When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was the longest day of the year for both my sisters and I and of course our parents. We drove them crazy! "Are they here yet?" "Can't I have another cookie?" "I'm bored!" 

So, can you BELIEVE that my kids are just as anxious on Christmas Eve. To be a little smarter this year, I have a few ideas to not only keep the kids amused but also to take a break from all of the preparations and spend some precious time together having fun and making memories. With all of the tragic news lately, it's so important to remember tha the Holidays are all about family. Who knows one of these ideas may become a new family tradition. Now all these lead up to or include the annual "Christmas Eve Candlelight Service":

1. Make Reindeer Food. There's a fun site called Homemaking Fun and I liked their idea for making Magical Reindeer Food . The food is supposed to help guide the reindeer to your house and give them a snack while waiting for Santa to do his job. It’s easy and fun.

2. Visit Santa Online. Check out all of the Christmas creatures stirring on the computer with the kids. First head on over to ReindeerCam.com to see the live feed of Santa’s reindeers. If you watch for a while you’ll even see Santa come out. Then, in today’s day and age of GPS and microchip tracking technology, you’ll be glad to know that even Santa can’t stay off of the grid. Have fun with your kids tracking Santa as he makes his way across the globe at Norad Santa. You can play games online and even check the weather at the North Pole.  Speaking of North Pole, visit Northpole.comfor all kinds of Christmas games and activities for kids. Finally, Claus.com has some cute games like the Toy Making Machine. Most of these sites have Mobile App versions so if you are driving to someone else’s house on Christmas Eve the kids can still have some cyber-fun.

3. Play Games. Grab some board games and have fun together. You can give away prizes for the winners – candy canes, tiny stockings, or “coupons” to go shopping with Mom, get out of the dishes, or be the first to open gifts on Christmas Eve. Make it a tradition to play the same game or a new game every year.  Here are some fun family games. Or this site has some super fun Christmas Themed Minute to Win It Game Ideas, if you want to be more active.

4. Go for a Walk. There is no better way to de-stress and enjoy time talking than to go for a walk, or hike outdoors. Bring your dog. Bring birdseed covered pinecones to leave a gift for the birds. Here’s a cute tutorial for a snowy birdfeeder. The fresh air will help reduce stress and clear your head and give you some much needed exercise before the Christmas cookie eating frenzy begins.

5. Read Christmas Stories. To get a little quiet and snuggly before the crazy hustle and bustle of the Christmas Eve celebration, why not spend some time on the couch near the tree reading your favorite Christmas stories? Here are 5 Fun Christmas Children’s Books to get everyone in the Holiday mood. My favorite of course this year and beyond is "Christmas Socks" by Andy Andrews!

Check out the video: