31 Meaningful Christmas Eve Traditions

Whip Up a Tom and Jerry Cocktail

Featuring splashes of dark rum and brandy, this classic Christmas drink is a serious upgrade to egg nog!

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Entertain the Kids With a Mason Jar Craft

Need something to help pass the time while the young ones wait for Santa Claus? Set out the supplies for a great mason jar craft. With our extensive list, you can make a new one each year—and make each part of your Christmas decor!

56 Christmas Mason Jar Crafts

Enjoy a Collection

There's nothing that bonds generations quite like a shared passion. To that end, Christmas Eve is the perfect time to put your favorite holiday collectibles to good use—or simply to take them out of storage and teach a younger generation of their value and provenance.

Shop Vintage Glassware

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Set Out a Simmer Pot

Keep the house smelling cozy while you celebrate by adding seasonal ingredients to a large pot and setting the heat to low.

10 Simmer Pot Recipes

Bake Breakfast for the Next Morning

Get a jumpstart on enjoying Christmas day by baking a batch or two of gingerbread pear loaf. The flavors pair so perfectly with coffee and presents being opened that you'll want to return to it every year.

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Relax With a Cross-Stitch

The stockings are hung, the tree is decorated ... what else is there to do besides relax by the fire with good conversation and something to keep your hands busy? For a craft to enjoy every Christmas Eve, try any one of our free cross-stitch patterns.

Easy and Free Cross-Stitch Patterns

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Host a White Elephant Game

If you have a big family, get everyone involved in a funny White Elephant game. There's no doubt you're in for a night of laughs with fun gag gifts or Christmas gift cards that'll have everyone stealing gifts left and right.

SHOP SANTA HATS

Surprise Your Neighbors With Christmas Cookies

Break Out the Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Have your family put on their favorite outlandish tops and throw an ugly Christmas sweater theme night. At the end of the night, have everyone anonymously vote for the best (and by best, we mean worst) sweater and hand out candy prizes. Extra points to anyone who creates a DIY ugly Christmas sweater.

SHOP SWEATERS

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Make Christmas Cards

Create DIY Christmas cards with your kids on Christmas Eve that they can hand out to friends and family at your festivities the next day. These homemade cards would make the perfect finishing touch on your gifts.

SHOP WATERCOLORS

Put a Care Package Together

A care package is a great way to remind loved ones and people in need that you're thinking of them during the holidays. Or, you could put a care package together for soldiers overseas. You can also send these out after Christmas so that they'll be received as a New Year's gift to extend the holiday wishes.

Make Christmas Crafts

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Write a Letter to Santa

Santa definitely appreciates all of the cookies and milk he gets, but he'll love a personalized letter even more. Encourage your kids to leave thank-you notes for Saint Nick, and they're sure to be on the nice list next year!

SHOP HOLIDAY STATIONERY

Make a Gingerbread House

Baking Christmas desserts is always a fun activity, but after you're done making cookies, there's something else you can create—a gingerbread house! Either grab a kit or make a DIY gingerbread house for this fun activity.

SHOP GINGERBREAD HOUSE KITS

Track Santa

If your children want to know when they can expect their Christmas presents, you can log onto sites like NORAD that follow Santa's every step on Christmas Eve. Just make sure your kids are in bed when he approaches your area! 😉

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Hang Up Your Christmas Stockings

You're going to need a place for all of those stocking stuffers! If you use your fireplace often, you may want to refrain from leaving your stockings up at the beginning of the season. However, leaving it to the last minute makes for a special Christmas Eve tradition.

SHOP CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

Make Reindeer Food

To prepare for their long trip, Santa's reindeer are going to need food too. Just grab carrots, oats, and anything else in your pantry to mix up a bag for Rudolph and his friends.

Shop Reindeer Treat Bowl

Read a Christmas Classic

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Feast of the Seven Fishes

Celebrate like an Italian by indulging in their iconic seven-course seafood feast that dates back to the early 1900s. You can make an array of recipes at home, or avoid dirtying your dishes by finding a local Italian restaurant that offers a special Christmas Eve menu.

SHOP SEAFOOD TOOLS

Attend Church Services

Most churches offer special programs on Christmas Eve (live performances, caroling, nativity pageants, and more), making it the perfect place to spend the evening. Some even offer late night services, allowing your family to ring in the special day together at the stroke of midnight.

Jessica Leigh Mattern is a web editor and writer who covers home, holiday, DIY, crafts, travel, and more lifestyle topics. Prior to working for Country Living, she wrote for several lifestyle and women’s magazines including Woman’s Day, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook

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