Christmas Eve is the most anticipated night of the entire year — and the traditions your family builds on this magical evening become the memories your children carry with them for life.
Whether you're looking to enrich your existing Christmas Eve routine or start fresh with something new, here are 30 of the best Christmas Eve traditions for families to enjoy together.
Cosy Classics
1. Read The Night Before Christmas. Gather everyone on the sofa under blankets and read this beloved poem aloud by candlelight or with the glow of the Christmas tree. It never gets old.
2. Open one gift before bed. Many families allow children to open a single gift on Christmas Eve — often new pyjamas to wear that night, making the next morning's photos even cuter.
3. Leave cookies and milk for Santa. Bake together earlier in the day, then arrange a plate with Santa's favourites before bed. Why not try our Christmas cookie recipes for something extra special?
4. Leave carrots for the reindeer. Don't forget Rudolph and the team! A few carrots on the front step make children feel they're part of Santa's big journey.
5. Hang stockings by the fireplace. If you don't have a fireplace, by the bedroom door or at the end of the bed works beautifully.
6. Sprinkle reindeer food. Mix oats with coloured glitter and sprinkle on the front lawn before bed. The glitter catches moonlight and helps the reindeer find your home.
Festive Activities
7. Watch a Christmas movie together. Pick a family favourite — Home Alone, Elf, The Polar Express — and settle in with popcorn and hot cocoa. Browse our guide to the best Christmas movies for families for inspiration.
8. Drive around to look at Christmas lights. Bundle up in the car with hot drinks and Christmas carols playing. Vote on your neighbourhood's most impressive display.
9. Sing Christmas carols. Gather around the piano or just sing from the sofa. You'll find all the words you need at our Christmas songs page.
10. Make a gingerbread house. A store-bought kit works perfectly — the joy is in the decorating, not the construction!
11. Play a Christmas board game or card game. Family game time on Christmas Eve is a wonderful way to keep the evening relaxed and fun.
12. Do Christmas bingo or trivia. Try our Christmas games for some festive fun the whole family can enjoy.
13. Make Christmas ornaments. Simple salt dough or air-dry clay ornaments decorated with paint and glitter become treasured keepsakes.
14. Make homemade gift tags. Give children paper and crayons to create personalised gift tags for the presents under the tree.
Santa Traditions
15. Write a final letter to Santa. If your child hasn't written their letter yet — or wants to add a last-minute message — there's still time to help your child send a letter to Santa and receive a magical reply before Christmas morning.
16. Track Santa together. Starting from 6 PM on Christmas Eve, track Santa's journey on our site or NORAD's tracker. Kids love watching his progress across the globe.
17. Set out Santa's snack tray. Make it a ritual — a special plate for cookies, a special cup for milk, and a little card saying "For Santa, with love."
18. Put on Christmas Eve pyjamas. New pyjamas gifted on Christmas Eve is a tradition that's swept across Canadian families. Cosy, festive, and great for Christmas morning photos.
19. Leave a note for Santa. Some children love leaving a handwritten note alongside the cookies — telling Santa about their year or asking him a question. He'll always write back!
Meaningful Moments
20. Start a family gratitude jar. Ask each person to write one thing they're grateful for this year on a slip of paper. Read them aloud together.
21. Look at old Christmas photos. Pull out albums from previous years and share memories. Children love seeing themselves as babies on Christmas morning.
22. Call or video chat with faraway family. Christmas Eve is a wonderful time to connect with grandparents, cousins, or friends who can't be there in person.
23. Go to a candlelight Christmas service. Many churches hold beautiful candlelight services on Christmas Eve. Even families who don't attend regularly often find this deeply moving.
24. Light a special candle. Some families light a candle to represent warmth, hope, and the spirit of the season. An Advent candle or a simple festive pillar candle works beautifully.
25. Share your favourite Christmas memory. At dinner or before bed, ask everyone to share their favourite Christmas memory. Parents — share yours too. It's a lovely way to honour the traditions you've already built.
For Little Ones
26. Have a special Christmas Eve bath. Add Christmas-scented bubble bath, play Christmas music, and make bath time part of the wind-down ritual.
27. Read Christmas stories. A stack of favourite Christmas picture books before bed is pure magic. Check out our collection of Christmas stories for kids.
28. Make Christmas placemats. Give children paper to decorate as placemats for the Christmas Eve dinner table — then laminate them or just use them on the night.
29. Do a Christmas Eve scavenger hunt. Leave small clues that lead children from room to room, ending at their Christmas Eve gift (usually pyjamas!). Even toddlers love the excitement.
30. Tell children the true story of Christmas. Whatever your family's traditions, Christmas Eve is a beautiful time to share the meaning of the season — generosity, kindness, wonder, and love.
The most important thing about Christmas Eve traditions isn't which ones you choose — it's the consistency of doing them together, year after year. That repetition is what transforms a fun activity into a cherished memory.
And if there's one tradition to add this year, it might just be the most magical of all: letting your child send their letter to Santa and watching their face when a reply arrives from the North Pole. Write to Santa today — it takes just a few minutes and creates a memory that lasts a lifetime.
For more Christmas inspiration, explore our Christmas traditions from around the world or browse our full collection of Christmas activities for kids.
