Christmas Eve Traditions

It doesn’t matter how old you are …… Everybody & I mean everybody is entitled to feel excited on Christmas Eve!!

Its my favourite day of the year! Yep for me it even beats the big day itself!! As much as I love Christmas Day, I think it’s the excitement that Christmas Eve brings that actually makes it that slight bit better!

Since having a family of my own I am glad that my own children seem to share my love for Christmas Eve and over time we have created our own little traditions that make the build up to Santa’s arrival just that little bit more special (for us) So today I thought I would share with you some of these traditions that we do every year:  (This post is a little longer than my usual … but please stick with it)

Christmas Eve Boxes: Ok so you’ve probably heard of this idea already as they seem like quite a popular worldwide tradition. As this blog post is about our traditions, here’s what we do! Throughout December my children have a little “helper”… This helper is a bit like the well known tradition of “elf on the shelf” only we opted for a little polar bear. He watches over the children and reports any good/bad behaviour back to Santa.  On the morning of Christmas Eve the children find that their polar bear helper’s job is done and he has returned to the North Pole for the final time that year. A Christmas Eve box each has been left in replacement.

Each box contains goodies for the evening. I mix the contents up each year …. this years boxes will include:

• Festive pjs!

• Some sweets 

• Christmas drinking jar 

• Reindeer food 

• Christmas themed teddy 

• Little Christmas cracker 

  And a letter from Santa himself!
We love this tradition and it’s one we will be continuing for a long time!!
The Snowman:

Every year after bathtime, we pop on our new festive pyjamas and snuggle down with our yummy sweets in preparation to watch the seasonal favourite “The Snowman … followed immediately by the much loved sequel “The snowman and the snow dog”. These films are very much a big part in our Christmas Eve routine so much so that we actually have our own little dance to the tune from the snowman (yep you know the jiggly tune that plays when they’re riding the motorbike … that’s the one!)

Embarrassing as it may or may not be … we love it and even daddy joins in too (altho he probably doesn’t admit this in public) These short festive films get us right in the Christmas spirit & I can’t wait to watch them this year! Xx
Reindeer Food & Cookies For Santa!

After the watching of the snowman duo, it’s time to get ready for bed , but before that we mustn’t forget Santa’s treats!! Firstly We grab our coats and head out into the cold of the garden to sprinkle the reindeer food in hope that the magic flakes will sparkle in the moonlight and guide Santa to our home. We also place our “Santa stop here sign on the lawn too ….just Incase. Then we head back inside to set out a plate for santa. Each year the big guy receives either cookies or a mince pie , a cool glass of milk and wait for it ….. a vitamin!! Yes you heard right …. when my son was 3 he decided that it would be nice idea for Santa Clause to have a soft and chewy Vitamin each year with his goodies …. and just like any other tradition it’s just kinda stuck!
Santa Tracker! Yes! Who wouldn’t love a special app to track Santa on his special journey!! The kids (and me) love nothing more than to eagerly check up on where abouts Santa is and how many presents he has delivered. Thanks to NORAD this is possible! If you haven’t yet seen this app … your missing out! Even my dad age 57 still uses this app every Christmas Eve!

Then the most exciting Bedtime of the year begins with an giggling rush up the stairs, teeth brushed , toilet used and hopping into bed to read the Christmas themed bedtime story … then it’s straight off to sleep nice and quickly (at least it’s meant to be) to ensure that everyone is sleeping and it’s safe for Santa Claus to visit our home, deliver the presents & to put a start to our wonderful Christmas Day even before we have awoken.

If you are still reading this post well done (I told you it was a lengthy one & to be fair I probably lost a few readers at the reveal of the snowman dance) I really hope you enjoyed reading about our Christmas Eve traditions ….maybe you could share with me some of yours! Xx

Use of Google image – from Norad