Roman Catholics and Anglicans hold a special church service on Christmas Eve called a "Midnight Mass." Contrary to its name, many churches now hold midnight mass earlier in the day to accommodate busy schedules. The Mass of the Vigil is also said on Christmas Eve which begins the Christmas season.

This is usually followed by a traditional Christmas dinner. In the Western tradition, ham or turkey is commonly served, but other cultures celebrate with different foods. For example, Slavic countries feature 12 meatless dishes (usually fish) and begin dinner with a Christmas greeting and the exchange of Christmas wafer called Oplatki.

Less religious traditions revolve around hyping the coming of Santa Claus with all of the christmas gifts. In North America, milk and cookies are left by the tree for Santa Claus to enjoy as he slides down the chimney with his sack full of Christmas presents. By morning (if they were nice, rather than naughty) the children awake to find the tree laden with Christmas gifts from Santa Claus. Some cultures open presents on Christmas Eve while others wait until morning.

Around the world, Christmas Eve is celebrated with other traditions. In Denmark, for example, Christmas dinner is served at midnight followed by a special rice pudding with a single almond hidden in one of the dishes. Whoever finds the almond, according to legend, enjoys good luck in the coming year. Eastern Orthodox churches precede Christmas eve with a period of fasting which ends in a feast after Christmas Eve.

As you can see, there are many different ways to celebrate Christmas Eve. Whether it is a traditional Christmas dinner, a midnight mass, the exchange of Christmas presents or the awaiting of Santa Claus, each culture that recognizes Christmas has its own joyous way of marking the occasion.