21 Top Tips for a Magical Christmas Eve with the Children

How to make magical Christmas memories with your family this year

For many people, Christmas Eve is a day of wonder – filled with excitement and apprehension at the festivities ahead. It is also an opportunity to spend quality time as a family before the mayhem of the following day.

We’ve listed 21 things to do that will make your Christmas Eve extra special. They’re simple, easy to do – and the majority are absolutely free. All you need to do is have fun and make sure your Christmas Eve is magical this year.

   1. Christmas Eve breakfast

Today is all about treating yourself and your family, so have a special breakfast and take your time over it. For a true festive feel, we recommend pancakes and hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. Hey, it’s only once a year!

2. Get crafty

Children’s memories are made up of the time you spend with them, not what you spend on them. Crafts are a lovely way of creating something together. Get the paints, card and glue sticks out and make some homemade Christmas cards together. They don’t have to look perfect, but it will be a lot of fun.

3. Ready, steady… BAKE!

For the next week or so, you have a free pass to indulge, and that begins today. Baking with kids is great fun. You both spend quality time together, they learn about the basics of cooking and you all get a delicious treat at the end! We put some time away on Christmas Eve to make gingerbread or chocolate truffles to eat in the evening.

4.  Pantomime

Book in advance and you can get some great deals on plays, performances and pantomimes on Christmas Eve. Kids adore the theatre experience, and a panto is one of the most festive treats you can get!

5. Visit family

Christmas can be a whirlwind of travelling and seeing as many people as possible. However, organising a handful of short visits to nearby friends and family to drop off a present or two can be a great way to break up the day, and have a Christmas catch up.

6. Christmas films

Enjoy a few hours at the cinema or curl up on the sofa with some popcorn – whatever you prefer, there is some great choices of festive movies for all the family. Our faves? Elf, Scrooged, Miracle on 34^th Street, Home Alone and The Muppets' Christmas Carol!

7. Track Santa!

You and your kids can keep an eye out for Father Christmas by clicking here on to the official NORAD website. This monitors Santa’s GPS to give up-to-the-minute readings on his location. Watch as he makes his way over Australia, Asia and Africa before hovering over Europe around bedtime.

8. Skype faraway friends and family

Christmas is all about being surrounded by loved ones. However, for those who you won’t be seeing this year, book a Christmas Eve Skype date and get your kids to say hello. Older relatives, in particular, really benefit from access to this type of technology and a Skype session can be a lovely way of catching up when a physical visit isn’t possible.

9. Christmas Eve prep

If you’re holding Christmas Day at your place, get the kids to help with prep. Setting the table and prepping the vegetables on Christmas Eve will go a long way to starting the big day ready to go. Kids will love the little jobs, and being part of the run up to Christmas Day.

10. Go for a neighbourhood walk

When it starts to get dark, wrap up warm and take a walk around the neighbourhood to look at the Christmas lights. Houses all over the area will be busy enjoying the festive season and younger ones will love the various house decorations. Plus, the exercise will help tire them out before bedtime!

11. Build a gingerbread house

What could be more Christmassy than constructing a gingerbread house out of gingerbread, icing and candy drops? There are lots of self-assembly kits out in the shops and can be a fun activity for all kids. Their work of art can take centre stage on the mantelpiece – if it doesn’t get eaten first!

12. Play a board game

Christmas was made for playing board games, and the little ones will love the sight of grown ups acting silly in the name of Buckaroo, Operation, Monopoly or Cranium.

13. Organise a scavenger hunt

Gather together some little figurines, baubles or these snowflakes above. Hide them around the house and get your children to go on a scavenger hunt to look for them. This is a lot of fun and so easy to do!

14. Go to a carol service

More for the older kids, who will love the festive tradition of this type of occasion. Carol services are held all over the UK in churches, cathedrals, concert halls and other venues.

15. Turn your car into the Christmas Express!

Pop bags of popcorn and warm blankets on each seat, issue tickets to board the Christmas Express, stick the Christmas tunes on – and get everyone aboard the Christmas Express! Travel to areas of town with the best Christmas lights and have a good old fashioned singalong!

16. Go for a meal...

Choose a restaurant that’s kid-friendly, not too formal and has food that suits everyone. Restaurants go all out at Christmas, so kids will love the exciting atmosphere and sharing a meal with the whole family.

17. ...Or opt for a takeaway

Alternatively, get a takeaway. Christmas Eve is all about taking it easy, so grab a menu, take a pick of your favourite dishes and wait for the doorbell to ring. This is the perfect accompaniment to curling up to watch a Christmas film.

18. Open the Christmas Eve box

Christmas Eve boxes are a special part of Christmas Eve. These are essentially boxes of little gifts for your child to open before the big day. Typical items include new pyjamas, a festive mug for hot chocolate, reindeer food (ie, oats and glitter!) and a Christmas story book. Kids love them and they help to prepare for bedtime.

19. Set out a plate for Father Christmas

It’s these type of traditions that make Christmas Eve what it is! The pre-bedtime ritual of leaving a mince pie, a drink and a carrot for Rudolph is repeated by millions of children up and down the UK – we love these little plates (below) that can be personalised with your kid’s name!

20. Learn about other Christmas traditions

Look up how other countries celebrate Christmas – children will love hearing about Zwarte Pieten from the Netherlands, the Christmas roller skating tradition of Venezuela and the good luck spiders of Ukraine. However it might be a good idea to not tell them about Krampus who haunts the streets of Germany and Austria looking for naughty children!

21. Bedtime

Of course, by the time bedtime comes around, you need kids who are sleepy and ready to settle down. Wind down the excitement by having bubble baths, milky drinks and a Christmas bedtime story. You'll all need a good night’s sleep before the inevitable early start the next day!

Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions? Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and become part of the B&M community!