Christmas Day, or Eve?

by Nick Coons
Dec 24, 2003

Which is better -- Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve? It depends on many factors, such as family traditions. For years, our family has been taking part in a block party where we live. This includes several hundred luminarias lining the street, and a table setup with neighbor-contributed goodies. Earlier that day is spent preparing for the rest of the holiday. We fill the bottom of paper bags with sand, wrap the candles in foil, and preparing them for lighting. This takes more than the 10 minutes that it sounds like.

More recently, Christmas Day is spent first at my parents' house beginning with my mom's Christmas breakfast. Then moving on to gift-giving and opening. In the afternoon, we make the rounds to family and friends delivering presents (like Santa Claus, but in a newer model white car in the middle of the day instead of a red sleigh in the middle of the night). Afterwards, we head back to my parents' for dinner to wrap up the day.

With all of the fun and excitement that goes on, I imagine that each person has their own favorite. While many people would probably assume that Christmas Day is the favorite of most, the preparation and anticipation of the day before can sometimes be even more exciting. For me, it used to be Christmas Eve. But now, I think it all tends to blend together with a nap in the middle.