There’s something comforting and familiar about Christmas Eve: gathering around the fireplace with your loved ones, opening a few small gifts, enjoying delicious treats, listening to holiday songs. It’s often a night for cozy traditions that start when you’re little and remain a happy staple for life. That’s why when Christmas Eve comes, your home is the first place where you want to be.
However, modern life means more people travel on holidays than ever before. Whether you’re flying to see distant family or hopping on a plane for a vacation, being away from home on Christmas Eve doesn’t have to mean you miss the fun and magic. With some planning and resourcefulness, you can still make the most of it and party like Santa on the road.
Let’s explore Christmas Eve travel party ideas so you can have a joyous holiday wherever you happen to be.
1. Pack Christmas in Your Luggage
If you’re going to celebrate Christmas Eve while on the road, start with small things you can pack in your luggage. Items like string lights, a small tree, or holiday scented candles make every unfamiliar place feel like home for a while.
Christmas in your suitcase ideas
A tiny foldable Christmas tree or tabletop tree
String lights powered by batteries
A mini Christmas playlist, downloaded on your phone
A Christmas candle (travel-friendly and liquid-free), or room spray
Stockings for each of your travel party members
Lightweight ornaments
Travel-sized things like these won’t take up much luggage space. They’ll immediately bring Christmas into a hotel room, AirBnB apartment, or even a stranger’s couch. Plus, if you’re spending Christmas Eve on the move, these will be ready to go when you arrive at your destination.
2. Have a Christmas Eve Party in Your Hotel Room
Hotel rooms are rarely the coziest or most inviting places for an extended stay. However, with a little work, a Christmas party in your hotel room will be as warm and charming as any other gathering.
How to create Christmas in your hotel room
Hang stockings on the headboard, TV stand, or drawer handles
Drape your Christmas lights around for a holiday feel
Play soft background Christmas music
Prepare your favorite holiday snacks, like cookies, chocolates, and hot cocoa
Christmas activities in your hotel room
Exchanging small pre-travel gifts
Christmas movie marathon, or streaming a traditional holiday show
Sharing your favorite Christmas memories
Writing holiday wishes or New Year’s resolutions
Hotel Christmas parties are the most romantic and intimate. They’re also great for families with kids or when traveling solo with plenty of space and time to unwind on your own terms.
3. Christmas Eve at the Airport: An Idea for a Holiday Party
Airport on Christmas Eve? Sure. Why not make the most of a sticky situation or an extended layover with a few travel party ideas that will turn a holiday flight or airport delay into a party?
Ideas for Christmas party in the airport
Play a Christmas playlist on your headphones at low volume
Bring some travel-friendly snacks, like gingerbread cookies or candy canes
Wear matching Christmas sweaters, or matching Santa hats
Take funny holiday-themed photos by airport decorations
Exchange small gifts if you travel with others
Remember that most airports in the U.S. and Europe decorate so elaborately for the holidays that walking around the terminals and enjoying the Christmas trees, lights, and displays is a mini Christmas adventure on its own.
4. Celebrate on a Plane or Train
Traveling by plane or train on Christmas Eve itself, especially on long-haul flights, is an adventure. With some creativity and preparation, you can also have some fun on the road with these Christmas Eve activities while on a plane or train.
How to party on a plane/train
Catch a holiday movie on your personal entertainment screen
Bring a small Christmas treat or drink mix, like instant hot chocolate
Wear a pair of festive socks, or a Christmas-themed shirt
Send holiday greetings to family and friends via video messages
If you’re comfortable striking up a conversation with your seatmates or cabin neighbors, you can also ask them about their Christmas traditions. Holiday cheer is contagious, and most people appreciate a friendly chat at a time like this.
5. Host a Christmas Eve Picnic
Vacationing at a warm-weather destination for Christmas? A Christmas Eve picnic may be the most unexpected, delightful, and refreshing idea you’ve had all year.
Perfect places for a Christmas picnic
Beaches
Lakeside
Desert parks
City squares
Botanic gardens
Resort lawns
What to pack for a Christmas picnic
Sandwiches, pastries, fruits, and other seasonal treats
A blanket or beach towel
Battery candles
A small portable speaker with Christmas music
A sunset Christmas Eve picnic is a gorgeous, peaceful, family-friendly experience that’s perfect for partners or friends, too.
6. Explore Local Christmas Eve Traditions
If you travel on holidays, you’re likely traveling for a reason. Whether you choose to embrace the Christmas Eve travel party ideas or not, your destination will have its own celebration and festive atmosphere. Consider making one of your favorite holiday traditions a quest to explore local Christmas Eve celebrations.
Ideas to experience local Christmas Eve traditions
Attend a local Christmas Eve night market, or festive evening gathering
Join a midnight mass or community Christmas Eve worship
Attend local holiday parades, or watch live entertainment
Stroll neighborhoods or streets decked in holiday lights
Try local Christmas foods and traditions
The cultural diversity is one of the great bonuses of a Christmas Eve holiday travel party.
7. Christmas Eve Dinner on the Go
Food and drink are a critical part of Christmas for many families, cultures, and individuals. Packing a few must-have items, finding local recipes, or ordering in from a nearby restaurant lets you enjoy a special meal on Christmas Eve away from home.
Ideas for a Christmas Eve meal on the go
Book a dinner reservation at your hotel restaurant or nearby recommended place with Christmas specials
Order takeout from a nearby restaurant and set a festive table in your room/apartment
Cook your own meal if you have access to a kitchenette or restaurant-grade kitchen
Get a few store-bought foods that bring the holiday spirit
Recipes that work for Christmas Eve meal while traveling
Roast chicken
Pasta with holiday sauce
Mashed potatoes
Christmas cookies
Fresh bread and rolls
Fruit tart
Cheese plate
Hot soup
The point is not to re-create the traditional feast from home. Instead, be intentional about enjoying a meaningful meal together that evokes the holiday spirit.
8. Christmas Eve Games and Activities for Travelers
Games and activities are a universal source of fun and laughter for any party. Don’t hesitate to involve even the youngest children in your Christmas Eve celebration on the road.
Christmas Eve activities for travelers
Christmas trivia
“Name that holiday song”
A memory-sharing game
Card games, or travel-size board games
Word searches, or holiday crossword puzzles
Mini gift exchange game
For families traveling with kids, add coloring books, small toys, or story time with Christmas books.
9. Create Your Own Christmas Eve Travel Tradition
You don’t have to travel on Christmas Eve only once. Christmas parties on the road can be just as special if you create your own tradition you can repeat each year.
Ideas for Christmas Eve traditions on the go
Take a Christmas Eve selfie at every destination
Buy a small ornament that represents the city you’re visiting
Write a holiday journal entry every Christmas Eve
Try one traditional meal from your host country
Watch a favorite Christmas movie every year on the road
Traditions are our way of marking time, acknowledging the flow of life, and staying connected with people we care about. Don’t let going on the road or living abroad get in the way of that.
10. Celebrate Christmas Eve Virtually With Loved Ones
If you’re in a position where your traveling away from family or friends on Christmas Eve, remember that virtual technology has created new possibilities for staying connected.
Ideas for Christmas Eve online party
Video call gift-unwrapping session with distant loved ones
Virtual Christmas toast
Christmas movie watch party
Sharing your favorite holiday memories or gratitude moments
Reading stories over video chat
Even a short meaningful connection can soothe our souls and restore the holiday spirit.
11. Christmas Eve Party for Solo Travelers
Solo travelers are just as much a part of modern life as anyone else. Celebrating Christmas Eve on the road while alone doesn’t have to be a bummer or second-best to a big party at home. If you travel alone on the holidays, you can make the most of it for yourself, no matter what kind of adventure you’re on.
Ideas for solo travelers on Christmas Eve
Treat yourself to a special holiday dinner
Attend a local Christmas festival, event, or market
Spend some time alone journaling, reflecting, or goal-setting for the new year
Join a group tour or community gathering
See iconic Christmas locations in your destination
Go on a Christmas Eve photography walk and treat yourself
Solo travel, especially during Christmas, is a chance to revel in peace and quiet, be your own person, and explore your creativity.
12. Christmas Eve Travel Party for Families With Kids
Families on the go, with children, often have the most to lose during holidays away from home. You’re building memories with people you hope will love Christmas Eve the way you do. That also means you have the most to gain when you’re creative about how to make it magical.
Ideas for Christmas Eve party for families with kids
Hang mini stockings for the kids to fill the next morning
Read a Christmas bedtime story to your little ones
Prepare some holiday snacks and treat for them, too
Watch an animated Christmas special
Leave a small present “from Santa” for the kids to find in the morning
Above all, keep it simple and festive so the children can retain the wonder and excitement but not suffer from stress and overindulgence.
13. Christmas Music Everywhere You Go
Music is one of the easiest Christmas Eve travel party ideas you can use, no matter where you are. It’s also an opportunity to let the local flavor and musical influences in your travel destination shine through.
Ideas for travel playlists
Relaxing Christmas instrumentals
Classic Christmas hits, all the classics
International Christmas music, from where you’re traveling
Jazz or acoustic holiday songs
Play your playlist in your hotel, the airport, car rental, or while exploring your destination.
14. Exchange Gifts While Traveling
Gift-giving on Christmas is one of the best traditions, and it doesn’t have to change much when you’re on the go. It’s even a great time to break out of your usual routines and think about more practical and travel-friendly gifts.
Gift-giving ideas for Christmas Eve travel parties
Keychains or ornaments
Travel-sized self-care products
Notebooks or travel journals
Compact candies or snacks
A small book or a postcard
Miniature souvenirs from your host country
You can include these as part of a pre-travel exchange or make them a highlight of the Christmas Eve travel party.
15. Take Photos
Travel, by definition, is filled with photo ops and possibilities. Document your holiday journey on Christmas Eve so you can relive the holiday later. Look for these kinds of photo opportunities, wherever you are.
Christmas Eve photo ideas for travel parties
Holiday decorations in airports, on planes, in your hotel, or at local venues
Decorating your temporary holiday space with lights, trees, and stockings
Nature backgrounds, Christmas weather, winter markets
Holiday outfits and other travel looks
Capturing your Christmas Eve on the road can help keep your memories more vivid and detailed.
Final Thoughts
Christmas is a beautiful, meaningful holiday in many ways. However, the most powerful part of Christmas is the one thing that doesn’t change: when you love someone, you want to share your time with them.
Christmas Eve on the road, away from your home, presents you with an opportunity to design a holiday experience that can make your season a little less ordinary. That doesn’t mean less traditional, but it can be more thoughtful, more individualized, more aware.
You can still have a Christmas Eve travel party that reflects the truth about the season. Christmas is a universal celebration. It can be a time of grace and blessing that finds us wherever we happen to be.
For some, Christmas will mean connecting with distant family, for others going on a vacation or road trip to explore and have fun. It doesn’t have to be one or the other; it can be both. Bring Christmas with you, wherever you go.
Make this Christmas Eve travel party as much or as little like “home” as you’d like. You can design it around what you love about Christmas at home. Or you can choose from your favorite ideas and create a celebration that’s all your own.
It’s your celebration, after all, even when you’re on the road.
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