Sometimes we stumble onto meaningful traditions by accident, and this traditions is one of those. The first year we were married, I learned the joys of being married to a man who works in retail over the holidays. Joe worked security for Target and had a lot of late nights during the holiday season. I remember so clearly that Christmas Eve when I went to my parent’s house by myself for our traditional dinner and then I took a plate of leftovers to Joe at work and sat with him in Food Ave while he took his break and ate it. After watching a movie with my family, I went back to our apartment and waited for Joe to get home.

When Joe finally got home from work, it was close to 11pm, only an hour until Christmas. I’ve never been good at waiting to give my gifts because I get so excited for the giftee to see what I picked out for them. I suggested that since we were so close to Christmas, we should open our gifts to each other and then we could sleep in the next morning before heading out for Christmas at both of our parent’s houses. Joe of course refused to let me open my gifts before Christmas morning, but we did some compromising and I convinced him to play a board game with me until midnight and then it would be Christmas, so we could safely open our gifts.

We (well, maybe just me) loved the idea so much that I convinced Joe to make it a tradition and open our gifts at midnight every year since. Except, if I’m being honest, we don’t make it to midnight anymore because we’re way too tired. Instead, we’ve made it a Christmas Eve tradition to do after we’ve helped Santa and made sure everything is ready at our house for Christmas morning. It’s a tradition that will actually serve a purpose for the rest of our marriage!

Christmas Eve Tradition for Married Couples

Instead of opening the gifts we got each other on Christmas morning, in the midst of the chaos of the kids opening and playing with their presents, we get to have a more intimate moment together. We’re able to spend time enjoying each gift and sharing with each other why we picked them out. On Christmas morning, we can focus entirely on the magic and excitement of our kids, and in the future, our grand kids. Sometimes we save our stockings for the morning to open with the rest of the gifts that Santa brought.

What I love most about this tradition is that it allows us to slow down and take time together during a time when we might not usually have time alone. We’re able to be more intentional and make our relationship with each other a priority while still enjoying the magic of the season!