Keeping Your Kids Busy on Christmas Eve:

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        For many kids of all ages, and their parents, those countdown hours until bedtime before the magic of Christmas morning can feel like they last forever. If children do not have activities to help pass the time, they will expel all of their energy on Christmas Eve and wake up cranky, overtired and excited. That combination can leave parents exhausted.

        With a well-planned evening, families can spend Christmas Eve making merry memories followed by a restful sleep during which Santa makes his annual stop to deliver presents.

        December 24^th, 2025 is on the horizon but you still have time to find ways to keep the younger ones occupied.

·         Make homemade decorations and put them right on the tree. This choice fits easily into your budget as dollar stores have ample craft supplies at low prices.

·         Have a competition you can do every year by following the German tradition of finding the pickle ornament on the tree where the winner gets a prize. Pickle ornaments are easy to find in stores and they can sometimes be hard to see even when hanging in plain sight, camouflaged by the other ornaments. Whoever spies the pickle first gets a special prize.

·         Take a drive or walk to look at the neighbourhood lights and decorations. Alexa Brown, of Dartmouth, N.S., a mom with a six and a four year old to keep entertained until bedtime is changing it up this Christmas Eve. She says, “Last year, I had two kids bouncing all over the house, clearly drawing on one another’s energy and I was ready for bed hours before they were. This year, their nanna and grampie are coming for dinner – pizza! After eating, we will all head outside. If there is snow, we’ll head to a nearby hill that is great for sliding or we will just go for a walk around where we live. I hope the fresh air gets them tired and it will be great to have my parents there to help put Santa presents together!” You may get really lucky and have the packy snow needed for building snow people. Making a family of them will tire everyone out!

·         Buy a gingerbread house that your family can help assemble. Remember to check the package to make sure the house is edible as some may not be and also confirm the best before date.

·         Host a casual pot-luck dinner if you have family and/or friends who would like to come. Use paper plates and cups for a quicker clean-up. Before company arrives, kids can spend time making everyone a placemat using 8 ½ X 11 paper.

·         Singing Karaoke is a fun way to put everyone in the Christmas spirit. With a lot of dancing going on, this activity can expend a lot of energy, making the whole family looking forward to bedtime.

·         Made cookie dough ahead of December 24^th and thaw it out in time to make either in the afternoon or evening. Picking a drop cookie recipe is the least labor intensive and everyone can join in.

·         Have each child create a Christmas Eve picture using markers, pencil crayons and stickers that you can laminate for a lasting memory. Don’t forget to add the name of the child who made the original art and the date.

·         As a family, make a fun video you can send to people who will not be there in person to celebrate Christmas with you.

·         Kids of all ages will get excited when you go to the NORAD tracks Santa website. Since 1955, NORAD, the North American Airspace Defense Command, has been tracking Santa as he makes his way around the world. Most kids are taught that Santa does not come until they are asleep and with the bearded one getting close, they will be anxious to get into bed!

·         Kaz Derbyshire of the3AMdiary suggests going to the local zoo before it gets dark. She says, “When we visited the zoo on Christmas Eve day, it was really festive.” This is one activity that is easily overlooked. Check online to see if they have family passes which are cheaper than individual fees and zoos usually drop their prices in the off-season. You have the advantage of seeing more of the animals this time of year when they are not laying in the shade, sheltering themselves from the hot summer sun.

·         Pick a fun movie that can be enjoyed by everyone and let them choose their snacks ahead of time – even those that are usually not allowed. You can find a list of the best Christmas movies of all time here. Getting to have treats that are normally banned is part of the magic of Christmas.

·         Let your children open a present on Christmas Eve and make it something that will keep them occupied such as fun board games, stickers to add to a book or a selection from the ‘Look and Find’ or ‘I Spy’ books that are age appropriate.

·         Wear matching pajamas and get everyone to add different accessories such as hats, glasses and scarves for a fun Christmas photo shoot but matching pj’s are not a necessity. Make it a priority not to spend time behind the lens. A better idea is to set up your Smartphone to take a video across a large swath of the room. Later, you can easily create photographs from the videography.

Planning the choices to keep everyone engaged is the secret to a joyful

but relaxing Christmas Eve. Remember, though, that even the best laid plans can go off the rails for any number of reasons. It is important to expect that this may happen and just ride the wave instead of getting upset if things get off-track.

        Make your list of activities for Christmas Eve, gather the supplies needed to make it happen and revel in those hours making memories together.