eve! Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

2. Live Nativity  

Each year, we act out the nativity, including a narrator who reads from the Book of Luke.  The kids love this!  We have a collection of costumes and masks by now: robes, a star, angel, baby Jesus, etc.  Doing this reminds us all why we are celebrating.

3. Christmas Eve Food Traditions 

Every  Christmas Eve, we have an appetizer evening. This is one of my favorite traditions from my husband’s side. Everyone takes it very seriously–we spend time all year looking for the best recipe.  There are prizes for presentation and taste. We all vote, and the appetizers are the meal for the night.

You can't celebrate Christmas Eve without some delicious food, right? Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

4. Christmas mugs  

Each Christmas, I buy each member of the family a new holiday mug.  We spend all winter drinking hot drinks, so the kids love using a new mug.  If you buy them on sale right after Christmas and save them for next year, it won’t break the bank.  The kids have the option to save each of their mugs and take them when they leave home. 

5. Christmas Eve Traditions: PJs

Each Christmas Eve, the kids get to open one present. But it’s always new pajamas!  There’s nothing like going to bed in new cozy PJs on Christmas Eve.  Try matching PJs for the family, or coordinating designs.

Pajamas are a perfect way to help celebrate Christmas Eve. Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

6. Reindeer Food 

My kids make a concoction of dry oats, sprinkles, and anything else they feel like putting together. They call it reindeer food,  and it entertains them for awhile! Sprinkle it on the front lawn to feed Santa’s reindeer while Santa is busy in the house. 

Christmas Eve Traditions For The Family

Leaving out cookies and carrots out for Santa and the reindeer is a great way to celebrate Christmas Eve. Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

7. Cookies And Carrots {Of Course!}

Need I say more? Kids love to leave Santa treats and healthy snacks for the reindeer! 

Reading Christmas books on Christmas Eve is a great tradition for the family. Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

8. Christmas Eve Storybooks

Each Christmas Eve, I give the kids a new Christmas storybook.  We read them that night, plus it’s fun to collect a new one each year.  

9. Resolutions

Each year on New Years Eve, we write down our resolutions {things we want to do better at} for the year. Before we pack away the Christmas decorations, we place those resolutions in our stockings.  The next Christmas Eve, before Santa fills the stockings, we read our resolutions and report on how we did. Sometimes we don’t do very well, but it’s always a great discussion!  

10. Christmas Gifts For Baby Jesus 

We have a little basket that we fill with Christmas gifts for Baby Jesus. For example, the kids said last year that they would treat each other kindly. 

Additional Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas

Watching Christmas movies with the family is a great way to get in the spirit. Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

11. Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Story or even Elf every year.

12. If you don’t have a fireplace, hang a “magic key” for Santa to get in.  Cute!

13. Take the kids on a drive to look at Christmas lights.

Hanging garland is a fun way to show Santa where to put the presents! Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

14. Hang lights or a garland to guide the kids to the room where Santa leaves their loot.  This is a cute idea!

15. Midnight caroling is a fun idea for a family get-together on Christmas Eve!

16. Some families go skiing on Christmas Eve day every year. 

17. Enjoy Christmas Eve dinner {or lunch} at your favorite restaurant. 

Adding fake snow can be so fun for Christmas Eve. Here are some amazing Christmas Eve tradition ideas for kids and families.

18. Spray the bottom of some old boots with fake snow, then leave “Santa tracks” from the chimney to the tree. Genius! 

19. Have a cozy Christmas Eve with hot cocoa and Christmas stories.

20. Throw a sibling slumber party! All the kids sleep in one room together with the Christmas tree all lit up. 

21. Religious families may enjoy Christmas Eve Mass or other religious services.

22. Before Christmas Eve, work with the kids to choose a few of their old toys to donate to other families in need.  Go as a family to deliver them to a homeless shelter or other toy drive. It’s good for the kids to see where their toys are going! 

Not all of these Christmas Eve tradition ideas are meaningful to everyone, but the time spent together as a family is priceless.  What are some of your favorite Christmas Eve traditions? It might help to look at my holiday bucket list for even more ideas!  

Filed Under: Christmas, DIY Ideas, Holiday Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve Tradition Ideas, DIY, Family, family traditions, Holiday, Holiday traditions, Traditions

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Regeana Funderburk says

    January 2, 2015 at

    What some wonderful ideas! Simple, meaningful, and fun!

    Reply
    • Cheryl wolfert says

      September 14, 2019 at

      When we set out our nativity set, we leave the Christ child beside the manger, not in it. On Christmas Eve, before any celebrations or gift openings we put everyone’s name on a piece of paper in a hat and have the elder chose a name from the hat. The name chosen then has the privilege of placing the Christ child in our nativity set while we all sing Silent Night

      Reply
  2. Jason says

    September 12, 2015 at

    i just figure I’d say what one of our traditions are we play a find the present game where we get a clue that send us to the next clue and so on till we find the present

    Reply
  3. Diane says

    September 15, 2015 at

    Those sound like you don’t by family. We have any where from 9-16 up to 18 people for Christmas eve. We eat turkey as usual. Ever one runs off and doesn’t hang, because then they go home and do their Christmas Eve. Which kid of disappointments. I have tried to play games, and some play and some don’t so if they aren’t going to play I won’t make them and so I stopped playing games. Some times I do a theme, like one year a $1 gift. One year we had to wear Santa hats for a game. maybe I should bring those hats back and we will make pillows out of them. I also do little gifts, and last year no one hostess gift, although I always bring one to their house. So I don’t know throw some traditions out and start new one when my kido 22 has his own kids I guess, if the wife wants to spend on event with us.

    Reply
    • Janet says

      October 2, 2020 at

      I bought a bunch of silly things, coffee shop gift card for 5 dollars, candy, small box of chocolates, socks, etc. and wrapped them up. I divided up monopoly money unevenly in envelopes. And we had an auction. Never had so much laughter and fun with 13 people. My sister bought an off brand canned meat for $5,000.00!🤣

      Reply
    • Cherie says

      October 7, 2020 at

      Decorating ugly Christmas socks is fun and not too expensive. I am sorry no one seems to appreciate everything you do. I am not well most of the time and my family has had to start taking over. They really appreciate everything when they get to do it. Hugs

      Reply
    • Kristen M Gibson says

      July 17, 2021 at

      this is a downer

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    December 11, 2015 at

    Santa always left my kids movies in their stockings. They were allowed to get into their stockings without my husband and I being up. So while they enjoyed their new movies, we could sleep in…Gotta love Santa

    Reply
  5. Diana says

    December 20, 2015 at

    Wow, this is really good! Thanks for these great ideas! I’m going to try out a lot of them 🙂
    Maybe you should try: Decorating rooms with Christmas stuff as a family (Bedrooms, Kitchen, Livingroom, ect.)
    Making card (Treats, Gifts, ect.) for seniors, family, or friends
    Thanks again, Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  6. Michelle says

    October 31, 2017 at

    Great ideas. I guess I don’t always have to do PJ’s and can just do a robe or slippers some years. I do a love letter for each grown kid. Something written that reminds them of what they did that year & how proud of them we are. It takes awhile to write, so I pace myself. ?

    Reply
  7. Clare Kennedy says

    December 26, 2018 at

    the resolutions is a fabulous idea!

    Reply

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