to not know what a christmas eve hamper is?

[gymboywalton]

well? am i?????

would anyone care to explain??

Before I joined MN I thought I was the only one who did Christmas PJ's..

Reindeer food! Thanks for the reminder platypus

Honestly mine watch the snowman on tv
leave some baileys and beer out for santa to drink drive on and some pork pie (because we don't like mince pies) and they then go to bed

They have never complained. Neither have I, I like pork pie

I don't wash everything first, but I would do PJs, jeans (because the colour sheds), underwear, and anything that might be a bit scratchy from the dressing/starch in the fabric.

I don't do Xmas PJs though. I'm not very good at Christmas actually. I ended up on this thread by accident. but washing gets me excited

I have never washed anything first, life is too short :) and I have worked in the fashion industry, i should know better

Again I would think that giving presents to children on Xmas Eve just dilutes the magic of Xmas day.

Tinkerbelle brings our Christmas PJs.

She also files in front of the window three times on Christmas eve. On the third visit PJs magically appear on the bed. It means Santa is nearly there and time to go to sleep.

This wad my favourite thing about Christmas as a child and always worked Like a dream. [fwink{ Can't wait until my LO knows what's going on!

is Tinkerbelle your slave?

oh bless your cotton socks
i desperately want to be curmudgeonly about all this atrocious cheesiness but i just can't

even so a tiny bit of me is retching a little at the sickly sweetnes....

DD would get new PJs and bedsocks anyway, she just gets them a day early along with some nice hot choc, a christmassy bedtime book, a DVD for us all to watch together and some magic reindeer food.

it's a christmas eve activity pack which leads to bed.

For those who buy Christmas themed pyjamas - do your DC only wear them at Christmas, wouldn't they be a bit silly in the middle of summer (maybe not in this country ).

Although I must admit to buying some adorable pjs with a gingerbread man person design today for a young neice .

I've read about these many times on MN but I'm not going for it. The DCs will have new PJs (onesies) and we may have hot chocolate (although DS isn't keen on it), they might have a bath bomb, it is highly unlikely they would watch a Christmas film as they never want to watch films the rest of the year and never sit still for that long unless they are ill. I'm also in the not wanting to dilute Christmas Day too much camp.

We don't buy Christmas themed PJs, just a nice new pair.

netmums have been doing them for years I do think it is so they have nice new jarmars for christmas day photies tbh

We just buy normal pyjamas (onesies this year), wrap them up and dump then on their beds when they're in the bath

We tell then it's the Elf Scouting Party who go on ahead to make sure kids are getting ready for bed before Father Christmas gets there. Once they see their parcels they know the big man is on his way. It's just a bit of fun.

I can then get on with the baileys drinking and veg peeling

Oh, they're not Christmas themed, just a pair of Matalan's finest.

No,no, no. Just don't like the idea for the laptop household.

I noticed that adsa have also jumped on the bandwagon, and have a huge display at the front of the shop of 'Pj's for christmas'

We always got new pjs in xmas eve, so that we looked nice in the xmas day photos!

We have always done a Christmas eve thing. PJs or bedcover, then down for a hot chocolate and mince pie, sort things out for Santa. We also do our stockings on Christmas eve. Mine are 27, 17 and 16 year old twins. We're still doing it!

We just hand out the PJs at bedtime, don't wrap them or pretend they are from Elves or anything. We do make mince pies and put them out with carrots and a beer for Father Christmas though, then stockings go on the bed.

The closest we get to a Christmas Eve hamper, here in Castle Wank is going to FIL and SMIL's, where there's usually a present each opened.

Baby Bauble is too young to care. She just wants to climb the tree and eat the candy canes.

When she's older, I think I will be joining the bed-early-for-her and lots-of-wine-for-me camp. Probably while I grill satay in 40 degree weather.

What a lovely idea, new (washed) pj's, slipper socks, special hot choccie for me & DS.

I bloody well love Xmas I do.

No christmas themed PJ's here either. I highly doubt that receiving these pyjamas and a mug of hot chocolate will take any magic out of DD's christmas day!

It's nothing to do with spending money, consumerism, being twee or any other of the reasons people ascribe to other people's behaviour just to make themselves feel superior

I spend v little money at Christmas which is a good job as I don't have any. DD gets a Christmas present from me and couple of stocking fillers. I spend less than £20 on her every year.

I adore Christmas Eve. It's a time of story telling and music and tradition in our house. The hamper isn't borne of Americanisation (what's wrong with America anyway?) or a desire to dilute the magic of Christmas (eh? festive cordial is it?). I collect vintage Christmas books and my favourite part of Christmas Eve as a child was reading through my collection. Now every year I buy one for dd (sourced from the charity shops or local independent shop), wrap up PJs, decant bubble bath and hot chocolate into special festive pots we made when she was little and leave out reindeer food for her to scatter. It's a nice moment on Christmas Eve when we move from normal time and the daily grind, to the beginning of something a bit special where normal rules don't apply. And it's fine to think it sounds twee because describing sentiment usually does, but it's about the way it feels. The fire's lit, pudding steaming, piano being played, excitement notching in increments and it's just a lovely tradition to hang it all on.