Christmas eve hampers

[attheendoftheday]

Inspired by the christmas traditions thread, I want to do a christmas eve hamper for the dds this year. They're still little (2.7 and 10 months at christmas), what can I put in? I definitely want a dvd to put on - any recommendations? Also things to tempt dd1 into her bath, is she too little for a bath bomb do you think? I don't think she'll find new pyjamas very exciting.

Any advice gratefully received.

And yes, I know it's July, before anyone points it out!

LOVE this idea I do PJ's on x mas eve. They get socks & fancy pants in stockings as well as other small toys sweets etc. But the hamper is an amazing idea :D

Those of you putting bubble bath in hampers, do you put a Christmassy theme bubbles in or just a nice bybble bath, my little boy gets a bit of eczema so I have to be careful what goes in his bath... do matey do a Christmas bubble bath?

Oh blitzy I'm so sorry.

Bloody hell you guys really go to a lot of trouble with the hampers and PJs and stuff. Where the feck do you find the time, and money, to do what is in fact two Christmas days?

Not two Christmas days at all ime.

Doesn't cost much

Pjs are about £5 each
Decoration £1 each
Christmas book £? Not much get it 2nd hand
DVD £ as above
Sweets / popcorn / coins - would get them in stocking anyways
Reindeer food £0.50? Oats and glitter

Takes about 5 minutes to put in basket. Buy stuff when in supermarket so no need for extra time.

I only put stuff in id buy for him anyway, just makes it a little more exciting being presented from the elf in a hamper and he appreciates it instead of it being an item that just appears for him.... I don't care what others think Christmas is fun and magical and I love it, there is always the other 363 days of the year to be boring

Quite right demented all this fuss about one day.
Wasting money on frivolities like PJs and a warm drink on Christmas eve!
I think we should all take down the tree on boxing day.

Not.

pjs - 1.75 reduced in morrisons 1.75 and 3.00 reduced in peacocks

dvd - 1.25 off amazon

key 99p ( recycling last years)

hot choc sachets however many for a £1

I have to agree that if it started to get about the 10-15 pound mark i wouldnt do it. but i like the calm of all cosying up in new stuff with a dvd.

BankerMommy2010 Last year Lush had some star wands for kids that you let them dip in the bath while they're in it and swirl around. You dry it off afterwards and can use it a few times. My dd1 is allergic to all sorts of washing powders and stuff and she was fine with it. I'd be going for something like that (though I'm not putting any bath stuff in)

Our box will consist of:

Pyjamas for everyone (would buy for me & the kids anyway and Dh's were £5)
Slippers for Dh & I (would get these anyway and they were only £3.50 each)
Might get slippers for the kids if I see really cheap ones that they might actually wear
Kir Royal (would buy anyway)
Drinks for kids (would be getting anyway)
Toothbrushes (buy anyway)
Xmas book £1.50
Xmas DVD under £3
Santa key (comes out every year)
Packet of popcorn £1
Sweets (quite possibly a tin that my parents buy us)
Reindeer food (doesn't cost anything - usually a handful of oats and some glitter or I might ask a friend for a small bit of hay)

All packed into a box (free) wrapped with leftover Xmas paper

Oh the lush wand thing looks great.

I will look in lush, altho the smell of that place is so overpowering :(

Wasn't a criticism, just impressed at your organisational skills. We don't do presents on Christmas eve as well as Christmas day here, but each to their own. Enjoy!

Oh. I think it's just a way of marking Christmas eve dementedma.
Most ppl (I think ) put out something for FC and make it all cosy. There's very little additional expense and i don't think it will be much effort .
But then I only have two small DCs. Perhaps it would be a hassle if there we more or they were older?
Shall I pick you up a box?

We don't do it on Christmas Eve as I think there's enough going on then, we do it on the 1st Dec so we get a month's use out of the pjs, mugs, DVD etc, plus it marks the start of the celebrations along with getting out the advent calender. We don't get an elf to deliver, just me.

Ooh. 1 December sounds good. Tie it all in with the Adevent.

DH losing interest now (grumpy old git) so I shall be alone in sorting this.

Bugger. I'm going to have to do an Advent box, (PJs, christmas book...) contained within which is a Christmas Eve box (sweets, bath "wand", reindeer food...).

We don't do bath stuff or reindeer food in our 1st Dec one, but the DCs usually get a bath bomb in their stocking. Their treat on Christmas Eve is to not have a bath! We make mince pies for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve and put that out with a carrot and a drink.

I tried the PJs on Christmas Eve once, but they only wore them once, didn't want to wear them after Christmas and outgrew them by the next year so that was a waste.

Good point whoknowswherethetimegoes.
I do make mince pies. Christmas eve would be a good time to replenish as DH usually eats them all before they've cooled down from the oven.

I'm starting to see my Christmas plan coming together.

We need pjs anyway, and slipper socks are extremely useful in winter too. I would buy DD bath stuff regularly anyway, but a special bomb for Christmas eve is not that expensive but persuades her into the bath (where playing with the water calms her and the lavender in the bomb persuades her to head to sleep!!). And 1 for me is a nice treat for the hols. Hot choc we buy anyway. And the book is the 1 I bought for DD's 1st Christmas, it just gets pulled out for the 1st reading of the Season on Christmas Eve every year. The box is a decent cardboard storage box that I keep larger decorating items in during the year - that are on display over Christmas!!

It probably costs me ?100 in total - but it's only ?10 or so more than I would spend in any event. I usually buy good PJs (eg. M&S) as they will be well worn for months. And I will look out for all bits as I see special offers over the autumn (I work near a major shopping street so do get to pop in for a quick look as I pass regularly).

DD can react to some bath products (we tend to use lots of E45 and the like, but she's ok with Original Source, M&S Lavendar and Lush products too).

Thanks for the tips about tkmaxx and lush.

BTW we don't get xmassy pjs, just nice ones, so they are used all year round

The Lush Star Wands are lovely, DD had one . They last a couple of baths too.

I don't put the Lush goodies in the CEH though, everything would smell of it.
It goes in a cellophane bag on the side.

Primark had fleece PJ / flannel PJ (not sure if the festive ones are in yet. I don't buy festive for my DS, camoflague or bugs)

It'd be great if I could get a lush thing (especially like the sound of the lavender robot!) my DS has nasty eczema so can't usually use fun stuff like that.

I'm thinking of doing a CEH for DS this year as he struggles to settle on Christmas Eve and we usually end up with at least one meltdown (AS). He suffers with eczema so I went into LUSH to ask what they suggested. They are getting a load of new stock in October including Christmassy stuff and I was advised to get a snowman made from the same ingredients as the butter balls!

I'd imagine a solid oil block would be good for very dry skin, assuming the "perfume" wasn't an irritant. Maybe ask them. I'd also email Lush with these questions so you get their HO response rather than their shop floor advice (lovely though they are)

Asan aside, DS is fanatical about satsumas and apples so his stocking's gonna be a real winner!