How to Make Christmas Eve Go Faster

Last Updated: December 18, 2022 References

Christmas Eve can seem like the longest night of the year, especially when you are really excited for Christmas morning. Even if the minutes feel like they are crawling by, try these steps to enjoy your Christmas Eve and make the time go even faster. You can try to either enjoy Christmas Eve as a holiday by itself or distracting yourself from the fact that the next day is Christmas morning.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Enjoying Christmas Eve

1
Decorate your Christmas tree. If you’re trying to make the most of Christmas Eve, you should definitely decorate your tree. You can use Christmas ornaments, string lights, strands of popcorn, tinsel, and anything else that looks festive. However you choose to decorate your house for Christmas, save some decorating for Christmas Eve so that you have something to do.
2
Make Christmas cookies. Making Christmas cookies is a classic Christmas tradition. You can eat them yourself or leave them out for Santa when he visits your house to bring presents. You can make sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies with Christmas cookie cutters and decorate them to be festive for Christmas. Try making these Christmas tree shaped cookies! You could even make gingerbread houses, if you have lots of icing and candy for decorations.^{[1]
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3
Read a book or watch a movie about Christmas. There are lots of Christmas books and movies that you could spend your time enjoying on Christmas Eve. From “The Night Before Christmas” to the movie “Elf,” you should be able to find something on TV or at your house that is focused on Christmas.^{[2]
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4
Listen to Christmas music. Find a Christmas CD around your house. You can also turn on the radio, which will have lots of Christmas music on Christmas Eve. If it’s easier, you could go online to a website such as Spotify or Pandora and listen to a playlist full of Christmas music there. Listening to Christmas music and relaxing will help you get in the spirit of Christmas but also pass time.
- You could also go Christmas caroling with your family! Find a group to carol with through your school, neighborhood, church, friends, or community center, and enjoy a night of serenading your neighbors.^{[3]
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5
Help out with Christmas preparations. Help your family get ready to celebrate the holiday. You might be able to help with early cooking for Christmas dinner, or you might be in charge of putting Christmas cards in envelopes. You could also wrap any presents that you got for your family and put them under the tree.^{[4]
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6
Hang up stockings. Hang up your stockings somewhere in your house, and, in the morning, they will be filled with small gifts! The traditional place to hang up your stocking is above your fireplace, but you can be more creative if you don’t have a fireplace. You could put them in front of your tree, hanging on your tree, or anywhere in your house that you think seems festive.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Distracting Yourself

1
Call a friend. Call or text one of your friends. You may not have seen them in a while because you might have time off from school, so you should catch that person up on what’s going on in your life and ask them about theirs. Try to immerse yourself in the conversation so that you are a little distracted from the fact that it’s Christmas.
2
Entertain yourself with something unrelated to Christmas. If you want to distract yourself from the fact that it’s Christmas Eve, you should do an activity that isn’t related to Christmas. For example, you could try one of the following activities:
- Read
- Write
- Draw something
- Play a musical instrument
- Exercise
- Take a bath
3
Go to sleep early. The fastest way to pass the time will be to fall asleep, because when you wake up, it will be Christmas morning! However, sometimes it’s hard to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. Here are some ways that you can try to fall asleep faster:
- Wear noise cancelling headphones to counteract distracting noises
- Wear socks to bed
- Take a warm shower before you try to fall asleep
- Go to your “happy place”
- Listen to music^{[6]
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Community Q&A

Question

What if I get too excited?

Community Answer

Find ways to calm yourself down. Focus on what you enjoy doing most and immerse yourself in that, such as playing a game, talking to a friend or baking some cookies. Remind yourself that all these things keep you happy for the rest of the year, so they should be able to help on this day too!
Question

What can I do to fall asleep once I am in bed?

Community Answer

Think about what our going to do in the morning if you wake up early. Try counting sheep or making up a story in your head.
Question

What do I do if I'm really excited, and my presents are in the room next to me?

Community Answer

Distract yourself with music, books, or some activity. You'll be able to open them soon enough.