Cute Things To Do On Christmas Eve

Christmas is speeding towards us, and you’re probably knee-deep in making plans for the big day: the food to cook, the drinks to serve, the table favours to lay out for your guests. But what about Christmas Eve? Falling on a Sunday this year – meaning no work for most people – there’s plenty of fun things to do to make the most of the festive season. Here are our favourite cute things to do on Christmas eve.

Cute Things To Do On Christmas Eve

Decorate Gingerbread Houses

You will need: gumdrops, chocolate buttons, and plenty of icing sugar. Whether you’re a keen baker or not, Christmas Eve is the ideal time to build a gingerbread house. You can find pre-baked, ready-to-construct and decorate houses in many supermarkets, or go all out and bake it all from scratch. If you’re feeling competitive, set up a family competition for the best gingerbread house. 

Try Jólabókaflóð

If you fancy more of a low-key affair, try the Icelandic Jólabókaflóð: gifting each other a new book, and spending the evening reading it in front of the fire.

Christmassy Classic Novels to Revisit in 2023

Go On A Walk

Often reserved for Boxing Day, there’s nothing nicer than a crisp winter’s walk when the sky is bright and blue and the temperatures are bitingly cold. If you live in the city, head out around sunset to see the lights come on – or, in the country, head out early doors to avoid the darkness.

Visit Winter Light Show

Winter light shows transform dark spaces into truly magnificent spectacles every holiday season, with stately homes across the nation opening their grounds for luminous magic. Here are our favourites. If you miss out on tickets for Christmas Eve, here are some more spots to see Christmas lights across the UK and in London.

Curate A Menu of Festive Cocktails

Whether you save it for the big day or you start mixing some festive drinks on Christmas Eve, curating a special menu can be a fun way to formalise your at-home Christmas plans and make the occasion all the more special. Here are a few of our favourite festive tipples.

Head to the Pub

Or support a local business and source your festive tipple at the pub – a lovely opportunity to meet up with friends or just relax in front of a roaring fire, glass of mulled wine in hand.

Bake Cookies For Santa

If you have little ones in the house, keep the magic of Santa alive by baking him special cookies. 

Watch A Festive Film

It’s one of your last (socially acceptable) opportunities to watch a festive film! Switch on the telly and tune in to a Christmas film: Netflix has plenty of fun to offer, or check out our Christmas TV guide for more exciting options.

Christmas Eve Take Away

You don’t want to be cooking on Christmas Eve – not with Christmas dinner less than 24 hours away. Have a special take out instead, hunkering down in the living room with a festive film.

Build A Christmas Eve Box

The pinnacle of aesthetic Christmas, a Christmas Eve box is filled with special goodies, like festive pyjamas, cosy slippers, sweet treats, popcorn for movie watching and hot chocolate sachets. You could even buy everyone matching pyjamas for that added Christmas-card look.

Dress Your Pet Up In A Festive Costume

Don’t leave your furry friend out! If there was an ideal time to dress your pet up in a silly costume or Christmas sweater, this is it. 

Play Board Games

From Monopoly to Scrabble, Charades to Articulate, Darts to Backgammon, there’s plenty of fun to be had playing games on Christmas Eve. (Maybe avoid Monopoly if you want to remain on speaking terms with your family the morning after…).