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?

@alphabetsoup1980 can't it just be explained with the (accurate) angle that some families do the present giving on Christmas eve?

Can someone please explain to me what all this elf on the shelf business is all about?? The only think I have seen about it is those god awful creepy little elf dolls. It will be a cold day in hell before one of those steps over my threshold

Despite no Elf on the Shelf, Christmas Eve box or matching family pyjamas, I feel the amount my kids get throughout the year, the general pandering to kids wants, wishes and having everything to entertain them at the push of a button, makes Christmas less of a big deal for them.

I don't think the solution to that is giving them more crap.

"We just do the traditional sign in the window, hang his stocking up and leave cookies a drink (NOT milk as I can't stand milk in a glass, makes me feel sick) and a note for Father Christmas. We also do a note from Father Christmas to our son as well."

We do similar. We hang the stockings and leave a drink & snack for santa (just happens to be Mummy's favourite alcoholic beverage and snack of choice) because Santa gets sick of mince pies and sherry )
We watch Christmas films and eat nice snacks on christmas eve; it all feels very cosy and exciting.

@CloudyVanilla

Can someone please explain to me what all this elf on the shelf business is all about?? The only think I have seen about it is those god awful creepy little elf dolls. It will be a cold day in hell before one of those steps over my threshold

It's a bastion of mindless, unworthy consumerism, commercialism and moral decrepitude.

Or it's an elf doll that you put in a different position each night to surprise the kids in the morning.

One or the other, I'm not sure which.

We do have a Christmas Eve box, new children's pyjamas and an elf, and Christmas (and birthdays) are a pretty big deal for my kids. I think that is largely because they don't get stuff all year round and have every want and wish pandered to.

@mathanxiety

Your initial spend on the Elf multiplied by whatever number of other families who bought the same product = ??

My guess is £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

Yes but nearly all traditions at Christmas cost money. You pay for a tree and the decorations, a wreath or materials to make one, stockings, turkey etc. The £2 elf brings my DD unimaginable joy. When I first got it I put him in the window of our front room so she saw him from the car when she got home from school...she was so excited.

Having read the full thread (there's a few hours of my life I'll never get back!) it seems to me that the "anti box" posters were, and are still, convinced that Christmas Eve boxes are pre-packed expensive crates stuffed to the gills with either gifts and toys, or glittery / cheap / plastic tat destined to landfill. Although I have done a hamper on Christmas Eve for my kids for many, many years - pyjamas, chocolates, sweets and a Christmas film) I have never been aware of a pre-made one. I will say that the past couple of years I've spotted (empty) pretty decorated boxes in the likes of Asda which are obviously designed to be used for this purpose, but even they cost no more than about a tenner and are designed to be used year after year.
So although I've never seen or heard of a pre-made box, I am willing to accept that they exist - but not one person on the 38 (!!) pages of this thread has mentioned buying this type of gift. The "pro-box" gang like myself, simply like to package up the stuff that they'd normally let their kids have on Christmas Eve, and make it seem more fun. I don't honestly know what any of my friends or family do on Christmas Eve, but I tend to think that none of them gives their kids a tonne of extra presents on top of what they get the next day.

As has been said frequently through this long thread, all of us does our own Christmas slightly differently and that's fine. I wouldn't dream of criticising someone for having different rituals and traditions from my own, so I don't get the judginess on this topic at all!

I have never done the xmas box thing, it does sound commercialised and may put extra pressure on parents to buy things.
However, we have new pyjamas on xmas eve, they are wrapped up and put under the tree and we open them.together early evening on xmas Eve , I used to put them in xmas stockings but decided years ago it was nicer to get them on xmas eve, so ultimately not spending more money just spreading out the same gifts.
I think many families have their own xmas eve traditions. I wont be buying a xmas box rather than wrapping the pyjamas and putting them under the tree but my dc are teens if they were younger I might be tempted especially if it became the norm amoungst their friends at school. But I honestly dont see the need to re-label and possibly commercialise existing family traditions

All existing family traditions - the roast bird, the tree, the pyjamas, the decorations, the wreaths - have been commercialised. And judging by the number of people who've never heard of a Christmas box, this one doesn't even seem to have been done very well!

So how do you decide which traditions are still acceptable and which aren't? Well, the truly consistent point throughout from the anti boxers does seem to be that if they still like something enough to do it, it's exempt. They don't like Christmas boxes, despite very few of them actually understanding what they are in spite of many explanations, so those ones are mindless consumerism.

Never heard of this! My Xmas eves are spent in a panic of wrapping til 2am!

Our ancestors would have wondered what was wrong with a normal goose for Christmas. Bloody turkeys.

I do have a bee in my bonnet about an item dreamed up in someone's kitchen in 2005 and flogged at book signings and multiple trade shows as a 'tradition' over the next several years, until it finally achieved a commercial breakthrough

Why though?

We live in a capitalist society and marketing stuff for people to buy is what thousands of companies do every day. What’s so offensive about this one in particular?

Are you also annoyed with whoever first marketed Christmas puddings, crackers, trees, cards, stockings? Because there was an evil marketing genius (or several) behind every one.

Our ancestors would have wondered what was wrong with a normal goose for Christmas. Bloody turkeys.

Or a nice Yule log being replaced by a wasteful, tacky decadent tree. Sacrilege.

@OrangeLeavesYellowLeaves

Our ancestors would have wondered what was wrong with a normal goose for Christmas. Bloody turkeys.

They'd have been too busy trying to shove a chicken up the goose's arse and then stuffing a partridge up where the sun don't shine... whilst wondering how many more birds they can get up there, and whether it would be tacky and OTT to then wrap the whole lot in pastry

A bit of hot chocolate and some Snippy PJs would seem very pedestrian.

I love Christmas, always have. We definitely have Christmas traditions and these start a couple of weeks before Christmas when we go and buy then decorate the tree.
Christmas Eve was always spent on a pub crawl before children. I miss those days! These days we spend the day welcoming my dad and getting ready for the big day - cutting ivy etc from the garden and making table decorations, making stuffing etc.
If the Christmas Eve box is just things you already own coming out on Christmas Eve to make the day special, that seems fine to me. If the box is full of ‘gifts’ then I’m not for it. Too commercial. We all have too much stuff anyway. I have never understood the concept of ‘Christmas PJs’.

To be honest, I can't be fucked making Christmas eve magical...it's usually spent doing a million chores so Christmas day will be magical.

YANBU

It's just yet another relentless piece of mindless marketing-led consumerism. Those saying how you shouldn't rain on others' parades are missing the point.

It soon becomes the expected thing and puts enormous pressure on many who can barely afford the already ridiculously expensive spendfest which Christmas has become. And I LOVE Christmas.

Plus it is just NOT what Christmas is meant to be about.

I have never understood the concept of ‘Christmas PJs’.

What are you struggling with? I would have thought it was fairly obvious. 😂

I have never understood the concept of ‘Christmas PJs’

What part of the concept is so difficult for you?

I won’t be doing this Christmas is still brilliant.

@TheKeatingFive

I have never understood the concept of ‘Christmas PJs’.

What are you struggling with? I would have thought it was fairly obvious. 😂

I really am astonished by how many people on here can't grasp very simple concepts!

It soon becomes the expected thing and puts enormous pressure on many who can barely afford the already ridiculously expensive spendfest which Christmas has become.

As pointed out earlier, not an argument much made in relation to actually expensive things, like tech, sports stuff, branded clothes, all of which are given at Christmas.

Plus it is just NOT what Christmas is meant to be about.

Right, knock us out. What is Christmas meant to be about?

Obvious? Why? Why does one need special PJs at Christmas?!?!? Especially if they are Christmas themed PJs. Even worse if they are from Primark and be chucked away along with other mountains of clothes which is the norm these days.
I’m at that stage in life where I’m thinking much more about what and how much we consume.

@BubblegumFactory

Obvious? Why? Why does one need special PJs at Christmas?!?!? Especially if they are Christmas themed PJs. Even worse if they are from Primark and be chucked away along with other mountains of clothes which is the norm these days. I’m at that stage in life where I’m thinking much more about what and how much we consume.

I'm quite sure that if I had a good thorough look at your Christmas expenditure, I could find something you didn't "need". But if you really do struggle with the concept that some people enjoy making an occasion of the night before with new pyjamas, I suppose you'll just have to think of it as an equivalent to whatever Christmas thing you enjoy that you don't "need".

Fast fashion is its own issue and not the reserve of Christmas boxes. People who do them have said over and over that the pyjamas get a lot of wear, but the anti boxers are obsessed with things that aren't happening.