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Things to do Christmas Eve
Make Christmas Eve Magical with this list of things to do on Christmas Eve including Festive Games, Food ideas, Traditions, Activities & More
How do you have a Perfect Christmas Eve?
By Spending it doing all the things that make you happy! Some people like to chill out with a Christmas movie and a hot chocolate, others prefer to spend it tracking Santa with the kids or throwing a huge party for family and friends.
Whatever you prefer, these fun festive ideas are suitable to make Christmas Eve extra special for everyone.
What do we do on Christmas Eve?
Over on our Christmas Lovers Facebook Group I asked our fans to let us know what they like to do on Christmas Eve and here’s what they said…
Top 35 Things To Do On Christmas Eve 2024
1 – Hot Chocolate Bar
2 – Watch Christmas Movies
You really can’t beat a festive flick! If you’re stuck for ideas, check out which Christmas movies are on Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Netflix in 2024
3 – Christmas Eve Buffet
Here are some other amazing Christmas Eve Dinner Ideas
4 – Have a Takeaway
A takeaway was voted the #1 in our poll over on our Christmas Group for Christmas Eve Dinner!
5 – Play Festive Board Games
Our favourite is Santas Rooftop Scramble from Smyths Toys but here are the very best Christmas Board Games of 2024
6 – Take a Christmas Quiz
We have 100s of festive quizzes for you to choose from which you can play online or print off for free here
7 – Christmas Eve Box
Looking for some ideas of what you can put in your Christmas Eve box? Check out these
8 – Secret Santa
9 – Open One Present
9 – Open One PresentSome families open one gift on Christmas Eve which is a lovely tradition.
10 – Ring Family
Take the opportunity, before all hell breaks loose on Christmas Day to relax and call around all your friends and family members that you won’t be seeing, to wish them a Merry Christmas.
11 – Bake Cookies
Another lovely tradition! We use some for our hot chocolate bar and the rest go on Santa’s plate.
12 – Listen to Christmas Music
This is a no-brainer! Actually, Alexa should be blasting festive tunes for the entire month of December!
13 – Go Christmas Carolling
14 – Christmas Pyjamas
Matching Christmas Pjs are an absolute must on Christmas Eve! We pop them in the kid’s Christmas Eve boxes. Check out the best Matching Family Christmas Pyjamas of 2024
15 – See The Lights
You can walk or drive, but killing time on Christmas Eve by seeing the lights is lovely. Everyone is in a good mood and the atmosphere is just wonderful. Why not try this Christmas Lights Scavenger hunt on your travels?
16 – Family Picture
Get your Christmas jumpers on and take a family Picture by the tree.
17 – Go out for a Meal
If you can’t be bothered to cook, why not book a festive meal out? Chain pubs such as Hungry Horse and Greeneking offer fantastic 3 course Christmas meals for less than ยฃ20.
18 – Do Some Christmas Crafts
19 – Do Something for Charity
19 – Do Something for CharityMy family does something for charity every year! It’s very humbling and gives you such a good feeling. Afterall, Christmas is all about giving.
20 – Hand Out Christmas Cards
Make or write out some Christmas cards and hand-deliver them to friends, family and neighbours.
21 – Visit Elderly Neighbours & Relatives
Christmas can be very lonely for some people, so making time for your elderly neighbours and relatives is SO important.
22 – Write a Thank You Letter To Santa
23 – Christmas Games Night
23 – Christmas Games NightThere’s no shortage of free, printable festive games on Christmas Countdown UK. We have Bingo, Dingbats, Dares, Word Games and more. Get them all here
24 – Track Santa
Our friends at Norad have an amazing tracker that goes live on Christmas Eve, allowing you to see Santa’s Journey around the globe. Here are the best Santa Tracking Websites in 2024
25 – Make Reindeer Food
Mix Porridge Oats with Glitter and you have yourself some yummy reindeer food. Sprinkle on your front path or garden, so that the glitter catches the eye of Rudolph and the gang.
26 – Leave Santa a Snack
Kids love to leave out a treat for Santa. Grab a glass of milk and some of those cookies you baked earlier, along with a nice carrot for the Reindeer (or some of your special reindeer food)
27 – Read a Christmas Book
28 – Attend a Church Service
28 – Attend a Church ServiceWhether you’re religious or not, visiting a Church on Christmas Eve is magical. There will be lit candles, choirs, midnight mass and more.
29 – Christmas Eve Party
Some people prefer to make a big deal out of Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, especially if you’re lucky enough to not have to cook!
30 – Make Christmas Cocktails or Mocktails
If you need a tipple before bed to help you sleep (like me) why not have a go at making a Christmas cocktail? There are loads of recipes on Pinterest to try out.
31 – Free Santa Video
The Portable North Pole Website creates free personalised video calls from Santa to your child and they are absolutely amazing. I do this every year without fail and my kids love it.
32 – Free Santa Call
There are a few APPs that you can download on your phone so that children can have a free voice call with Santa. Check out all the best Free Santa Apps
33 – Go to the Panto
There’s nothing better than a traditional Pantomime at Christmas! The last and best show of the year is usually performed on Christmas Eve too!
34 – Christmas Karaoke
Dust off your microphones and see who can give the best rendition of Maria Careys ‘All I Want for Christmas’ (without getting a neighbour complaint!)
35 – Make a Gingerbread House
Having a Games Night? Check out this Christmas Eve Quiz
We Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve, wherever you are and whoever you’re with! If you have any other suggestions you think we should add to this list, let us know in the comments below…
