Christmas Eve traditions

Christmas Eve traditions are the small rituals a family repeats every December 24: cookies and milk for Santa, reindeer food on the lawn, new pajamas, one present, a big dinner, a church service and a story in bed. Tick yours in the planner below to get a timeline for Thursday, December 24, 2026, ready to print or copy.

Updated by the Frugal Santa elves

Christmas Eve planner

Plan your Christmas Eve

Pick dinner and bedtime, tick the traditions you want, and the elves put them in order. Print it for the fridge or copy it into the family chat.

Afternoon done before dinner
After dinner in this order
Bedtime just before lights out
After the kids are asleep grown-ups only

Thursday, December 24, 2026

Our Christmas Eve

12 traditions, 3:45 p.m. to 9:35 p.m.

  1. Bake cookies for Santa 60 minSave the three best for his plate.
  2. Mix the reindeer food 15 minOats and seeds, no glitter.
  3. Christmas Eve dinner 75 min
  4. Drive or walk to see the lights 45 minCocoa in a travel mug.
  5. Open the Christmas Eve box 20 min
  6. New pajamas on 10 min
  7. Video call with Santa 15 minTell him your wish and what's on his plate. How it works
  8. 20 minutes freeCocoa, cuddles or a little last wrapping.
  9. Set out cookies, milk and a carrot 5 minPour the milk last.
  10. Sprinkle the reindeer food 10 min
  11. Read “The Night Before Christmas” 10 min Read it here
  12. Lights outSanta only comes when everyone's asleep.
  13. Eat a cookie and bite the carrot 5 minLeave crumbs. Kids check.
  14. Leave a thank-you letter from Santa 10 min Letter ideas
  15. Fill the stockings 20 min

Planned at frugalsanta.lol/christmas-eve-traditions/

What do you leave out for Santa?

In the United States, the classic plate is cookies and a glass of milk for Santa, with a carrot for the reindeer. The American habit is usually dated to the 1930s, during the Great Depression, when parents used it to teach children to give something back for the gifts they hoped to get. Older roots are often traced to Norse folklore, where children left food for Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of the god Odin, and to the Dutch custom of leaving a carrot or hay in a shoe for Sinterklaas's horse. Other countries set a different table. Children in Britain often leave a mince pie, and some add a small glass of sherry for Father Christmas. In Ireland, some families pair the mince pie with a bottle of stout. Danish and Swedish children leave rice porridge for the nisse or tomte, the little Christmas elves of the farm, and many German children leave a letter for the Christkind instead of food.

Santa's plate around the world

WhereWhat kids leave outWho it's for
United StatesCookies, a glass of milk and a carrotSanta and his reindeer
United KingdomA mince pie, sometimes a small sherry, and a carrotFather Christmas and the reindeer
IrelandA mince pie, in some homes with a bottle of stoutSanta
AustraliaCookies and a cold drink, such as lemonade or a malted milk drink, for a summer ChristmasSanta
DenmarkA bowl of risengrød, rice porridgeThe nisse, a Christmas elf
SwedenA bowl of rice porridgeThe tomte, the farm's little guardian
GermanyA decorated letter on the windowsillThe Christkind
ChilePan de pascua, a Christmas fruitcakeViejito Pascuero, "Old Man Christmas"
NetherlandsA carrot or hay in a shoe, on December 5, not Christmas EveSinterklaas's horse (see St. Nicholas Day)
Dear Santa, 1 2 3 4 5

How to set a Santa cookie plate

  1. Use the same plate every year. A plain white plate with a paper doily works, and so does one the kids decorate. The plate that comes out only on December 24 becomes part of the tradition.
  2. Three cookies, the best of the batch. Santa has a lot of houses to visit. Gingerbread, sugar cookies and chocolate chip are the usual picks; a slice of fruitcake or a mince pie works too.
  3. Pour the milk last, right before bed, so it isn't sitting out all evening.
  4. A carrot for the reindeer. In the 1823 poem there are eight of them, so some families leave eight. Learn their names on the Santa's reindeer page.
  5. A note from the kids, with a thank-you and one question for Santa. In the morning, the plate holds crumbs, a bitten carrot and a reply.

How do you make reindeer food?

Mix 1 cup of rolled oats with 2 tablespoons of unsalted sunflower seeds, add a spoonful of nyjer seed for dark specks, and stir in a few blueberries or bits of apple for color. It follows the mix the RSPB, a UK bird charity, suggests in place of the glittery kind. Glitter is a microplastic: it doesn't break down, and birds and other animals that peck it up can be harmed. The RSPB also says to skip sequins, cake sprinkles and edible glitter. The RSPCA, a UK animal-welfare charity, adds one more rule for homes with a dog: leave out grapes, raisins and sultanas, which are poisonous to dogs. Kids can measure, stir and spoon the mix into a paper bag or a jar in about 15 minutes, which makes it a good afternoon job. At bedtime, scatter a handful on the lawn, the porch or a bird table, and the birds finish whatever the reindeer leave.

Real reindeer have simpler tastes. Alaska's wild caribou, the same species, live on lichen, often called reindeer moss, through the cold months, so oats and seeds are a holiday treat. Meet the team you're feeding on the Santa's reindeer page, then find their stable on the North Pole map.

Leave these out

  • Glitter
  • Sequins
  • Cake sprinkles
  • Edible glitter
  • Grapes and raisins

Reindeer food

You need

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nyjer seed (optional)
  • A few blueberries or small bits of apple

Make it

  1. Stir everything together in a bowl.
  2. Spoon it into a paper bag or a jar.
  3. Tie on a tag with the rhyme below.
  4. Scatter a handful outside at bedtime.

A pinch of oats, a sprinkle of seeds,everything a hungry reindeer needs.Scatter it out when the stars are bright,so Santa's team can find us tonight.

What goes in a Christmas Eve box?

A Christmas Eve box is a small box of cozy things opened on the evening of December 24: new pajamas, a Christmas book or movie, hot cocoa and a snack, and sometimes a soft toy or slippers. The idea is to slow the night down. The box comes out after dinner, the pajamas go on, the movie or book fills the hour before bed, and nobody has to ask how many sleeps are left. The custom has caught on in Britain in recent years, and UK retailers themselves call it a relatively new tradition, often linking it to the German habit of giving presents on Christmas Eve. Any sturdy box works, from a shoebox wrapped in kraft paper to a wooden crate with each child's name on it that comes back every year. Keep it small and inexpensive. The box is a warm-up for the morning, not a second Christmas, and it buys the grown-ups an easy, quiet evening.

Short on cocoa or carrots on the day itself? Check which stores are open on Christmas Eve before you head out.

Little kids

  • Board book
  • Soft reindeer
  • Bath bubbles
  • Cocoa packet
  • Reindeer food bag

Big kids

  • Chapter book
  • Flashlight for reading in bed
  • Card game
  • Fuzzy socks
  • Popcorn

Teens

  • Paperback
  • Cozy socks
  • Favorite snacks
  • A movie pick
  • Card game

Grown-ups

  • Mug
  • Jigsaw puzzle
  • Good cocoa
  • Candle
  • A book

Why do families wear new pajamas on Christmas Eve?

New pajamas on Christmas Eve do two jobs: they give kids one present to open the night before, and they make everyone look good in the Christmas morning photos. Nobody has pinned down when the habit started. The folklore archive at the University of Southern California has recorded it from several families in the same form: one present opened on Christmas Eve, and it is always pajamas. Matching family sets turn it into a photo tradition, with parents, grandparents and sometimes the dog in the same plaid. Coordinating works too: the same color in different prints, or matching tops with whatever bottoms fit. To keep it easy, buy a size up for growing kids, wash the set once before the big night, and tuck the pajamas into the Christmas Eve box so they appear right before bed. Take the family photo that evening, while everyone is still fresh, then again in the morning by the tree.

One plaid, four sizes. The smallest one is for the dog.

What are fun Christmas Eve activities for families?

Good Christmas Eve activities are short, cozy and easy to stop when someone gets tired: baking cookies, a drive to see the lights, one present, a Christmas movie, a board game, carols and a story in bed. Plan the busy parts for the afternoon and the quiet ones for after dinner. Little kids do best with one outing at most, since the night already runs late and the excitement is real. Older kids and teens like a job: let them run the cookie plate, pick the movie, or be the one who checks where Santa's sleigh is. Grown-ups can keep one tradition of their own, like a late cup of cocoa once the stockings are filled. Pick three or four ideas from the bucket list below rather than all 24. A tradition only has to be fun enough to do again next year, and the planner at the top turns your picks into a timeline.

  1. Bake cookies for Santa's plateLet the kids pick the three best.
  2. Mix reindeer foodOats and seeds, never glitter.
  3. Take treats to a neighborA plate of cookies and a card.
  4. Build a gingerbread houseGraham crackers and frosting count.
  5. Make paper snowflakesTape them to the front windows.
  6. Drive or walk to see the lightsBring cocoa in travel mugs.
  7. Light a candle at a Christmas Eve serviceOr listen to carols at home.
  8. Look for the first starThe way Polish families start Wigilia.
  9. Open the Christmas Eve boxRight after dinner.
  10. Put on new pajamasThen the family photo by the tree.
  11. Call Santa and tell him your wishStart a video call with Santa.
  12. Open one present eachSave the rest for the morning.
  13. Call the grandparents to say goodnightHold the phone up to the tree.
  14. Play a board gameThe loser sets out Santa's plate.
  15. Watch a Christmas movieUnder every blanket in the house.
  16. Sing carolsOr go caroling on your street.
  17. Unwrap a book and readThe Icelandic way, late into the night.
  18. Check where Santa's sleigh isNORAD has followed it since 1955.
  19. Write a note for SantaIdeas in our letter to Santa guide.
  20. Hang the stockingsNames facing out.
  21. Set out cookies, milk and a carrotPour the milk last.
  22. Sprinkle the reindeer foodOn the lawn, porch or a bird table.
  23. Read “The Night Before Christmas”The full poem, first printed in 1823.
  24. Look out the window for the sleighOne sleep left on the countdown.

How is Christmas Eve celebrated around the world?

For much of the world, Christmas Eve is the main event: a long family dinner, church at night and, in many homes, the presents too. Italian-American families serve the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which grew out of the Catholic custom of skipping meat before Christmas. Polish families wait for the first star before the Wigilia supper. Icelanders give books and read late into the night. In Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, Nochebuena, "the good night," brings a late feast and a Mass at midnight. German children wait outside a closed door until a small bell rings and the presents are under the tree. In Finland, the Declaration of Christmas Peace is read in Turku at noon, a custom with roots in the 1300s. The cards below give each one in a few lines, with an idea any family could borrow. Customs vary from home to home and region to region, so treat these as a starting point.

  • Italian-American homes

    Feast of the Seven Fishes

    A seafood dinner on Christmas Eve, often seven dishes, that grew from La Vigilia, the southern Italian custom of skipping meat before Christmas. Nobody agrees on why seven, and plenty of families cook more.

    Borrow it: Fried calamari, shrimp and a pasta with clams already make three.

  • Poland

    Wigilia

    Supper waits for the first star. The family breaks an opłatek wafer and trades good wishes, eats a meatless meal, often 12 dishes with carp, and keeps an empty place for a wanderer. Presents follow.

    Borrow it: Let the youngest watch the window for the first star.

  • Iceland

    Jólabókaflóð

    The Christmas Book Flood. Books are given on Christmas Eve and read that same night. Every year since 1944, a catalog of the year's new books has gone out to homes in November.

    Borrow it: One new book each, read in bed with something sweet.

  • Spain, Latin America and the Philippines

    Nochebuena

    "The good night" brings a late family feast and the Misa del Gallo, the Rooster's Mass, at midnight. Many Cuban families roast lechón asado. In the Philippines, Noche Buena follows nine dawn Masses, December 16 to 24.

    Borrow it: Make dinner late and long, with a game of dominoes after.

  • Mexico

    Las Posadas

    For nine nights, December 16 to 24, neighbors walk with candles to re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for a room, singing at doors until one opens. Then comes food and a piñata. The last posada falls on Christmas Eve.

    Borrow it: Sing a carol at your own front door before dinner.

  • Germany

    Heiligabend

    Presents come on Christmas Eve. Children wait outside the living room until a little bell rings, then find the tree lit and the gifts below. In the south the Christkind brings them; in the north, the Weihnachtsmann.

    Borrow it: Ring a small bell when the presents are ready.

  • Denmark

    Juleaften

    After dinner, families hold hands and walk around the tree singing carols. Dessert is risalamande, a cold rice pudding with cherry sauce and one whole almond hidden inside. Whoever finds it wins a small prize, often a marzipan pig.

    Borrow it: Hide one almond in the dessert and keep a prize ready.

  • Sweden

    Julafton

    At 3 p.m., millions of Swedes watch the same 1958 Disney cartoon special, known as Kalle Anka, as they have every Christmas Eve for more than 60 years. In 2020, a record 4.5 million tuned in.

    Borrow it: Pick one show your family watches at the same time every year.

  • Finland

    Christmas Peace

    At noon in Turku, the Declaration of Christmas Peace is read from a balcony in Finnish and Swedish and broadcast across the country, a custom with roots in the 1300s.

    Borrow it: Pause at noon for a family toast to a peaceful holiday.

What are the church traditions on Christmas Eve?

For many Christian families, Christmas Eve centers on church: a candlelight service, a carol service or a midnight Mass. At many candlelight services, each person holds a small candle, the flame passes along the rows from the Christ candle in the Advent wreath, and the lights go down while everyone sings "Silent Night." That carol was first sung on Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria, with words by Joseph Mohr and a melody by Franz Xaver Gruber. Catholic parishes celebrate midnight Mass, called the Misa del Gallo, or Rooster's Mass, in Spanish-speaking countries and Pasterka in Poland. Christingle services, which grew from a Moravian children's service in Germany in 1747, give each child an orange with a candle in it, a sign of Jesus as the light of the world. Service times differ from church to church, so check your own congregation's schedule. The planner can fit a 4, 5 or 7 p.m. service, or a late one after lights out.

Can you video call Santa on Christmas Eve?

Yes. A family can video call Santa on Christmas Eve right in the browser, on a phone, tablet or computer, with no app to download. This Santa is an AI video character who listens and answers out loud, live, so the conversation goes wherever the kids take it. You need a microphone; a camera is optional. A good moment is after dinner, once the new pajamas are on and the cookie plate is ready, a few minutes before the bedtime routine starts. Kids can tell Santa what they're wishing for, ask how the reindeer are holding up, or tell him which cookies they baked for him. Grown-ups can call for themselves too, and laugh along. Santa doesn't promise any gift, so the morning keeps its surprise. After the call, each wish comes back as a list with store prices, lowest first. Calls cost $1 a minute, for as many minutes as you like, and a grown-up runs the account.

  • Call before the bedtime routine, not after it. Sleepy kids go quiet.
  • Make a short list first so no wish gets forgotten. The Christmas wish list helps.
  • Want to keep it? Tick "Save a video of this call." The video stays private until you share an unlisted link, and you can delete it any time.
  • Grandparents far away can give minutes as a gift, with a short note and a code for the family.

Talk to Santa on a live video call

New to it? Read how to call Santa first.

A boy in red-and-white striped pajamas holds up a glowing phone on a red sofa beside his dad, with cookies and milk on a side table, a lit Christmas tree and a dog asleep by the fire
The cookies are out. One call before bed.

What do parents do after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve?

Once the kids are asleep, the grown-ups' shift begins: eat a cookie, drink some of the milk, bite the carrot, fill the stockings, put out the last presents and leave a note from Santa on the empty plate. Give it about half an hour after lights out, since excited kids sleep lightly on December 24. Leave a few real crumbs and a half-empty glass, because kids check. A carrot with a big bite out of it, or carrot tops scattered by the door, is proof the reindeer stopped by. Some families dust snowy boot prints of flour from the fireplace to the tree with a cardboard boot as a stencil. A short thank-you letter from Santa, written in a curly hand and signed with a flourish, gives the kids something to read first thing. The letter from Santa page has wording to start from. Then get some sleep yourselves, because the morning starts early.

  1. Eat, sip, bite. One cookie, half the milk, one carrot.
  2. Santa's note on the plate, next to the crumbs.
  3. Stockings and presents out, names facing up.
  4. Boot prints from the hearth to the tree, if you're brave.
Wrapped presents in a row under a Christmas tree at night: a green book-shaped gift, a cloth bundle tied with twine, a tall red box with a gold bow and a few small boxes, with a fire glowing in the hearth and an empty rocking chair beside it
Everyone's asleep. The presents come out.

Christmas Eve questions

When should you put out cookies for Santa?

Right before bed, as the last step of the bedtime routine. Pour the milk at the same moment so it's fresh, and set the plate somewhere the dog can't reach.

What can you leave for Santa besides cookies and milk?

Anything your family likes to bake: gingerbread, a slice of fruitcake, a mince pie or a bowl of rice porridge, the way Danish and Swedish kids do. Add a carrot or a handful of reindeer food for his team, and a note with a question in it.

Is it OK to open presents on Christmas Eve?

Of course. In a YouGov poll of US adults taken on December 24, 2024, 23% said their family opens most of its gifts on Christmas Eve. Plenty of families split it: one present or the Christmas Eve box at night, and the rest in the morning.

What day is Christmas Eve in 2026?

Thursday, December 24, 2026. Christmas Day is Friday, December 25. The Christmas countdown shows how many sleeps are left.

Can we track Santa on Christmas Eve?

Many families do, with NORAD Tracks Santa, which began in 1955. In 2025, its 70th season, the tracker at noradsanta.org followed the sleigh from early on December 24, and volunteers answered 1-877-HI-NORAD from 4 a.m. to midnight Mountain Time. NORAD had not announced its 2026 details as of October 16, 2026.

Do real reindeer eat carrots?

Not in the wild. Alaska's caribou, the same species as reindeer, eat willow leaves, sedges, tundra flowers and mushrooms in summer and lichen through the cold months, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Carrots are the storybook snack. The oats and seeds in reindeer food feed the local birds too.

How do we start a new Christmas Eve tradition?

Pick one thing that takes under half an hour and costs little, and do it at the same point in the evening every year. Kids remember the ones that repeat. Put it in the planner, print the plan and keep it with the decorations for next year.

Santa in his red suit on a gold throne, holding a wrapped giftLive video

Call Santa on Christmas Eve.

A live video call with Santa, right in your browser. Tell him your wishes and what you left on his plate, then see each wish priced across stores, lowest first. $1 a minute.

Call Santa

More from the North Pole