MNHQ HERE: What do you pack into a ‘Christmas Eve Box’?

It isn't diluting the magic unless the sole focus of YOUR Christmas is gift giving and you're particularly short sighted and reductive

That's a bit OTT and definitely not true for many of us. You have your own traditions but for others a Christmas box would clash with the wait for Christmas Day. My preference is that Advent is for anticipation and preparation (and even fasting in some traditions). Treats, feasting, celebration, the lighting of the final candle on the Advent ring, the last verse of 'O Come All Ye Faithful' (which begins Yea Lord we Greet Thee), and exchanging presents are for the day, not before. Likewise I wouldn't want an 'Easter Box' between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I see that as about learning patience rather than being 'all about chocolate'.

I've never done these. I prefer the anticipation of waking up on Christmas morning without there being gifts/treats the previous night.

Thanks, everyone

Oo that's a wonderful way of remembering.

o0 that's just lovely

o0

Ours has

Pyjamas
Blankets
A million sweeties
DVD
Computer Game
Board Game
Smellies
Hot Chocolate
Giant marshmallows
And probably a whole lot more.

I tell this every time this sort of thread crops up so I apologise to anyone reading it for the 34th time!

My DS2 was stillborn and he had a Christmas Day due date. He was born just a few weeks before. So Christmas could easily be a sad time but I have two other sons so make a big effort for them.
I was around when the Christmas Eve Box was first mentioned on MN many years ago and I loved the idea. It was suggested that Christmas Elves delivered the box but I immediately changed it for my family and decided it would be a present from my DS2 to his big and little brothers.
So now the story is that he borrows some magic from Santa so he can bring a box of presents.
It's our way of bringing in our DS2 and in a happy way. They talk about this box all year, and it lets us talk about him without it being a teary occasion.
I spend lots on the box as I don’t get to buy my DS2 present. I don’t get to make new memories involving him. Except for this box. So I'm pretty defensive of it when people come for it.

Now, that's not the reason for many or even any other family. But our reason and 99% of other people reason for doing this is to put a smile on their family's faces. That's it. You might do it by spending £££ on holidays, or £££ on birthdays, or fancy clothes. Some of us do it at Christmas. I dont accuse anyone of buying crap and falling for consumerist bollocks when you pay out for stuff I don't.

Christmas eve box? When did this happen? Mine are 17 and 15 and I don't think it was around when they were little.

Used to go to the nativity service...that Was always nice

Children and dh hated it though

They did it for me

Christmas Eve is for going up to midnight mass coming home getting the little monkeys into bed drinking a bit of sherry and putting out some stockings

That sounds lovely.

Not going to work for us though on account of the atheism.

I don't understand this need to knock other people's traditions. Everyone does it a bit differently, and that's great.

MN has been taking the piss out of the weirdos who do Christmas Eve boxes for many years

Really? I bet loads of the people on this thread who do the, got the idea from MN. Every year, some people go bah humbug at the idea, but loads say they do them IME.

Nothing, never heard of Ch Eve boxes, and never will participate either, all just marketing for the bewildered on FB or SC.

Christmas Eve is more magical than Christmas Day to us anyway. Go to town see the lights, wander around, listen to the buskers and have a ball.

To be serious... why on earth are you even asking? MN has been taking the piss out of the weirdos who do Christmas Eve boxes for many years, now suddenly you're asking as though it was normal to do this utter commercialist plastic tat shite? Are you trying to impress a potential new multinational conglomerate advertiser?

Whaaaa???? Nothing nada Christmas Eve is for going up to midnight mass coming home getting the little monkeys into bed drinking a bit of sherry and putting out some stockings.

Best christmas tip - all stockings should be hung on downstairs fireplace. That way Santa doesn't have to tiptoe into any bedrooms to try and untie the complicated knot that any DC has done around bedposts in the dark, while Santa is three-quarters pie eyed on sherry/whisky/gin/vodka/insert seasonal lubricant of choice...

I know, Everybody, of course people should enjoy themselves, and gifting is a really lovely part of Christmas celebrations, whether in a box, stocking or under a tree. My kids will be rolling in gifts, the same as other people's, but theirs will be pre-loved. No big deal. I just can't pass up a chance to toot the horn of less-is-more.

Christmas Eve boxes are what Mumsnet does to you when you need a cunning plan, in order to persuade over-excited DC to get into their PJs and wind down for bed without too much fuss on Christmas Eve!

I thought that's what saying "Santa won't come unless you are in bed asleep" was for

Christmas Eve boxes are what capitalism does when you already have all of the things that you actually need, in order to persuade you that you need more

Christmas Eve boxes are what Mumsnet does to you when you need a cunning plan, in order to persuade over-excited DC to get into their PJs and wind down for bed without too much fuss on Christmas Eve!

I think you're missing this vital part of it! For lots of us, it's not about giving more stuff, as the stuff in the boxes, they would have got anyway. It's a cunning way of presenting it, not an excuse to buy yet more stuff.

I'm sure many people do buy more stuff for this, but you really don't have to, and that's kinda missing the point!

I think it is healthy to challenge the premise of consumer society, and to keep a lively debate going about how our consumption impacts on the environment, especially at times of the year associated with buying loads of stuff

I totally agree with this, 100%.

Christmas, for me, is about creating traditions with the DC and enjoying them.

We're not religious, so we don't do any of the churchy stuff.

Christmas for us is about family and friends spending time together, eating drinking and being merry, and taking time to enjoy each other's company in between the bickering.

Stockings and presents are part of Christmas. The act of giving and receiving present doesn't have to be commercial. Unless you're against presents completely, then gifts are part of Christmas, surely? But, how you approach them makes all the difference.

My DM and DMIL for example, are getting sloe gin this year - with sloes picked by me and the DC - with home made labels, and made with quality gin. Both DM and MIL love gin, and will love that the DC picked the sloes and made the labels. Sure, I bought the gin, but I don't see it as overly commercial - do you? It'll get drunk!

A Christmas box doesn't have to be commercial. Our box is all about the DC winding down to bed and - as I said upthread - the hot chocolate was out of the cupboard and the basket recycled.

Personally I don't like Elf on the Shelf, sounds like far too much work to me! But others like it, why not? I'm not going to have a go at them for it.

Capitalism will worm its way in to make profit out of anything it can. But that doesn't mean we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Giving gifts is a good thing to do. It's the over indulgence and tat that's driven by capitalism, surely? Not gift giving of all kinds?

I have no doubt, if you apply a bit of imagination, you can see how Christmas boxes don't need to be commercial. If they're not for you, don't knock it. But others enjoy them, and why not?

Wilberforce, I know our opinions on this topic differ, and I'm definitely not irrationally angry about it. I am just done contributing to the manufacturing of new 'stuff'. It's amazing how quickly one's perception changes once one unplugs from consumerist society, even in a small way. Having not bought new clothes in conventional shops for years, a recent emergency required me to visit a few high street clothes shops, and I found it absolutely shocking. Unless you believe that there is something inherently disgusting about other people, then choosing second hand alternatives is a way out of adding to the mess. I am just as happy with a manufacturer refurbished, new-to-me phone or tablet as I would be with a brand new one. Some people take amazingly good care of their shoes and clothing, and there is precious little difference between their pre-loved items on eBay and a box-fresh alternative. I love the jewellery of two particular designers, and I especially love it that DP hunts down hard to come by pieces on the second hand market for me.
I think it is healthy to challenge the premise of consumer society, and to keep a lively debate going about how our consumption impacts on the environment, especially at times of the year associated with buying loads of stuff.

Fill your boots to those who happily do this, of course, but to me this is another recent 'unnecessary/unwelcome/spend more money/have more stuff n tat/more pressure on parents and kids to achieve and have/social media influenced' thing in the UK like Elf on the Shelf, the Coke Truck {?!), and even, I understand, 1st December boxes too now - and we don't partake. I don't know anyone who partakes IRL except one mum friend who did Elf last year because of peer pressure on her youngest DC.

They have enough already, and we have enough happy traditions as it is, not forgetting what the true spirit and meaning of Christmas is in our house. If the tree is up by bedtime, the pjs are relatively clean, the house is warm enough, there's enough food, we're all still here and as healthy as we can be, and something nice will be being brought down the chimney for everyone, then I call it a win.

Besides, the DCs know that Mummy is far too busy opening the gin bottle and kissing Santa Claus.

@artisanparsnips it's just fun, in this miserable world we are all entitled to a bit of fun and a bit of over indulgence especially at Christmas.

Who the hell wants all second hand for Christmas?!

Im also just posting my opinions, if we can't splurge a bit at Christmas then when can we 🤷‍♀️

Artisan, you are right, it is really important to keep drawing attention to gratuitous consumption. I'm no Grinch, but all of our family Christmas gifting is second hand (books, tech, clothing, toys, even the jewellery I know DP has bought me) because I just can't bear adding another thing to the mountain of stuff under which our society is groaning.

The kids.

My mother.

And then I can open the wine

@Wilberforce1 no one is telling you to stop it, but other people are posting their opinions, and that's also fine. I'm with @DuchessMustard.

I posted something similar because I have genuinely never ever heard of these things apart from on MN and so wanted to add a bit of balance to the debate, and also because I do genuinely believe that we are all drowning in too much stuff and that it's worth saying that sometimes.

Christmas jumpers and Christmas Eve boxes are what capitalism does when you already have all of the things that you actually need, in order to persuade you that you need more. (And it's not just about Christmas, I could add prosecco for dogs and Halloween plastic bunting to that list too).

This insatiable urge to consume has to stop at some point, otherwise we will all drown in plastic, so it is worth - to me - saying something when yet another piece of consumption is being 'normalised'.

Perhaps @LilyMumsnet might feed this back as well.