Christmas Eve Games And Traditions: 22 Ways To Fill The Longest Night
Christmas Eve is the longest day of the year if you're under ten and the shortest if you're the one wrapping. The job is to burn energy in the afternoon, slow everything down by seven, and have something for the adults afterwards.
Here's a running order of games and traditions that does all three.
Christmas cards, drawn and printed by us
Funny, rude and warm Christmas cards, blank inside, printed in the UK with kraft envelopes. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card
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Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree
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Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card
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Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card
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Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan)
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Lying Down Black Santa Christmas Card
£3.99
Afternoon: burning off the excitement
- Christmas Eve treasure hunt with a clue in each room, ending at the Christmas Eve box.
- Wrapping station - let the children wrap the gifts for the pets, the postman and each other. Badly and happily.
- A walk to see the lights with a scoring sheet: best house, worst inflatable, most alarming Santa.
- Musical statues to the Christmas playlist, decorations edition.
- Bake and decorate something for Santa - the mess is the point.
Teatime traditions
- Christmas Eve boxes: pyjamas, a book, hot chocolate, one small thing. Keep it small or Christmas morning loses.
- Buffet tea rather than a cooked meal. Nobody wants two roasts in a row.
- New pyjamas on before food, not after. It photographs better and it saves an argument.
- Everyone writes a Christmas wish for someone else and hangs it on the tree. Shop this card
- The last card of the year: write one to a neighbour and post it by hand tonight.
Evening: winding down
- Reindeer food on the lawn - oats and a bit of glitter-free colour. Birds eat it in the morning.
- Mince pie, carrot and a drink left out, with the bite taken later.
- Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, or a chapter of any book by the tree lights. Shop this card
- A Christmas film with the big light off and one plate of snacks. Shop this card
- Track Santa on a screen at a fixed time, then close it. Once is magical, six times is a countdown to hysteria. Shop this card
After the children are asleep
- Wrapping with a drink and a film - the real tradition.
- The two-player games: cribbage, Rummy, backgammon, or Bananagrams.
- A quiet quiz between two of you about the year that's ending.
- Write next year's date on a note and list three things you want to do. Open it next Christmas Eve.
How to write it so it lands
- Do the noisy things before four o'clock.
- Keep the Christmas Eve box small.
- Set a fixed time for the Santa tracker and stick to it.
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Where to shop next
- Christmas gift ideas hub
- Christmas Day games for after dinner
- Christmas games for the whole family
- Christmas party games for adults
- Christmas games for two people
- Secret Santa and gift swap games
- The left right Christmas story game
- Christmas charades and Pictionary word lists
- Christmas Day quiz
- Christmas morning games for kids
- Twelve games of Christmas
- New Year's Eve party games
- Boxing Day walk and outdoor games
- Christmas board games
- Boxing Day games
- Board games hub
- Secret Santa gift ideas
- Free feel good tools
- Shop Christmas cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Birthday cards for kids
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What games can you play on Christmas Eve?
A treasure hunt to the Christmas Eve box, musical statues, a lights walk with a scoring sheet in the afternoon, then calm ones after tea - a story chain, a read-aloud book and reindeer food on the lawn.
What should go in a Christmas Eve box?
Pyjamas, a book, hot chocolate and one small thing. Keep it modest - a big Christmas Eve box makes Christmas morning feel like a repeat.
How do you calm children down on Christmas Eve?
Get the energy out in daylight with a walk or a hunt, eat early and lightly, then move to seated, low-light activities from about six: a book, a film, and a fixed bedtime routine that includes the mince pie and carrot.
What are good Christmas Eve traditions for adults?
Wrapping with a film on, a two-player card game, a walk to midnight mass if that's your thing, and writing a note of three things you want from next year to open in twelve months.
Do you sell games or party supplies?
No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. The games here need little or nothing to run, and the only products on this page are our own cards.