Christmas Eve is a time for traditions.

For some it might mean attending midnight mass, tracking Father Christmas or settling down to watch a favourite Christmas film. For others, it might be opening some or even all of the presents underneath the tree.

Some parents will be familiar with the tactic of allowing excited children to open a present on Christmas Eve as a way of spreading out the joy and making the festive period even more exciting than it already would be.

Christmas pyjamas, books and mugs for hot chocolate are all popular choices, with specific Christmas Eve boxes popular choices for many parents.

In some countries, it is customary to open all the presents on Christmas Eve after attending mass, with Christmas Day left to focus on seeing loved ones and enjoying a Christmas dinner.

Countries in South America such as Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay with large, devout Catholic populations tend to open presents on Christmas Eve following midnight mass, as do many Baltic nations.

Some countries open presents much earlier, with it customary in the Netherlands and Belgium to do so on December 6, which is St Nicholas’ Day, whilst in Spain, it is not unheard of to wait until Epiphany on January 6, although as Christmas becomes evermore commercialised, this happens less so.

The act of giving gifts at Christmas time can be traced back as far as ancient Rome, when Romans were known to exchange presents during a winter solstice holiday Saturnalia.

Whilst Santa Claus went international in the second half of the 20th century, in some parts of Europe, the presents are still brought by a traditional childlike figure known as the Christkind or Christ Child, as opposed to a Father Christmas-type character.

In Germany, children will traditionally open presents right at nightfall when their parents signal them to come into their Christmas tree room using bells.

Opening presents on Christmas Eve is a German tradition, and although it is not commonly done here, it was introduced to the Royal Family by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – and is still practiced by the royals today.

The late Queen Elizabeth was believed to have enjoyed sharing presents on Christmas Eve both out of tradition and practicality, given the busy schedule for the royals on Christmas morning.