To feel guilty I haven’t done my DS a Christmas Eve box?

[Redonionsalad]

He’s 7 and we never have really, except a couple of years ago when I did a few sweets and a colour in a bauble kit.
He has new PJs to wear every Christmas Eve. This year I did get them from vinted as money has been tight.

Everyone I know seems to be doing them. I feel rubbish this morning.

I didn't even know it was a thing. Is this another US import?!

We’ve never done them, I think it dilutes the actual day. Most of the enjoyment for me as a kid was the anticipation of Christmas morning. Every year I’d plead with my parents to open just one present early and they let me once, and it was a bit of a let down to be honest. I opened one thing and said “oh, thanks” and that was that.

Don’t compare your Christmas to others, think about what’s important to your family. Merry Christmas.

@Redonionsalad
OMG pleeeeeease don't get sucked in to all this pressure. Please don't.
Never compare yourself as a mum to other mums.
You do you.
Give your DS your absolute full 100% focus and attention this afternoon/evening. Read him a Christmas story by the tree. Watch his favourite Christmas movie with him. Cuddle him. Tell him how much you love him. Tell him all the things that make you proud to be his mummy. Play with him. I promise you that giving him your time and attention today and by making him your focus will be the most wonderful Christmas eve gift you could give him. And it he will remember this far more than presents.
I really mean this. (Child Psychologist here.)

Never done one. DC are peak Santa age, they don’t need anything else. I will consider it in later years when new PJs and hot chocolate are the more exciting choice!

Another marketing hype puff piece in a glossy magazine to make women feel shit.

No one and I repeat no one did Christmas PJ's and or Christmas eve boxes 20 years ago. Perhaps you'd let your kids open one present just to calm them down a bit on Christmas eve, but that was it.

I mean Mary didn't have a tiny tears doll to practice with the day before did she.

I take it you dont like "Americanisms" so shoehorned it in ?. No i don't think American Children got Christmas eve boxes first no.

Also Christmas eve giving is a some European countries tradition, it has maybe evolved from that, but let's blame those "Ghastly Americans"

I voted YABU in that you’re getting worked up over something that’s a load of nonsense. Xmas Eve ‘boxes’ are commercially invented reasons to get people to spend even more money as a means of increasing business profits. They work on guilt - parents feel guilty of they’ve not curated the most perfect Instagram Christmas for their DC, and that somehow their DC will be miserable, neglected and need a lifetime of therapy to get over the trauma of having such neglectful parents.
All that is needed is a nice bath, clean PJs, a cosy Christmas film and early bedtime.

My TEENS appeared in my room at 11pm last night to say they’d been chatting and it would be nice for them to have Christmas Eve boxes…

Would it? The grand I have already dropped is probably gonna be enough thanks 😳

Don’t get sucked into these things early on; teens are so expensive and that’s just another 20/30/40 quid you’re spending on top of the mountain of gifts coming their way the next day.

Not sure if I voted correctly- I said YANBU (to not make up a Christmas Eve box)… I’m not quite sure where this tradition came from? I don’t remember it being a thing when I was a child, or even so much when I had my oldest. I’m wondering if it’s something that’s really taken off as social media has grown (it feels very American to me…?). IMO it’s just another way of getting consumers to spend even more. If you’ve never really bought into the whole thing before, I wouldn’t feel bad about not starting now. We do PJs on Christmas Eve too, I think it’s a lovely tradition. Kids are so excited on Christmas Eve they really don’t need a box of stuff to enjoy the moment. I’m sure your little boy will have a brilliant day!

Did they say “ghastly Americans”?

All of us who were children in the 70s, 80s and 90s managed to survive without a "christmas eve box".

I’ve only read about it on here. I’ve never known anyone who does this or does that Christmas doll thing.

My DD is nearly a teen and a few years ago she wanted a Christmas Eve box, she kept going on about it and how magical they are, on and on about it.

So i did her a box, she was about 8 and to be honest she was so underwhelmed and ungrateful. There wasnt expensive stuff in there but some thoughtful gifts, her favourite sweets, biscuits, some cheap make up, and other bits and after New Year when clearing her bedroom i found the box with the sweets and biscuits open and discarded and welded to the box. I was so annoyed i threw it and the contents away. (it was only edible stuff in the box)

As she was so ungrateful i have never done another one since.

Mine (12 and 10) have never had one or asked for one. No Elf either.

they do usually get new PJs for Christmas but not until Christmas morning (obviously) and not Christmassy ones.

some families I know do the whole matching Christmas pyjamas thing every year. And their kids are growing so that’s five new specific lots of festive themed pyjamas - which they don’t wear come January - every year. A batshit amount of waste.

I haven’t bothered. I have done stockings and presents under the tree, if I start doing Christmas Eve presents where will it end? Boxing Day boxes and New Year’s Eve?
I survived without that and so will my children.

You’ll only have yourself to blame if your kids get sick from lack of Christmas magic.

It is impossible to jump on every Christmas bandwagon going. It just is. As soon as you get to grips with one, it seems another one is coming along that just 'has' to be done.

People should pick and choose. What do THEY want to do, what is possible for THEM, not what is everyone else doing. So much is performative Christmas, for the Insta and the Tik Tok, so they can feel that everyone is jealous of how much they can provide for their kids.

Mine grew up without all this stuff. To be honest, they grew up without much Christmas at all, we were desperately poor and new charity shop clothes were often a main present, or second hand books. It hasn't held them back one whit, and we have fabulous Christmases now. Not once has any one of them ever said 'd'you know, Christmas would have been so much better if we had new pyjamas on Christmas Eve.'

I felt smug waking up today knowing I didn’t do a “Christmas Eve” box full of tat. My son’s nearly 2 but we won’t be doing elf on the shelf or Christmas Eve boxes. Mostly it’s all for social media anyway.

Start your own traditions. You don’t have to do something just because it looks pretty on instagram.

We watch The Muppets Christmas Carol in our (normal old) PJs and read Twas The Night Before Christmas at bedtime.

I'm not doing boxes. I've never done them. I don't think everyone is doing them, it's just that most people who do them like to brag about being in with the social media trends so you hear more from the ones who do.
We won't have matching pj's either, we all have new pj's but they're to each person's individual likes rather than to gain the right aesthetic for a social media post.

Well that is usually the intent of these posts.

When my kids were small no one did Xmas Eve boxes. I just read an extra bedtime story to each DC after a warm bath and warm milk in hope of relaxing them to sleep.

My DC are not getting Christmas Eve boxes and never have. They had Christmas pyjamas and a bath bomb each last night as I’m too busy today to be doing bath night on Christmas Eve. Most people I know did 1st December boxes this year instead (I don’t do those either). I doubt your DS will even notice? Can you just have a hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie this evening instead, that will be just as nice.

What is a Christmas Eve box?!