To ask what the hell is a Christmas Eve box?

[tallulahturtle]

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

I don't do Christmas pyjamas, just normal ones.

It's all just extra consumerism.

And my old copy of Twas the night before Christmas.

I don't see why the aggression.

Mine are 11 and 9 and we've always done an elf box since they were about 3. I think I read about it on MN.

Its something they get really excited about. It's lovely.

This year:

1. Marvel onesies with character eye masks (as others have said this is primarily so that they look nice in the Christmas morning photos!)
2. A new Christmas book - The Girl Who Saved Christmas (we did A Boy Called Christmas last year and they loved it so we are excited for the sequel - we will start reading this aloud as a family on Christmas eve)
3. Chocolate Reindeer
4. Multicolour toilet light (the elves always bring something random)
5. Letter telling them to be good and get to sleep early.

We have a cardboard chest which is used year after year.

If it's part of your family tradition I think it's lovely. I do agree though that if you'e never done it before and suddenly introduced it with older children it would probably be buying into the commercialism.

I don't do it, but I've only got one child, her birthday is today and she got a new onesie, slipper socks and a DVD as part of her presents. We need a day off from opening stuff between the 23rd and 25th, giving her more things on Christmas Eve would feel odd. However I don't care what other people do, if it helps to calm overexcited children down and gets them to sleep then it has a purpose.

My dc get snuggly new pj's because our house is always cold and it's as good a time to give them as any! They're also getting dressing gowns this year as they need new ones. Christmas dvd and popcorn. Planning on getting into pj's at 5 so they can watch the film and feel.like they're staying up.really late whilst still going to bed at normal time (they're 4 and 2)

The elves bring new pyjamas on Christmas Eve. I love going to bed in clean sheets and new pyjamas. The kids get matching ones (usually purchased in August/September time and hidden away!) and they look so cute. We take lovely photos of the matching kids and their matching Santa sacks before they go to bed. Its become a tradition. I like new traditions - Christmas is a strange time of trying to amalgamate DH's families ideas and my experiences of Christmas growing up but also making new traditions just for our little family. I like the way Christmas happens with the same format each year. There is something very comforting in that.
And I bloody love getting new pyjamas!!

MN really comes into its own at Christmas
SO many opportunities to assert one's superiority over others via the medium of snark.

People have been doing a version of the Christmas eve box for a very long time.
Some chose to buy a commercially produced actual 'box' others put together a few bits for their kids.

I have seen posts on MN this year sneering at the idea of 'Hot Chocolate as a TREAT!'

This isn't the first thread with the op being all wide eyed and apparently baffled at this and it won't be the last.

I'm in my 30's and always had a 'christmas eve parcel' (containing pyjamas and a new book to read at bedtime) as a child. It's something I have really fond memories of so I've done the same for DD.

Never occurred to me there was any harm in it

"The medium of snark"

I have always had new jammis and small treats on Xmas eve and this has now evolved into a family Xmas eve box. Dd is 2

Ours has stuff in for us to have fun as a family, so a story book, Xmas movie ticket (we stream) movie treats, hot chocolate flakes (home made) orchard game, pjs, snow man night light(do I can see what the hell im doing with stocking l) stocking santa plate etc

I don't see why the aggression.

Me either, but it seems to be increasingly 'normal' on AIBU and even Chat. I don't mind a bit of frank speaking, but I can't imagine anyone speaking to people in real life the way some do here. Whatever happened to common courtesy? Maybe it's me, but I find it really unpleasant and unnecessary.

there was any harm in it hmm

The harms comes from the social media expectations - or children knowing they aren't getting one - or kids who rub other kids noses in it -

Why advertise?

Why does somebody's opinion of why they wouldn't do something, offend you because you would do that thing? It has nothing to do with superiority and that's just a line that posters use to shut a conversation down when they don't like how it's going.

People have their reasons - for doing it or not doing it. In this house, we buy pyjamas and slippers as needed, it's not and never will be part of Christmas for us - but or others it is. Who cares? I don't. Do what you want and be happy in your choice.

It's not personal and no need to make it so.

I have never done it because most of the things mentioned are things I would put in their stockings anyway and I would have to think of other things to put in stockings and spend even more money!

If it's part of your family tradition I think it's lovely. I do agree though that if you'e never done it before and suddenly introduced it with older children it would probably be buying into the commercialism.

I agree.

Each to their own, but I do find it a bit odd when people start doing things 'because everyone else is'

I'd never heard of a Christmas box until I started reading MN.

I think it's very much a case of each to their own here. I won't however be rushing out to buy boxes & all the expected paraphernalia, as if feel commercially exploited

There is that, Astro, people don't just get on with their thing, they seem to have a need to publicise and promote it - and compete. It's a competition, everything is just a 'let's see how we match up' kind of thing. So tiresome.

To the posters who are prickly about the criticism of a Christmas Eve box etc., why do you need validation of what you choose to do? Just get on with it but - if you put it all on FB or other social media, you abdicate your own privacy and that's on you.

I agree - a lot posters are trying to justify their choices -

Either do or don't - stop making it a completion -

We have traditions here - my kids are picking those up and asking when are we doing X?

FB doesn't come into it

My first time doing them this year, I have oval wicker baskets though not boxes.

Dd who is 5 has

Pyjamas
DVD-nativity
Chocolate coins
Magic key for santa
Christmas activity set
Christmas rubbers
Letter from santa
Reindeer food
Christmas craft
Tickets to a trampoline place

Ds 13 will be thrilled

Lounge pants
Imperial leather foamburst for men
DVD- problem child 2 ( his favourite childhood film )
Chocolate
A letter from santa haha
Voucher for a visit to his favourite chicken establishment on Christmas Eve evening

Who knows if I will do it again.

Just to clarify my post, when I said our Christmas Eve in PJs photo goes up on the wall every year, I did actually mean a real physical wall in our house!

I don't have any social media presence (apart from MN) and that's the way I like it. I do find the competitiveness and "everything has to be made public" aspect of Christmas (and life generally) quite tiresome. I've said this on MN before, but people these days seem to be set to transmit not receive.

See also: Rise in self absorption. And love of needless drama.

Actually I might well be guilty of a bit of those two myself

I refuse to do a 'Xmas Eve box' because it's mainly a load of additional pointless tat IMO - certainly the fancy boxes for sale on fb, stuffed with sweets etc are.

We've always had new PJ's for Xmas Eve, which DH gets for all of us, since ds1 was born. He always had new PJ's as a child so wanted to carry it on.

Most of the stuff people fill boxes with are the same bits of tat and sweets that go in stockings though so seems a massive waste of time.

Ours is a cardboard gift box we got a present in years ago. It has new PJs (which she would get anyway), a £3 Christmas DVD, bag of popcorn and choc buttons, a Christmas themed book for bedtime, and a craft activity.

It serves the single purpose of keeping DD busy on Christmas Eve while I faff about finishing wrapping presents or prepping the turkey. I do it solely for my own benefit.

We do this. It is a box (bought from the range for £5). Inside it has new pj's for all of us (I buy them anyway for Christmas eve), a bath bomb, cookie making kit, dd's stocking to leave out for santa, the cup and plate that we use every year, the 'magic key' to hang on the front door. A story for Christmas eve night. Finally, an activity to keep dd entertained. This year, it is tickets to the cinema. The pj's, bath bomb, cookie mix and cinema tickets are new, the rest is recycled and I've written the story myself. It is exactly the same type of stuff my mum and dad did for us - I just put it in a box.

I don't know why it comes with a shot glass. It just came with one

But it's a nice one that has Santa in his sleigh being pulled by the reindeer engraved on it

Dh will like that