*This is a collaborative post
Everybody has different Christmas traditions and over the years as a little family we have started to create our own. For me the 24 hours before Christmas Day is my favourite, you can almost taste the excitement fizzing through the air. The final countdown to the big day, the one we have spent weeks maybe even months preparing for, the clock is ticking and here’s what we do.
7am Thanks to the kids I’m usually up by this time and we tend to have a nice breakfast. Last year the elves brought us some treats to say goodbye.
9am With the children’s hyper levels already sky rocketing I give them their Christmas Eve box around now. I try to include some kind of activity that they can do whilst I get on with last minute tidying and getting things ready.
11am If it’s nice weather we try and get outside for a bit, our local country park is beautiful and it’s a great way to calm them down a bit.
12 noon Lunch time for the boys and naptime for Ava. I try and spend some time doing something with the boys now, a board game and then the Christmas songs are back on when Ava wakes up and we get ready for going out.
3pm The Crib service – we try and go to this every year, for me it brings back memories of going as a child.
4pm Christmas Eve buffet meal, I started this tradition when I moved out and still do it now. Loads of yummy nibbles and some special drinks for the adults.
5pm An early bath with the special Christmas bathbomb, all nice and clean and our new pyjamas on. We then put on a Christmas film and have hot chocolate and marshmallows.
6:30pm We sprinkle the reindeer food, get the treats ready for Santa and lay out the sacks. The boys now also say goodbye to the elves.
7pm Bedtime, we always read ‘The night before Christmas’ and I squeeze them all that little bit harder, enjoying their excitement.
8pm At this point I’m hopefully all ready for the morning, last minute presents wrapped and under the tree. This is a time I now love to spend with James, the calm but magical evening before all the excitement in the morning. We always watch a Christmas film together and have a few drinks.
9pm Our first Christmas together we started giving each other our main present, it means we have time to open them together without the chaos. Over the years we have got each other some lovely gifts, trips away, lusted after makeup, beautiful pre owned watches, and some experiences that we have really enjoyed together.
11pm I blow out the candles, check everything is ready and head up to bed. I still find it hard to get to sleep, I’m just a big kid.
Writing this post has made me excited for my favourite day. Only 17 sleeps till Christmas Eve, where is the time going? Do you have Christmas Eve traditions?
