Christmas Eve box. What goes in them?

[singadream]

I don’t want to put pyjamas on as I like my kids to wear their Christmas pyjamas all of December. But I love the idea of a little box.

My kids will be 2, 5, 7.

So far I have a Christmassy jigsaw, a Christmassy book, a Christmas sound generator (like a fart machine but Christmassy sounds) and a small bag of chocolate coins each.

That is all to share btw, except the coins as they can have a bag each.

We don’t have a D.C. player - we just watch through the tv.

Any other ideas please?

In ours:

PJs
Christmassy book each
Christmas cookies
Christmas tree decoration each
Plate, key, bell from previous years
Milkshake straws
Reindeer food

In not on. Oops

Dvd not D.C sigh

Love the idea of a decoration. They can then add to the tree!

Our Christmas elf brings an advent hamper with him on the last day of November. In it is a wooden advent slender with chocolates inside each drawer. New pyjamas for both kids. Christmas books, some fun bath stuff like squirty foam, a small gift each. Basically silly fun stuff.

They are too little for hot choc but that's always a good filler and I like the Christmas decoration idea too.

*calender

In our family, it's not really put about presents, but about making the stuff that you do on Christmas Eve seem a little bit more fun.

So start with what you already do and work from there.

In ours we have stuff for bedtime and getting ready for Father Christmas. So pyjamas, stockings, bath bombs, bedtime story, goodbye letter from the elf, stationery for writing thank you letters.

If you start by thinking about what you already do and anything that you want to do in the future then the stuff you include in your box will be part of a meaningful tradition rather than just stuff for the sake of stuff.

Our box is produced coming up to bedtime, so that influences what is in it (not activity based for earlier in the day).

It has:
(The new pjs for all the family - I see you want those earlier in Dec - some years DDs are Christmassy, others they are not).

Festive lush bath bomb each for DD and I (she uses hers on 24th, I use mine when I get time to unwind over Christmas season)
Nice hot choc each (a lump of chocolate on a wooden spoon to melt into hot milk - usually different flavours to suit our different tastes).
DD's stocking (not new)
the family copy of Twas the Night before Christmas (bedtime story, not new)
Plastic Santa glass and plate for Santa's snack (not new)
DD's hot water bottle in festive cover (Snowman or penguin - neither are new)
Some years, a Christmas beer sneaks its way in for DH

Things like the stocking and book get used every year. The plate, glass and hot water bottle cover have been used all through December, but get put in to come out on Christmas Eve as part of the ritual.

DD lights the Christmas Candle after dinner (an Irish tradition which shows there's room at our inn for weary travelers, always lit by the youngest in the house) and we have a few minutes of reflection on the year just gone, the good and bad, and remember those who have died.

Then we get out the box, DD lays out everything for Santa, and goes up for her bath and new pjs. SHe comes back down for hot choc, and then one of us reads the book to her in bed, snuggled up with her HWB. So it's about preparing for and getting to bed without any hyperness or rows (in theory at least!).

I LOVE the Christmas candle idea. Is it any candle or a specific type?

Also thank you stationary is a very good idea. I was thinking today that I just do this this year (usually I send the thank yous on their behalf).

Traditionally, it is a red pillar candle, that is put lighting in the window (we put it on the hearth in front of the fireplace, as the fire isn't lighting that night). But I think any candle would do, if you are doing it for that reason - just having the family together to light it and saying why, can be lovely.

The stockings (new this year)
Chocolate Santa each
DVD
Christmassy book to read together
Lush bath bombs
Santa key (no fireplace in our new house)
Reindeer dust to sprinkle
Plate to put santa's drink and treat on

Mine are spending most of Christmas Eve with their father so it's mainly focused on bedtime but I would probably put the stockings, the key and the plate in every year. This is the first year I've done this because in previous years my now ex PIL were so sneery and sucked the joy out of it all but now they and their son are not my problem me and the kids can do our own thing

We use an L.E.D candle so that we can can leave it on all night, except we do that on the night of the solstice so it isn't in our Christmas Eve box.

Where did you get the Christmas sound machine from? My two would love something like that.

I actually bought it unused in packaging from a charity shop last week but it says on the packaging that it’s from Wilko

Thanks for that. Il go and have a look and see what they have.

Mine get a Christmas book and pyjamas each then joint they are getting a Christmas DVD , reindeer food and a Christmassy bath bomb .

Pjs, dvd, sachets of hot choc and packet of marshmallows, small choc reindeer, new bauble each with their name and the year on it, cosy winter/Christmas socks