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Original poster

Were Christmas Eve boxes not enough?!

307 replies

AnnLouiseB · 15/02/2021 17:27

I’ve just seen these advertised on Facebook. Is this a thing now? Must we have a cutesy box for every single calendar event? Where are people keeping these crates as they endlessly accumulate?

Were Christmas Eve boxes not enough?!
OP posts:
Wall0ps · 16/02/2021 19:51

Where I grew up everyone got a “posh” outfit at Easter which you wore on Easter Sunday and for wakes week and the Whit Walks. For a lot of the poorer families it was the only new clothes they got rather than hand me downs. It sounds very Victorian but this was a small north west town in the 1970s.
I got an egg too.

DanniM1986 · 16/02/2021 20:09

Not everything needs to be seen as negative.

I think this is a lovely idea, kids are having a shitty time too right now. I don’t know why others let things like this bother them. Let others do what they want to do, you don’t have to follow Smile

Gilly12345 · 16/02/2021 20:10

Looks like a gimmick for people with more money than sense.

OhCaptain · 16/02/2021 20:53

@Gilly12345

Looks like a gimmick for people with more money than sense.
Case in point! 🙄😂
GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom · 16/02/2021 20:59

Well, you wouldn't need a lot more money than sense. A few chocolate eggs, a book and maybe a fluffy chick toy isn't going to come to much. Personally, if I was going to go straight to hell in a mountain of waste, excess and mindless consumerism, I'd do something a lot more spectacular and extravagant than that. Hey big spender.

emmskie03 · 16/02/2021 21:04

I'm sorry but I can't stand these posts. If you don't like it then don't buy them. We don't have one, I'd think about it though. I'd rather do a small egg and some activity bits than a load of eggs - although if that is your bag then go for it.

We have a Christmas Eve box lovingly painted by me when my son was a baby. In it goes activities and bits to munch on Christmas Eve. We designated christmas eve as a day just for us - no other relatives and I love it. I had shit, traumatic christmases with domestic violence so as far as I'm concerned, spreading the christmas love over a longer period is awesome.

TheNinny · 16/02/2021 21:07

I just ordered one 😂😆 i plan to fill it with some easter toys and a small bit of choc for my 1 year old 👶👍 our normal easter traditions will likely be again ruoned by covid - easter service, family get together, egg hunt etc so thought it would be fun. If you don't like it, dont buy it OP 🙄

Embroideredstars · 16/02/2021 21:33

You can't blame people for trying to make a business selling them, if people are prepared to buy them!

As this type of stuff goes they're quite sweet, if rather expensive.

You don't have to take part....

Morgysmum · 16/02/2021 22:16

I don't get it either, they get a load of presents the next day.
I buy my son new pyjamas, which he opens Christmas Eve. Not this year, as he is in adult sizes, so finding some he likes with characters on is tough. I only did it as we had to to his grans and I had forgotten his pyjamas, we had brought some for Christmas day, so allowed him, to open them early, it then kind of stuck.

pourmeanotherglass · 16/02/2021 22:25

Not done this. The best way to give kids Eater chocolate is to hide it all over the house, and maybe write some clues to help them find it all.

llizzie · 16/02/2021 22:40

For us and my children it was always only an Easter egg, usually chocolate.

The egg represented the new life Christ rose to.

Nyala · 16/02/2021 22:54

@Nonamesavail

My only problem is people sell them for about 25 quid and it's cost about 8quid to make
People price them as such because they need to make a living? Perhaps their Etsy / 'not on the high street' store is their job. Bigger businesses would sell stuff for much higher than 300% profit... So it would be unfair to expect someone who spends their time making these to sell them for just a couple of quid profit 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
Mamanyt · 16/02/2021 23:36

It's a glorified Easter basket. And I've been doing those for DECADES. LOL, now that my boys are grown and gone, I even do one for my freakin' cat...and she always loves her baskets. She has no clue why I gave it to her, but she loves it!

As for what to do with them...they're great little organizers for all sorts of small items that would otherwise get lost. I stain or paint them, label them and put them to good use!

In my world, there are three times in the year when a child can expect something like this...birthday, Christmas, Easter. It doesn't seem overly excessive to me.

Bailey8 · 17/02/2021 00:03

@Nonamesavail

My only problem is people sell them for about 25 quid and it's cost about 8quid to make
I make Easter boxes with craft bits in and the materials cost me around £12.50 and then on top of that, the cost of running my machine to engrave, and Etsy fees, means I make around £6 in total on a £28 order which I hardly think is excessive. Postage costs are very high these days too and often business try to absorb some of that cost and not pass the full amount onto a customer so I think that has to be taken into account too, personalised items also have additional admin time
Imissmoominmama · 17/02/2021 08:11

I’m in my 50s and we had baskets as kids. They were empty though; we had to hunt for small, foil wrapped eggs and those tiny chicks you get on Easter cakes, in the garden. It kept us busy for a good hour, whilst our parents had a lie in Grin.

HauntedPencil · 17/02/2021 09:15

I have absolutely no idea why people get ragey over what other people do for their children honestly.

Bodynegative · 17/02/2021 09:17

Totally agree @SmokedDuck. As for people saying these have "been around forever", they really haven't. They weren't a thing when I was a child nor were they common in our area when my kids were young. Decorating hens eggs by wrapping them in onion peel etc. to make pace-eggs was common, they were then either "jarped" or rolled down a hill. Chocolate eggs and a new outfit of summer clothes were the only presents I remember anyone receiving at Easter apart from the cards and "nests" with pom-pom chicks etc. that were proudly made at school.

It was the contents of those boxes that really made me gip, pink unicorns or blue footballs FFS! Give me strength! My GC would like a box to decorate themselves to put their own "treasures" in.

angela99999 · 17/02/2021 09:24

@ChristmasArmadillo

I always got these as a child! I do “boxes” for most holidays for my DC as I’d rather they don’t have the amount of candy that usually shows up otherwise - I put things they actually need into fun packaging and they think it’s grand.
I agree with all this, though my DC/GC just get a small egg or something similar from us for Easter, perhaps with an egg cup or mug. At Christmas they're a good way of giving them (nice) things they need without too many sweets or the necessity for a big plastic present that is this year's toy and that they never play with again. One of adult DC gets a hamper of foodie treats every year for Christmas as that gives him more pleasure than something expensive that he doesn't want or need
OhCaptain · 17/02/2021 09:29

@Bodynegative

Totally agree *@SmokedDuck*. As for people saying these have "been around forever", they really haven't. They weren't a thing when I was a child nor were they common in our area when my kids were young. Decorating hens eggs by wrapping them in onion peel etc. to make pace-eggs was common, they were then either "jarped" or rolled down a hill. Chocolate eggs and a new outfit of summer clothes were the only presents I remember anyone receiving at Easter apart from the cards and "nests" with pom-pom chicks etc. that were proudly made at school.

It was the contents of those boxes that really made me gip, pink unicorns or blue footballs FFS! Give me strength! My GC would like a box to decorate themselves to put their own "treasures" in.

Hang on - so because you didn’t have them all the posters who are saying they’ve been around for years are lying?

I’m actually mortified for you! 🤣

GeordieGreigsButtButtZoom · 17/02/2021 09:32

As for people saying these have "been around forever", they really haven't.

So all the posters aged 45+ who say they had them as kids are lying, because you personally didn't?

angela99999 · 17/02/2021 09:33

@Wall0ps

Where I grew up everyone got a “posh” outfit at Easter which you wore on Easter Sunday and for wakes week and the Whit Walks. For a lot of the poorer families it was the only new clothes they got rather than hand me downs. It sounds very Victorian but this was a small north west town in the 1970s. I got an egg too.
I remember all this, being brought up in this area in the 50's-60's too though not so hard-up ourselves. I went to the Brownies and many of my friends looked forward to getting their party dress at Easter, it was a really big thing. Wakes week was something I remember well.
MRSsqueak · 17/02/2021 10:11

its just a easter basket isnt it? i have done easter baskets for my dc's since they were tiny. last year i went a bit mad on easter because of the lockdown. this year tho i intend to just do a simple easter basket

Stripesnomore · 17/02/2021 11:38

Easter is a festival associated with Christianity and with the abundance of spring after the hardships of winter. It’s nice that people use gifts to mark the passing of the seasons.

It’s always been about consumerism, traditionally with the new produce available as it Spring.

The consumer issue would be people not also abstaining during lent. An easy way of doing that would be almsgiving by saving up one item every day of lent and giving them all to a food bank. That would be a great Easter help for someone.

HauntedPencil · 17/02/2021 11:58

@Bodynegative

Totally agree *@SmokedDuck*. As for people saying these have "been around forever", they really haven't. They weren't a thing when I was a child nor were they common in our area when my kids were young. Decorating hens eggs by wrapping them in onion peel etc. to make pace-eggs was common, they were then either "jarped" or rolled down a hill. Chocolate eggs and a new outfit of summer clothes were the only presents I remember anyone receiving at Easter apart from the cards and "nests" with pom-pom chicks etc. that were proudly made at school.

It was the contents of those boxes that really made me gip, pink unicorns or blue footballs FFS! Give me strength! My GC would like a box to decorate themselves to put their own "treasures" in.

HENS EGGS!

You were lucky - we had to paint a stone and got a new burlap sack for the spring

HauntedPencil · 17/02/2021 12:01

Yes last Easter was horrible - there was all the stories about being stopped and your trolley checked, the death count was the highest that weekend I remember it being a real low point here

Heaven help anyone would want to buy things for this year, GOSH.