The Christmas Eve Guide: How to Make Christmas Eve Magical Without Making It a Production

You might take my temperature as a Christmas lover if I told you I adore Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day. It’s the peak of the Christmas season at my house. I am literally buzzing with excitement and anticipation, holding onto every last moment before the lull of December 26th hits.

As a little girl, I can still remember what Christmas Eve felt like. I can still see it—the lights on the tree, the ornaments dangling, some of them sparkling, and knowing I wouldn’t sleep a wink that night. Some years I swear I heard Santa’s sleigh bells when he delivered all of our Christmas presents.

My dad would make my grandmother’s sugar cookies—the thin ones I still make to this day. We would frost them, and Dad would decorate them because he’s the artistic one. Before bed, we’d make Santa a plate of cookies and leave carrots for the reindeer on the kitchen table.

And right before bed, Mom would let my brother, sister and me open one gift. I was always so excited even though I already knew what it was: cozy pajamas. She usually made them by hand. Occasionally we got store-bought ones, but either way, at 45 years old I still love getting plaid Christmas pajamas for hanging out on the couch in the winter. Add some fuzzy socks and a beanie, and I am ready for snow and a Hallmark movie.

For Christmas Eve in my own home, I keep it a very chill, very easy day. No heavy meals. It’s more of a snack-and-graze day with a very flexible timeline. I always have food prepared for anyone who might show up, and I love to alternate between snacking, watching Christmas movies and definitely napping.

If you’re thinking, I don’t have time for such a relaxed Christmas Eve, I remember a time when I would have rolled my eyes at the idea too. Back when I was working full-time and doing everything myself, somehow I pulled off Christmas like an Olympian. But by December 26th, I was kind of sad because I’d overcomplicated it. I made the magic happen for my family, but I had too many things going at once to truly be present for it myself.

After years of trying to do it all in December, I changed how I prepared for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—without losing one bit of the magic.

And making Christmas Eve feel this way is actually simpler than we tend to make it. I think it comes down to three things:

1. Handle it early.
Get the things that would steal your attention off your plate before Christmas Eve arrives.

2. Make it easy.
Give the day a simple plan—easy food, a loose timeline and very little left to figure out.

3. Make it yours.
Add the traditions, food, music, pajamas, movies and little things that make your family say, this is Christmas Eve.

That’s it.

Handle it early. Make it easy. Make it yours.

Let’s build your Christmas Eve.

The secret to a magical Christmas Eve isn’t cramming more Christmas into it. It’s deciding what deserves a place there—and making the rest ridiculously easy.

Here’s how I would make Christmas Eve feel special without turning it into another production.

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1. Get Christmas Eve Out of the Way, Before Christmas Eve

December 24th is not when we’re finishing Christmas.

I always say: you’re doing the work anyway, so rescue yourself and do it before the season hits. I start prepping, shopping, freezing cookies and handling anything else that can be done ahead as early as possible. July or August is the earliest I’ll start, but I really think October and November are the sweet spot.

You’re already shopping for Thanksgiving, so go ahead and double up on what you’ll need for Christmas too. Anything nonperishable can already be on the shelf when December hits. Make-ahead recipes can go into the freezer, and even things like your prime rib or turkey can be bought ahead and frozen.

My whole method is about taking as much as possible off your list before December hits.

Before Christmas Eve

By the time December 24th arrives, I want these things handled:

• Gifts bought and wrapped
• Groceries handled
• Christmas Eve food decided
• Christmas morning breakfast handled
• Pajamas and tradition supplies ready
• Any recipe you’re taking somewhere prepared
• Anything else you personally know will steal your attention that day

And Just as Important: The Don’t-Bother List

There are also things I’m intentionally not doing on Christmas Eve:

• Complicated recipes
• Last-minute errands
• Unnecessary cleaning
• Elaborate activities
• Anything I’m doing purely because I think I should

Christmas Eve shouldn’t be the day you finish Christmas. It should be the day you enjoy the finale.

This is exactly why SLEIGH | The Holiday Edit starts earlier. We’re not getting ahead because we’re obsessed with productivity. We’re getting ahead because December is the reward.

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2. Make Christmas Eve Ridiculously Easy

Okay. So what are we actually doing on Christmas Eve?

I love Christmas Eve so much, and I keep the menu mostly appetizer-style. You can literally do this however you want. I just want it to be easy enough that I can wake up Christmas Eve, have coffee and a cinnamon roll before the house wakes up, and know there isn’t a giant day of cooking waiting for me.

I can pull a premade brunch out of the fridge, and for “lunch” and “dinner,” I set out snacky things on a plate or board. Anything I make that day is a five-minute easy recipe. If it’s super cold and I feel like it, I may add an easy pot of soup with warm crusty bread. And you can absolutely buy both ahead from the deli at your grocery store if you don’t want to cook at all.

Keep the Menu Simple

Think:

• Easy make ahead brunch
• Mimosas or Hot Cocoa
• Cinnamon rolls and Coffee
• 5 minute appetizers

The point isn’t the exact menu. The point is that nothing on it should require you to disappear into the kitchen for half of Christmas Eve.

My Loose Christmas Eve Timeline

Morning

• Coffee by the tree and cinnamon rolls
• Ham and cheese croissants
• Fruit plate
• Christmas music or movies
• A snowy walk with hot cocoa

Afternoon

• Appetizer board or cheese plate
• Champagne
• A Christmas puzzle
• Christmas music, candles and the fireplace

Evening

• Repurpose the midday appetizers as “dinner”
• Christmas pajamas & a cozy blanket
• Christmas lights and a movie
• Hot Cocoa & Cookies before bed
• Read a Christmas story by the fire
• A bubble bath by candle light
• Frank Sinatra on replay

Before Bed– Prepare for Christmas Morning

• Prep the coffee and cocoa bar
• Christmas brunch is in the fridge
• Set the table & do a quick wipe down
• Stockings are hung
• Gifts are already under the tree

You are not wrapping gifts until Midnight this year. It’s already done.

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3. Make It Feel Like Your Christmas Eve

I told you at the beginning why I love Christmas Eve so much, but this part is about you.

You don’t need a new tradition. If you want one, I can give you ideas, but I am not about reinventing what is already working. I love keeping my December days as light as possible so Christmas has room to show up in the everyday.

Sometimes, though, it’s fun to bring in one small thing that adds a little magic to your holiday.

You don’t need my tradition. You need something that becomes yours. Here are a few ideas for you.

Little Traditions You Will Actually Love

Maybe it’s:

• Christmas pajamas
• Watching The Nutcracker
• Grandma’s sugar cookies
• Baking with Dad and Grandmas
• Walking or driving to look at Christmas lights
• Hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows
• Champagne by the tree with a cheese plate
• Your favorite Christmas album on repeat
• Cinnamon rolls—baked or bought
• Christmas books stacked on the table
• A Christmas puzzle
• A new ornament for each year of Christmas
• Smore’s by the fire on a snowy night

The best traditions don’t require a lot of planning. They’re the things everyone would notice were missing.

Make the House Feel Like Christmas

This is the easy stuff:

• Tree lights instead of overhead lights
• Candles that smell like pine or cinnamon
• Christmas music while dinner cooks
• The good glasses for champagne
• Christmas cookies on a pretty plate
• Fuzzy socks and a beanie
• The fireplace crackling
• An old Christmas movie

None of this needs to become another production. It’s all about atmosphere. And it’s right in front of you.

And Then Stop Planning

Leave some blank space in the night.

Room for sitting by the tree. The fireplace warm on your back. A cup of hot tea. Someone telling an old story. Snow falling outside. A candlelit bubble bath. One more Christmas movie. A spontaneous drive to see the lights.

Or doing absolutely nothing.

Leave a little room for Christmas to unfold.

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This Was the Whole Point

The whole point of making the holiday this simple is very intentional.

If you’re eating your Christmas dinner standing over the counter with twelve tabs open in your head about what you need to do next, I’m not saying you aren’t enjoying it. I’m saying you could create a much more open slate with a little planning ahead.

And it doesn’t have to be perfectly planned. Over planning sucks the joy right out of the season when everything is curated. Go freestyle. Have a loose timeline that suits you and then let the day unfold.

I used to perfectly curate every detail of Christmas—from the decor to the recipes that all had to be homemade from scratch to hosting upwards of 20 people. There was nothing wrong with any of those things. The problem was that I let most of it happen in December.

When I realized how much I could do before December hit, it literally took my joy of Christmas from a 10 to a 15.

I wanted room for a nap on Christmas Eve. I wanted to sip my champagne and nibble on a cheese plate at 4 p.m. without hustling to prepare a huge menu. I wanted to sit on the couch in my jammies with hot coffee and a cinnamon roll without thinking, OMG, I forgot tape and batteries—and did I buy the dinner rolls?

So I made a system for myself, and it changed how I experience the holidays.

I went from waking up December 26th wondering how—and why—it all went by so fast to actually being able to enjoy my days in December without panicking about the shopping, wrapping, mailing, baking or cooking.

You already love Christmas. Let’s take most of the work out of December so you can actually relax inside it.

No running to Target on Christmas Eve for a last-minute gift. You already handled it. No Pinterest panic on December 22nd looking for easy Christmas recipes. You’ve got it handled.

You wake up Christmas Eve and think, Wow. All I need to do is pull brunch out of the fridge, make the coffee, warm a cinnamon roll and enjoy my family while we do a puzzle, go for a walk outside or do whatever our Christmas Eve happens to become.

You’re finally in your Christmas. Not watching it from the sidelines.

If you’re reading this thinking, “THIS is how I want December 24th to feel,” don’t start on December 24th.

Want This Kind of December?

That’s why I made SLEIGH | The Holiday Edit.

SLEIGH is the bigger picture—the October and November decisions, shortcuts and prep that make this kind of Christmas Eve possible. It’s not about becoming better at creating a Christmas your family will love. You already know how to pull Christmas off. It’s about moving the work to where it belongs so that when December arrives, you’re actually there for it.

Now go enjoy Christmas Eve.

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