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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not do a Christmas eve box?

50 replies

malificent7 · 25/12/2017 00:00

I think it is quite sweet but i have decided against it for the following reasons:
More consumption/ more to buy.
Im skint
I would rather built up the excitement untill Christmas eve...a box takes the edge off the giddy anticipation imo.

Dd sleeps naked ( her choixe) so point getting pjs.

We spent xmas eve watching tv on sofa...preparing Santa/ reindeer food and stuffing our faces.

She also had a nice bath. Aibu to think this is more than adequate?

I am not buying into fancy xalenders either. I have bought loads of booze, food and great gifts though!

OP posts:
Willow2017 · 25/12/2017 00:53

Have never done-
1st of December box
Elf on the shelf
Xmas eve box
😲😲😲😲😲
But we have always managed to have a perfectly fine xmas without them, you know presents on actual Xmas day type of thing😉

(Well this year i might just hide all my teens presents as he has been a total pia this week and as much help as a choc teapot)

Fffion · 25/12/2017 00:54

You are not being unreasonable not to give into commercialised tat. Hold your head high and don’t do it.

NorbertTheDragon · 25/12/2017 00:56

Never done anything on Christmas Eve. Today we tidied up, watched TV, got fish & chips because I couldn't be bothered to cook, watched more TV, read The Night before Christmas, put stuff out for Santa and sent them to bed.

No Christmas Eve presents at all for my poor deprived children. 😢

They have stockings and presents under the tree, that'll have to do.

Mine are older though so thankfully all this elf on the shelf, advent books and Christmas Eve boxes has passed them by. They don't even get an advent calendar, we have a candle.

Flomper · 25/12/2017 00:57

god so glad this passed me by. I've got enough to fucking do in December/in life,/on Christmas Eve/ever

CalmingBalm · 25/12/2017 01:01

There’ll be a box every day from 1st December soon

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 25/12/2017 01:04

Christmas Eve boxes are for the parents who talk about making memories and worry about how their family life looks on Facebook.

UrgentScurryfunge · 25/12/2017 01:08

DH grew up with presents on Christmas Eve so it suits us to give something on the night of Christmas Eve as a nod to his background. This time it's been a new dressing gown and a book, so not much palaver or pizzazz involved. I'm definitely not getting specialised boxes for the occasion.

No elves on shelves here. Far too much effort involved!

Onlyoldontheoutside · 25/12/2017 01:10

So thankful that I had a child keen to go to bed early just to make sure Santa came.Now she has her stocking outside her door incase Santa wakes her up before noon.
There seem to be so many 'extras' at,elf boxes and now this? Christmas is becoming more than a 1/2 day thing and just becoming a buyfest.So relieved that my family don't subscribe to this but feel sorry that so many are pressurised into it.

thenightsky · 25/12/2017 01:12

First I've heard til last week on MN. Dunno what one is.

2gorgeousboys · 25/12/2017 01:12

No elf on the shelf here but we always do a parcel on Christmas Eve with new pyjamas for everyone and a Christmas book and DVD (not New the same ones come out every year).

I got new PJs as a little girl so it's something I've done for the last 18 years or so with the boys. It's not about more presents or taking away from Christmas Day.

TunaSushi · 25/12/2017 01:16

New PJs here only. You sound like you have nice traditions.

HipNewName · 25/12/2017 01:21

I'm so glad that my kids are older and I don't have any pressure for all even more nonsense around Christmas.

"Christmas Eve Box." Who comes up with this nonsense?

footphobic · 25/12/2017 01:30

We do a Christmas Eve hamper (just because we were once given a lovely hamper so I thought I’d reuse the basket 😬), don’t do an elf on a shelf though.

The youngest of our dc is 10, but others are teens and uni age - they absolutely love it, I don’t think they’ll ever outgrow it. We usually do new pyjamas, or slippers if preferred, biscuits or chocs, a nice drink each, gingerbread, candy canes.

They change and settle down to a game or movie. We like it as our proper start to Christmas. I have literally no family and DH only has his DM, so dc don’t get masses of gifts or loads of people to see on Christmas Day and Boxing Day; I like the extra little tradition and bit of fun for them.

Each to their own though, you definitely wouldn’t be missing out if you do other family things and generally have a nice evening.

GwenStaceyRocks · 25/12/2017 01:42

Is Elf on the Shelf for elite families? Confused I've always thought it was a bit tacky . . .I think it's the nonsense of pretending it's a long-standing Christmas tradition when it's a fairly new book/evil-looking doll combo.
No Christmas Eve box here but we still managed to have a bath, put clean pj's on, put out reindeer food, watch a film and drink hot chocolate. Wink

scaryteacher · 25/12/2017 09:12

I give ds a present on 5th December, as we live in Belgium where the focus is on St Nicholas for kids, rather than Christmas. Somehow, despite him now being 22, the tradition continues!!! It's only something small though, as we have a thoroughly Brit Christmas with stockings, turkey etc (and no fish on Christmas Eve, despite my mother's preference).

IcedCocoa · 25/12/2017 09:24

What is elf on the shelf?

We don’t do Xmas Eve boxes, just hanging up stockings and leaving carrots, cake and milk for Santa and the reindeers.

There are two weeks of holidays to get through here, i am saving my money for that!

FireCracker2 · 25/12/2017 09:25

Yanbu .It isn't a thing

HighwayDragon1 · 25/12/2017 10:20

YADNBU to not do it

YABVU if you look down on, or make fun of those that do.

We do a box, PJ's, book, film, reindeer food. Nothing fancy but DD loves it. We also do elf on the shelf, so guess I'm a smug mummy? Xmas Hmm

MadamPatti · 25/12/2017 10:29

Well we did it for the first time last night. Normally the kids are completely hyper on Xmas eve. There’s nowhere open to do something, made worse by being a Sunday. We’re usually in, doing cooking and waiting for (infirm) replies to arrive. They got a couple of books, a nice themed mug each and some hot chocolate mix. Worked really well, particularly with the eldest who just settled down and read his book. No whinging, no whining, no sniping at each other. I’ve gone from thing it’s a load of commercial bollox to actually not a bad idea.

I’ll do it again, it achieved its aims, but it’s horses for courses, do (or don’t do) whatever you want.

MadamPatti · 25/12/2017 10:30

** rellies, not replies.

WaitrosePigeon · 25/12/2017 18:36

"Christmas Eve Box." Who comes up with this nonsense?

My Mum did with us 30 years ago.

HelloFreedom · 25/12/2017 19:24

No boxes here. But we have other Christmas Eve traditions. I don't feel we miss out on anything.

VileyRose · 25/12/2017 19:32

We didnt

noeffingidea · 25/12/2017 20:46

Its just another attempt to make every single minor event a thing, to be commercialised to the max.
Apart from the obvious (Christmas and Easter day, and birthdays) we have
Halloween
Black Friday
Hen/stag dos
Baby showers
Bridal showers
Gender reveal parties
and on and on.
No doubt there will soon be an attempt to launch Thanksgiving in the UK as well.
My kids are grown up now, but I wouldn't have done this on principle. They got plenty on christmas day and that should have been enough for them.

noeffingidea · 25/12/2017 20:49

Just noticed a PP mentioned 1st of December boxes. WTF?

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