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?

I think they're lovely.
I personally don't do them as like the OP they get a lot plus a stocking.
We always buy new pyjamas and hot chocolate every Christmas eve anyway.
Christmas eve is special.

If it annoyed you on Facebook, why didn't you moan about it on Facebook? There's a reason many of us don't use Facebook!

I love the build up to Christmas, so I put the tree up on/by the 1st of Dec & out with that come the 'bits' that most people put in their CE Box. PJ's/books/DVD's/games/craft - (some old, some new) & whatever else

Because I like to get maximum pleasure out of them during Dec and after Christmas there are Christmas presents that are then more exciting. But if others want to do CE Boxes or nothing that's up to them.

Very few people seem to put actual presents in them.

When I was small Santa would bring a stocking (nuts/orange/chocolate coins/maybe a couple of very cheap things like hair clips/flavoured lip gloss etc) and 1 present which we were allowed to open & play with st whatever his awful time we woke up. I was much older befire I realised it wasn't super generous, just a way for my parents to buy a bit extra sleep 🤣and a present i'd have got Christmas Day anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️

I've never done the elf because he's a creepy wee shite & I can't be bothered with it- doesn't mean I give a flying fuck what others do.

Everything I do is fir our pleasure -I don't use Facebook/Instagram or any other SM. Life is much nicer without!!

I dont actually think its anything new. Im mid 30s and on Xmas eve we always got new pjs, a sweet treat, a book/video/dvd and I continued that with my now 16 year old. The only difference now is that people put it in a box. I used to put it in a gift bag.

eek that reminds me i have no idea where the flippin elf is!

I agree and we have one as I must have thought it was a lovely idea 5 years ago. It's a beautiful box so now I feel obliged to use it every year! It gets less thoughtful every year

My kids enjoy it

They get a hot chocolate, the night before Xmas book (which only appears once a year in this box then hidden away again) and a set of Xmas PJ

They love it and look forward to it so I don't see the harm really.

It is another way to make more money! Selling the dream of a perfect Christmas if you buy more stuff. Christmas Eve is special anyway, and you can do free stuff without succumbing to pressure from commercialism.

100% agree. We did get a new film on Christmas Eve when we were kids. We would have dinner, watch our film and go to bed. But think that was more for our mum to keep us entertained and calm leading up to bed.

My DS got a new book for Christmas Eve- and I think I will do this again this year.... but not a box with things in. But I'm doing him a book advent Calendar so will be part of that.

I’ve never done one before but 2020 has been SO shit and Christmas will be so shit so I’m doing one for DS. Anything to override the shitty memories of Winter 2020. He’ll be getting less gifts as a few family members have died this year.

He’s 7

I won’t be doing one next year though

Thanks @dressinggownwearer for starting this thread as it reminded me that these silly things exist. (still doing a one off though!)

Luckily my sons were born in the 1970s before these boxes were invented. The DGCs do not have them.
I don’t understand the obsession with hot chocolate. People carry on as if it is some exotic elixir only to be drunk on rare occasions.
Just sweetened cocoa, you can have it any time.

My understanding and how I will do DD is a box of ‘treats’ for Christmas Eve. Most people buy their kids pyjamas for Christmas Eve anyway and have ‘nicer’ food in the house at that time. So all we’re doing is putting those things into a box specifically for our kids. It’s not like we’re buying an occasions worth of presents and wrapping them up and doing a pre-Christmas style opening.

It’s just a box with a book, pyjamas and food/drink treats to have on Christmas Eve.

I love the idea when it’s humble. Don’t understand the people who go all out on it though.

@babygroups

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!

You don't have to put new stuff in the box though. We hardly ever do, only when pjs need sized up.

Yes I notice most people use it as a traditions box which I have said I think is lovely. A pp mentioned someone they know putting tonnes of presents on theirs and it is this that I find unnecessary consumerism!

I do think each to their own but children talk to each other and it puts extra pressure on families who can't afford or struggle

You know, I never hear this argument made about things like foreign holidays, expensive tech, bikes/scooters, all the stuff that the naice middle classes value.

For me it's finding the balance between consumerism and the environment. The economy needs us to spend money and I feel lucky enough to have the cash to do so this year. However, I also don't want a load of throw away crap to end up in landfill.

I actually think the Xmas Eve box fits the criteria quite well. It's mostly stuff that we would have anyway but is used year in year out, so stocking, Xmas dvd, father Christmas plate, this year I got our personalised mugs which I am super excited about, and door hangers saying Santa X sleeps in here. The rest we actually consume so a sticker book, a craft item and some hot chocolate/sweets.

Do we need all these things? No. But it's business for someone on Etsy in my case and then it gets used every year!

The box itself? Ours is just a cardboard one at the moment but is still going strong into year number three. I'll probably get round to a more permanent one next year just to spread the cost a little bit!

Most people buy their kids pyjamas for Christmas Eve anyway

Really? Who says?

@TheKeatingFive

I do think each to their own but children talk to each other and it puts extra pressure on families who can't afford or struggle

You know, I never hear this argument made about things like foreign holidays, expensive tech, bikes/scooters, all the stuff that the naice middle classes value.

Me neither.

@TheKeatingFive

Personally I feel they are an unnecessary extravagance.

The entire point of Christmas is extravagance.

What’s funny is that people assume the level of extravagance they land on is exactly right. Not just for them, but everyone.

The entire point of Christmas is extravagance.

Really?

when mine were children going to church was the best part of Christmas Eve. Our priest really made it magical for the children and it was the highlight of the day.

@TheKeatingFive

I do think each to their own but children talk to each other and it puts extra pressure on families who can't afford or struggle

You know, I never hear this argument made about things like foreign holidays, expensive tech, bikes/scooters, all the stuff that the naice middle classes value.

Exactly. My kids often ask why we haven’t been to Disneyland like x, or why they don’t have an iPad like y. I just tell them that all families are different. If they ever asked why we don’t have a Christmas Eve box (they haven’t so far) id just say the same... all families do Christmas differently.

when mine were children going to church was the best part of Christmas Eve. Our priest really made it magical for the children and it was the highlight of the day

Which is perfect, if you’re religious. We’re not, so Christmas is a mid winter festival and we don’t go to church.
We don’t do Christmas Eve boxes either and aren’t particularly extravagant.

I notice that most people seem to put new pyjamas in these Christmas Eve boxes. Is it a thing that people wear pyjamas all day on Christmas Day now? What if you have visitors - do you get dressed then? Where I come from, you wear your best clothes on Christmas Day, the sparklier the better!

Really?

Yes, extravagance is baked into the entire experience. Food, gifts, entertainment, socialising, cheer. If you want to play the religion card, Christmas religious services are also extravagant compared to day to day.

We do it! It's more for my and DH's benefit currently as our DC are very small, but we have a Christmas book and the stockings we put in there, along with festive pjs (which we wear year round! In fact I think I only own christmas themed pjs) and a couple of chocolate santas. Idea being, we bring the box out after bathtime for the pjs, read the book while enjoying a munch of chocolate, hang out the stockings, then get ready and go to bed. When the dc are older I also intend to include a Christmas film (or maybe a homemade film ticket or something as most of them are on Netflix/Prime anyway). I don't think it adds much to the consumerism in this house - we'd have the stockings and book anyway as we re-use the same ones each year, if the pjs weren't given on Christmas Eve then they'd get them the next day anyway and the same with the chocs. I like it as a tradition- I'd have loved it as a kid and hopefully my dc will enjoy it too as they grow up with it. I'm less keen on that elf on the shelf thing but I don't need to worry about that quite yet!

I don’t think they are any more unnecessary than any other form of gift giving. If it’s something you don’t want to do for your children, then don’t.

We do Christmas Eve boxes for our two. They get their Christmas pj's, their Santa plate and Santa key is in there, stuff for making reindeer food, a special bath bomb, some sweeties and a special Christmas book to read at bedtime.

We never had Christmas Eve boxes growing up as such but we always got Xmas pj's.

@MagicSummer the pjs are for sleeping in surely? I mean, maybe some people keep them on during the day. We certainly don't though. They're not always new in our box anyway so maybe your question isn't aimed at me.