Christmas Eve

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Introduction
Advent
Christmas Eve
Santa Clause
Christmas carols
Christmas cards
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
12 Days of Christmas lyrics
12 Days of Chrismas meaning

Christmas food
Christmas pudding / mince pies

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Puddings recipes
Stockings / stuffers
Artificial Christmas trees

Christmas Eve – December 24th

In Britain there is far less emphasis placed on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day itself. At least theoretically Christmas Eve celebrates the actual birth of Jesus, whereas the following day is the celebration of that birth, being the day after.

Since the giving and opening of presents is, in some traditional way, supposed to represent the gift of Jesus to Man, many countries open their presents on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day.

However Christmas Eve is celebrated by the singing of carols, which are generally much more fun than hymns being derived from secular musical traditions rather than religious. And midnight church services usually spent freezing in very cold churches – but Christmas is one of the happiest events in the Christian church calendar so we don’t worry about that. Those in the Southern Hemisphere have the heat to worry about.

Of course Christmas Eve is also the time when Father Christmas (Santa Claus, St Nicholas or whatever name he goes under) travels the world giving presents to the children that have been good. It is possible to track his progress across the world using NORADs Santa Tracker.

Traditionally children leave a mince pie and a glass of sherry for Santa to help him on his way, and a carrot for the reindeer that pull his sleigh – this comes from the Celtic tradition of leavng food for Odin’s horse, Sleipnir.