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 don't do it in our house but I can't get worked up over other people choosing to do it. Every family is different and do things in their own way.

A way of forcing people into consuming more under the guise of a new tradition

YANBU it,s more stuff, more pressure. in some cultures they celebrate st nicholas day earlier in December or St lucias day but that is a seperate thing.

I agree and I don't do Elf of on the Shelf either because who needs that nonsense every night but different strokes for different folks!

It's good to see we are getting back to all the old chestnuts after so much coronavirus obsession. Christmas Eve boxes, right on cue

I am not sure is my considered opinion in this after around after several threads in several years. I tried one a few years with pyjamas , hot chocolate and popcorn fyir a Christmas Eve movie but DS hasn't been that keen in Christmas Eve films ( or any films really) since he was about 6 and pyjamas seemed pointless after a couple of years so they seem superfluous to me.

Then again ,some people have them as an integral part of their Christmas. routine and for me Christmas Eve is always nicer than Christmas day anyway. so if you are not religious and don't go to midnight mass and you don't have other Christmasmas Eve rituals, I can see the appeal. On the other hand I also see the point about more pointless consumerism if it is just more presents

Landfill. Kill the Elf.

I had never heard of them until I joined mumsnet. I never did them for DD, and as far as I know none of my friends did. Is it just a mumsnet thing?

We didn't do elf on the shelf either, but maybe that wasn't a thing when DD was small.

FFS not this again, and - YABU - it's ONLY OCTOBER!

If you don't like Christmas Eve boxes, don't do Christmas Eve boxes. It's not hard.

Personally, I don't like elf in the shelf so I don't do it, but I don't go round having a go at people who do! If people enjoy doing self on the shelf I'm pleased for them.

Everyone is free to create their own family Christmas traditions, that's the beauty of it.

Our Christmas eve box contains PJs and hot chocolate for the kids, booze for the grownups and sweet treat for everyone (christmas biscuits of something like that) and possibly a Christmas DVD.

It's got things to wind-down with, the evening before Christmas, basically.

One of us puts it on the doorstep, rings the bell then legs it round the back of the house before the kids answer the door. There's a note on it saying it's from the elves.

It's a bit of fun. We enjoy it.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT!

Why do people feel the need to police / criticise other family's ways of enjoying ourselves?

I dont do any of it.
We don't celebrate Christmas as it's not part of our faith.

@TheKeatingFive

I don’t know any family who only wear their Xmas PJs during the Christmas period.

Last Christmas I bought my husband the Christmas T-shirt with Hans Gruber falling from the Die Hard building and he wore it all year round.😂

I hate the waste and the buying for buying sake of some of them when you see a big box just full of a load of brand new, unnecessary items.. But then, if it’s just a way of bringing out your Christmas “stuff” each year it’s nice.
I love Christmas books and they were one of my favourite things about Christmas and I love it now when I decide it’s the right day to being the books out (some of which were mine). I could probably make more of an effort and produce them each year on the 1st in a box I guess..

I've never done these, I think it's a sweet idea but I think there is enough to do without taking on something else (for 3 kids) every Xmas 😀!

Don’t do them then 🤔 no ones making you, surely it’s up to people what they do within their family?

We do them, it’s mainly PJ’s (so they look smart Christmas morning), a DVD (to watch before bed), a bath bomb (to get them to have a bath) and some sweets (for when they watch the DVD). None of these would be any good Christmas Day as a gift, Christmas Day gifts are stuff they actually want and fund things?

We haven’t always done it and it has changed as the the dc’s have got older. I don’t really see a issue with it.

Well I've done it for years and my kids love it. Not sure why it bothers you so much.
They get new pjs so they look half decent in their photos of them opening presents, hot chocolate, a book, a bath bomb or bubble bath, some sweets. Used to buy a dvd but no point in that now.

Yanbu.
Retail loves the recent Christmas Eve Box addition to the proceedings I can see...lots of Christmas pyjamas and ‘hot chocolate kits’ (whatever they are) to manufacture and sell. Oooh lovely.

We don’t bother...we usually go to see a film and put out a late dinner of cheese and crackers and chocolate. No themed box. My poor children.

It's just another case of you do you. I personally do one for DD but it's not an extravagant thing. It's literally just a bath bomb (free because family run a business) , new book , small sweets , reindeer food and new pjs. . A lot of mums i know buy their kids expensive advent calendars (play Mobil, LOL etc) and DD just has the standard chocolate one so a small Xmas Eve box is her little treat.

We don't do Christmas boxes or the elf. I agree it's unnecessary OP.

As we would only use Christmas pjs, colouring books, themed games etc in the run up to Christmas, a Christmas Eve box is utterly pointless. Christmas starts on December 1st in this house so a start of December box would be much more useful for us. We just use a normal plate to put things out for Santa so there wouldn’t even be that ready in a box to bring out. We have a box of Christmas books that gets put out at the start of December so we wouldn’t even have The Night Before Christmas in a Christmas Eve box as it’s out all December to look at.

Some of the boxes I see online are ridiculous, they’re huge! They’ve turned the idea of Christmas traditions into something so commercial and it’s getting way out of hand. Some of my friends have a big crate for each of their children and there’s as much in there as my DS gets from us on Christmas Day - it’s so excessive. If it’s stripped back to the basics of the stockings for the household, maybe a Santa key and perhaps a plate if you have a special one then it’s not too bad, when it starts to be new everything it’s just madness.

@inappropriateraspberry

We don't do it - they get enough with the advent calendars, stocking and presents! If I want them to have new pjs, I'll just get them. We watch something on the tv, put out mince pie etc for Father Christmas and have a lovely evening without more gifts! I think many children will grow up expecting so much and feel the pressure to outdo it when they are parents themselves. Where does it end?

Exactly my thoughts! I know people have traditions and that's lovely, but I agree it's just more and more constantly. I like the idea of getting a similar box out at the beginning of Christmas with your traditions in from years past though, that seems like a nice idea

@RedSoloCup

I've never done these, I think it's a sweet idea but I think there is enough to do without taking on something else (for 3 kids) every Xmas 😀!

Agree with this. My to-do list and obligations are plentiful thank you...don’t need to tie myself up further keeping up with the Jonses.

Not something I have ever done or will do but I see nothing wrong with it at all

@TheKeatingFive

I cannot wait for the Elf on the Shelf threads to start btw.

See, Elf on the Shelf I can get on with! I think it's just all the buying of more 'stuff' that I don't like. A bit of Christmas elf magic is just cute!

Depends what you put in it really. It's just a bit of fun. I just use a Christmas biscuit tin I bought a few years ago.

Giving them the cute pyjamas for the photos on Christmas morning is just practical.

Christmassy bath bomb and book or two to get them excited for the bedtime routine and asleep at a decent time. Book doesn't have to be new; I've got a nice copy of the Night Before Christmas that only comes out on Christmas Eve.

Bag of porridge oats for "reindeer food"

I like to get a special hot chocolate sachet as well to go with a Christmas film. Theyre usually less than 50p.

I get that @theKeatingFive

I'm just saying for me I don't want it to be a 'gift' or packaged as more stuff. Hot chocolate is in the cupboard, film from Netflix. No different to other weekends except for the date and the anticipation that goes with it. I do get that that's my personal view, OP asked so I shared it. I suppose it's not unlike when we get the Christmas decorations, etc. Just we don't wrap anything or buy anything specific.

*get the Christmas decorations down from the loft