Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

SteJer

Do you prefer Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

I've always preferred Christmas Eve. The build up is the best part for me.

mansize

Christmas Day is an anticlimax

Christmas Eve much more fun and magical

Christmas Day, in the evening. More peaceful, no one stressed out or worried about it all going well or not.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Christmas Eve. Every year a few of us meet up in town and have a few drinks. There's such a buzz around. Christmas day is a bit of an anti-climax in comparison unless, I'd imagine, you have kids.

Alicat

I have to work an eight hour shift on Christmas Eve every year so definitely Christmas Day for me.

Crazyteacher

Christmas Eve definitely. I enjoy New Year's Day better than Christmas Day. It's more relaxed with pretty much the same meal as Christmas Day dinner. I also love the feeling of Easter Sunday.

SteJer

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Christmas Eve. Every year a few of us meet up in town and have a few drinks. There's such a buzz around. Christmas day is a bit of an anti-climax in comparison unless, I'd imagine, you have kids.

Even with kids I find Christmas Eve more magical. Yes there is great excitement to see what Santa brought but that's over with very quickly.

SteJer

sugarman wrote: »

Christmas eve without a doubt.

Finish work on the 23rd and usually leave all the shopping till the morning of the 24th. Get in and out of town by 10am.

Go home relax/nap... watch Die Hard or someother Xmas movies before getting a feed in.

Then off down to the local to meet friends, many of which woudlnt have seen since the previous xmas! Great catch up every year.

Xmas day is slow and boring, usually wake up a bit worse for wear... exchange presents, watch a bit of Christmas tv tucking into a selection box before crawling back into bed until dinner time / when relatives arrives.

Die Hard is a cracking film to watch on Christmas Eve!

You get all your shopping done by 10am on Christmas Eve? I'd love to get all mine done as quickly as that.

Mr Arrior

Its obvious that everyone in this thread has butterflies reading through it lol
I love Christmas day as I dont find it as anti climatic as I used to when I was a child. I'm 23 now and Mum and Dad said that I used to get very down after the presents were opened. Also get to look forward to the football in the coming days.
Christmas Eve is the most magical day of the year tbh when it comes to atmosphere.

SteJer

Mr Arrior wrote: »

Its obvious that everyone in this thread has butterflies reading through it lol
I love Christmas day as I dont find it as anti climatic as I used to when I was a child. I'm 23 now and Mum and Dad said that I used to get very down after the presents were opened. Also get to look forward to the football in the coming days.
Christmas Eve is the most magical day of the year tbh when it comes to atmosphere.

I still find opening the last present of Christmas a bit depressing. After all the anticipation and excitement of giving and receiving presents it's all over for another year once that last present has been opened. Unlike when you are a child you don't have a load of new toys etc. to play with the rest of the day!

Mr Arrior

SteJer wrote:

I still find opening the last present of Christmas a bit depressing. After all the anticipation and excitement of giving and receiving presents it's all over for another year once that last present has been opened. Unlike when you are a child you don't have a load of new toys etc. to play with the rest of the day!

That is true. Another thing I find has changed is I'm usually more excited to see the reactions of the family opening their gift than what I got myself. Not being big headed but I'm awesome at buying gifts ha

Jude13

Firstly defo Christmas eve.

I think its an age/family situation thing. I would love the christmas eve's in the earlier posts, shopping done by 10am, hit the bed, watch die hard etc. So bloody envious. Most Christmas Eve's I am first off already hungover as I meet my pals the 23rd. Secondly acting a chauffeur to the OH and entertainer to the kids in the house. My OH refuse to spend Christmas day anywhere but Limerick (bearing in mind its over 6,000km from where we live). So Christmas eve I am usually driving down from Dublin.

Christmas Day, if in dublin is spent driving around family, where as in Limerick I can chill out more.Weird.

leahyl

There is a particular feeling associated with Christmas Eve that I can't fully describe....I suppose it's anticipation.....but there is a certain magic with Christmas Eve that is unlike any other day in the year.....I love it!

Waking up and putting on Joe Duffy live from Grafton Street on Radio 1, and listening to everyone sending Christmas wishes to their families across the miles and the festive music etc....it makes me feel emotional!

jester77

Christmas eve for me. Finally get to relax, kids get to open their presents, the first big family meal of the season. Just something special about that evening. It's all a bit anti-climatical after that.

Heroditas

Christmas Eve is the day I love more! I always meet friends from college on the 23rd (been doing it every year since 1997 so hope it make it 20 years in a row next month) and would wake up with a belter of a hangover on the 24th. Christmas Eve would then consist of nursing a hangover and bravely struggling through until the evening when I'd have a nice meal and then tuck into the snacks.
Now I have two kids so I have to take it (relatively) easy on the 23rd so I can enjoy the 24th. We always have the inlaws over that evening so it's a nice time. There used to be an in-law extended family Kris Kindle on Christmas Eve but it's now moved to the Sunday before Christmas and that frees up a bit of the day and makes it a bit more relaxed as well.
Can't wait for this year with the girls a year older and the excitement!!!

omb0wyn5ehpij9

I prefer Christmas Day

chuckles30

I love from about 4pm on Christmas Eve right through Christmas Day once the rush is over & shopping is done and it's like 'relax'.

mcgiggles

Christmas Eve definitely as I LOVE the build up.. Nipping into town for a baileys on ice with my sisters and dossing about town getting last few bits. We were always allowed open one present on Christmas eve, usually the one from parents with new pjs! LOVE new pjs for Christmas! (I'm 31! been a tradition in our house since forever!)

Shoe Lover

I like both! I love the anticipation of Christmas Eve, doing all the cooking and prep, relaxing in the evening. It's even more exciting now with a little one in the house! But I equally love Christmas Day - presents, seeing what Santy has brought, mass, G&T before dinner, nice, leisurely dinner, and then relaxing in front of the telly later on with my tin of Roses. I love it all!

AG123

Christmas Eve for me, although I love both days! There is such a lovely buzz about and great excitement. Over the last few years, the family go to the local with a few of the neighbours and there is a great atmosphere. It's very different to your ordinary night in the pub!

French_Girl

100% Christmas Eve.
Ever since I was a child, always loved it. There was something special about it and still, to this day I remember waking up on Christmas Eve with such an anticipation, feeling so good and just looking forward to the whole thing.
Also, there's something magical about going to bed on Christmas Eve.

It's definitely about the build up for me.

MadDog76

jester77 wrote: »

Christmas eve for me. Finally get to relax, kids get to open their presents, the first big family meal of the season. Just something special about that evening. It's all a bit anti-climatical after that.

:eek: :mad:

jester77

MadDog76 wrote: »

:eek: :mad:

That's the tradition here, the Bescherung is always on Christmas eve, I prefer it actually as there is a nice build up during the day towards it. And then Christmas day is much more relaxed and enjoyable.

Uriel.

I am another vote for Christmas Eve.

It's my favourite day of the year. I think it is just magical.
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas Day too, but I think that sense of anticipation that you tend to feel on Christmas Eve is just so magical.

I am usually great at having all the shopping done in advance, but I still go to the City Centre (usually working for a couple of hours anyway) and have breakfast with work colleagues, a ramble around Grafton Street (it's great being part of the buzz without being stressed queuing up or looking for last minute gifts). Then my other half an I have treat ourselves to a nice festive lunch somewhere, a couple of drinks and home to prepare for the next day - visit family, I still tend to go to Christmas Eve mass more so out of tradition than anything else, but I do enjoy it. Then we go to my parents house for finger food, board games, etc.

It's a busy day but busy in a good way... love it!!!

MadDog76

jester77 wrote: »

That's the tradition here, the Bescherung is always on Christmas eve, I prefer it actually as there is a nice build up during the day towards it. And then Christmas day is much more relaxed and enjoyable.

No ........ no no no ............ the kids go to bed, Santa comes down the chimney, the kids wake up and run down stairs, all excited, to see what they got ........ anything else is sacrilege!

jester77

MadDog76 wrote: »

No ........ no no no ............ the kids go to bed, Santa comes down the chimney, the kids wake up and run down stairs, all excited, to see what they got ........ anything else is sacrilege!

Here, Santa will come to the door, come in, talk and play with the kids, ask them if they were naughty or nice and hand out the presents.

MadDog76

jester77 wrote: »

Here, Santa will come to the door, come in, talk and play with the kids, ask them if they were naughty or nice and hand out the presents.

It just gets worse!!!! :mad:

Please, no more .............

Loughc

MadDog76 wrote: »

No ........ no no no ............ the kids go to bed, Santa comes down the chimney, the kids wake up and run down stairs, all excited, to see what they got ........ anything else is sacrilege!

This is how I remember it and what I'll be teaching my kids

mcgiggles

No need to bash other customs. Different places have different traditions, just because it doesn't match what you believe or have learned doesn't mean that it is wrong! :-)

Loughc

mcgiggles wrote: »

No need to bash other customs. Different places have different traditions, just because it doesn't match what you believe or have learned doesn't mean that it is wrong! :-)

Very true all traditions have personal meanings to everyone.

MadDog76

mcgiggles wrote: »

No need to bash other customs. Different places have different traditions, just because it doesn't match what you believe or have learned doesn't mean that it is wrong! :-)

This is Ireland, anybody who disagrees with how we do things is wrong ......... obviously!!!

mcgiggles

MadDog76;101620553

mcgiggles wrote: »

No need to bash other customs. Different places have different traditions, just because it doesn't match what you believe or have learned doesn't mean that it is wrong! :-)

This is Ireland, anybody who disagrees with how we do things is wrong ......... obviously!!!

:D:D:)
I must say the first time my Polish friend told me they have their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and I think she said its usually Fish I was like WHAAAAAAAT? So when do you have your turkey? But then I started googling customs and there are so many different ones all over Europe! Its an interesting read if anyone is arsed looking it up

MadDog76

mcgiggles wrote: »

:D:D:)
I must say the first time my Polish friend told me they have their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and I think she said its usually Fish I was like WHAAAAAAAT? So when do you have your turkey? But then I started googling customs and there are so many different ones all over Europe! Its an interesting read if anyone is arsed looking it up

I went out with a Polish girl for 3 years ......... I'm still getting over the trauma of having three Christmas' ruined ......... we were never gonna work!

Star Lord

Christmas day for me... It's my birthday, and this one especially as it's the first one I get to spend together with my wife!

Autosport

Christmas Day for me as I work crazy hours up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is my day off. Christmas Eve is one of our busiest days It's the first time in years I'm actually here in Ireland for Christmas So I'm getting to see and feel the build up to and after Christmas:)

Glitzgirl

Always christmas eve for me it definitly us all about family and tradition and since we've made it a point to stop rushing around visiting relative (which we do the day before christmas eve ) so we love christmas eve here !!

leahyl

Glitzgirl wrote: »

Always christmas eve for me it definitly us all about family and tradition and since we've made it a point to stop rushing around visiting relative (which we do the day before christmas eve ) so we love christmas eve here !!

That's a very good idea - it's nice to go out for a little while on Christmas Eve and soak up some of the atmosphere but then to come home and enjoy the afternoon/evening just relaxing with family - not rushing around and visiting people and before you know it it's like 9pm!

Glitzgirl

leahyl wrote: »

That's a very good idea - it's nice to go out for a little while on Christmas Eve and soak up some of the atmosphere but then to come home and enjoy the afternoon/evening just relaxing with family - not rushing around and visiting people and before you know it it's like 9pm!

It was a total game changer decision leahyl ! Best decision we ever made. The whole family is much more relaxed and it really makes a big difference to our Christmas. No more rushing around and panicking. We used to always visit family christmas eve and always ran late poor mini glitz being dragged from house to house sleeping in the car on the way home. Missed santa leave on the news no quality family time with us (his parents) . Now we just relax and spend the day together as a family making christmas memories with our little traditions and always get to watch santa leave on the new :pac:

Mars Bar

It used to be Christmas Day as a child but going to mass was always really annoying! Then we changed mass to Christmas Eve and we enjoyed Christmas Day a lot more. Then Dad's work changed to 24 hour work so shift work came in and he has been working Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or sometimes both for quite a while now so whichever day he has off is now my favourite.
In our house, apart from Dad, nobody leaves and nobody comes here on Christmas Day and I love that!

My sister has been living away from home for four years and she always gets home for Christmas so that really sparked a bit of magic in Christmas again for us. Something to really look forward to!

Toto Wolfcastle

For me it really depends on what we're doing every year. My husband works Christmas Eve until lunchtime (although the last few years it has been longer ) and then he either comes home (if we're with his family for Christmas Day) or I meet him at work and we head to see my family. If we're staying in Dublin for Christmas I prefer Christmas Eve. It's all cosy and it's just the two of us. If we're spending it with my family I prefer Christmas Day because we spend Christmas Eve travelling.

Having said that, Christmas Eve is on a Saturday this year so it's going to be the most wonderful day of the year!