To HATE the whole idea of Christmas Eve boxes

[TeeJay1970]

Don't kids get enough stuff on the 25th?

My nephews and niece now think it's their right to have gifts on the 24th as well.

Where does it end?

Yes I know AIBU!
Yes it's probably been done on here already in the last few weeks!

We don’t do boxes but I always let the children open a few selected pressies Xmas Eve which are always new Pyjamas, some treats and a game to play or a film to watch together. My youngest gets Xmas Pyjamas and admittedly will only wear them once which may seem wasteful but I always ensure they are passed on the next year so another child will wear them.

proku sounds like our Christmas 😀

No Xmas eve boxes here. My DS are teens now and I insist on reading them (under duress) 'The Night Before Christmas' as I have since they were toddlers. We also throw a bit of porridge (reindoor food) out the front door. That's about it these days!

I was torn! This is DD’s first Christmas being old enough to understand what’s going on so I wanted it to be really special and to start setting out own little traditions.

On the one hand I was worried it would dampen the anticipation of waiting for Father Christmas, but on the other hand I think the build up is really exciting so want to fit as much in a possible. So my 3 year old will get a Christmas mug, a little box of those straws that make milk turn different chocolate (as she’s too young for hot chocolate obvs), a book (Jolly Christmas Postman), and some “reindeer food”. One year old will be getting a Christmas cup and straw, marshmallows, and a book.

Wouldn’t go crazy with gifts and definitely no toya!

I do it unofficially. Pj's (who the hell wears them for only one night?) , we have hot chocolate , we have The night before Christmas in hardcover(read every year), we have the hot chocolate(need new marshmallows every year though) and a xmas movie on the box.

They don't come in a box or anything fancy but it's what we do and DD loves it.

I think it's a lovely idea, we've done it ever since we heard about it a few years ago. Nothing extravagant, just new PJs, hot chocolate, book, DVD etc, but they love it and it's just a nice thing to do.

I never new PJs on Christmas Eve was so popular, maybe that's because I get up in the Southern Hemisphere and your practically sleeping naked on Christmas Eve because its that hot so PJs is a waste of time.

Tempted to get some Pjs for my kids now!

we have The night before Christmas in hardcover(read every year)

I still have my copy from childhood that we read every year on Christmas Eve. Love it.

Oh yeah forgot the reindeer food(we get it as a prize when visiting santa) and the "super extra special" plate and cup for santa(we received them as a gift and they're too fancy for every day use).

never did them. Never did elf on the shelf. Kids went to visit santa once ever. No lapland trips, no tracking santa. No advent calendars (think we had one once but forgot to open the days). sad when their friends all talk about what they're doing, though.

I think we watched the same video tape for about a decade on Christmas Eve and had freshly washed pyjamas and sheets with a chocolate bar and loved it! I do agree that it can become a bit excessive, and there is no need.

I had a confused conversation with a colleague about these - I was like, So it’s a stocking but in a box? I feel like one or the other is nice but both is extravagant!

I've never even heard of it.

Mine get new pjs on the 24th. My mum always gave us pjs on the 24th when we were little too. Nice pjs to wake up in and nice for photos. Not necessarily Christmas pjs, just pjs for growing children. Can't see where the waste is.

We also get snacks in and watch a film but they don't get put in a box or anything. We just eat gingerbread men and popcorn and watch Elf, same as I did when I was little (but we watched Muppets or The Santa Clause).

I've never even heard of Christmas Eve boxes before. Thankfully.

Love ours.we have over 20 people for lunch Christmas Eve and it's the perfect way to calm down and relax after everyone has gone home.
We keep it simple though
Special hot chocolate
New mugs
New PJ's
Marshmallows (for hot chocolate)
No dvd as we stream something.

My son is not quite 2 yet, but we'll start it properly next year. It'll just be PJs and a Christmas themed book to start with (already got a few books I picked up from charity shop when I was pregnant!). As he gets older (and my next baby who's due next May), we'll add something like popcorn and marshmallows to have with hot chocolate.

I dislike a lot of the newer Christmas stuff (elf on the shelf, toy advent calendars and so on) but we always had new PJs are Christmas so it's something I want to carry on with my children. Meh, each to their own.

Before I started using MN I'd only heard of the bollocks from one real life friend. She didn't do it as a child, so I think it comes from her husband. He's a scouser and we are southerners, so I'd assumed it was a regional quirk.

I have done this for the past 22 years, pjs, hot chocolate and a small gift it’s now normally a face or hair mask...if you don’t like it don’t do it

So it’s a stocking but in a box

No - stocking gifts are little , fun ( Need/Read/Eat/) presents to keep them occupied on the unholy hour they wake .
CEH to calm them on the Christmas Eve night (and its things they would need but I cannot imagine my DS being excited if he got PJs wrapped as a Christmas Day present)

When mine were little it was nice to space things out , it's all way too much to cram into one day .
I don't see anything wrong with some gifts in the CEH , otherwise they end up overwhelmed .

So the build up in December - going out somewhere to see the lights, a meal out, cinema , visit to Father Christmas , all nice things that mine remember even all these years later .

l'm 60 and l always got a new nightie or pyjamas on Christmas Eve, and a new book. l don't think it's necessarily new, it's just getting a bit of hand in some cases.

never did them. Never did elf on the shelf. Kids went to visit santa once ever. No lapland trips, no tracking santa. No advent calendars (think we had one once but forgot to open the days).

sad when their friends all talk about what they're doing, though.

Not at all. (and given the privilege of my children's lives, I'd be pretty upset if they got "sad" at not having elf on the shelf and feel I had failed somehow). Many of their friends or jewish or athiest and don't celebrate christmas at all. But even if they didn't, my children knew that families have traditions - you don't have to have everyone else's traditions.

That said, my friend had a tradition of having a small birthday cake for breakfast the morning of her children's birthdays. I stole that.

I'd never heard of Xmas eve boxes until this year threads on MN, but we've been doing a new book and new pjs on Christmas Eve for a few years because we were living in Iceland and its a tradition there. I think going to bed on Xmas eve in nice snuggley new pjs with a new book is lovely. I don't see what's not to like.

Well I love Christmas.
But I'm afraid I don't know what you even mean op.
And if anyone uses the word jamas then I kind of want to not hear anything else they say.
Sorry not sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️

Never 'erd of 'em