Poll: Xmas Eve Plans

[lanie]

Sounds early, however, it is just a mere 4 weeks away. What do you usually do Xmas Eve, do you have a full-course meal, open presents, have an Open House party, just wondering what your traditions are. Usually have just family, make Tourtieres and Spinach Quiche, caesar salad and Pavlova - all make-ahead, lots of good wine, Xmas music and a fire - open gifts in the morning - my 'kids so-to-speak' are adults but we still do the same thing each year - even stockings! Yikes! lanie

P.S. You reminded me Lindrusso - Champagne Cocktails while opening gifts - this year Santa is not coming fully equipped (the tree in the backyard isn't producing much any more) - son getting married on Jan. 13 in Negril, Jamaica (our gift to 'kids') so guess we will just have to settle for 'cocktails'!

[This message has been edited by lanie (edited 11-26-2000).]

[lindrusso]

Well, my family didn't really have a big Christmas Eve tradition - we had our big dinner and present opening on Christmas day. However, since there is sooo much going on Christmas day and I don't want to miss ANY of it (especially with kids who still believe in Santa Claus), I am starting my MIL's tradition of doing a big Christmas Eve dinner. She does filet mignon and lobster tails. I'm doing filets and Seafood Newburg. So, I guess our tradition is still evolving, which is kind of nice - more room for me to work without stepping on any toes!!

Christmas morning we like to have mimosas while we open presents - now that's a tradition I DEFINITELY plan to carry on!

[kwormann]

I have always gone to candlelight service at church, but it is MIL's year and she is picky about EVENLY splitting the time between her house and my moms, so who knows what we will do(I dont think they do anything)..can you tell I am bothered?

kim

[Gina O]

I always have to juggle at least two events on Christmas Eve. This year, we will be hosting the celebration for Brian's family in the first half of the day, then I will go to my dad's house in the evening. I will be preparing a meal and am looking forward to lots of suggestions from this bb. We have a new house, with a french country decor, and thought about a french meal. I may do some research on French Christmas traditions for ideas, but am open to suggestions. Also, I would love recipies for champagne based drinks. I would love to start a tradition of champagne while opening presents. Gina

[Kimba]

We usually go to early church services, then go to my sister-in-law's house for hors d'ouevres (did I spell that right?) and dessert.

This year - sound the trumpets!! My son is coming home for the first Christmas in 5 years.

We'll have dinner here - tourtiere, salad, and something nifty for dessert. Then we'll head out to do our visiting rounds, and we'll end up at church for the midnight service.

Things are tight financially this year, but as the Grinch said, "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe
Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

[RobinC]

Last year my family started what appears to be a new tradition. My parents and sister come over to my home for dinner on Christmas Eve. I make roast beef and mom makes a yule log for dessert. It is a fun evening and a nice prelude to a hectic Christmas day.

The boyfriend and I split time between his parents (rather stressfull and not a lot of fun) and my parents.

My family has been cutting back on the gift giving. As the Grinch and Kimba have pointed out, maybe Chirstmas does not come from a store.

[Beth]

Some years we have gone out on Christmas Eve., and others we have had dinner at home. At home, it's usually something casual (ham or lasagna) with a tray of cookies and fruitcake for desert. Wassail and chanpagne to go with.

[Margie]

For us it is out to dinne and then to church. When we get home my husband and I exchange one special gift and then to bed.

The kids usually come over in the morning along with their father (my ex of 18 years... we have done this every year) and we all open presents and I make a big brunch with waffles, frsh squeezed orange juice, and the works (including champagne).

Then I fix dinner...

It's great but I am always exhausted at the end of the day. Looking for make ahead ideas so that I don't spend the entire day in the kitchen.

[Gail]

I'm bringing the lutefisk and heading to Ed's

[HARRYET]

We usually try and go to an eary Mass, then meet my husbands family for Chinese food (we started that tradition when we moved from east coast to west coast). Then we go to a friends house for drinks and dessert and they proceed to light their Christmas tree with candles (and a fire extiguisher nearby), she is German and they always light their tree only on Christmas eve w/the candles, if you have never seen this it is by far the most serene and beautiful thing I've ever experienced!

Then we go home and my kids open any presents that they have received from their aunts,uncles, cousins or grandparents. I found that this was less confusing (then xmas morning) and they were better able to thank people appropiately for gifts that they recieved.

[mommywannabe]

This year is our first Christmas in our new house and we'll be hosting Christmas-Eve dinner for the entire family...that's 12-16 adults and 7-8 kiddies. My Mom will be here the day before, so I'll have help with the food prep I don't, however, have any idea yet what we'll serve...probably ham, turkey, not-meat loaf, mashed taters, stuffing, etc...the usual stuff-yourself fare

We're also having an Open House in a couple of weeks so that all of our friends can see the new house (they've been bugging us for six months ). We just put the tree & trimmings up tonight and discovered that it takes a lot more decorations to make a 3400 sq ft house look Christmassy than it does a 1700 sq ft house! Craft stores here I come

[sneezles]

We've always spent Christmas Eve with just our kids. I cook dinner (it's always been turkey but maybe it is too close to Thanksgiving but after reading the above menus, I may have to change it!). We all go to Midnight Mass and the boys can open one gift begore bed. My MIL and her SO come for breakfast and I have prepared an egg casserole, fruit salad, biscuits with a Honey-Baked ham, after which my MIL is headed off to my SIL's. (I lost both of my parents quite some time ago.) Then the rest of the day is pretty much open. It's fend for yourself when your hungry (easier know that hte boys are older), visits from friends and the boys go and visit some of their friends.
This year, however, will probably be a bit different. Since we moved to the ranch and my SIL lives on the property, too. But my MIL informed me the other day that she is still coming to my house for breakfast and my SIL's for dinner. So we've (my SIL & I) have begun working on a menu that doesn't involve anyone in the kitchen cooking after 12noon. She didn't realize that I never cooked on Christmas Day (my casserole is one that's prepared ahead and just stick in the oven). Plus she wants to join in on the Mimosas!!!

[BarbaraL]

When my brother and his family come (from out of state) for Christmas, my mom does Christmas Eve dinner and we attend her church services. Christmas Day everyone comes to my house, and I do the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, etc, traditional dinner. When it's just my immediate family and my mom, she comes to our house Christmas Eve. I serve something simple or something like lasagna that I make ahead and just heat up. Breakfast is usually pancakes (I combine the dry ingredients ahead of time and put in a ziplock bag; only takes a minute to mix in the milk, butter and eggs). I like the mimosa idea -- just have to make sure I can still make Christmas dinner! I prepare alot ahead of time, so that helps. Happy holidays, everyone!

[BeckyM]

My family is REALLY big on traditions, as my husband will testify! So far we've always spent Christmas with my family back in Montana, so we have certain things we HAVE to do. For us, Christmas Eve is always when we go to church, so we won't have to on Christmas Day. This year my dad is singing in the choir for midnight mass (which is truly AT MIDNIGHT this year -- sometimes midnight mass has been at 10pm or so), so we'll attend that service. My grandmother will be visiting at my parents house too, though I'm sure she won't be attending church with us that late.

On the way to or from church, depending on what time we go, we always drive by some areas of town that have special light displays. This year I'm sure it will be as we're heading to church. There is one street in particular that turns off all their lights on Christmas Eve and puts out paper bag luminaries lining their sidewalks and driveways. People drive through with their headlights off, and it is truly spectacular. (It often brings tears to my eyes, but I'm a particularly sentimental person.)

For dinner, we used to have a tradition of doing Fondue Christmas Eve. But when we've had my Grandmother with us as well as my sister and her boyfriend, we concluded that's too many people trying to cook in one fondue pot. So the past couple years, my grandmother has bought steamed crab legs for us. That's not one of my favorites, but my parents and sister LOVE it, so I go along. And it's something special my grandmother loves doing for us. This year I'm not sure whether or not my sister will be there for Christmas Eve dinner, because she's still working out family plans with her boyfriend.

Another thing we'll definitely do Christmas Eve is leave out a plate of cookies for Santa. Though the youngest "kid" in our family (my sister) is 28, we still do this every year. Though now we jokingly ask my mother and father which types of cookies they think Santa would most enjoy -- because they're the ones who eat the cookies while they're stuffing stockings.

I think the most important thing for me on Christmas Eve will be spending time with my family all together. Because they're in Montana and I'm in Ohio, it's rare that we're all together, so I really treasure those times. And when we're sitting around drinking hot chocolate or Tom & Jerry's with the Christmas Tree all lit up and a fire in the fireplace, everything has a sorta Norman Rockwell feel. And I find those moments are especially important as my grandmother ages, because I never know how many more years we'll have to spend Christmas with her. So I'll be spending Christmas Eve enjoying my family and savoring every minute.

Though I just remembered, I am probably going to be helping my husband pack on Christmas Eve. He has to work the day after Christmas, so he's flying back to Cincinnati on Christmas Day. Yuck! I decided to spend an extra few days with my family before heading back, so I'll definitely miss having him there. But the good thing for him is that he'll make it back to Ohio in time to see some of his brothers and sisters who are coming in for Christmas. I'm just happy he's still willing to come spend Christmas with my family in Montana!

What a great topic! As you can see from how much I've written, I am eagerly looking forward to the holidays! And I really enjoy reading about how others will be celebrating.

[jjf]

oh christmas!!! my husband and i just love the entire holiday season - yes we are the ones who get our christmas tree the day after thanksgiving .
for christmas eve, my mom and brother are here visiting and we have my husbands entire family over for hors d'ouevres and dinner. it is always great fun - we started this tradition a few years ago. after everyone leaves we have just enough time to clean up and get to midnight mass. we finish off the night by going sledding - that is if we are lucky enough have snow - last year was perfect, so we are hoping for another white christmas.
christmas day is just my husband, mom and brother - we have a nice big breakfast and then make dinner.

jen

[emilycat]

Harryet is actually the only other person I've met (in person or otherwise ) who does the aunts/uncles/cousins presents on Christmas Eve. How neat!

We typically go to the evening church service --there's also a midnight mass, as others have alluded to, but I'm the only one who ever wants to go to that one. Dinner is usually fend-for-yourself, and then we open the relatives' presents. Our big Christmas dinner is typically on Christmas Day -- pretty similar to Thanksgiving.

In the morning, my two sisters and I come downstairs at varying times in the morning (my siblings still all live at home, and I come home for Christmas ; my two sisters are 19 and 15, and my brother is 12) and my mother sets up our gifts in various places in the living room, while my dad watches . She's never wrapped them, just arranged everything decoratively together..I love it that way. She was talking about wrapping them this year to put under the tree, but enviro-freaks, we're hesitant about wasting so much paper!

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 11-27-2000).]

[Ed]

Originally posted by Gail:
I'm bringing the lutefisk and heading to Ed's

Gail,

That will be just fine, your husband and I will have a good time laughing and joking along with the rest of the Skandahoovians teaching everyone else how to enjoy that wonderful fish.

We will have a good crowd here, and I know you both will have a wonderful time. There will be two other Bearded men here that I know of for sure and maybe a third besides your husband.

I hope you women don't get us all mixed up, and ask the wrong guy to go out and warm up the car.

Ed



[This message has been edited by Ed (edited 11-29-2000).]

[mary4815]

Christmas EVE! The two of us.....
Dinner out; head to church for early evening services. Pick up another couple (different church), and we go touring the city looking at beautiful decorations.
Christmas morning! Lazy breakfast, open presents while munching, and Himself drinking eggnog with Southern Comfort, and myself drinking Southern Comfort..
If WE are having dinner, it has been prepared the day before. Oftentimes, it will be a shared dinner with those friends I previously mentioned.

[buddie]

this is fun!

for christmas eve we go to my husbands mom's house. she has a HUGE party! entire family comes and we have a huge dinner and then we sit for what seems like hours opening presents. the entire evening goes from noon to midnight. there must be about 20 people there! it is so much fun. then christmas day is quiet with the 2 of us and then we visit my family.