Christmas Eve should be considered a holiday in and of itself. My family has always had some pretty awesome Christmas traditions, but they always start on Christmas Eve, not just the day of Christmas.

They’re simple little things really, but it’s these simple things that bring my family together and make my holidays bright. As my family owns their own business, Christmas Eve has always been one of the busiest days of the year. So the day would pass with wrapping presents and putting finishing touches on our Christmas table, but nothing really started until my parent’s got home from a long and busy day of hard work. Not only would we await their arrival, but also that of my Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles as we all came together for Christmas.

Christmas Eve dinner has always been just as important as Christmas dinner. It usually consists of something equally as amazing as the turkey such as Beef Bourguignon,  Spiral Glazed Ham, or Stuffed Chesnut Pork Roast with Sweet Apple Gravy. Those are some of my favourites from the past.

Then after dinner it’s time for us to sit down and relax, and finally embrace the holidays. We do this in the same way every single year. We watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. We laugh so hard we cry, and we recite the lines along with the movie. It never gets old. It may sound simple, but these truly are some of my favourite traditions and memories of growing up with my family. And I absolutely love Christmas Eve.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!