Christmas Eve Traditions and Things to Do the Night Before

A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and it's one of the 14 ideas.

What are the best Christmas Eve traditions?

Christmas Eve is the one night of the season with nothing left to buy. Good traditions give it a shape: an early gathering, a special meal, a bedtime ritual. These five are the ones families tend to keep for decades.

1. A candlelight service or quiet hour

For many families, Christmas Eve starts at church. Pew Research Center found that 51% of U.S. adults planned to attend religious services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (Pew, 2017). If that isn't your family, light candles at home, turn off the screens and sit together for an hour.

• Time needed: About an hour
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Families who want a calm start to the night.

Why it works: It marks the moment the rush ends.

2. A meatless supper at the first star

In Poland, Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper, begins when the first star appears, and nobody eats until everyone has broken the opłatek wafer and exchanged wishes. Many Polish families aim for 12 dishes, and some leave an empty seat for a relative or traveler. In Ukraine, the Holy Supper is also a 12-dish meatless meal that starts at the first star, with kutia, wheat with honey and poppy seed, on the table. Borrow the idea: send the kids to the window to watch for the first star, and nobody touches the food until they spot it.

• Time needed: An evening
• Cost: $40 to $100, depending on how many dishes you make

Best for: Food lovers and families with Polish or Ukrainian roots.

Why it works: A different menu makes the night feel set apart from the big dinner tomorrow.

3. The night-before video (a Tribute group video)

Two to three weeks ahead, start a Tribute and invite the relatives who won't be with you: grandparents, cousins abroad, the sibling spending Christmas with the in-laws. Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together.

Ask each person for a short Christmas Eve wish for the family. Play it after dinner, with the lights low, and let it be the last thing the kids see before bed. Unlike a video call on a busy night, nobody has to be online at the same time, and it's there to play again in the morning. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.

• Time needed: 15 minutes on the night; open it 2 to 3 weeks ahead so people have time to record
• Cost: Free to start a draft; you pay from $35 when you publish and start collecting videos

Best for: Families spread across cities and time zones.

Why it works: The people far away get a seat at the table on the night it matters most.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute

4. Open one gift

Let each person open one present on Christmas Eve. Some families pick the gift themselves, so it's always something useful for the night: slippers, a game, a movie. Others let the kids pick from under the tree and live with the result.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing extra

Best for: Kids who can't wait one more day.

Why it works: It takes the edge off the waiting.

5. The Christmas Eve book flood

In Iceland, books have been the classic Christmas gift for decades, and the wave of new titles before the holiday has a name, Jólabókaflóð, the Christmas book flood. Most Icelanders open their gifts on Christmas Eve after dinner. Borrow it: everyone gets one book, then the family spends the rest of the evening reading with cocoa.

• Time needed: All evening
• Cost: One book per person

Best for: Readers of every age.

Why it works: It's the quietest, coziest night of the year, which is what Christmas Eve needs.

What are fun things to do on Christmas Eve?

If your evening is open, these Christmas Eve ideas fill it without a big production. Mix one active plan with one cozy one.

6. An appetizer supper

Skip the sit-down dinner. Set out a spread of hors d'oeuvres: a cheese board, shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, pigs in a blanket. Everyone grazes, and the cook gets to sit down the night before the big meal.

• Time needed: About an hour to prep
• Cost: $40 to $80

Best for: Hosts cooking a full dinner the next day.

Why it works: Compared to a second big meal, it saves the kitchen for tomorrow.

7. Christmas Eve card games

One deck of cards, one table, the whole family. Teach the kids the game Grandpa played as a boy, whether that's rummy, hearts or spoons. Among Christmas Eve games for family, cards travel well and need no new rules to learn.

• Time needed: About an hour
• Cost: A deck of cards

Best for: Teens, adults and grandparents.

Why it works: Grandparents get to teach, which they love.

8. The lights walk

Bundle up after dinner and walk the neighborhood, or join a caroling group going door to door. Keep it short so the youngest make it home before the meltdown.

• Time needed: 30 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: All ages.

Why it works: Cold air makes kids sleepy, which helps everyone on Christmas Eve.

9. A story read aloud

Read one story aloud at bedtime: the nativity from the Bible, a favorite picture book, or a few pages of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The same story every year becomes the signal that it's time for bed.

• Time needed: 20 minutes
• Cost: Nothing if you own the book

Best for: Young kids, and teens who pretend they're too old.

Why it works: Kids remember who read it more than what was read.

10. Morning baking, done the night before

Prep cinnamon rolls or a breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve, cover it and put it in the fridge. In the morning, it goes straight into the oven while the stockings come down.

• Time needed: 30 minutes
• Cost: About $15

Best for: Early risers who want a hot breakfast without the work.

Why it works: The smell of baking becomes part of the morning.

11. A neighbors' open house

Among Christmas Eve party ideas, an afternoon open house is the easiest. Invite the street from 2 to 4 p.m., serve cocoa and cookies, and be done before dinner. Families pop in between their own plans.

• Time needed: 2 hours
• Cost: Cocoa and cookies

Best for: Social families and new neighbors.

Why it works: It's short, so nobody has to choose between it and their own traditions.

12. The last-errand run

Someone always needs tape, batteries or one more stocking stuffer. Make the run a tradition: one adult and one kid head out in the morning, grab cocoa on the way and come home before stores close. Many shops shut early on Christmas Eve, so check hours the night before.

• Time needed: About an hour
• Cost: Whatever you forgot

Best for: Anyone who forgot the tape.

Why it works: One-on-one time in the busiest week of the year.

What are good Christmas morning traditions?

The night before sets up the morning. These two Christmas morning traditions keep the start calm and the kids happy.

13. Stockings first, with a wake-up rule

Set the rule the night before: nobody wakes the grown-ups before 7, but stockings can be opened in bed. Kids get the thrill early, and parents get another half hour of sleep.

• Time needed: 30 minutes
• Cost: Stocking stuffers

Best for: Kids who wake at 5 a.m.

Why it works: Everyone starts the day with something good.

14. The same breakfast every year

Pancakes shaped like trees, the casserole from last night, Grandma's coffee cake: pick one breakfast and make it every year. Presents wait until it's eaten, youngest first.

• Time needed: About 45 minutes
• Cost: About $15

Best for: Every family.

Why it works: A slow breakfast keeps the gifts from turning into a ten-minute blur.

How do you plan Christmas Eve without wearing out the host?

The night before Christmas carries a lot of expectation. In a 2023 American Psychological Association poll, 30% of adults said feeling pressure to make the holidays special causes them stress (APA Holiday Stress Survey). Choose two traditions for the evening and one for the morning, and skip the rest without guilt.

Picture a family with a toddler and a teenager: the appetizer supper at six, the night-before video at seven, the story at eight and the teen's card game after the toddler is down. Then sleep. For the day itself, see our list of activities on Christmas Day, and for the whole month, our Christmas bucket list.

Christmas Eve sets the pattern for the next big night, too. Our New Year's Eve activities borrow several of these ideas, and the holiday season guide has the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common Christmas Eve traditions?

Attending a candlelight service, eating a special dinner, opening one gift and reading a story at bedtime are among the most common. Many families also go caroling or look at lights.

What are fun things to do on Christmas Eve at home?

Play cards, watch a family video from far-away relatives, read new books in bed or set out an appetizer supper. All of them keep the evening calm before the big day.

What is Wigilia?

Wigilia is the Polish Christmas Eve supper. It begins when the first star appears, starts with everyone sharing the opłatek wafer, and many families try to serve 12 dishes.

What are good Christmas Eve games for family?

Card games such as rummy, hearts or spoons work for every generation. They need one deck and let grandparents teach the games they grew up with.

What are good Christmas morning traditions?

Stockings before breakfast, a wake-up rule and the same breakfast every year keep the morning calm. Opening gifts one at a time, youngest first, makes the moment last.

Are stores open on Christmas Eve?

Many stores open on Christmas Eve but close early. Check each store's holiday hours ahead, since they vary by chain and city.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute and make the night before Christmas the night everyone shows up.