Christmas Eve is coming soon, and the excitement around our home is palpable! There are lots of helpful little hands, filled with delight and anticipation.

I have a special family notebook set aside specifically for planing and collecting thoughts about holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions throughout the year. In addition to being a useful tool, I enjoy looking back through our notebooks from previous years and recalling the happy memories made. It also helps me reflect on what worked or did not work for making future plans.

I sat down this weekend to review the Christmas Eve plans we made at the beginning of the season. We have several fun family traditions planned for this Christmas Eve. Along with making sure the fire is lit and Christmas tunes are playing (Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole), here’s our Christmas Eve plan.

Christmas Eve:

1. The Gumdrop Tree: We don’t have too many sugary snacks around the house during the holidays, so I wait until Christmas Eve to bring out our gumdrop tree. Not only does it make charming decor for Christmas Day, the boys enjoy sticking the gumdrops on the tree, munching on several as they work. It helps keep the boys occupied while mom and dad work too.
2. The Mistletoe: I try to remember to give kisses under the mistletoe throughout the season, but I make sure everyone gets a hug and a kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve. Mistletoe isn’t easy to find in our area, so I have an artificial ball. But, this year we ordered real mistletoe online.
3. The Yule Log: We always have a Yule log for dessert, with hot chocolate, on Christmas Eve. And in honor of the true meaning of Christmas, everyone gets a slice and settles in front of the fireplace to hear the story of the first Christmas read aloud from the Bible.  Some years, we also have a Yule log in our fire pit or as a centerpiece with candles.
4. The Christmas Eve Box: After cake, we unpack the Christmas Eve box. Each year is different, but we usually try to include a movie (this year it’s The Veggie Tale’s: It’s A Meaningful Life, which the boys will watch while mom and dad exchange a present), a treat (this year it’s chocolate covered popcorn), and a new book (The Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, in honor of our truck loving 2 year old ).
5. The Night Before Christmas: Reading The Night Before Christmas probably goes without saying, but we also like to have a little fun with a Night Before Christmas Madlibs first. The whole family is in a fit of giggles before we can finish! Then, we gather on the couch and dad reads the original version.
6. The Reindeer Food: Our boys don’t want to forget about Santa’s reindeer! Before bed and after dressing in our Christmas pajamas, we head outside to scatter reindeer food, made with hay, oats, and sprinkles.
7. The Christmas Star: After scattering reindeer food, we search the night sky for the ‘Christmas star’ (or the brightest star in the sky). And I ask the boys to think what it must have been like on that first Christmas evening so long ago.
8. The Milk and Cookies: Santa needs fuel for his trip around the world, so of course, we leave a plate of cookies with milk by the fireplace.
9. The Christmas Pickle: We leave our pickle ornament beside the milk and cookies for Santa to hide on the tree. The child who finds it Christmas morning gets a treat, this year they will receive a peppermint Christmas tree lolly pop!

Finally, we get the little ones off to sleep, and mom and dad’s real work begins… And before turning in ourselves, we hide some little chocolate gold coins around the house. This has been a tradition for several years, and it’s exciting for the little ones, especially later in the afternoon when the novelty of opening presents has worn off.

What are your favorite Christmas Eve traditions? Are you trying anything new this year?

Hope you are having a wonderful season! Merry Christmas!