Christmas Eve hampers

[HaveTeaWillSurvive]

DS will be 2.5 this year and so I'm starting on 'our' Christmas traditions one of which will be the Christmas Eve hamper. Love the idea of this and I'd like to get a hamper which will last the years and become something he can keep. Anyone have any suggestions?

Also what do you put in yours? So far I've got pyjamas, book, toothbrush and Xmas socks on the list.

Cheers

We have a gift from the elves every year. It comes in a nice bag and is left on the doorstep. Ours tend to have pjs, new Christmas mug, some ingredients for hot chocolate....some nice bath stuff/bubbles and flannel in addition to a tiny toy.

I bought a Christmas decoration storage box from dunhelm. It is cardboard but it's strong as designed for storage. It has snowmen on it. For me, the hamper is all about keeping the family busy in the most festive way possible. We have our Christmas jumpers in there (last year's for me and DH, new for dd), new pj's, a bath bomb, a dvd, a bedtime story, cookie making kit and tickets for the panto that afternoon. l can't wait!

Ours are -
Pjs
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Hot choc cone
Biccies
Sweets
Dvd
book

And dd has a mini dreamlite and a snackeez?? And ds has a lego torch light and a snackeez??

I'm starting this this Year too

My dc are 6, 5 and 18 months atm

I'm gonna order a nice big wicker basket seen some online for £10-15

Inside I plan to put -
Pj's
Dvd
Popcorn or biscuits
Hot chocolate stuff

Watching this thread for more ideas

Love the idea of a xmas hamper. Might do an adult one for me and dp.

We have done this for the last 4 years or so, this year I will be putting in:

Christmas PJs
Bath bombs from LUSH
Christmas book
Hot chocolate
Reindeer food
Our 'magic' FC key
Christmas sweets from Harrods

Might do a DVD too but we have so many Christmassy ones already I think am running out of options there.

We do ours on the 1st Dec so we get more use out of the stuff, Christmas Eve is always very busy. It's a wicker basket, I put the Christmas mugs, teatowels, pack of paperchains, Christmas books and activity books, a jigsaw etc in it. It all gets packed away with the decorations for next year. The only thing I buy new each year is a DVD. Also Christmas bedding goes on beds on 1st Dec and Christmas music gets loaded onto Ipods. It's from me, definitely no elf involvement.

Ours is just a cardboard box but lined with tissue paper and wrapped in Xmas paper. Sometimes I put fairy battery lights in. Ours is for the whole family. It appears around 6pm Xmas eve in front of the fire, usually when we get in from visiting friends. It contains...

Xmas bubble bath
Xmas book or Xmas themed kids magazines
New pjs for kids
Treats and fizzy pop for kids (don't normally have fizz)
Special bottle of fizz for adults
Treats for me and dh
Hot choc and special mug
Reindeer food

Almost all of it is stuff I buy anyway in the weekly shop so doesn't actually cost any more apart from pjs.
It's the highlight of my kids Xmas believe it or not! We've done it for several years now and dds love it.

Not actually done one before but going to do one this year for my 12 year old while she still believes in santa! Its going to include
. Pyjamas
. New dressing gown
. Slipper socks
. Bath bomb from lush
. Christmas activity pack for the day
. Christmas DVD
. Hot chocolate pack
. Snacks for with the dvd
. Christmas book
. Magazine
Going to wrap it in a christmas gift box I have saw lots of them in the card factory.

We take out Christmas mugs and stuff earlier in Dec. and most of the Christmas books and DVDs.

Christmas Eve hamper comes out after dinner, lighting the Christmas candle and having a few moments thinking back on the good and bad things during the year, and putting out stocking and snack for Santa and the reindeer.

It's a cardboard storage box and holds
New pjs for DH, dd and I
Slipper socks for dd and I
Lush bath bomb for dd and I, perhaps a nice shower gel for DH
Hot choc each (I usually ge the block of choc on a woooden spoon type , smarties or plain for dd, chilli and orange for DH and either amaretto or dark choc for me)
Our copy of "'Twas the night before Christmas"

The idea is that dd goes straight up to the bath at that stage gets her hot choc in pjs afterwards, and we always read that book in bed on Christmas Eve. I get my bath later if I am lucky, or else over the next few days.

I found the problem with the pjs was that we were accumulating too many of them and they hardly get worn, DS only wears them for sleepovers, I only wear them on the very coldest nights, and DD gets attached to them and makes them last several years. Same with slipper socks etc, they just don't get used enough. DS and DH don't drink hot chocolate and both DCs refuse point blank to have a bath on Christmas Eve (baths are a chore not a pleasure now they are a bit older - 10 and 8). 1st Dec hamper definitely better for us.

I only buy dds pjs not us and as they're growing, pjs only last one season before being outgrown.

Thanks everyone, I'm off to look for a wicker basket I think, although maybe a big Christmas box would be more festive - decisions, decisions...

Lots of great ideas for filling it too - problem will be keeping things back for the stocking