The Christmas Eve Plan

Christmas Eve is my favourite day out of the whole year. The anticipation reaches its climax and yet you still feel the best is yet to come. I always book Christmas Eve off from work well in advance and plan it with military precision. But I only plan what I do not what everyone else should do. Making fixed plans that involve other people is probably not the best idea for a stress-free day as you are relying on people wanting to and being able to do what you have planned and that is neither fair on them nor easy on either party. Plan your day and hope that others will join in if and when they want to.

I usually plan Christmas Eve and Day based on the fives senses.

Sight:
In my ideal Christmas Eve everything should already be decorated, having started on December the 1st, and the whole house should be tidy and clean. We always have a traditional red, green and gold theme with a very strong Victorian, turn-of-the-century style.
Watching a Christmas DVD at night and having the TV tuned to festive programming during the day if it is on is also a plus.

Sound:
This is simple, carols and hymns playing softly throughout the day really helps make the day feel special. You could even turn up the volume for a rousing sing-song if the mood takes you.

Smell:
Baking mince pies and mulling wine will make the house smell like the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are all milling around your home. Baking fresh mince pies with pre-made, homemade mincemeat is a lovely activity to pass the time.

Touch:
Warm, soft pyjamas, thick, wool-lined socks, faux-fur blankets and a log fire will help make the evening feel as cosy as it is possible to be in the middle of winter.

Taste:
Good food such as fresh mince pies, a roasted lamb shoulder with roast potatoes, parsnips and all the trimmings washed down with snowballs, egg nog and mulled wine will finish the perfect day off perfectly.

Now the ideas are in place it is time for a comprehensive timetable.

Morning:

Hot croissants and pain au chocolat along with some hot tea or coffee is a lovely way to begin the day on a cold Christmas Eve morning. Put on some Christmas tunes at a low, ambient volume and allow people to wake up at their own pace.
This is the best time to make the cranberry sauce and brandy (or Bailey's) butter for the next day. Defrost any homemade vegetarian options or other pre-made frozen foods for the next day including the turkey (if you have a frozen one) in the fridge.
We order our turkey, gammon, beef and steaks from our local butchers and pick them up on Christmas Eve. The queue reaches outside of the door of the tiny butchers and we all stand in line together to pick it up and take it home. It is a surprisingly nice outing on a cold Christmas Eve morning. Inside the butchers they have wooden shelves filled with paper-topped glass jars filled with various sauces and preserves and we usually pick up some interesting ones for the cold meats and bubble and squeak on Boxing Day.

Lunch:
I will post recipes for the days surrounding Christmas soon but this is a good meal to gather the family together before the evening. Even if people live in different houses or have plans for the morning, planning a family lunch on Christmas Eve is a nice way to gather everyone together before nightfall.

Afternoon:
The baking of fresh mince pies and biscuits is a lovely activity for all the family to get involved in. The house fills with the smells of cinnamon, nutmeg and brandy-soaked fruit. Festive films are often shown on the TV at this time or perhaps a Christmas puzzle could be attempted or maybe a traditional game of Charades or Monopoly could be played. Now is the time for the family to gather together and bond over silly games or heart-warming programmes. Begin mulling wine and cider now to get the fullest flavour.

Evening:
Now the fun begins, sit down to a hearty roast dinner and drink the mulled wine and cider you prepared earlier. Egg Nog and Snowballs are also fun, festive drinks. Now you are full and merry, settle in for a cosy, warm night filled with laughter and chatter. Play games, watch TV, do whatever makes you happiest and enjoy the night.
Put out a mince pie and a glass of brandy or milk for Father Christmas, a carrot or a little hay will suffice for the reindeers. Send the children off to bed with new pyjamas and stockings and read the smaller ones a Christmas story. The adults should try not to get too merry lest they wake the sleeping children. Go to bed and sleep while you can. The excitement of the morning will wake you sooner than you ever plan.