When it comes to my childhood, my favorite memories probably occurred on Christmas Eve.
My dad was a lot older than his brothers, so when I was a little kid, I experienced Christmas Eve with my uncles, who were not even teenagers. I can remember receiving a large box of rubber wrestlers and my favorite Christmas present ever, A Nintendo Entertainment System.
As I grew up, so did everyone else. My uncles went on to have families of their own, my grandparents got older, and my sister and I eventually got married.
However, Christmas Eve has always remained a special day for me. It allows my mind to travel back to that small yellow house on Stacey Road in Ohio.
Christmas Eve in my area was always a time for Candlelight Services, Christmas Caroling, and Christmas parties. I am sure every person has their own Christmas tradition on the day before Christmas.
The Many Traditions of Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve has so many traditions associated with it.
One of the main traditions is the story of Santa Claus.
It is Christmas Eve when Santa packs up his sleigh and heads out with all the reindeer to deliver Christmas presents to every child on Earth.
Every year, there are little kids who stay up to try and catch Santa dropping down their chimney with Christmas presents, and every year, they always seem to fall asleep just before he gets there.
Many churches also participate in Candlelight services the day before Christmas. These services are filled with songs and even the Christmas story as Christians prepare to remember the next day when the Saviour of the Earth was born.
Some other Christmas traditions that occur on the day before Christmas:
- Bringing in the Christmas Tree and decorating it before Christmas Day.
- Lighting the Yule Log
- Bringing in greenery such as Mistletoe, Holly, and Ivy
- Reading the famous book "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
- Some believe that animals are able to talk on Christmas Eve in honor of the birth of Jesus
- Girls would bake a "dumb cake" where they would cook the cake and put their initials on the top. They would go to bed, and it is then believed that their true love would come and put their initials on the cake.
Those are some of the more common traditions and legends that occur on Christmas Eve.
Regardless, Christmas Eve is a special time for many people. Perhaps you make it home for the holidays to see your family on Christmas Day, or some of your family gets together to celebrate with each other as mine did.
Over the last few decades, the day before Christmas has also become one of the busiest shopping days of the year. This is due to so many people procrastinating their Christmas shopping!