Christmas Challenge No. 22: Plan something special for Christmas Eve.

Advent Calendar / Saturday, December 22nd, 2012

Welcome to our Online Advent Calendar series, where we’re doing 25 days of Christmas challenges to get everyone into the spirit! (Today’s video clip is one of my favorite scenes from “A Christmas Story.” Show Mommy how the piggies eat!)

Plan something special for Christmas Eve. 

  • Keep a family tradition going.
  • Catch “A Christmas Story” during the 24-hour marathon.
  • Go to a church service.
  • Get to makin’ some babies. (Studies show that most Americans are born in September, which is nine months after December.)
  • Have a special dinner you can look forward to every year – whether that’s a swanky cut of beef, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a meal from your favorite Christmas movie (like the meatloaf and mashed potatoes from “A Christmas Story” or spaghetti from “Elf”), etc.
  • Celebrate like the Japanese, and have a bucket of KFC.
  • Call or visit family and friends.
  • Do a “wine-by” and leave a box (or bottle) of somewhat concealed wine on a friend’s doorstep.
  • Fill a to-go cup with hot chocolate, hop in the car, and check out the Christmas lights.
  • Go for a Swedish celebration, and watch the 1958 Disney Christmas special “From All of Us to All of You.”  (Sweden’s TV1 has been showing it at the same time on Christmas Eve every year since 1959.)
  • Watch “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
  • Pick up the ingredients for Santa pancakes!
  • Listen to the annual broadcast of “Nine Lessons and Carols” from the chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England, on your local public radio station.
  • Make cinnamon rolls or an overnight breakfast casserole for Christmas morning.
  • Throw a “Polar Express” party.
  • Bake (and decorate) some cookies for Santa.
  • Call the relatives, and do some “phone caroling.”
  • Have an epic slumber party with popcorn and cartoons (or movies) in the same room as the Christmas tree.
  • Make doughnut snowmen with white powdered doughnut holes.
  • Read the Nativity story or “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
  • Turn sugar cones into Christmas trees.
  • Go outside and roller-skate, like they do in Caracas.
  • Make a funny e-card to send out using JibJab.com.
  • Play games – board, card, video or reindeer.
  • Spend the evening with your house lit just by the Christmas tree lights and candles.

Today’s Link: Play “Light Up the Christmas Tree”

Selected Christmas TV:

  • Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (6:30pm/5:30c, ABC Family)
  • Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (6:30pm/5:30c, AMC)
  • The Year Without Santa Claus (7:30pm/6:30c, ABC Family)
  • The Great Christmas Light Fight (8pm/7c, ABC)
  • Toy Story That Time Forgot (8:30pm/7:30c, ABC Family)
  • The Santa Clause (9pm/8c, ABC Family)