To think Christmas Eve boxes are absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary?

[dressinggownwearer]

Just that really. Do children not get enough at Christmas without giving them even more the day before?! What are Christmas Eve boxes even for/full of that can't wait until Christmas Day?! Am I being mean and a grinch or do people agree?

We do a December 1st box despite being an all adult household . We have our Christmas mugs and plates, this on our window sill, this www.amazon.co.uk/Woodland-Christmas-Advent-Calendar-Treasure/dp/0856921971/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+woodland+Christmas+Marie+angel&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1603110335&sr=8-1plus other stuff.. I tried doing a special Christmas eve last year with chocolate(which was in my handbag when I lost it) mulled cider, but it was too warm. I don't think having dinner at 9pm works.

@edithjefferson

Pajamas- £4 from b&m
Book- £1 (I do usually buy from a charity shop though or eBay)
Hot choc- 30p
Mug- £2
Colouring book- 50p
Bath bomb or bubble bath- £2 tops.
So about a tenner really. I might spend a bit more on the pjs if they're good quality and not Christmas themed so they can wear them all year round, and I try not to buy cheap tat just for the sake of it. But surely if some people do it's their business really? I don't buy DVD's for DS because we have Netflix and prime and all that and no actual way to play DVD's in our house. But my mum used to get ours from a charity shop for our Christmas Eve boxes. Like some PP's have said it's just a way to get some Christmas Eve activity's in.

It’s a ridiculous tradition. The worst thing about it is the environmental impact. Buying christmas PJs is surely the worst thing of all. Who needs a pair of PJs just to wear for a couple of days? And why can’t they just wear the same Xmas PJs that you bought last year? Kids don’t grow that quickly

I don’t do a Christmas Eve box but do buy Christmas pyjamas. They wear them throughout December and then into the following spring. They stop wearing them when it gets too warm for long sleeved/legged pyjamas. So about 6 months wear, which is probably the same as all their other pyjamas.

Because a few other pps have suggested that it's small, cheap presents. Books, dvds, pjs and bubble bath are the kind of things I'd buy as main presents - that's maybe £40 worth of stuff isn't it?

Depends on how much you buy and where from. I don’t think anyone suggested you had to buy all these things.

A book or two, some bubble bath won’t cost much.

And more importantly, why assume that because it doesn’t cost much it’s ‘glittery tat’? Plenty of worthy, ‘mumsnet approved’ gifts available for very little.

We do a box (more of a fabric bag) when we put the tree up which has Xmas PJ’s, a craft activity to make a new tree decoration and a Christmas book to read in the lead up.
I normally stash instructions on where to find them at the bottom of the decoration box so they find can them once the tree is up.

They weren't a thing when I was young, of course, but on Christmas Eve, we were always given one small gift from under the tree to open. (These were non-Santa gifts and carefully selected by my mother, who knew which ones were of the right "scale"/excitement value.)

I assume my parents did it because they enjoyed it and wanted to stretch out the excitement of Christmas morning a little longer, because we weren't the kinds of kids to beg to open a gift until they gave in out of frustration.

If you don't like Christmas boxes, don't do them. It's as simple as that. Everyone has their own traditions, and it's entirely up to you what you do or don't do. If you do put together a box, it can be as simple or as extravagant as you like.

@Floradoras

I don't mind the idea of reindeer food, pyjamas and a book. But I do find elf on the shelf is more for Facebook pictures than the kids. It's abit over the top. But we are just over the top in general now as people. One women on my Facebook does book advent calenders for her daughter. I think 25 new books is abit pricey. But it's not affecting me. I am just being judgey. . Perhaps this year the kids deserve abit of extra magic though. Although we are having to cut right down this year to save money. We are abit skint.

Personally I love the idea of a book advent calendar, so we will be doing it with our DC this year. We will be doing it for the 12 days leading up to Christmas only though. You can get 10 Christmas themed paperback children’s books from the works for £10, we will buy them and reuse them each year until our DC are too old for children’s books. I agree I do think the kids deserve a bit of extra magic this Christmas after the crappy year we’ve all had, but we don’t have to spend lots of money to make it that little more magical for them.

What's with the people that only wear Christmas PJ's at Christmas? You wear them all the time, how is that anymore wasteful then buying a non Christmas pair?

If you are worried about environmental impact, one of the best things you could do (apart from buying nice gifts that will actually be used and without plastic packaging) is not to use wrapping paper. A hell of a lot of Christmas wrapping paper, or indeed ordinary wrapping paper, isn't recyclable because of the foil or plastic that laminates it, and sellotape is a contaminant too. You would do better to wrap stuff in brown parcel paper (looks so beautiful with white paper snowflakes etc stuck on it). Or maybe, I don't know, buy or make a pretty, reusable box that you could put your gifts in year on year. What do people think of that idea?

What's with the people that only wear Christmas PJ's at Christmas?

It’s just a strawman.

I mean, they may exist (not that I’ve ever come across them) but in their case, the issue is not Christmas Eve boxes, but them being appallingly wasteful.

@TheKeatingFive fair enough - glad to hear you're only buying MN-approved stuff, but you must admit the shops are choc-full of plastic and glitter pre-Christmas. I'm afraid it just seems extravagant and unnecessary to me, not because I'm unfestive, I've just found no correlation between the number of presents and how much we enjoy ourselves.

Yes.

I don't have an opinion either way but if anyone is feeling the pinch, we have a non-spend alternative that I did when I was growing up and did with my children when they were younger.

I was told my dolls were allowed to stay up and see Santa even though children had to go to bed. Christmas Eve was spent getting the toys ready to meet the man in red. It also had the nice side effect that the room already looked full and exciting the next day even if there weren't that many new presents.

"You would do better to wrap stuff in brown parcel paper (looks so beautiful with white paper snowflakes etc stuck on it). Or maybe, I don't know, buy or make a pretty, reusable box that you could put your gifts in year on year"

Indeed @ShebaShimmyShake - all of these posters talking about landfill will be wrapping and taping up presents 🤦🏽‍♀️

How about making old Christmas pyjamas into fabric wrapping that can be reused forever more

I don't have an opinion either way but if anyone is feeling the pinch, we have a non-spend alternative that I did when I was growing up and did with my children when they were younger.

I was told my dolls were allowed to stay up and see Santa even though children had to go to bed. Christmas Eve was spent getting the toys ready to meet the man in red. It also had the nice side effect that the room already looked full and exciting the next day even if there weren't that many new presents.

I love making them up. Box (reused every year) Really only added new pjs (asda £7) The jolly Christmas postman book (£10) christmas bath bomb (£2) and Aldi hot chocolate snow man bomb (£2).a letter (free) total : £21. I really prefer this to spending money on a toy advent calendar as ive found they open them not long after the first day! We dont do elf on the shelf. Christmas mugs re used every year and new jumpers purchased in boxing day sales
Ive also got an Asda snowman cake baking kit £1.79 and Usbourne magic paint coluring book £4 for Christmas eve day. I haven't spent a fortune, saved from usual pre Christmas activities cancelled this year and have lots of ideas to make the build up fun this year that are free. I really think its each to their own when it comes to family Christmas traditions.

but you must admit the shops are choc-full of plastic and glitter pre-Christmas

Which would exist regardless of Christmas Eve boxes.

Take issue with the actual problem

I'm afraid it just seems extravagant and unnecessary to me, not because I'm unfestive, I've just found no correlation between the number of presents and how much we enjoy ourselves.

The existence of the Christmas Eve box may have no bearing at all on the number of presents. Plenty of people have talked about how they distribute them slightly differently.

There’s nothing wrong with the actual concept. Like anything else it can be good or bad in its execution.

It’s the lazy thinking that assumes ‘tat’ that I take issue with.

'What's with the people that only wear Christmas PJ's at Christmas? You wear them all the time, how is that anymore wasteful then buying a non Christmas pair?'

I think it is fine for adults as they can just wear then every year during the festive period. However I'm going to give dc them on 1st dec so they get to wear them over the build up and then alittle after as they would wear non Christmas ones after new year. They outgrow them the next year so it would be a waste giving them on Christmas eve for me.

them^

Spirit of consumption.

Last years Christmas eve pjs were penguins, like a pp worn until it became to warm, most definitely outgrown but well loved and worn. This year's are a matching family set, a fairisle pattern so will get plenty of wear until outgrown/to warm. Im already looking planning to recyle them into teddy/doll pjs for next Christmas!

How about making old Christmas pyjamas into fabric wrapping that can be reused forever more

That's a great idea. Isn't there a Japanese culture for wrapping presents in pretty fabric, secured with similar ribbons, which can be reused over and over again?

People only wear Christmas pjs on Christmas? We didn’t get the memo in this house. All of my long sleeve pjs are now Christmas ones. I don’t think Santa minds.

As for one of the pp stating that kids don’t grow that fast to justify new pjs each Christmas. HA HA HA.

I think it’s a load of crap, whatever you put in them - whether it’s £2 tat or ‘proper’ presents.

Part of the joy of Christmas Day is the excitement, the build up.
As a child, I remember the toe-curling, can’t-wait-any-longer, ants in your pants pure excitement of waiting for Xmas Day. It’s magical and unbearable and wonderful, that wait, as a child.

Regardless of what’s in an Xmas Eve box, the point is the same - a present to unwrap/open, a box of ‘stuff’ to tide you over until the main event.

What a way to ruin it. I don’t understand why anyone would choose to do this at all and I feel sorry for the kids who never get to experience that last wonderful, unbearable, magical wait of Xmas Eve.