Christmas Eve Boxes

[DBN1]

Since when did they become a thing? I'd never heard of them before this year but they seem to be mentioned as if it's a normal part of the Christmas traditions.
Do you have these and if so, how long have they been part of your Christmas?

Not knocking at all, just genuinely curious.

We also have a collection of Christmassy books that comes out whenever the decorations do (usually early Dec), the books go under the Christmas tree (until the presents take over) and get read throughout December

My grandad did Christmas Eve goody bags for all of us. The eldest of me and my cousins is pushing 40. The general concept isn’t new. Ours weren’t anything expensive or amazing: Christmas socks, colouring books, felt tips, stickers and a shedload of sweets and chocolate. I think the idea was give us something to do while our mums (his DILs) were busy getting stuff ready for Christmas Day. The thought was a kind one anyway.

We don’t do this. On 1st December we get the box of Christmas books out, which live in the attic the rest of the year. We have also starting adding one more every year, which gets left by the dinosaurs at the end of Dinovember (DS1 was obsessed with dinos a couple of years ago so we fell into that trap!

On Christmas Eve, though, we are generally busy, and the boys are too excited to really focus on anything. Moreover, they certainly don’t need anymore presents. Our Christmas Eve traditions are much more about the crib service, tracking Santa on NORAD, baking reindeer cookies and putting out the treats for Father Christmas.

Oh, and the present-filled advent calendar has also stopped here. A couple of years ago I went to. Great lengths to find little things for our reusable calendar, but all DS wanted was chocolate coins!

I saw these boxes online and in shops for the first time this year. Seems like a commercial thing being foisted on us. Many people in the UK do their Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve anyway as it's trad in lots of countries families came from originally or generations back.

New PJ's for the night before Christmas is fine, but I don't need to give them as one of the formal gifts or put them in a box

I have also never quite understood how "having hot chocolate" is some kind of long-lasting evening activity.

Because even at Christmas it still only takes as long as it takes for the kettle to boil (or milk to be heated)/drink made/drink drunk.

...even if it's gussied up with marshmallows and squirty cream etc, that's only a few seconds/minute or two more prep time (and arguably makes it even less likely you will have another one straight after given the richness of the first one!)

So 20mins after you all settle down to "have hot chocolate", it's done and dusted. nice enough, sure. But not exactly going to make the hours fly by...

Shots i suppose with hot chocolate it's part of the ritual/routine maybe? Making the hot chocolate, settling done for a family film, then putting the carrot out etc?

I don't do it, DS is too young. And I wouldn't have been allowed it when I was small because on Christmas Eve, without fail, I'd vomit with excitement usually after id been in the bath (which was, I'm informed, part of the reason why I had new PJs ("wait till shes puked then put her in the fresh ones")

And I know hot chocolate is mundane to loads of people, but again, when I was little, it was a special treat.

Mine get pyjamas when they need them and can have hot chocolate all year round so I dont get the Christmas associations with these very mundane things.

Totally agree. DH goes away on business a lot and we have a large stash of little hot chocolate sachets in the cupboard. It's not a magical elixir reserved for the third week in December. Pyjamas are bought when the old ones are too wee or too shabby, not for a particular season.

The only Christmassy things I'll be doing before Christmas are:

-Advent calendars. chocolate ones, probably £2-£3, although I may treat myself to a Reeses one! why have even these turned into a money making Instagram show off item? Do I really need to pay £20 per advent calendar?

• putting up the tree

• I might be brave and rope the kids into making some felt garland

We have the hot chocolate after the girls have had their bath. We also have a bit (the best bits) of the gingerbread house they made the day before with Daddy while we sit and talk about Santa coming and what they are excited for about the next day. I wouldn't describe it as an activity tbh, it's a way of winding down before they head off to bed.

I just don't get the point of them. They're always full of random crap or stuff you have in the house anyway like films and hot chocolate.

I'm 46 and we always got new pyjamas for Christmas Eve. They didn't have a Christmassy pattern per se, but the fact that they were new added to the excitement and magic of Christmas. My parents were far from wealthy but we always got new clothes for Christmas and Easter. The rest of the year it was hand-me-downs. I don't do a Christmas Eve box myself but from what I can see, it's just new pyjamas in a box with a DVD and/or book and hot chocolate. And surely the box is recycled so you'd get a good few years out of it? We were always allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve (usually something from my Granny) because Mam understood that we were bursting with excitement. I don't get the sneering and sanctimony over a fairly harmless tradition.

Mine have hot chocolate at other times of the year but I like to get them those ones you stir in which is a bit more special than the cocoa powder they usually get!

I really love them. Only started last year when a friend had them the year before. I think it's Finland that sells more books for Christmas Eve than any other time of year, as that's their tradition? I put a new pair of pyjamas, a book I know they'll love, and a new Christmas decoration each for the tree in it.

All traditions started somewhere, and I imagine there were loads of grumbles when Christmas trees and Christmas stockings started, too.

We do a box in our house,but it's filled with things that we would be doing anyway.
It's the same cardboard Christmas gift box that I bought when I first started doing it,and I fill it with new pyjamas (that I would be buying anyway,they're just given the night before instead of being wrapped up for Xmas day) The Snowman DVD,The Night before Christmas book,some hot chocolate sachets and a bar of chocolate.

It's part of our winding down for bed routine,the boys know that when the box comes out it means that they will be heading off to bed soon,and it's a lovely way to finally sit down and relax for some family time together after a whole month of rushing around and feeling stressed.

There's no added expense as everything is re-used each year,apart from the pyjamas,but as I said they would be getting them the next day anyway so what difference does it make if they're given them a few hours early?

I like that it's one of our family traditions,and if it means that we are all together on the sofa with our blankets watching a lovely Christmas film and reading a story before bed then it's certainly a positive thing in my opinion.
They will grow up soon enough and may not want to spend Christmas eve at home with their parents so we like to enjoy that time when we can.

DD10 gets new pjs every Christmas. They are left in her room by the Christmas elf when she's in the bath on Christmas Eve, she often gets new slippers & a dressing gown if she needs one. This is her first year of not believing so I guess I don't need to pretend there's an elf. It's quite sad.

I had never heard of a Santa key until MN. I get that many houses don't have chimneys but Santa is magic. he doesn't need to a key to get in. that's the whole point!

I guess we all have our own little traditions that evolve over time with our families. I can see the logic of what a lot of people are saying on this thread. I do think to purchase more pressies for. Christmas Eve box is just weird but that doesn’t seem to be what most people are doing.

my son is 14, he plays along with the pyjama elf for me.

I don't understand all the carping on this thread. Families have different traditions, its as simple as that. We have never gone to crib services or midnight masses, but I understand these services are important to some people and respect their choices.
I'm glad I have a son who can see new PJs as a present, he usually only gets new clothes at Christmas and his birthday. Its not an extra expense, it isnt stressful, he would get them anyway so whats wrong with getting them on Christmas Eve? Its just what some families choose to do. Simple as that

I do a Boxing day box as well. To stave off the inevitable boredom.

@perfectstorm I would love to have seen a mumsnet type forum from back then
'Toys for Christmas, back in my day we had a lump of coal and shared it between six' or 'decorations on a tree. So wasteful'

I love Christmas Eve boxes too, I like to drag out the magic

It’s not a mumsnet thing.

This will be the 3rd year I’ve done it. Kids love it.

This thread does highlight the glee that some people would have experienced when Cromwell did away with Christmas altogether.

I never understand what people mean when they say "it's a mumsnet thing". Do they think people who post on MN are floating in some kind if interwebs-ether? Do they not understand that MN posters are actual people scattered all over the world, going about their lives, some doing Christmas Eve boxes, some not, some doing similar traditions?

I was wrapping pjs under the tree thirty odd years ago. My Mother always made sure we had a new outfit for xmas day. It may have evolved into being a box, but it is not new.

Sorry to bump this thread, but where do people buy Christmas Eve Boxes from? Or do you actually just make them yourself? Do you buy just a generic one or I've seen quite a lot of personalised boxes. I also had never heard of them until earlier this year when a fellow Mum told me about her plans for one and that was when I found out what a Christmas Eve box was lol.