Traditional Christmas vs This Christmas

I love Christmas Eve.  It's just as good as, or almost as good as, Christmas Day.  The whole build up to Christmas is just so exciting!  My family seem to fall into the same traditions every year and I love everything the way it always is.

Image Source

Christmas Eve Morning

Have a little lie in.  Go shopping for those extra bits and bobs I need including the odd present (oops, always last minute) and food shopping.
Once the stressful part of battling the last minute crowds is out of the way it's time for baking!  Christmas cake, cupcakes and sausage rolls are the usuals, although I always like to make something a bit different each year.  I recall one year I made snowmen out of icing.

Christmas Eve Afternoon

Christmas Eve is nothing without a Christmas film and it's certainly nothing without watching The Snowman whilst singing along, usually to the dismay of the family.  Then I watch whichever Christmas film is on TV at the time.  Oops it's getting late now, better start wrapping the presents.  I am probably the worst present wrapper ever, and my presents always look like they have been wrapped by a two year old, but it's the thought that counts right?  Then it's time to do a bit of tidying.  Vacuum clean and make sure the house looks neat.  You don't want Santa to see a messy house.

Christmas Eve Evening

As long as I can remember my family have gone to midnight mass.  There might have been a time that I hated this in my teenage years, then there might have been a time that I skipped midnight mass for trips to the pub with friends, but Christmas Eve just doesn't seem right without going to midnight mass.  First we have a drink at home, or maybe go to a party and have a couple of drinks, then head on down to mass.  It's so nice with all the singing, and everyone seems so happy, it's a tradition I love.  On the way home, I look out of the car window and the sky always seems so clear, you can see all the stars.  When I was little I used to do the same thing, but look for Santa instead of at the stars.
Then it's time for bed.  Better get to sleep quick in case Santa comes, and we don't want to be awake when Santa comes.

This year is going to be very different I'm afraid.  This year I am working.  I don't start work until 3 PM so I will still carry out the same traditions to some extent with shopping, wrapping presents, baking and watching Christmas films.  But then I will head off to work and will not finish until 11 PM.  So no midnight mass or trips to the pub for me.  I won't get to my parents house until about 1 AM so straight to bed for me!  At least I will still get to go home for Christmas.  I could have been unlucky and been given a Christmas Day shift.

So that is my usual Christmas Eve traditions.  Do you have any traditions?

Oh and by the way, it's Christmas Eve Eve today.  That is almost as exciting as Christmas Day too!