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If you’re searching for things to do on Christmas Eve in 2024, you’ve come to the right place! This post is chock full of fun and festive activities that will help make this your best Christmas Eve ever.
While it’s hard to top the fun and excitement of the big day, Christmas Eve has always been one of my very favorite days of the year. (Why save all the fun for Christmas morning?) There are few things I love more than having all of our kids and their significant others together at our house, whether we’re enjoying food, games, activities, or each other’s company!
Whether it’s your first Christmas as a young couple or you’re getting together with your adult kids (like us!), the best Christmas Eve traditions can help you make lasting memories with your family that will last a lifetime. And it can be helpful to get some outside inspiration, too — you never know what Christmas Eve ideas you might be inspired by, and what might become a new favorite tradition!
So go ahead and check out 18 of the most fun, creative, service-oriented, treat-filled, family-friendly, rockin’ Christmas Eve ideas ever! These ideas are sure to fill kids and adults alike with Christmas spirit and get everyone ready for a lovely holiday.
Be sure to check below for tips on putting together a Christmas Eve box!
18 Things To Do On Christmas Eve
1. Bake Christmas Cookies
Would it really be Christmas without homemade cookies? Imagine Santa’s disappointment upon arriving at your house and discovering that not a single Christmas cookie is waiting for him by the tree — and after he came all that way!
Not only will it help keep your household on Santa’s Nice List, but baking cookies is also a great opportunity to spend time in the kitchen with family and friends. It’s quality time plus delicious homemade treats — a great Christmas Eve idea if I’ve ever heard one!
Sour Cream Cookies
Everyone has their own preferred recipe for Christmas cookies, and ours is my mom’s famous Sour Cream Cookies. These sizable cookies are soft, tender, and covered in a generous layer of homemade icing. I often bake large batches of them to give as gifts to neighbors and coworkers, and every time I do, people ask me for the recipe!
But since we’re such good friends, you don’t even have to ask! Get the recipe for Sour Cream Cookies.
Sugar Cookie Creations
Not much of a baker? Never fear! Baking Christmas cookies doesn’t have to involve measuring flour or rolling out dough. Just stock up on a few tubes of refrigerated sugar cookie dough — sugar cookie dough is endlessly versatile, and there are all sorts of treats and recipes that you can make with it!
If you’ll have little ones over, you can minimize potential messes by having them decorate sugar cookies with cookie decorations before you bake them.
Non-Cookie Treats
Not a huge fan of cookies? No judgment here — there are plenty of non-cookie treats you can make with your family on Christmas Eve. Some of the most addictive Christmas treats are super simple to make!
2. Leave A Surprise For Santa
Once you’ve baked your cookies, be sure to set out a plate of cookies for Santa! In addition to leaving him cookies and the requisite glass of milk, we used to set out treats for Santa’s reindeer when I was a girl, whether baby carrots, oats, or a couple of apples. Nothing was more thrilling than seeing crumbs where there had been cookies and milk the night before!
And your surprise for Santa doesn’t have to be limited to food and drinks. You could also spend time writing letters to Santa and leave them under the tree for him to find, and reading “Twas The Night Before Christmas” is a wonderful way to get them ready for a visit from the jolly old elf!
More Ideas You'll Love
3. Play A Game
Playing a fun game together on Christmas Eve is almost sure to make the holidays even more memorable. And in my experience, the sillier the game, the more memorable it will be! Here are some Christmas Eve ideas that could very well become new family favorites.
Christmas Party Games
Christmas party games are great for parties and family gatherings alike, and they’re sure to add some festive fun to your Christmas Eve. Pick a couple of games to play with your friends and family this year, and you’re sure to make some memories that will last a lifetime.
Minute To Win It Games
If you’re looking for games that are simple to both set up and to play, “minute to win it” games are perfect for that! Silliness is pretty much guaranteed with these fast-and-furious games, and there are plenty for kids, adults, or a mix of both!
Outdoor Games
If you live in a part of the country that enjoys mild weather this time of year, why not arrange a game of flag football or badminton? If you’re hosting, get a few outdoor games that everyone can play, like corn hole, croquet, or wiffle ball.
The Flour Game
My family has been playing the “Flour Game” for three generations, and for good reason! It’s fun, super easy, doesn’t require a lot of supplies, and everyone in the family can play!
In this game, players take turns using a butter knife to cut through a precariously packed pile of flour with one lifesaver candy perched on top. The person who makes the packed flour collapse has to fish the lifesaver back out of the flour… using only their mouth!
Get detailed rules for the Flour Game and see hilarious photos of the game in action!
4. Open A Family Gift
It’s common for the kids (or even Mom and Dad!) to get a little antsy on Christmas Eve in anticipation of opening presents in the morning. One way to deal with the impatience is to set aside a gift that you can unwrap together on Christmas Eve, preferably one the whole family can enjoy together!
Some families call it a “reindeer gift,” because Santa’s reindeer leave the gift behind when they drop by to scope out the house before the big man pays his visit. Your reindeer gift could be a Christmas movie, a new board game, or sets of matching Christmas pajamas!
5. Make Punch
Make it a Christmas Eve tradition to whip up a big batch of festive punch! It isn’t a party without a bowl of punch, and what is Christmas Eve if not a day-long pre-holiday party?
More Ideas You'll Love
Whether you’re interested in a creamy treat like Eggnog Punch, a warm cup of wassail, or a bubbly sparkling cider, you’ll find all three of these festive holiday punch recipes here.
6. Go On A Drive
As long as the weather outside isn’t too frightful, one of my favorite Christmas Eve ideas is to pack up the family and go on a drive. Even if you stay in your own neighborhood, it’s always fun to see your neighbor’s brightly lit holiday displays! You could even make a special ribbon for the best display and hang it on the winner’s door.
7. Watch A Movie
Watching Christmas movies together is a great way to spend your Christmas Eve. Watching Elf is one of our most cherished Christmas Eve traditions, and we’ve done it every year without fail for nearly 20 years now!
But there are plenty of other Christmas movies to choose from if you’d like something a little more classic or nostalgic, like White Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, or A Charlie Brown Christmas. Or you could even go with a movie that’s a little less traditional but still Christmas-centric, like Home Alone or Love, Actually.
If you don’t want to commit to watching the same movie next year, you could set up a rotating schedule of Christmas movies. Or you could play a game where the winner gets to pick the movie! There’s no wrong way to watch a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve — as long as it involves junk food and cozy blankets, of course.
8. Order Takeout
With your Christmas Day dinner just hours away, there’s no need to overexert yourself or make a mess of the kitchen when you can get takeout instead! It’s actually a tradition in many families to order Chinese takeout on the night before Christmas each year, since they’re often among the few restaurants that are open for dinner that night.
Order a little bit of everything and serve it up buffet style so that everyone can help themselves. And since it’s Christmas Eve, it’s also a great opportunity to spread some holiday cheer by leaving a very generous tip!
9. Celebrate Your Heritage
Cultures around the world have their own unique traditions associated with Christmas and other winter holidays. You can honor and celebrate your own heritage by incorporating some of those unique Christmas traditions and ideas into your own celebrations.
My husband Dave comes from a long line of Norwegians while I have Swedish ancestry, so we’ve incorporated some Scandinavian Christmas traditions into our own festivities. I love my traditional straw star that sits atop our Christmas tree, and my ever-growing collection of Christmas gnomes. We always make a large batch of lefse (Norwegian potato flatbread) on Christmas Eve too!
If you have Italian heritage, you could try your hand at homemade panettone, or if you have English or Scottish ancestors, you could open Christmas crackers together. No matter what ideas you come up with, it’s sure to make your ancestors proud and make your Christmas Eve traditions extra special.
10. Observe Religious Customs
While you don’t have to be a Christian to participate in Christmas traditions, it is a Christian holiday! If you are celebrating the birth of Christ, there are plenty of easy Christmas Eve ideas that will help to remember the reason for the season.
You could hold a family prayer, read the Christmas story from the Bible (at our house, it just wouldn’t be Christmastime without a reading of Luke 2), put up a nativity scene, attend church services, or sing a hymn or Christmas song. I can’t resist requesting a family performance of “Silent Night” every year, even though I tear up every time!
11. Sip Hot Chocolate
Here’s a tasty Christmas Eve idea that is perfect for the occasion: whip up a big batch of hot chocolate! Crockpot hot chocolate is super easy to make, and you can keep it warm all evening so everyone can have seconds (or thirds!)
Take your hot chocolate experience to the next level by setting up a hot chocolate bar. Set out small bowls of mini marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel sauce, and peppermint sticks so that everyone can feel free to customize their mugs however they want.
12. Read A Book
Gather the family together for a reading of your favorite Christmas stories (or several, if they’re short!) Take turns reading a page each, or pick a narrator and have others act out the scenes!
Need some Christmas book recommendations? Check out Mission’s list of “The 30 Best Christmas Books of All Time”.
13. Make A Christmas Eve Box
With a little bit of planning and forethought, you can put together a DIY “Christmas Eve box” that’s packed with everything you might need for your Christmas Eve festivities. Fill the box with Christmas movies, your favorite snacks, some holiday games or activities, a few stocking stuffer-type presents, a toy or two, and whatever else you think you might want!
Not only is it fun to make a Christmas Eve Box for your own family, but they make great gifts for other families or friends too! You could even drop one off to someone on Christmas Eve as a special surprise.
Learn more about putting together your own Christmas Eve Box.
14. Make DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments
You don’t have to be crafty to make Christmas Tree ornaments — you can use a kit from a craft store, cut tree shapes out of felt, or just purchase some plain ornaments and bedazzle them with glitter, sequins, beads, lace, ribbon — you get the idea! Let everyone go wild, then have a contest afterward and award prizes for the prettiest, gaudiest, and most festive ornaments.
15. Ding Dong Ditch
Ding Dong Ditch is no longer just a way for kids to prank unsuspecting neighbors. It’s a fun way to deliver a gift or a plate of homemade treats to friends and neighbors on Christmas Eve. Just set your offering at their doorstep, ring the doorbell, and run!
16. Check Up On Santa
While you’re relaxing together on Christmas Eve, Santa is hard at work putting holiday gifts under the Christmas tree for families all over the world! Mom and dad can help the little ones check in on his progress throughout the evening via the Official NORAD Tracks Santa site or the Google Santa Tracker, which also features Christmas-themed games and activities for kids.
17. Listen To Christmas Music
No matter what Christmas Eve ideas you choose to spend your time on, it’s sure to be even more festive with Christmas music playing in the background. Get my free curated playlist of some of my all-time favorite Christmas songs—all you have to do is press play!
18. Celebrate Christmas On Christmas Eve!
When your kids are married, they often have two families who want them over for Christmas, and they’ll have their own Christmas morning festivities once they have kids of their own. If it’s easier for everyone involved, why not have a special family dinner and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve instead?
The kids will love it because they’ll get to open presents two days in a row, and the adults will be actually be able to relax — plus, everybody gets two Christmas dinners! After dinner, go for a walk around the neighborhood to see the lights with the kids, then come back and open presents, grab some dessert, and play a game or two.
What are some of your favorite Christmas Eve traditions?
