- Make sure you have fresh batteries or have fully charged your camera or video recorder.
- Doing some late night Santa wrapping? Make sure there is enough tape and wrapping paper.
- Live Christmas Tree? Make sure it's well watered with the open flames of candles and fireplaces lit on Christmas Day.
- Make sure all your festive beverages have begun to chill.
- Set the table for Christmas dinner. To save yourself one more job on Christmas Day, try and set the table on Christmas Eve, before you go to bed. That way you can spend time and care making it look beautiful, rather than rushing it on the big day.
- Don't forget to defrost the turkey (or ham). If you’ve gone frozen this year, don’t forget to give it time to defrost, usually a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge for the average bird.
- Prepare the vegetables. Peel potatoes and submerge them in cold water until they’re ready to cook in the morning. Prepare the rest of your veg and either part-cook so they only need a quick boil on Christmas Day or cook and store in the fridge, then just reheat. These Christmas dinner hacks will save you time in the kitchen.
- Make sure you have a Christmassy scent for your oil or wax warmers.
- Santa! Make sure to leave the jolly fellow a plate of Christmas cookies and a glass of milk for Santa to snack on after he comes down the chimney. Have children write a last minute "note" to leave by the treats.
- Once the kids are asleep, make sure Santa finds his way into the house, enjoys his snack (tip...takes a few bites out of the cookie and a sip of milk), and sets out all the presents beneath the tree and in the stockings.
Traveling? There’s lots of stuff to do on Christmas Eve that will make the next day of traveling run smoothly.
- Pack luggage and load into the car the day before if you can.
- You may need to look up an address for your destination and set GPS or print out directions as well. Test and calculate your travel time.
- Check the weather forecast for your travel path and determine how it will affect your journey.
- Depending on how long of a trip you are making, think about packing snacks or fun games to keep antsy kids entertained.
- Most importantly, gather all of the gifts you are planning on bringing along with you and be sure not to leave them behind when you leave.