To ask what a Christmas Eve box is?

[Qpobb]

I keep seeing posts on my local FB marketplace advertising "Christmas Eve boxes". No idea what they are, what function they have or what goes in them? Surely there are enough presents given out on Christmas day itself!? I have no DC, so perhaps something that isn't relevant to me... However, I am curious!!

Ours certainly isn't filled with loads more fancy presents nor is it to show off. Our box includes:

New pyjamas
A Christmas puzzle and jigsaw
An activity book
The key we leave out for FC as we don't have a chimney
A Christmas book to read before bed
A candy cane each

That will keep us busy on Christmas Eve.

We do the Elf too so according to MN we are absolute wankers.

@CherryPavlova

Another way to extend the invented jollity to try and create something special out of consumerism?

A box with pyjamas in. Not sure when pjs became something special but there you go.

One does not do Christmas Eve Boxes in one's house I take it....

I actually don't buy into a lot of the Christmas stuff, but new PJs, a book and some milky hot chocolate seemed like a great idea to settle the children on Christmas Eve as part of the bedtime routine. Maybe it's because my children are not of good breeding though, children of with better genes probably don't climb the walls from December 1st, rather they go to bed at 6pm on Dec 24th singing 'goodnight Mama and Papa, I do sure hope Father Christmas brings me a tangerine and sugar mouse in the morning!'.

Well there are about a million other threads on mn about it, or googling would give you the answer straight away.

Nothing wrong with op starting a thread to ask, surely

How about the Christmas Board?

Gosh, I didn't realise this would be such an opinion dividing topic!

Thanks for clarifying what goes into this elusive box though - it's brought me to the conclusion that to most people it is a big, square children's pacifying device.
Sounds quite fun for the parents!

On our house it’s a box of cheap goodies to keep the kids occupied and out of the way on Christmas Eve so we can prep for the next day. So this year they have paint your own mugs, puzzle books, colouring books, bath stuff, a film, snacks , hot chocolate, cheapo festive games and some PJs.

I don't do a box but we've always let the kids open a present of new pyjamas on Christmas eve. Its nice to wake up on Christmas morning in new jammies I think.

For us it contains the things we usually have on Christmas eve. New pyjamas and a few snacks, maybe something to do a nice bath. I used to also include new Christmas DVD before we realised downloading made far more sense.

I don't think Christmas Eve boxes existed when I was young. My children always get a new pair of pyjamas on Christmas Eve but the boxes I only heard about a few years ago so don't bother with them.
For most I think it's new pyjamas and slippers, dvd and a snack. Some parents include colouring or other bits to help keep the children busy.

Mine is brought by the Elf who obviously goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve night.

It contains pyjamas, a puzzle or colouring book or activity book, maybe a book to read, and a key for Santa as we are chimney less. It isn’t expensive, it’s just a way of ramping up the excitement for the children. And I’m not hurting anyone, so!

I think they are quite sweet but i think some people go OTT. I will 100% be doing them if we are lucky enough to have children :) I like the idea of some pjs, a book and little treat but thats it really!

Personally, I think it's a load of shite. As if all the Xmas presents on Xmas day aren't enough.

My MIL bought one for my Daughter and now I feel like I have to use it every year, but I can't really afford to spend any more money on Xmas.

She made it the first year and put in reindeer food sprinkles, Xmas pyjamas, Xmas bibs, a Xmas themed book. Just all sorts of Xmas stuff really.

We don’t have a box. We all get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve (not usually Christmas themed, just new pyjamas). If my children were able to understand Christmas then I would do all the things. I don’t think some people realise how lucky they are to have children who are aware of what’s happening and are excited - making it special however you wish shouldn’t be criticised. It doesn’t have to be a massive extravagance, I know people who bring out the same things (books, films etc) every Christmas- if they want to put them in a box and make it more of an occasion then that’s their prerogative. All of the nastiness here about how other people do Christmas drives me mad.

We have a traditional Christmas Eve Box every year. DH wanted to ban it after he KO’d my mum in the first round one year but she really worked on her form and came back much stronger in the next year!

BrumBoo the lack of good breeding has nothing to do with whether you provide additional Christmas jollity in form of pyjamas and everything to do with unpleasantness when there is no need, surely?

I cannot begin to imagine children colouring quietly on Christmas Eve, nor going quietly to bed early. We’ve usually had a houseful and nobody is thinking about quiet children, hot chocolate or a film; supper doesn’t finish until about 10pm. People are different, why is that so hard to imagine?

I guess my concern is that it becomes yet more pressure for parents on very low incomes to find yet more money to try and look as generous as other parents to their children.

It may come from an old Eastern European tradition. My parents always used to give us new PJ's,treats and blankets on Xmas Eve when we were kids but none of my other friends had this. My mum said it was tradition where she was from so it may come from that.

"Never existed a few years ago"

@bobbiester it existed in my world 40 years ago

I guess my concern is that it becomes yet more pressure for parents on very low incomes to find yet more money to try and look as generous as other parents to their children.

I was wondering when the 'poor poor over spending' line would come up. It's pyjamas, children often wear them (or is it nightgowns and long-johns? I'm sure that keeps one warm after a whole night of suppering), how is it it 'out parenting' or 'fake jollity to mask consumerism' to put children in new pjs and watch a Christmas film?

Never did it, never had one, will never do one. Hate hot chocolate.

But if you are going to put together a "christmas eve box" for your kids, take a look in your local charity shop. We have no end of Christmas DVDs, a special plate for Santa's mince pie, all manner of stuff. Don't add to landfill buy buying more new plastic stuff.

It sounds similar to what we squirrel away with the Xmas decs that then come back down first weekend of December.

Xmas DVDs, mugs, books, activity books (bought in the post Xmas sale), throw in some hot choc and new PJ's (grandparents buy those) and snap.

Don't bother with a box, but every year we have new nightwear. Same as new knickers when I go on holiday.

I’ve always done this with my DC and my eldest is 10 so it’s not a new fad for me. They have a personalised wooden box each and I fill it with new pjs, slipper socks, slippers, Christmas bath bomb, Lindt Santa and a mug.

I have given the kids new pjs the last few years but they don't need any this year. DD1 was not impressed about there being no Xmas eve box, apparently it helps get in the mood for the main event they are now getting a little plastic tub with some socks and a bar of chocolate in it!

I think the 'surely there are enough presents on Christmas Day' point is a bit daft tbh. Everyone spends different amounts and buys different quantities of presents. Based on MN threads alone, there is potentially hundreds and hundreds of pounds' difference between what people spend. So the idea that a pair of pyjamas, a book and some hot chocolate powder is somehow the fine dividing line between what is 'enough' and 'too much' seems ridiculous. As is the idea that it somehow tips Christmas from being lovely to being a commercial tat-filled nightmare.

We've never done Christmas Eve boxes, because it just wasn't a thing in my family. But I can't see that it's anything to get worked up about. Also usually at least one person on these threads starts sneeringly going on about 'tacky American imports'. I'd hate to be an American reading MN threads.

I guess my concern is that it becomes yet more pressure for parents on very low incomes to find yet more money to try and look as generous as other parents to their children.

I find it strange that this ‘pressure on poor parents’ argument never comes up in relation to things the middle classes like (that cost far more) like expensive holidays, fancy tech, bikes, etc. But it’s a big issue with something that costs a few quid suddenly.