Nine Tips for a Perfect Christmas Eve

This article is taken from the Mormon Times section of the Deseret News, written by  Tiffany Gee Lewis : From the Homefront, December 21.

I think even more than Christmas Day, Christmas Eve is the most exciting day of the year. Anticipation hangs heavy. Last-minute deliveries and packages are rustled together.

In addition, because Christmas Day is more about the presents, we try to use Christmas Eve as a family to focus on the spiritual side of the holiday and relive our favorite traditions. Here are some ideas to make Dec. 24 the best day of the year:

1. Do something physical.

Knowing that Christmas Day is a little more casual and low-key, it's always a good idea to get out some of that pent-up energy on Christmas Eve. Go to a park and play Frisbee, or if you live in the sub-zero tropics like us, go sledding or ice skating. This will also help fill up a few hours.

2. Have Dad take the kids out.

My dad always did this, and my husband has followed the tradition. It is always helpful to give Mom a few hours to wrap some last-minute presents, tidy the house, prepare dinner or just take a nap. Christmas is such a busy season for moms. A little break always helps. (And if you're like the dads in our family, you can always use the time to do a little last-minute Christmas shopping.)

3. Help kids with last-minute handmade items.
We encourage our family members to make handmade presents for parents and siblings. It is such fun to see what they come up with: books, popsicle sticks glued together, creations of air-hardened clay or a quick pillow sewed on the sewing machine. Christmas Eve is a great time to assist with these last-minute inspirations, which of course always strike at the eleventh hour.

4. Bake cookies.

St. Nick needs something on that Christmas plate when he comes down the chimney. Roll out some gingerbread or sugar cookie dough and decorate cookies together as a family. Some of our favorite family times are when we're all together baking in the kitchen.

5. Go out to eat.
When I was young, we started the tradition of going out for Chinese food on Christmas Eve. The manager of our favorite Chinese restaurant came to know us so well he'd have us sing for the cooks each year. (We're a singing family.) Those memories are some of our favorite. I know of other families who do pizza. Outsourcing the meal is always helpful when there is so much else going on. Or if you don't feel like going out, order in and enjoy an easy meal around the kitchen table.

6. Read and/or act out the Christmas story.
This is an absolute must, and I imagine most families already do this type of thing. However, you can vary it up according to changing family circumstances. When our children were young we used puppets or even "played" out the story with the nativity pieces. Now that they are older (and extremely theatrical) we dress in costumes for the big event.

7. Watch a Christmas classic.

There are so many great movies out there, religious or not, that display the true spirit of Christmas: "A Charlie Brown Christmas"; "It's a Wonderful Life"; "Miracle on 34th Street" (I prefer the old version); and "The Nativity," not to mention the excellent church movies: "Mr. Kruger's Christmas"; "Nora's Christmas"; and "Joy to the World."

8. Deliver to neighbors.

We try and get our deliveries done earlier in the week, but sometimes Christmas Eve is an excellent time to deliver to neighbors and friends. Most of them are home, and especially if you have elderly neighbors, a visit from a family on a lonely Christmas Eve might be just the thing to cheer them up.

9. Pass around family gifts.

This is something to whet the whistle for the next day. In our family, we always opened the grandparent gifts on Christmas Eve, so they didn't get lost in the shuffle of the following day. This is also a fun time to start a tradition of receiving new pajamas, a book, or an ornament to hang on the tree.

(Maybe this will give you some good ideas for some new family traditions. Merry Christmas! R)