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!!

This is all completely new news to me, thank you to everyone for bringing me up to speed

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

If they’re not special in your house, no problem, don’t do them. For other people it’s a Christmas tradition (and quite a long-standing one, we got new pjs on Christmas Eve 30 years ago).

@TheKeatingFive

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.

Ah, but certain virtue signalling members of the middle class have a wonderful habit of stealth bragging about wealth under the pretence of 'we've just made wiser financial choices'.

You see, by not buying Christmas pyjamas, and only buying from independent retailers rather than Amazon, and limiting gifts to 4 gifts per child (sticking to the very sensible mantra of something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read), means that the middle class can still afford to live their basic lives in the year to come. Like paying the bills, especially in their second house in Wales/Lake District/France (between Brexit and Covid, it's extra important to make sure the essentials are covered).

It's a good lesson for poor and low class people to learn from their betters. By avoiding all pyjamas buying, the poor poor may even be able to buy a house! Obviously a 2 up 2 down in the middle of some rundown city, not anywhere near well to do people. They might nick their Christmas Etsy orders.....

BrumBoo don’t be so nasty and silly. It’s nearly Christmas.
It’s not about having new pyjamas, is it? It’s about the use of simple feast days to boost the coffers of people who buy into the myth that memories and fun can be bought and packaged. It’s about playground pressure to provide ever increasing amounts.

@CherryPavlova, you make sadface posts about poor people pushing themselves more than they can afford over Christmas, then call me nasty? Who are you to dictate how those with less income should do or even think about Christmas?

It’s not about having new pyjamas, is it? It’s about the use of simple feast days to boost the coffers of people who buy into the myth that memories and fun can be bought and packaged.

People can do Christmas in whatever way they think best. Though I'll be perfectly honest, from your posts and descriptions I'd rather stick to the tacky plastic modern idealisms, rather than some bizarre Dickens-esque world you seem to live in.

@Dyrne 100%! I cannot understand the viterol that Christmas even box's attract! We just have a nice wooden box. We put some Christmas jammies, a book, hot chocolate and some reindeer food in them. It's hardly rampant consumerism gone mad. Also the presents on Christmas are generally from "Santa" so these box's are from myself and DH.

It’s about the use of simple feast days to boost the coffers of people who buy into the myth that memories and fun can be bought and packaged.

Honestly, Christmas is and always has been commercialised. Handwringing about one small aspect of that (pjs and hit chocolate fgs) without acknowledging the wider context seems somewhat silly.

We do it. Not much in that’s bought. Lots returns each year.
This year, because we couldn’t go to Christmas market I’m doing a market box. I’m going to cook Tartiflette and have a bottle of mulled wine with mugs we got from the market years ago, some of those big marshmallows, a decoration for each kid to hang on tree (we get this anyway).
It doesn’t feel commercial to me. It just feels like a nice thing to do and plan for that we will enjoy. Same book every year. We all write a wish in it every year, it goes back in box to be read next year...sometimes we put a photo or a drawing on the lid. The box evolves with it (gets scruffier)!
Would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.
I never take them to panto. Or ice skating. Don’t sing carols or go to church. We do the bits we enjoy.

@Qpobb

Not in this for a bunfight. I don't even like buns.

I have nephews and nieces and wondered what all the fuss was about 👀

Well you got one.

I quite like a cream bun myself @Qpobb. Maybe if you put some jam on, you’d like the buns better. Syrup maybe.

We started it because Christmas Eve had turned into a horrible scramble to get the kids to bed, so we could wrap presents and there was no fun in it at all.

So in the box we have a hot choc sachet or marshmallows, this year we have those hollow chocolate balls (basically whatever home bargains has to offer in the way of easily made hot choc drinks!).
It used to be a dvd (usually from the charity shop as we don't watch many films so we're always miles behind what everyone else was watching re christmas movies! Last year it was a hastily drawn voucher for a streamed film!

If the kids were getting pyjamas or a dressing gown or bed socks or bedding anyway, then they'd get it Christmas Eve. If I'm not buying any of that anyway, they get a pair of snuggly socks.

This year, I bought us a waffle/toastie maker as a family, so it'll be in the box and we'll make waffles and play cards as no-one can agree on a film anymore!

So for me, it was a way to create an hour or two of family time on a day that I always wanted to be lovely and never was.

It's worked perfectly for us, though it comes in a used cardboard box, rather than a personalised wooden one, I think our elves are eco warriors or maybe just slightly lazy 😆

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

Of course you didn’t. 🧐

@badtattoosandsmelllikebooze Genuinely didn't. Pretty new to Mumsnet and this is my first Christmas! 😅

@EnPoinsettia Certainly did. Cha siu bao I don't mind!

We do Christmas pjs but at the start of advent and no box involved - we get a whole month of getting in the mood that way and its part of the build up. We also start the Christmas films in advent too. Our Christmas Eve used to be eat out somewhere early and then church, so probably no time for this but whatever works for each family really. not sure why what other families do is an issue for anyone else and don't get an impression of pressure to do this.

@CherryPavlova

BrumBoo don’t be so nasty and silly. It’s nearly Christmas. It’s not about having new pyjamas, is it? It’s about the use of simple feast days to boost the coffers of people who buy into the myth that memories and fun can be bought and packaged. It’s about playground pressure to provide ever increasing amounts.

You have very fixed assumptions here.

I don’t give a toss what other parents do or think, but I do love Christmas and I was brought up by a mum who loved Christmas. She died before my twins were born, and they only have a couple of family members they don’t see much. I don’t do Christmas Eve boxes because they don’t understand and wouldn’t care, but if they did I would absolutely do it. I can’t give them big family Christmases or lots of loved ones, so I’ll find whatever things I can to make their Christmas special. Other kids their age would be making lovely memories regardless of what they do - I have no idea if they’ll remember the attempts to bake cookies or decorate the tree next week, let alone next year or as adults.

@Dyrne

They serve a dual purpose:

1. Provide a fun little tradition to extend the Christmas magic a bit and do something nice for your children.

2. Exist so that people have something to feel snootily superior over because it’s not their personal cup of tea and therefore anyone who partakes in it is doing Christmas wrong

This

This this this 😀

I was showing someone Christmas photos from about 15 years ago

And it showed two of my children with just pants on and one naked and i was asked why they had nothing on

And my children ran round naked all the time but it was still weird

Then i realised they were opening their new pjs 😀

For some people as well it’s actually a way of making money stretch further - you can put together a nice little box for the whole family for less than £10, and it provides some fun and excitement - if you incorporate traditions like a certain book or film then you can do it even cheaper and actually enhance the experience.

Then you can spend some lovely family time together and create some Christmas traditions and loveliness without worrying about how you’re going to afford Panto tickets or Santa’s grottos that cost £££

@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.

I’m 37 and I alway got new pjs on Christmas Eve.

I get my girls, well all of us new PJs and a new book on Christmas Eve. No box here though. I just reuse a Christmas gift bag.

Christmas eve BOXES weren’t a thing years ago...and i think only 2/3 friends know i do one

And i take on board that due to social media there maybe more pressure on parents

But ive been doing it for years...the contents may have varied over the years but its still basically pjs, books, Christmas pants and socks and something to eat

"Christmas eve BOXES weren’t a thing years ago"

They were absolutely a "thing" 40 years ago. I don't understand why pps think that just because they weren't aware of something that it didn't exist at all

My mum done them on the 80s. It was just bubble bath and pjs and a way to calm down on Xmas eve night really as we would be really hyper. I pretty much to the same. Maybe a book/hot drink/bubble bath. Just a way to have a calm evening

@myhobbyisouting

"Christmas eve BOXES weren’t a thing years ago"

They were absolutely a "thing" 40 years ago. I don't understand why pps think that just because they weren't aware of something that it didn't exist at all

Agree. They were.

It’s just a nice way to present the things a lot of people do on Christmas Eve anyway, baking bits, hot choc, a dvd, maybe a Christmas story and some people have pjs.

We have a sleigh instead that comes with little sweets and bits in, this was originally made by my Mum when we were little so has always been our tradition.

We have a Christmas Eve basket that has everything for Christmas Eve but mostly bits we re-use it doesn’t have to be new things. Ours has the plate for the mince pies, reindeer dust for the garden, the magic key to hang, our copy of night before Christmas and the snowman and Father Christmas dvd we watch every year. Fabric envelope we use to leave a letter to Father Christmas next to the mince pie.

I am always curious whether it's just another sales push or whether it came to be because many people outside of UK have presents on Christmas Eve and brought this in when immigrating in so it became more widely known and local kids were asking why they have to wait?🤔
Different traditions often combine or influence each other.

@myhobbyisouting

"Christmas eve BOXES weren’t a thing years ago"

They were absolutely a "thing" 40 years ago. I don't understand why pps think that just because they weren't aware of something that it didn't exist at all

The actual physical boxes couldn’t be bought in the uk

I would have bought them 20 years ago if they were

Ive been doing Christmas eve pjs and book for 20 years, the last 10 of them with a Christmas eve bag

You are seriously telling me that asda tesco etc were selling Christmas eve boxes 40 years ago....never seen them, see them a lot now