It's often Christmas Eve that sticks in your memory, the anticipation of the big day is almost as good as the real thing! The atmosphere on this night is just as Chrismassy as the actual day; the smell of the Christmas tree and yummy things being passed round,  the fairy lights on and the kids just about ready to burst from the suspense, but the joy of Christmas Eve is that no one’s rushing around cooking or snoozing on the sofa after too much Christmas lunch, so it’s the ideal time to relax and have fun with your loved ones, familiar faces in a familiar place!

Tips for a fab Christmas Eve

Play a board game

Good old fashioned fun with a classic – or modern – board game! Whether you’re testing yourselves on movie knowledge or science trivia, working out tricky puzzles or just playing a simple game hang man, it’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones.  Get into teams or play against each other for some raucous fun! Turn off the telly and get competing!

Bake together

If Christmas consists of one person rushing around while the others laze about – turn the work into fun by getting some out of the way on Christmas Eve. Turn the radio on and belt out Crimbo tunes whilst you all chop the carrots/ potatoes. Be careful of it turning into a chore – feed each other mince pies at regular intervals!

Keep cosy

Nothing kills a good mood like being freezing, the best thing about it being cold outside is being nice and warm inside! Put the fire on or turn the heating up a notch so everyone can really relax... Light a few candles for a lovely cosy ambience.

Plan bedtime!

If there’s family staying over, make sure everything’s prepared before it gets too late! Get the spare pillows and duvets out before bed time so that everyone knows what’s what and people can snooze off when they want. Make sure little ones know ahead of time when they’re expected to go to bed to avoid tantrums and tears!

Simple dinner

No one wants to cook a huge meal the night before a really huge meal! Have something simple at the ready; bits and bobs or a ready-meal, so that you don’t have to cook and clean on a busy night of fun with your loved ones!