Telling an excited child to calm down has never once worked, and Christmas Eve is not the night to test it again.
Thirty minutes later than usual, on this one night, removes the argument entirely. A child fighting sleep at their normal bedtime and a child settling calmly thirty minutes later are often the exact same amount of tired — the difference is only whether you fought the excitement or gave it room.
A specific, calm task — writing one note to leave out, choosing which stocking goes where, dimming the lights together — channels the energy instead of trying to suppress it. A child doing something with the excitement settles faster than one told to sit still with it.
Screens right before bed, and any hint that presents depend on how fast everyone falls asleep. Both raise the exact alertness you are trying to lower.
Do not use that as a threat. It is not true, a child eventually works that out, and it teaches that what you say at bedtime cannot be trusted.
Decide a house rule in advance — stockings can be opened whenever, the tree waits until a set time — and say it clearly the night before, not sleepily at 4am.
Part of our guide to Holiday hosting with kids.