Page 14 | What on earth is a Christmas Eve box??

Xmasevewhat · 2023-12-04T14:58:07+00:00

I've suddenly seen 'Christmas Eve boxes' popping up everywhere. In shops, on Etsy, social feeds. Never even heard of the concept and now all of a sudden it's everywhere. Can someone explain the point? Seems like they are filled with same kind of things you'd put in a stocking. Be honest, is it just another Instagram fad/ excuse to spend money?

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 19:32

YuleDragon · 04/12/2023 19:18

"our"? No. yours, not mine.

There is NOTHING christian about the celebration of Christmas, its all as Pagan as it gets.

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Very arrogant of you to assume my "our" included you. My "our" refers to me and mine.

Christmas may have its roots in paganism however, a modern Christmas was intended to be a celebration of Jesus birth.

It's entirely your choice what you believe. Peace be with you.

Fightarealfire · 04/12/2023 19:40

Choosychoice · 04/12/2023 15:00

Endless tat which is a grade A waste of the worlds resources. People actually buy pjs to put in them for the use of the Christmas period, then buy a new set of pjs next year.

Wouldn’t you usually have to buy a child pyjamas every year? They don’t tend to fit for that long

CreeperBoom · 04/12/2023 19:43

SomethingFun · 04/12/2023 19:09

It’s just so conformist. Pjs and hot choc. Maybe a book, maybe a bath bomb. We have all these traditions we’ve inherited which are a really different to modern life (a giant tree inside, vodka margarine, crackers, panto) and these new ones people are trying to make happen are really middle of the road. I’d say Xmas eve boxes are the epitome of lower middle class conformity and keeping up with the Jones’s regardless of whether the pics are shared on social media or whether the box is full of stuff from Poundland or Fortnums 😛

Vodka margarine? I feel like I'm maybe missing out on something here. Does it go in an xmas eve box?

ghostyslovesheets · 04/12/2023 19:45

Vodka Margarine - I shout it every time I dig into the brandy butter - bloody love Bottom

Nonoatchristmas · 04/12/2023 19:49

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 19:32

Very arrogant of you to assume my "our" included you. My "our" refers to me and mine.

Christmas may have its roots in paganism however, a modern Christmas was intended to be a celebration of Jesus birth.

It's entirely your choice what you believe. Peace be with you.

Show quote history

Amazing to claim another poster is being arrogant, then arrogantly claim modern Christmas is about baby Jesus. The winter festival can be appropriated as much as you wish by a made up date of his (possible) birth, but the fact remains that Christmas was invented to weed out paganism. Just like Easter was. It didn’t work that well, once religious fear-mongering started to fade away all the pagan parts of these celebrations have remained with very few choosing to partake in the Jesus bit.

SallyWD · 04/12/2023 20:13

Needmorelego · 04/12/2023 16:25

@SallyWD genuine question - no decorations? No Christmas themed books? (which could come from the library). No food prep in advance like making the Christmas Pudding? No Christingle or Carol service?
Literally nothing until December 25th?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. We love Christmas, we have a tree and decorations. We love doing Christmassy things. I was talking in terms of the things we give the children. I don't do any of these recent things like December 1st boxes, elf on a shelf, Christmas eve boxes etc. Just the presents on Christmas day.

vernatheraven · 04/12/2023 20:21

We do the elf but my Dd knows it's me it's jsut a bit of fun.

We do a Xmas Eve box. The things I have put in I have always bought anyway but just didn't have a nice box to put them in.

I just put in things for Christmas Eve that will be nice for her and us to do together.

New jamas
Slippers
Glittery shower gel
Face pack
Hot chocolate bomb
Few sweets
New book
Might get a gingerbread house this year might not

MaryShelley1818 · 04/12/2023 20:25

We always had a special Christmas Eve box/bag growing up and I'm mid-40's!
I've carried on the tradition with my 2 (5&2) and I absolutely love doing their Christmas Eve boxes. They both have a special reindeer toy in that they sleep with until they return to the North Pole in the New Year, Mug and hot chocolate, pyjamas (not Christmas ones), a lovely book and then a baking cookies or similar craft. Hardly a spiral into consumerism.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 04/12/2023 20:36

enchantedsquirrelwood · 04/12/2023 18:11

whilst the adults are being boring and sorting stuff

What is this "stuff" that I should be sorting on Christmas Eve that takes so long that the kids need entertainment while it gets done.

For me, it’s packing as we go to GPs’ houses over the Christmas period. It’s making dinner and prepping veg for the next day. It’s making up travel beds and bringing presents in from the car…

Not sure why this has bothered you to be honest. My kids unwrap a Christmas colouring book or something. Hardly me buying tonnes of stuff to entertain them each day.

Fightarealfire · 04/12/2023 20:41

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 16:06

Socks as a gift for your own children is quite sad. It's like asking them to thank you for the pain you suffered during child birth.

Where exactly is your sweet spot Christmas wise?

Christmas Eve boxes are wasteful tat

hot chocolate isn’t a treat

socks as a present are sad

I feel like it must be quite a balancing act to find things that are special enough but not too special.

letspopthekettleon · 04/12/2023 20:45

LunaandLily · 04/12/2023 19:11

Doing a Christmas Eve box for the first and only time this year as it’s DD13’s last ever Christmas as an only! Including non-Christmas pyjamas and slippers, hot chocolate, mug, hot water bottle, snow globe and candle from Home Sense and fairy lights. Just want to do something extra this year.

Yeah but don't your do presents on Xmas day? It's completely over the top!

Wellhellooooodear · 04/12/2023 20:50

ghostyslovesheets · 04/12/2023 19:45

Vodka Margarine - I shout it every time I dig into the brandy butter - bloody love Bottom

Don't forget the sprouts Mexicaan 😂

crochetmonkey74 · 04/12/2023 20:51

Fightarealfire · 04/12/2023 20:41

Where exactly is your sweet spot Christmas wise?

Christmas Eve boxes are wasteful tat

hot chocolate isn’t a treat

socks as a present are sad

I feel like it must be quite a balancing act to find things that are special enough but not too special.

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Best presents ever but not too fun:

A stick
Some pebbles
A piece of sacking for fashioning into garments
A book written by someone posh a long time ago
We call it want, need, wear, read

EtiennePalmiere · 04/12/2023 20:55

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 19:32

Very arrogant of you to assume my "our" included you. My "our" refers to me and mine.

Christmas may have its roots in paganism however, a modern Christmas was intended to be a celebration of Jesus birth.

It's entirely your choice what you believe. Peace be with you.

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Of course your faith is personal, but that is a somewhat niche interpretation.

ToffeePennie · 04/12/2023 20:57

they’ve been around for a very long time. They were brought over here by army wives when they came to back to England.
they’re typically filled with PJs, socks, hot choc supplies and a book to read on Christmas Eve.
my children have a sack that has PJs, hot choc, biscuit, book, bath bomb and/or soap. So they can be sparkling clean for Santa and Krampus doesn’t get them.
It’s a German thing to have gifts on Christmas Eve, so that’s how it started, and it’s just been carried on. I’ve always had a Christmas Eve box and I’m in my mid 30s now, so it’s not totally unusual.

Fightarealfire · 04/12/2023 21:07

Nonoatchristmas · 04/12/2023 18:16

You can’t have enough pjs in my house as my autistic kids chew or poke holes in them. And socks as well to be fair, they cost me an absolute fortune in socks. Unfortunately they can’t be gifted 20000 pairs on Christmas Day to last them the year though 🤣

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Mine has chewed up 2 T-shirts today. Luckily he is getting 2 for Christmas… if he eats any more before Christmas I may go bonkers.

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 21:07

Nonoatchristmas · 04/12/2023 19:49

Amazing to claim another poster is being arrogant, then arrogantly claim modern Christmas is about baby Jesus. The winter festival can be appropriated as much as you wish by a made up date of his (possible) birth, but the fact remains that Christmas was invented to weed out paganism. Just like Easter was. It didn’t work that well, once religious fear-mongering started to fade away all the pagan parts of these celebrations have remained with very few choosing to partake in the Jesus bit.

Show quote history

Not really sure I stated Jesus was born at Christmas, there is very clear evidence against this in fact.
Absolutely, a modern Christmas was created, in the spirit of Jesus, to overshadow paganism, and I will continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, his life and resurrection on all pagan festivals.
Non-believers may want to remove Jesus from their Christmas, return to its pagan routes, this is their choice also.
However, the truth remains, Jesus is King. May peace be with you.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 04/12/2023 21:08

However, the truth remains, Jesus is King. May peace be with you.

That’s a belief and not truth.

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 21:12

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 04/12/2023 21:08

However, the truth remains, Jesus is King. May peace be with you.

That’s a belief and not truth.

It's my truth.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

NonPlayerCharacter · 04/12/2023 21:19

ToffeePennie · 04/12/2023 20:57

they’ve been around for a very long time. They were brought over here by army wives when they came to back to England.
they’re typically filled with PJs, socks, hot choc supplies and a book to read on Christmas Eve.
my children have a sack that has PJs, hot choc, biscuit, book, bath bomb and/or soap. So they can be sparkling clean for Santa and Krampus doesn’t get them.
It’s a German thing to have gifts on Christmas Eve, so that’s how it started, and it’s just been carried on. I’ve always had a Christmas Eve box and I’m in my mid 30s now, so it’s not totally unusual.

We have these stupid "what are these Christmas Eve box things, I'm so pious, middle class and morally superior that I literally can't understand the concept" threads every year, with people insisting that they must be a new and therefore terrible thing, because there can be no other explanation for their ignorance about them.

In fact they are not a new thing at all, as evidenced by the posters in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond who say every year that they had them as children. They have become more popular recently and some people have very cleverly worked out that businesses are trying to capitalise on Christmas with them (you don't say). What nobody has ever explained, though, is why a reusable box with some textiles and consumables is so much more profligate, wasteful and capitalist than anything else we do at Christmas that we don't do on other days of the year.

Nimbus1999 · 04/12/2023 21:21

letspopthekettleon · 04/12/2023 15:25

Exactly! And all the wanky parents on this thread with their ideas. Please!! Stop buying tat!!

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I really don’t see why new pyjamas (when they need them anyway), a book and hot chocolate is tat! It’s a lovely family tradition for us, snuggle up in new pjs, drink hot chocolate and watch a Xmas movie on Xmas Eve. It’s nice!

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 04/12/2023 21:23

Bleakmidwinter1977 · 04/12/2023 21:12

It's my truth.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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That’s not how truth works. Quoting the bible doesn’t make it truth. We don’t all get to have our own truth because it’s called belief. You feel free to believe what you like and I will follow facts proven by science.

RufustheFactualReindeer · 04/12/2023 21:32

NonPlayerCharacter · 04/12/2023 21:19

We have these stupid "what are these Christmas Eve box things, I'm so pious, middle class and morally superior that I literally can't understand the concept" threads every year, with people insisting that they must be a new and therefore terrible thing, because there can be no other explanation for their ignorance about them.

In fact they are not a new thing at all, as evidenced by the posters in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond who say every year that they had them as children. They have become more popular recently and some people have very cleverly worked out that businesses are trying to capitalise on Christmas with them (you don't say). What nobody has ever explained, though, is why a reusable box with some textiles and consumables is so much more profligate, wasteful and capitalist than anything else we do at Christmas that we don't do on other days of the year.

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This

my three have a Christmas eve sack, i will admit i have put more stuff in it over the years but none of it is tat

they are 24, 22 and 20

these threads are always contentious though

RufustheFactualReindeer · 04/12/2023 21:34

We do boxing day presents as well

games or maybe a jigsaw…my parents always got us a family game to play on boxing day

CB2611 · 04/12/2023 21:48

I bought my daughter a wooden Christmas eve box from the range. I fill it each year with a Christmas colouring book, a bedtime story, pyjamas, a new mug, hot chocolate/marshmallow sachet and some choccies. Just a bit of excitement and things to do together before Christmas day ❤️