To do Christmas eve boxes December 1st

[Differentstarts]

To think it makes more sense to do Christmas eve boxes today rather then Christmas eve so the kids can enjoy the stuff throughout December. It seems a waste to get new Christmas pyjamas and Christmas related toys and activities just for 1 day

I'm probably getting old as I have never heard of Christmas eve boxes until this year 😬
But agree it always seems a bit silly to just have Xmas PJs for Xmas

Mine are adults now but I do a 1st Dec bag for my goddaughter. Christmas PJs, jumper, socks, advent calendar and a Xmas book with some chocs. Like you say she can enjoy it in the lead up.

It's not really a christmas eve box then, and may end up hyping kids up more than is necessary, however it will mean getting more use out of jammies etc.

TBH I feel like CE boxes are just another marketing ploy to make us spend money we don't need to spend.

I've never really done anything for the 1st or 24th. Generally just a book advent and a chocolate advent calendar. This year I have put a small box together for today with some craft bits in and PJ's (they need more anyway) and bits for hot chocolate alongside the usual calendars above. I haven't gone mad but saw the crafts bits in a sale and they'll both use it all.

I think that’s a lovely idea and makes more sense to build excitement! We always have a nice breakfast and wrapped up advent calendars!

YABU. The clue is in the name Christmas EVE box. The idea is to give children something to get them into Christmas excitement. Reading a thread the other day I was reminded that many children get new Christmas PJs so that Granny gets photo of children in new matching or certainly not mismatched PJs as they open presents on Christmas Day. In my family today is the start of Advent so the calendars are brought out to be opened. The candle will be burnt down later. The Christmas journey unfolds over the next 24 days. No need to rush it all.

YANBU - we do this as we never have DSC on Christmas Eve and we just do it at the weekend at the start of December when we do have them so they can be involved. Makes much more sense to give out Christmas PJs at the start of December so they can actually use them! We include a Christmas jumper too and a new Christmas decoration as it's the weekend we put the tree up as well.

One friend has got over the problem of too little wear of Christmas PJs by having them as starting on December 1st but still having Christmas Eve boxes with the other 'traditional' items.

I think that's a lovely idea - I haven't ever done a Christmas Eve box but we do have a reusable advent calendar and making new pj's as the 1st Dec present would work really well.

That sounds lovely for the start of Advent. Chrismas isn't here yet, despite what the shops and media want to tell us.

Just me that has their kids in their Christmas PJs till they don't fit then? Isn't that the point of getting PJs over day clothes?

Yeah, that's an option too.
TBH we only did a christmas eve box once, when I realised how much stuff granny had sent for the actual day I decided to give him some small bits from us a day early, plus some nice jammies. Normally DS was happily already playing or occupied and wasn't looking for special stuff the day before, as he knew was getting all the things he could see wrapped up very soon!

Makes sense to me.
I always buy things like craft sets to make tree decorations and Christmas novels. No point giving them on Christmas Eve - there won't be enough time to make the decorations or read the book.

Ok I will call it December 1st box 🤣. Pyjamas are for the kids to enjoy not for a photo op. It's not about rushing it, it's about getting moneys worth out of things like pyjamas that they can wear for a month, colouring and activity books they can actually complete over the month, story books can be read multiple times, their advent calendar has gone in their. A Christmas cup they can use throughout December etc

My friend who has 4 children Brough them all matching PJs a few years ago. Worn throughout each December (with washes in between). End of December all laundered and put away. Next year in December see if child 1 will still fit in biggest pair, if not then buy that child new pair. All other children move up one size of PJs. It works for them. Is economical as each pair gets multi years wear. I don't get this need for everything to be new every year. It's not necessary or economically logical.

DS wears his Christmas pyjamas all year round! Then new ones each Christmas Eve because the old ones no longer fit.

I got over the "problem" of this by just buying them because they needed new pyjamas and it happened to be December so some available were Christmas themed and then they wore them whenever until they grew out of them.

Do people really buy new ones every December then pack them away in January not to be seen again until next December? That's so weird.

That sounds a really good idea. An Advent Box!

You don't need anyone else's permission to give your kids whatever you want, whenever you want 😉

I do Christmas eve boxes, with the idea of making them actually want to go to bed! They wear the Christmas pyjamas all year though, and think it's hilarious.

Isn’t part of the point of Christmas Eve boxes (when did that become a thing?) was that new PJs and a book was supposed to get the kids into bed and hopefully to sleep?

We had a boggart who lived under the stairs in the house -it was to blame for any misplaced items, mysterious spills etc… but did give a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve, often PJs as it did get the then toddlers changed and in bed. But they weren’t Christmas themed ones, just a new pair of PJs that would then be worn throughout the year.

We have always done this. Before I even knew Christmas Eve boxes were a thing.

In my experience kids don't need any ramping up on CE but a Dec 1 box just means getting out the decs, advent calendars, nice hot choc and some Christmas books. It kicks off the run up to Christmas in our house. Minimal cost - hot choc and marshmallows and maybe a new Christmas decoration.

I get my children Christmas Eve PJ's, not always matching each other, but sometimes they do, I have them wear them then til they outgrow them, they just wear them like any other PJ's through the year. My religious mother gives my children small gifts every Sunday through advent- our Christmas Eve box has books, PJ's and things like the plate for Santa live in there, and the Christmas door nob hangers etc that are used every year. My mother magics everyone a book on Christmas Eve (and has done this all my life) so we would read quietly as children that evening. The books wouldn't be Christmas related as we got older. I've got a big box of the Christmas books that we spread out on the bed at bedtime, and all pick ones that we read through together- always finish with 'Twas the night before Christmas'. I love this time of year.

It's funny, I was only thinking this yesterday when I bought their pyjamas. But we'll stick to the Christmas eve thing as we've done it forever and the oldest is nearly 17 now so it's a bit late to change!
I might give them the Christmas PJs and swap them out for ordinary but still warm ones though.

they will probably want both!
i never did christmas eve boxes though

Do you repack the advent box and put it away for next year?

kids like traditions and having a special December cup that is reused will become a fond memory. You can add age appropriate items as they get older and obviously consumables but it doesn’t need to be brought from scratch year year,