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Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

  • 10-12-2013 11:45am
    #1
    jersman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 55 ✭✭


    Which of the two do you prefer?

    I prefer Christmas Eve. My favourite day of the year with Christmas Day a close second. The whole of Christmas Eve is special and the excitement builds and builds as the day goes. I suppose my love of the day comes from the excitement and anticipation of Santa coming that night. Christmas Day is good too but I always get that feeling of the best part of Christmas is over once the presents are open and the dinner is ate. You still have everything to look forward to on Christmas Eve!!


Comments

  • #2
    Toto Wolfcastle
    Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    I actually prefer St Stephen's Day. Such a nice, relaxing day.

    But between Christmas Day and Christmas Eve I prefer Christmas Day. The house always smells amazing while the food it being cooked and it's just a very happy day.


  • #3
    vitani
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,824 ✭✭✭vitani


    Stephen's Day > Christmas Day > Christmas Eve

    I love Stephen's Day. The pressure of having a 'perfect' day is gone but you still have turkey and ham, and Christmas cake and pudding, and can enjoy your new presents.


  • #4
    jersman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 55 ✭✭jersman


    Interesting perspective there. I see where you are coming from but for me all the major excitement regarding Santa etc is over and some presents have already been made redundant
    vitani wrote: »
    Stephen's Day > Christmas Day > Christmas Eve

    I love Stephen's Day. The pressure of having a 'perfect' day is gone but you still have turkey and ham, and Christmas cake and pudding, and can enjoy your new presents.


  • #5
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,720 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    jersman wrote: »
    Which of the two do you prefer?

    I prefer Christmas Eve. My favourite day of the year with Christmas Day a close second. The whole of Christmas Eve is special and the excitement builds and builds as the day goes. I suppose my love of the day comes from the excitement and anticipation of Santa coming that night. Christmas Day is good too but I always get that feeling of the best part of Christmas is over once the presents are open and the dinner is ate. You still have everything to look forward to on Christmas Eve!!


    I have to agree with this, I prefer Christmas Eve much for these reason too. I find after the dinner on Christmas Day there's an element of oh that's it for another year and the excitment that was building is gone. Where Christmas Eve is a wash with excitement and anticipation!


  • #6
    Vojera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,812 ✭✭✭Vojera


    I prefer Christmas Eve. Christmas Day always seems a bit anti-climactic to me, but Christmas Eve is so full of promise!


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  • #7
    carolinespring
    Registered Users Posts: 2,166 ✭✭✭carolinespring


    Christmas is 12 day!!! Hate when people claim it is all over on St Stephens day, or take down the trees before the 6th January. Love the excitement of Christmas eve, the pub lunch with friends, new outfit on. Coffee later with more friend. The few last minute things to do.

    Christmas day. The tiny piece of steak for breakfast, the champagne, the smell of food cooking, the beautiful table. The lingering over dinner, cheese board and wine. Watching the soaps or the Downton/Royale family special while eating satsuma. The feeling of peace. No need to rush, no place to go. The presents are wonderful but are only a very small part of it for me, its about the food, time with loved ones and no rushing around.

    St Stephens day. The lazy breakfast, the long walk, perhaps a trip to the cinema and Christmas dinner part 2. We don't go out St Stephens night anymore, everyplace packed but might manage a early drink and treat to hot ports before walking home.

    27th... Meeting friends for coffee and a long chat. Normally have dinner with friends. If my family have come for Christmas they will be leaving today and if not they will be arriving!!! This year leaving!

    28th & 29th Always a trip to the cinema with the whole extended family or friends. Would cook a roast lamb one of the days and take away the other. Lots of reading and just chilling out. drinking wine at lunch time, walks into town, lattes and just relaxing.

    30th we always go to my husbands cousin and her family for dinner. Almost another Christmas dinner. Play board games and cards after until the small hours.

    NYE. We normally go out for a early dinner with friends and come home around 10pm. Have a bottle of champagne and watch a movie. This year we have a wedding.

    New Years Day is another family dinner.

    Little Christmas (6th Jan) my husband and I always cook a special meal and give each other a small present.

    So i love all the days for different reasons. I suppose Christmas eve has that extra excitement about it. All the looking forward to the 12 days of Christmas.


  • #8
    jersman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 55 ✭✭jersman


    For a lot of people though Christmas is only a day or two as they have to go back to work so they can't do all the nice things you have listed there over 12 days.
    carolinespring wrote: »
    Christmas is 12 day!!! Hate when people claim it is all over on St Stephens day, or take down the trees before the 6th January. Love the excitement of Christmas eve, the pub lunch with friends, new outfit on. Coffee later with more friend. The few last minute things to do.

    Christmas day. The tiny piece of steak for breakfast, the champagne, the smell of food cooking, the beautiful table. The lingering over dinner, cheese board and wine. Watching the soaps or the Downton/Royale family special while eating satsuma. The feeling of peace. No need to rush, no place to go. The presents are wonderful but are only a very small part of it for me, its about the food, time with loved ones and no rushing around.

    St Stephens day. The lazy breakfast, the long walk, perhaps a trip to the cinema and Christmas dinner part 2. We don't go out St Stephens night anymore, everyplace packed but might manage a early drink and treat to hot ports before walking home.

    27th... Meeting friends for coffee and a long chat. Normally have dinner with friends. If my family have come for Christmas they will be leaving today and if not they will be arriving!!! This year leaving!

    28th & 29th Always a trip to the cinema with the whole extended family or friends. Would cook a roast lamb one of the days and take away the other. Lots of reading and just chilling out. drinking wine at lunch time, walks into town, lattes and just relaxing.

    30th we always go to my husbands cousin and her family for dinner. Almost another Christmas dinner. Play board games and cards after until the small hours.

    NYE. We normally go out for a early dinner with friends and come home around 10pm. Have a bottle of champagne and watch a movie. This year we have a wedding.

    New Years Day is another family dinner.

    Little Christmas (6th Jan) my husband and I always cook a special meal and give each other a small present.

    So i love all the days for different reasons. I suppose Christmas eve has that extra excitement about it. All the looking forward to the 12 days of Christmas.


  • #9
    carolinespring
    Registered Users Posts: 2,166 ✭✭✭carolinespring


    jersman wrote: »
    For a lot of people though Christmas is only a day or two as they have to go back to work so they can't do all the nice things you have listed there over 12 days.

    I totally understand that but you can still do a lot in the evenings and weekends. It seems that Christmas has become the 12 days before Christmas and not the whole festive period that it should be.

    We can still make a point of enjoying the food, lights and the special time of year without cutting it to just Christmas day. I have heard so many people say that they are fed up and bored by St Stephen's day.


  • #10
    Merkin
    Registered Users Posts: 8,230 ✭✭✭Merkin


    I love it all to be honest! We open all our gifts on Christmas Eve and have a tradition of having my Mum's AMAZING lasagne and a few glasses of wine. Then Christmas morning my little nephew opens all his presents and we have a lovely family Christmas full of eating and merriment. Then on Stephen's Day we have another Christmas dinner but without as much prep so it's very chilled. I can't pick one day above others, it's all great! :)


  • #11
    Star Lord
    Registered Users Posts: 30,123 ✭✭✭✭Star Lord


    Christmas Day. Birthday of wee baby Jesus, and Damo! Especially this year, as I am working Christmas eve, drive to Donegal, spend Christmas day at home, then back to Dublin on the Stephens day. (Though it's always called Boxing Day up at home)
    As I don't get much time off, I'll have to enjoy it where and when I can!


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  • #12
    corblimey
    Registered Users Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭corblimey


    Am I allowed to choose the 24 hours between around 3pm on Xmas eve to around 3pm on Xmas day :p? All the shopping done, relaxing in the pub or at home, everyone in a good mood with work finishing up, right up to unloosening the top button on your troosers and having another glass of wine :D:D


  • #13
    Fbjm
    Registered Users Posts: 1,086 ✭✭✭Fbjm


    Christmas Eve is frantic cooking and grocery shopping in my experience, I much prefer Christmas Day. And Stephen's Day has all the leftovers! Can't beat it.


  • #14
    C.K Dexter Haven
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,711 ✭✭✭C.K Dexter Haven


    All 3 for different reasons:

    1. Christmas Eve for the anticipation, the relaxing drink mid evening celebrating the quietness outside and what's to come.

    2. Christmas Day and the joy of giving presents- and hopefully receiving some too and spending time with family

    3. Stephens Day- a day of relaxation, time for friends and starting to think of what's possible for the following year:)


  • #15
    Pumpkinseeds
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,635 ✭✭✭Pumpkinseeds


    I prefer Christmas eve and Boxing day. Christmas eve is more relaxed and I'm usually busy getting the roasts done and pottering around. Boxing day is usually when we get around to cooking the Christmas pudding and I enjoy the more relaxed feel to it. Christmas day is just a lot of pressure and no matter how good the food and gifts are it's always a kind of anti-climax.


  • #16
    jersman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 55 ✭✭jersman


    Reading these comments certainly make me see Stephen's Day in a different light. It's true that it can be a nice relaxing day. The kids can play with the toys, you can have another roast dinner, play some board games and watch an afternoon movie etc.


  • #17
    username123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,484 ✭✭✭username123


    Christmas eve, but Im working on christmas this year for the first time ever so it might not be so good!


  • #18
    Dickie10
    Registered Users Posts: 3,862 ✭✭✭Dickie10


    people are fed up by the 27t because they have there tree up since 8th dec. if you leave the tree to the 20th then you really enjoy it til th 2 jan. yes I think it has become the 12 days before xmas day and not the 12 days in or around. for me it starts the 23rd. til the 1st. Have to say copius amounts of wine being drank, I don't drink wine myself and I don't drink at all at home. just a bottle of whiskey in case any auld lad comes that takes a drop.
    I really think Ireland has a problem with home drinking, not helped by the fact that people tend to believe that drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day over xmas in middle of the day is normal!

    I actually don't drink that much over xmas, I go for pints every Saturday night, so I would be fairly steady drinker and tend not to go to mad for xmas. I usually don't bother drinking xmas eve, to much hassle with driving, taxis etc. don't touch any xmas day at home,and def wouldn't bother with a pub even if there was one open. st.stephens day I watch the racing and do a few bets in the bookies (amazing the amount of people in there that say "ah well its over for another year, thank f**k!), we have the dinner again round 6pm then I head for the town at about 8 and have a rake of pints. I probarly go for another session if theres a Saturday night in the middle of xmas week. Go for a good session new years eve and again new years day and that's it for another year. Although being a man of habit, il be out for the pints the following Saturday night again (the first sat in January), just like any other Saturday, I kind of like the first few Saturday nights in January as you know your back in the routine again! is there anyone else who doesn't drink at home??

    my friends find this very comical as they usually pigeon hole me as being a guy who likes his pints and a man about town as they reckon im always out and about. I could never get into the party/dinnerparty thing in houses, never felt comfortable having drink in these environments. I always like to have a kind of proper ending to a night in a pub/club and then home, instaed of a thing of dragging on or petering out. perhaps the fact im single probarbly dosent help the house party/dinner party thing.


  • #19
    omicron
    Registered Users Posts: 810 ✭✭✭omicron


    Dickie10 wrote: »
    people are fed up by the 27t because they have there tree up since 8th dec. if you leave the tree to the 20th then you really enjoy it til th 2 jan. yes I think it has become the 12 days before xmas day and not the 12 days in or around. for me it starts the 23rd. til the 1st. Have to say copius amounts of wine being drank, I don't drink wine myself and I don't drink at all at home. just a bottle of whiskey in case any auld lad comes that takes a drop.
    I really think Ireland has a problem with home drinking, not helped by the fact that people tend to believe that drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day over xmas in middle of the day is normal!

    I actually don't drink that much over xmas, I go for pints every Saturday night, so I would be fairly steady drinker and tend not to go to mad for xmas. I usually don't bother drinking xmas eve, to much hassle with driving, taxis etc. don't touch any xmas day at home,and def wouldn't bother with a pub even if there was one open. st.stephens day I watch the racing and do a few bets in the bookies (amazing the amount of people in there that say "ah well its over for another year, thank f**k!), we have the dinner again round 6pm then I head for the town at about 8 and have a rake of pints. I probarly go for another session if theres a Saturday night in the middle of xmas week. Go for a good session new years eve and again new years day and that's it for another year. Although being a man of habit, il be out for the pints the following Saturday night again (the first sat in January), just like any other Saturday, I kind of like the first few Saturday nights in January as you know your back in the routine again! is there anyone else who doesn't drink at home??

    I don't see how a couple of glasses of wine in the middle of the day are worse than everything you've said you do in the following paragraph?


  • #20
    Pang
    Registered Users Posts: 2,251 ✭✭✭Pang


    I love Christmas day as I always go for a lovely cycle around midday before going back to prepare dinner. It's the one time of year where the roads are relatively quiet and I can enjoy my cycle.

    I also love setting the table really nicely with placecards and everything. It's the only time of year I can go all out and noone queries it!


  • #21
    username123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,484 ✭✭✭username123


    Pang wrote: »
    I love Christmas day as I always go for a lovely cycle around midday before going back to prepare dinner. It's the one time of year where the roads are relatively quiet and I can enjoy my cycle.

    You know I was half thinking of going for a run this Christmas morning. It'd be a first for me, the thoughts of nice quiet roads is good!


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  • #22
    Radharc na Sleibhte
    Registered Users Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭Radharc na Sleibhte


    God I HATE going to bed on Christmas Day night, knowing the days I spent the last 363 days looking forward to are over!!!


  • #23
    fussyonion
    Registered Users Posts: 7,818 ✭✭✭fussyonion


    I love Christmas Eve.

    I have fond memories of being a kid, all washed and dressed in brand new pyjamas and going to bed early but not being able to sleep.

    Mam always placed stockings on the end of our bed and during the night, I'd wake up, still groggy, and feel the end of my bed with feet and if it felt light, it meant Santa hadn't been.

    I'd wake up again during the night at some point and feel the end of my bed and it'd feel heavy! And I could see the stocking was bulging and I'd nod off again, so excited.

    My Mam says she always liked Christmas Eve because she, my Dad and my Nan (her Mam), would have a glass of something (wine for Mam, Guinness for Dad, Coke for Nan) and wrap all our presents.

    Dad would assemble the awkward things like scooters or dolls' houses and they'd watch It's a Wonderful Life or some black and white film late in the evening, before going to bed at around 2am.

    It was lovely to hear my Mam's memories of Christmas Eve.

    I prefer Christmas Eve.
    It's the anticipation of what's to come; the not knowing, the build-up, the whole feeling of wonder.

    Of course I love Christmas Day too..that jittery feeling I still get when I jump out of bed, my legs slightly wobbly, and I gather presents from their hiding place, and stumble out into the living room to greet my partner.

    We'll wish each other Merry Christmas, crack open some bubbly, have a glass or two, stick on some Christmas songs and then exchange presents, one by one.

    He'll open one, I'll open one, he'll open one....etc etc.
    Then we'll have a nice breakfast; he'll go and visit a friend while I start prepping the veg and meat for the dinner.

    Then we'll have our dinner late afternoon, with some wine, watch a little telly, have a snooze and then get the Monopoly out and crack open the nice wine we've bought.

    I've realised I've gone a bit off topic....sorry, I just love Christmas and I've had a really tough year so I feel so excited for it!!


  • #24
    Heroditas
    Registered Users Posts: 9,441 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Dickie10 wrote: »
    people are fed up by the 27t because they have there tree up since 8th dec. if you leave the tree to the 20th then you really enjoy it til th 2 jan. yes I think it has become the 12 days before xmas day and not the 12 days in or around. for me it starts the 23rd. til the 1st. Have to say copius amounts of wine being drank, I don't drink wine myself and I don't drink at all at home. just a bottle of whiskey in case any auld lad comes that takes a drop.
    I really think Ireland has a problem with home drinking, not helped by the fact that people tend to believe that drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day over xmas in middle of the day is normal!

    I actually don't drink that much over xmas, I go for pints every Saturday night, so I would be fairly steady drinker and tend not to go to mad for xmas. I usually don't bother drinking xmas eve, to much hassle with driving, taxis etc. don't touch any xmas day at home,and def wouldn't bother with a pub even if there was one open. st.stephens day I watch the racing and do a few bets in the bookies (amazing the amount of people in there that say "ah well its over for another year, thank f**k!), we have the dinner again round 6pm then I head for the town at about 8 and have a rake of pints. I probarly go for another session if theres a Saturday night in the middle of xmas week. Go for a good session new years eve and again new years day and that's it for another year. Although being a man of habit, il be out for the pints the following Saturday night again (the first sat in January), just like any other Saturday, I kind of like the first few Saturday nights in January as you know your back in the routine again! is there anyone else who doesn't drink at home??

    my friends find this very comical as they usually pigeon hole me as being a guy who likes his pints and a man about town as they reckon im always out and about. I could never get into the party/dinnerparty thing in houses, never felt comfortable having drink in these environments. I always like to have a kind of proper ending to a night in a pub/club and then home, instaed of a thing of dragging on or petering out. perhaps the fact im single probarbly dosent help the house party/dinner party thing.


    So, eh, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?


  • #25
    jersman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 55 ✭✭jersman


    Absolutely feel the same way. I'll stay up watching tv sitting by the Christmas tree until I can't keep my eyes open any longer
    Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »
    God I HATE going to bed on Christmas Day night, knowing the days I spent the last 363 days looking forward to are over!!!


  • #26
    astonaidan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭astonaidan


    Ive actually spent a few days trying to decided over this and I cant really, I love the excitement off wrapping presents just as much as opening them.
    Christmas is the only time off the year all my family is in one house and well we still have Santa with all the nieces and nephews, so basically we are awake very early like maybe 4 in the morning early its always been like that in our house but I love it:D


  • #27
    stehyl15
    Closed Accounts Posts: 598 ✭✭✭stehyl15


    I love going for walk or a drive on christmas day its the one day a year where everything is at a standstill not many cars on the road all the shops are shut its so quiet


  • #28
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    Bobblehead Panda wrote: »
    I actually prefer St Stephen's Day. Such a nice, relaxing day.

    But between Christmas Day and Christmas Eve I prefer Christmas Day. The house always smells amazing while the food it being cooked and it's just a very happy day.


    Me too.

    What really bugs me is the people who say, once Christmas day is over, Thats it for another year.

    No it isn't . Christmas is very much continuing in my world. The week between the Eves is awesome, love it.


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