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.

I have bought DD PJs for Christmas Eve as my Mum always did for me. We will probably have hot chocolate and a watch a Christmas film and I might try and find some dairy free squirts cream for the occasion.

Last year I did put all the Christmas books and happyland Christmas toys in the loft in a separate book and I will get them out again on the 1st December.

As if Christmas isn't busy enough without adding elf on a shelf and Christmas Eve boxes to the mix.... Ugh.

My parents always gave us new pyjamas on Christmas Eve, and we ate smoked salmon or cheese and biscuits and watched a film. I have a similar routine as an adult and think it's nice. I don't, however, see the need to give kids a load of gifts on Christmas Eve when they'll get lots more presents the following day and, presumably, forget all about their Christmas Eve gifts. It strikes me as another arena for competitive parenting. Dare I say, looking at local social media groups, it's a certain demographic (younger, economically disadvantaged, often single mums) that seem to go in for extravagant Christmas Eve boxes, and they can probably least afford it.

Godowneasy

What's a key for Santa please?

I'm guessing it's for children to leave out for Santa in homes that don't have a chimney? Almost as scary a prospect as telling them some strange guy is going to climb down from the roof

On Christmas Eve mine get a new onesie or PJ's. Which I have purposely not bought in the preceding months. Currently my kids have onesies that are halfway past their ankles as they're too small.

Those go on and we turn all the lights off apart from the Christmas tree and decorations ones and watch a Christmas movie of their choice with hot chocolate and marshmallows etc and fresh popcorn with cinnamon icing sugar sprinkled on.

That's plenty. No keys, no other gifts. Just a nice snuggly family tradition.

I'd love to do a Christmas Eve box but mine are teenagers and apart from pjs I've no idea what to put in them! So might just get pjs and hand it to them

We have always done, new pjs and story or read night before Christmas, snowman soup ( hot choc with mellows) reindeer food on grass ( Oats and edible glitter) plate with carrot milk and chocolate biccie. Magic key ( fake key hung on front door as no chimney) then flour/glitter foot prints from door to tree in am, milk drunk biccie eaten carrot top left. With a note to each child to say well done for an achievement in year and they will get a stocking night before.

in our home at about 7.30 there is a knock at the door. I send my son to answer it, there is a paper bag ( the same one kept each year) Its the advance delivery from the elves, it has our new pjs, a DVD and a selection box each. Its a bit of fun, my son still loves it, even now he is a teenager. We put our pjs on, snuggle up to watch the dvd, eat snack food, eat the chocolate. Because there are just two of us, we are usually very busy seeing family and friends, we always go to the theatre or movies on Christmas Eve afternoon so fo us its just a about the time to start chilling out and enjoy some time together.

New pjs here. That's all. Then we have hot choc and watch a Christmas film. No biggie. No box, no present etc

And we have a Christmas Eve plate. Also no big deal. Just a plate with the dds' names on to leave the mince pie and carrot.

And this obsession with "new pyjamas" absolutely loathe the tweeness of "PJs" too... Why?

(I must be old because I wore nighties as a kid )

It's not a box of gifts necessarily and all the ugh and screeches of commercialism really piss me off. In our house, it has always been a way of winding down in the evening and hinting at magic beginning to work and my Victorian granny did it ffs. She'd sneak a plate of freshly baked treats onto the hearth with a letter about sleeping well and listening for bells.

I put in ingredients for baking and a recipe, paper and instructions for making a lantern or snowflakes or similar, hot chocolate decanted into festive paper twists, my 40yr old copy of The Night Before Christmas. Plus a letter from the elves detailing the year. Globally and personally, discussing the children's achievements, upcoming plans etc. They're a nice keepsake. Sometimes, if they need PJs or slippers or whatever, I include them. Or a homemade voucher for a film we can watch on Prime.

It wouldn't matter if I hired St Nick to personally heft a solid gold chest of diamonds into the house though. If you don't want to do it, don't but can we keep the sneering to a minimum.

Oh and I work for a charity 52 weeks a year and have spent November arranging gifts for vulnerable families and helped sorting the logistics of providing a meal for 65 pensioners on the 25th. Just because I have a tradition on the 24th doesn't mean I'm a heartless, consumerist cow.

I'm in my early 30s and always used to have this type of thing on Christmas Eve. So no I don't think it's a Mumsnet thing or an American import.

The competitive frugalness and sneering at anything other than a stocking filled with fruit and a book and a donation to oxfam is really fucking boring.

Do what you like at Christmas but don't look down on us who choose to make a bit of effort. Oh and effort doesn't equal cost before I get piled on for that.

Ours is the same stuff each year, new pyjamas(get worn until grown out of and then passed down to the younger one). A copy of The Night Before Christmas(same one each year), some hot chocolates and chocolate coins and our Santa key. It doesn’t have to be expensive or full of junk.

This sounds like a nice tradition. We have a really empty Christmas schedule with no traditions other than presents Xmas morning. Both dh and I are onlies and his parents aren’t with us and mine crack their own detail and pop over Boxing Day, so we are trying to start nice traditions for our children but I never really know where to start.

Do you put all the stuff in an actual box?

Why is it competitive frugalness? They are literally getting a pile of gifts the next morning as well!

What next? Birthday Eve boxes? Easter Eve boxes? Eve of Eve boxes?

Glitter on grass = micro plastics in the rivers and oceans.

Just don't.

Do you put all the stuff in an actual box?

You don't have too, but you can buy the boxes some can be personalized with family names or one each

We go to the Christingle or Crib Service on christmas eve, we don't do a box.

We do have a very tame elf though and she brings a box on December 1st with Christmas pyjamas, hot chocolate and a Christmas film for everyone.

I don't do a box it's abit much seeing all there getting the next day but everyone gets new pjs to open Xmas eve not even sure why but my parents did so I've carried it on

I’ve done it since my eldest daughter was 1 so for 7 years . They get a new Christmas book , dvd to share , reindeer food (reused ) , and new Christmas pyjamas . Might add some hot chocolate this year as they both love it . I don’t have a box , just re use some Christmas bags .

I don't understand why some people are quite so snobby about it. I've never done it because mine are too little but I will be as they get older. It doesn't have to cost much at all. I think there's something really lovely about the thought of a family together on Christmas Eve, cuddled up on the sofa with a hot chocolate watching a film or reading a story and eagerly awaiting Christmas. If it's not for you, fine, but why be so dismissive of what other people do?

*The competitive frugalness and sneering at anything other than a stocking filled with fruit and a book and a donation to oxfam is really fucking boring.

Do what you like at Christmas but don't look down on us who choose to make a bit of effort. Oh and effort doesn't equal cost before I get piled on for that.*

I so agree! And even if it does equal cost, so what? I do the box. Got a nice one in TKMaxx and decorated it. PJs, hot chocolate with marshmallows, one of those jars you make muffins from, Santa key, mince pie plate with matching mug, small gift.

It's a bit of fun.

If you don't like it, don't do it. FFS.

Mine don't get 'a pile of gifts' as they're teens so tend to get one or two more expensive presents - this year one will get a FitBit and the other a new phone.

I first heard of it on mumsnet. Ive since heard of one real life friend doing it. It's definitely not her family tradition (she Hindu). She married a scouser so maybe it's a regional thing from his family.

We're a Netflix family so no need for DVDs anymore.

If it's not for you, fine, but why be so dismissive of what other people do?

Famillies have traditions, which are all fine, but then some idiot comes along and labels the traditions - so no longer nice cosy PJs and a movie.

Suddenly there is a label, and FB posts and adverts and everything else pressuring parents into this 'new' tradition that they had never had or thought about and kids start talking about Xmas Eve boxes and now they feel they are missing out.