To ask what the hell is a Christmas Eve box?

[tallulahturtle]

Is this something people are doing? What is the point?

My MIL has decided to introduce Christmas Eve boxes this year, she didn't discuss it with us. But she has gone to great trouble and expense to organise it. The boxes are beautiful, hand carved with their names on. I don't relish doing this tradition to be honest, as far as I'm concerned it's fully on MIL to sort that out every year as it wasn't my choice and I wouldn't have done it

it's yet another fake Xmas tradition that drives mums (always mums) over the edge and sucks all the fun out of Christmas as frazzled mothers work themselves into a frenzy of fucking elves off shelves, menu planning 9 weeks in advance, deep cleaning their vaginas, planning a festive thing a day (steam train, panto, garden centre, mug decoration) so that by the 25th all it needs is one sprout refuser / a recent covert to vegetarianism/the wrong scented candle bought and they EXPLODE AND XMAS IS RUINED

I'd definitely deep clean my vagina if I had to be fucking elves off shelves.

Sorry. As you were.

I've done a Christmas Eve box for the past 5 years (since DS1 was born). Not sure what the big, piss-on-chips fuss is all about frankly?

PJs, new toothbrush, Night Before Christmas book, Santa's key, Reindeer food, Baileys, hot chocolate.

Pretty sure the only thing that's cost me money are the new PJs. Reindeer food gets made at pre-school cos I don't do any kind of crafty shit.

I'm guessing these have become something of a commercialised product in the UK? Meh, if it makes people happy and they have the money to spend then you'd have to be some kind of miserable fucker to complain about others doing it.

Am I missing something about the deep cleaning of the vagina?

I did our first one last year and the kids loved it. They are really excited about getting it this year.
I give it so I get all the glory
New PJs, not festive in any way, hot choc reindeers, a note stating which film will be streaming (I miss DVDs) and popcorn.
I was allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve as a child on the 70s, and it was always the most memorable.
Next year I will be investing in a lovely wooden box. So sue me

We spend Xmas Eve evening decorating the tree....

So glad we were allowed to make our own traditions when dd was small.

All new to me and my dc are now 23, 22 and 20 so I don't need to worry about it, but it's quite a nice idea. But most of the things are putting in it would've been presents or stocking fillers for the big day! When my lot were small Christmas Eve was taken up with them doing something at church in the early evening followed by a special/snacky tea then off to bed. Didn't really need to fill it with something else. Even when we stopped doing the church stuff I don't think I'd'd felt the need for yet more special stuff. A dog walk, festive film, and hot chocolate would've covered it :-D

I always do a Christmas Eve box for my kids - new pj's , chocolate and a DVD for a chilled Xmas eve night

I do one slightly different fir my daughter, as well as the pj's and dvd I fill it with making stuff that we can do to keep her busy on the longest day of the year! I haven't brought a fancy box it my uggs box covered in wrapping paper

This is a family tradition in our house and has been since my ds was born. I now have 3 dcs 15, 12 and 9. Christmas Eve whilst they are downstairs I put their new pjs, hot chocolate sachet, book, snugglytop/hoody, slippers, bath bomb, chocolates, marshmallows etc on their beds. My husband then rings little bells (to announce the Christmas fairies have been) kids then go into their rooms and find their stuff. Writing it down makes my husband sound a bit weird, but we all love it. Christmas fairies also visit me and my weird husband too.

Namechange and mypurplecaravan exactly! Thank you!
Merry Christmas all! Whether you do a Christmas Eve box or not. I'm off to select some hot chocolate treats

Seems an unnecessary PITA when I already have enough to do. Not a tradition I'll be starting any time soon.

Moonface I love that!

moonface that actually sounds really sweet

This is the first year we are doing it as the oldest is 3 the youngest is 1

We will tweak it depending on how well it goes

Howaboutthisone best thing is fairies bring me and weirdo a bottle of something alcoholic! Bonus!

Ds1 is 18 in january

It started with a story book for his first few years

Then pjs joined

Then a cookie/chocolate

Now its an actual sack with Christmas pants and socks, chocolate coin, 2 cookies cos i found another type i liked, pjs, a book and i think thats it

So chill MIL!!

I've been doing this for years and my eldest kids are 21 and 19, so maybe I was ahead of the times?!

Ooooh forgot

Cheapy popcorn 'boxes' and popcorn for the christmas eve movie

It's not something my DM ever did, but I think it's a nice idea. What's wrong with having new PJ's and hot chocolate to wind down on xmas eve? I can remember being so over excited, hyped up and unable to sleep when I was little. Anything to help us calm down would have been a blessing.

Not sure about reindeer food though. What's wrong with a carrot for Rudolph?

We do one. Started about 4 years back after hearing about it on Facebook. I bought a nice gift bag and we use it each year. Ds is 10.

Our bag contains:
Mug, hot choc, marshmallows set
Candy canes and other sweets
Cadburys snowballs
Angry birds DVD
Small pizzle
Onsie and dressing gown
Reindeer food

I think it is a nice idea. We give it at tea time. All part of all of us settling down for the evening with nice food and a film when all the jobs are done.

I don't do the Elf - to much commitment needed. I would be one of those mums lying in bed at midnight thinking 'shit! I haven't done the bloody elf'. Good for them thought the parents who can be bothered. I don't know anyone who does it in real life.

I'm definitely never doing the Elf. Seems more likely to ruin the Christmas magic than augment it - my DD would soon twig something wasn't plausible if a suspicious-looking toy elf started playing "tricks" about the house.

I don't do a Christmas Eve box as such, but she does get a fresh change of bedlinen, some new pyjamas (for the Christmas morning photos!) and a new Christmassy bedtime book on Christmas Eve. My sister and brother normally also send small gifts for Christmas Eve -- this year hot choc in a mug and a cookie baking kit. We go to the local church Christingle service at 5pm and then have something simple like soup and bread for supper afterwards before putting out the mince pie and carrot and going to bed.

I think we might leave making the cookies until Boxing Day or similar - the last thing we need in the house right now are more sugary biscuit items!

It's just another way for you to spend more money on your kids basically. Next year it'll be a Christmas Eve Eve box.

It's just another way for you to spend more money on your kids basically. Next year it'll be a Christmas Eve Eve box.

Been giving our children a Christmas Eve treat for about 20 years, maybe this year will be the year when we do the Christmas Eve Eve box

I'm having christmas eve eve chips. They're in a bag though. Not a box

We dont have a box

Have a bag

Like this one