Savannah Guthrie: Christmas Eve is the 'longest, best and hardest' day of the year for parents

Savannah Guthrie has a Christmas Eve ritual that begins after her children are nestled all snug in their beds.

“I have a big cup of coffee and get to it!” Savannah tells TODAY.com. “The longest, best and hardest day of any parent’s life is Christmas Eve. You’re with the kids, maybe you go to church, you’re running around, you might have Christmas Eve dinner.”

There's so much happening. And then bedtime “takes forever” because the kids are so excited, Savannah says. But Moms and Dads? They’re exhausted. And that's when the real work starts.

“All you want to do is go to sleep — but you know you have several hours of work in front of you,” the TODAY co-anchor notes. “So make it fun. Put on the music, pour a glass of wine and get into the holiday spirit.

Savannah shares daughter Vale, 9, and son Charley, 7, with husband Mike Feldman. This year, Savannah says Vale is asking for Taylor Swift merchandise while Charley wants "every soccer, football and basketball jersey that exists in the world."

Will they get their wishes? Well, Savannah notes that both kids can read now, so there won't be any spoilers here!

In 2020, Savannah said that she uses the holiday season to focus on faith.

“I am sure to talk to my kids that this is a special night, because this is the night we remember when Christ came to save the world,” Savannah said in the TODAY special “Holidays in my House.” “In our family that is a living part of what we believe and I always want to tie them back to that. I want them to have fun — they will always have fun at Christmas — but I also want them to feel that magic of what their faith means to them, why the night feels so special; to go out, look up at the stars and imagine that star long, long ago.”

“I think that just adds to the majesty of Christmas and makes it enduring,” she added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com