Christmas Eve boxes?

[Phycadelicsilhouette]

Just wondered what people’s opinions are on the modern ‘tradition’ of ‘the Christmas Eve box’.
I’m no Scrooge, I love Christmas. The music, the lights, the light switch ons, the pantomime, the food, the board games ect ect.... BUT after jumping on the Christmas

Ooh posted too early, sorry!
Jumping on the Christmas Eve box bandwagon a couple of times I don’t think I’m going to bother anymore.
Is this unfair to my DC?
I just feel that they get nice gifts for Christmas (this year is Merlin annual passes with a few other cheaper bits they’ll like plus a stocking each) and they love Christmas for the experience.
I just feel the Christmas Eve box ‘tradition’ is a terrible waste of money.
What do others think?

Bloody ridiculous consumerist shite.

I'm with @AhNowTed but I'd add Americanised to the list of adjectives

Absolute bullshit, marketers trying to squeeze another glob of cash out of families

I'm all for Christmas Eve traditions but not another bucket of presents ffs

^ What AhNowTed said. Down with that sort of thing

It's all very consumerist and Christmas Eve seems a little close to the actual day. But I did December 1st boxes with pyjamas, Xmas jumper, advent calendar, Christmas activity books and panto tickets. I thought that was better as we actually got the use out of it and it's all things I intended to buy anyway

I did them for the first time last year, as part of making our new Christmas traditions in a new country, and they were great at making us feel a little less 'flat', and getting us into the spirit.

I just put PJ's, Christmas earrings, a favourite drink, and some nice shower gel in each.

So I think I'll keep on this year!

I would agree, but my kids who I have full time are my step kids, they spend Christmas morning with their biological parent so I give them their things from my own family on Christmas eve just so it's all spread out a little. Opening a shed load of stuff Christmas morning limits appreciation I think.
I don't call it a Christmas eve box but that's what it is in essence.

Different strokes for different folks. Whatever you want!

Personally I love it. DD gets a dvd, pjs and a hot choc sachet and it makes for a lovely Xmas eve. Hardly consumerist, other than the hot choc she would have got the other stuff 12 hours later anyway!

I think it depends on what you have in your 'Christmas eve box'.

We put new pj's, fluffy socks, Bath bomb, small pack of sweets and the final book of the advent books. So not really an extra box of gifts just something to make winding down a bit easier.

People should make their own Xmas traditions rather than following trends imo, can't be doing Elf on the shelf either .

I did them one year. My dc were totally underwhelmed. I haven't bothered since.

I used to get a Christmas eve box when I was a child, always got new pyjamas, a clementine and a book. I loved it then and have continued the tradition!

When the boys were younger, we had a Christmas Eve tradition of lighting a load of candles, switching the lights off and then reading the Christmas story (I read some of the Nine Lessons and Carols readings for this), and then The Night Before Christmas.

We found that this helped them to settle down before they went to bed, so they fell asleep more readily.

For a few years, we also threw a party for our friends and theirs, on Christmas Eve - nothing fancy, just some party food and some silly games - basically to tire them out. We'd do the candles and reading after everyone had gone and the combination of party and some quiet time worked pretty well to get them to go to sleep!!

I can see how the new tradition of the Christmas Eve box does something similar to our 'quietening down' tradition - everyone snuggled up, maybe in new pyjamas, with hot chocolate, to watch a film together before bed.

I've done them for the last couple of years but I'm not bothering this year. I have got them some nice new matching pyjamas as my daughter loves them and requests them every year. They will probably have then at the beginning of december.

It's funny that Americans are blamed for anything consumerist when I hadn't even heard of Christmas Eve boxes until I moved here!

I don't see the point of them, to be honest--in my opinion presents are for Christmas morning, Christmas Eve is for church/family dinner/sometimes a board game or Christmas film.

We are bothering as I just think it's an extra expense. We are getting DD some christmassy PJs but they wont be wrapped up or put in a special box, and we will probably give them to her a few weeks before to get more use out of them!

We already have hot chocolate powder, Christmas films and books so dont see any need to give a new one .

Consumerism at its finest! That shitty elf can F off too!

I think if we could focus on family and time together and atmosphere more, Christmas would be the better for it. These Christmas Eve boxes etc have become tick box exercises because people have forgotten where the real pleasure is. There is a direct correlation between the amount of shit you give your kids and the amount of shit your kids give about things.

Ghastly.

Mine get new pyjamas on the last day of the advent calendar, a childhood friend always did and I was always incredibly jealous

Other than I don't do a hamper, we either have a giant party or a trip out to the cinema/pantomime etc on Christmas Eve so no real need for any further entertainment.

I do Christmas Eve boxes, i make poster of what Christmas movie we are watching that night on Netflix, matching pj's, a new tree ornament normally personalised and chocolate/popcorn for movie watching - we open it around 5 and sets the evening up x

I put some pyjamas in (needed anyway and not Christmas themed) and some snacks and hot chocolate to enjoy with a movie, inexpensive and sets us up for a film before bed

Not for me. We go to church at 6, dinner with family and try and cajole them into bed before 9. Last thing we need is more stuff to open.

No, can't stand it! I find putting PJs/Hot chocolate/popcorn/book etc together in a gift is all a bit 'try hard' and gives smug mums another opportunity to spam their social media pages!

I like it. Mine get pj's, a book, a dvd, a sweetie, bath bomb and hot chocolate.

I like the 1st of December box idea though.