Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve is one of the most highly anticipated nights of the year. Most people look forward to spending the celebrating the evening with loved ones, whether in a secular or a religious manner.

Creating Christmas Eve traditions that persist from year to year make this holiday even more special. Christmas Eve traditions do not have to be complicated to be special and are relatively simple to incorporate into your holiday.

Christmas Eve traditions can be as simple as saying a Christmas prayer or as elaborate as a 5-course Christmas Eve dinner. Some of the most common include:

1. Attending a church service - For those who celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus, attending a religious service is a comforting and powerful tradition.
2. Opening a single Christmas present - Started perhaps as a way to keep children from bursting with excitement at the Christmas morning bounty to come, many families open one present each on Christmas Eve.
3. Setting out milk and cookies for Santa - Children around the world leave Santa and his reindeer a snack to fortify them on their way.

While many families have traditions all their own, the following are some of the most common:

1. Attending church
2. Sitting down to a large family meal
3. Decorating the Christmas tree
4. Opening a single present
5. Christmas caroling
6. Watching a holiday movie
7. Reading The Night Before Christmas
8. Leaving milk and cookies for Santa
9. Tracking Santa's progress around the world
10. Tell one thing you are grateful for in this holiday season