30 Fun Christmas Eve Traditions You Can Start This Year

Our fun Christmas Eve traditions are sponsored by Kohl’s. I was paid for this post and received the included pajamas as compensation.

30 Fun Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite times of the year. Sure, Christmas Day is full of family, gifts, and food. But there is just something I’ve always loved about Christmas Eve. Maybe it’s the anticipation or the calm before the storm, but it’s one of my favorite days of the year.

When it comes to the holidays, I’m all about simple traditions. I believe that traditions turn memories but they don’t have to be complicated at all. Some of our favorite family Christmas Eve traditions are very easy to plan and prepare for each year.

Here are some of the fun Christmas Eve traditions we do every year, along with some other Christmas Eve tradition ideas!

Christmas Eve Dinner

We have a special dinner that we always order on Christmas Eve. It’s a tradition my family always had growing up and one that Justin’s family did too.

So it only makes sense that it’s a tradition that made it to our family too!

Growing up we usually got Thai food and Justin’s family got Mexican food. Our tradition in our house has been Chinese takeout and I look forward to it every year!

Christmas Eve Pajamas

Christmas Eve pajamas are a tradition that I had every year that I can remember. It’s one that Grambo couldn’t wait to pass on to the grandkids too!

Finding Christmas pajamas is one of my favorite things to do. I love finding the perfect set for the kids each year.

Kohl’s always has a great selection of Carter’s holiday sleepwear that makes it easy to find something I know they’ll love! Carter’s is a brand I’ve depended on since both kids were babies! It’s a brand that’s a staple for us throughout the year too.

Carter’s jammies are available in Baby, Toddler, and Kids sizes. Some of them have great features like:

• Footed pajamas with non-skid soles
• Girls nightgown and doll gown sets
• Options in cotton, polyester, and fleece

We’re huge fans of fleece pajamas in our house and America’s Favorite Jammies from Carter’s are always a favorite.

I love that this year they had some boys and girls options that coordinated as well! It’s fun to do it while the kids will let me!

When you’re ready to choose your Christmas Eve pajamas, be sure to check out Destination Dreamland, Carter’s holiday sleepwear collection with new color schemes and holiday themes, and find something that’s perfect for your little elves!

You can also check out the latest Kohl’s coupons and specials to save on your holiday pajamas this year!

Neighborhood Christmas Lights

After we eat and put on our Christmas pajamas, we drive around our neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights.

We don’t go far from home so it’s not a huge endeavor. We keep it simple and enjoy the magic.

If the weather is warm enough (and sometimes it is here in the Houston area) we even walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights.

Christmas Eve Gifts

One tradition we had when I was growing up was a Christmas Eve gift. Each year, we would get to open one gift on Christmas Eve.

Now that I’m a parent, I realize that was probably to keep us busy and not driving my parents crazy all night long!

For us, it’s a little bit different. We go to my in-laws on Christmas Day and it’s a pretty busy day. So we’ve started opening all of our family gifts on Christmas Eve so we can have that time together.

One thing I love is a good Christmas Eve gift, no matter what the specific tradition!

26 More Fun Christmas Eve Traditions

1. Visit Santa
2. Go Out for Breakfast
3. Make Snowflakes
4. Follow the Santa Tracker
5. Bake Cookies Together
6. Go Caroling
7. Hang the Christmas Key (in case you don’t have a chimney, hang a key outside for Santa)
8. Play a Game Together
9. Read a Christmas Book
10. Watch a Christmas Movie
11. Call Santa
12. Watch Santa’s Reindeer
13. Decorate Gingerbread Houses or Cookies
14. Make Hot Cocoa
15. Wear Ugly Sweaters
16. Play Winter Bingo
17. Have a Candy Cane Hunt (open a package of candy canes and hide them around the house)
18. Play Christmas Charades
19. Deliver Gifts or Cookies to Neighbors
20. Make Reindeer Food
21. Listen to Christmas Music
22. Attend Church
23. White Elephant Gift Exchange
24. Sibling Sleepover
25. Leave the Christmas Pickle Out for Santa to Hang
26. Say Goodbye to the Elf on the Shelf

I love that our family Christmas Eve traditions have helped us make so many memories already. I cannot wait to see what the years ahead bring us!

We wish you and your family the very best this holiday season!

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