Anyone doing a 1st December box??

[Peopleplease]

Instead of a Christmas Eve box I decided to do a 1st December box.

A lot of it is stuff I already have (Santa duvet, plate & cup, books)

I’ve got some new books, new pjs, an advent calendar. I Bought her a little activity book but I can’t find it!

Anyone else doing anything like this??

I didn't realise a Christmas Eve box was a "thing".
DS is going to get an advent Calendar on the 1st when he comes from his Dad's & we will do the tree. No presents till Xmas day.
I do however like the idea of Xmas pyjamas he can wear for the "season"

There’s a wonderful line in Cabin Pressure when someone mentions Secret Santa and Carolyn says: “ What fresh hell is this?”

That was very much my response to the title of this thread

We have a tree for her room too.

I still can’t find the activity book!

No. Advent calendars will come out but that's it. It's too much for DS (almost 5) to deal with, having Christmas shoved down his throat for a month every time we go near shops, on tv, at school with nativity play prep, making things for the christmas fayre etc. Last year he couldn't settle for the whole month and it was exhausting for him, and his behaviour suffered.

So, no.

When mine were little the CEH was a winding down present.
We went for a walk and the "Elves" left the boxes for them.

Bath, bath bomb, new PJs , hot chocolate and a pack of mini biscuits.

Not loads of extra presents (they need pjs anyway) but just something to look forward to for the evening

Nope. We do advent calendar then presents on the 25th.

I will dig out the Christmas books at some point. And I bought Home Alone for December but ended up giving it in October when the DC were poorly and miserable and needed a new film.

DS2 has been wearing elf pajamas since October because that's when he needed new ones and those are what he chose.

We bought new decorations yesterday but they won't go up til the 16th.

Yes! We are newly(ish) back to the U.K... No new house yet so I bought nice thick pjs and new school requires a Christmas jumper. Plus they don't really have any warm festive clothes . So I have bought Super tacky Santa laundry bins from eBay/Amazon and will fill with advent calendar, glitter shaker cups from Tiger, Christmas place mat, musical Christmas jumpers (from eBay and bought big!) , Christmas pjs and hats and socks. I have Christmas bedding for all of us and am hoping to watch Elf (can't buy on iTunes, we boycott sky -Murdoch- but looks like Prime has it).
I have bought Gold and silver spray and ribbons and am planning on buying a real tree and just hanging sprayed salt dough decorations up on it. Plus I have fairy lights for everywhere.
I am hoping it will make Christmas in our little rented house feel special rather than squished. And means party wear gets a bit more use!

The Only that was my first thought too!
I thank God at this time of year that my dc grew up before all the Elf on the Shelf, Christmas Eve box shite. I can't believe there's a new fresh hell 'a 1st December box'
Friday marks the beginning of Advent ffs, Christmas is not for another 24 days. Are dc these days not satisfied with an advent calendar for, you know, the advent season? By the time they've had presents for 1st December, a Christmas Eve box and whatever other madness in the run up to Christmas, the joy and magic of Christmas Day must be lost. It's all too 'try hard' imo. Take away the 1st December ridiculousness, the Christmas Eve forced family photo event and I think children would appreciate Christmas Day far more.

I don't know about losing the joy and magic. We won't have much time for all the "stuff" closer to Christmas.
We'll be seeing neighbours and going to the crib service on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day town run(!) and then over to my folks and Boxing Day is Christmas Day at my in laws (DSiL is a medic and working Xmas day).
So the children won't have that much time at ours to feel festive on the actual official days.
I honestly think it is just personal choice. Friends in Singapore have been putting up trees for weeks. I used to love reading in the Chalet School about the tree going up on Christmas Eve but the kids are desperate to have a real tree and I'm quite excited too.
As long as people aren't chasing you around with mince pies whilst chanting jingle bells, I reckon each to their own.

We don't do a box either, but it does mark the proper countdown to Christmas (I refuse to do anything Christmassy until Dec) and same as other posters, I use it as a chance to get the (reusable) advent calendars out (we have a wooden house which i put chocs in and a felt one which is just visual).

We also have a bunch of Christmas books which I get out, by the weekend I will do some decorating (but not the real tree which we will get about 1 week/10 days before xmas day).

I have been feeling a bit grinchy/judgy about my facebook/instagram being so full of Christmas stuff before we are even into December - I have seen Christmas trees fully up, gingerbread houses being decorated, kids in Christmas PJs in front of the tree etc etc

As for Christmas PJs I always try to buy festive looking but not obviously santas/christmas themed so they don't look totally out of place being used through the rest of winter.

Yep, we do instead of Christmas Eve box, again so things can get some use. The elf brings it.

This year's has:
Home Alone 2
Reindeer hot water bottle
PJs and bedsocks
Christmas lego
Christmas dot to dot and maze books
Christmas t-shirt (won't wear jumpers)

The Christmas bedding will go on and trees will go up on 1st December too.

Yep I do. I bring out all the Christmas books, films and puzzles that I have collected over the years. I also have Christmas crafty bits and bobs to be used all over the Christmas period. I put up the advent calender and I've just got some Christmas bedding which will go on my ds bed on the 1st. I love spreading Christmas throughout the month rather than it all being crammed into one week

Not a box, but we get out the Christmas bedding, mugs, teatowels, books and DVDs plus Advent Calendars. Maybe crafty bits such as paperchains. I usually get started on a new Christmas jigsaw too. Oh and crack open the sloe gin.

Won't be in a box but I will present it all in a little pile of the 1st. It will be the advent calendars, an advent candle, all the Christmas books and dvds (a couple are new) and a letter to santa set which we will do that day. Get more use out of the books that way.
Then on Christmas Eve in a box will be the night before Christmas book, new pjs, reindeer food which we will hopefully have made at some point, the stockings and stuff for a nice hot chocolate, possibly one of those marshmallow toasting kits.
It sounds a lot but it is all stuff I would have bought anyway or we already have.

Oh and DS still wears his Christmas pjs from last year before anyone laments the buying of pajamas for just one night

What the fuck..is thing a thing? Is this expected like a stocking...I thought it was a Christmas Eve box..not done that...or the creepy toy on the shelf,not done that either..is it not enough they get Xmas presents on Xmas day....they now need things to get them through Dec??isnt a advent calendar enough ? As if parents haven't got enough to do...

I’m not even sure what Christmas Eve boxes are - I keep seeing them mentioned on here but never encountered the concept in real life! Have I missed a memo? Is everyone doing it? Is it basically extra, early presents? Feel like I’m missing something....

DS1's birthday is December 1st and we start on the constant stream of mince pies then, instead of the much despised (by him) cake. He used to get the lego advent calender for his birthday but is all grown out of that, now.

And I started a new tradition, last year, of giving DN the M&S beauty advent calender instead of the predictable Christmas cash. She enjoyed it last year, so it's sticking.

I've yet to buy a single Christmas present, but we're moving house next week, so have a good excuse for holding back!

The patch - i did Christmas eve boxes with the boys, when they were little. Mine were just new, slightly seasonal, jammies, so they weren't wearing something full of holes of stained with biro for Christmas morning photos, but some people add in nice things like hot chocolate or a DVD to watch before bed - it's a good way of making sure the kids are occupied, if you're going to be busy! It's also a nice thing to do if you're spreading yourself around various relatives over the Christmas season (we don't have a big family, so doesn't apply to us!)

We don't do a box exactly but usually get all the old stuff out, christmasy cds, dvds, decos etc even if they don't all go up. We have read a new christmasy chapter book during advent the last couple of years so that has become a 'thing', the elf (cuddly toy one) usually makes an appearance etc. I love it - the day when we decorate is usually my best christmasy day of them all actually.

I can understand doing the PJs on the 1st but our elf usually leaves them wrapped in tissue paper on their bed on Christmas eve before disappearing off to the north pole - also my dc don't care and wear them all year

I suppose so, but it's more a case of getting out a box of Christmas Stuff from the loft!

They get an advent calendar each on the 1st (Lego one & are told it's part of their Christmas presents from us). Then at some point during the first week I'll get the box of Christmas stuff out if the loft - Christmas books to read, Christmas craft bits & pieces and other random bits. Oh, and cheap Christmas cards from last year so they can start writing their classmates cards!

None of it is “expected” / you do what works for you and it’s all lovely and about anticipation and having fun!

I know loads of people who do the elf shelf business but I don’t feel compelled to do it.

The magic is in making your own traditions, whatever they are, and doesn’t have to be about spending money at all.

I do think in general, not criticising anyone here, some things seem to have got over the top but I think it’s largely because of social media, no one used to know what anyone got up to in the build up!

The thing that annoys me a bit is the pushing of it at school - my kids wrote Santa letters and had a visit this week - so early and even my ds said “why would Santa be visiting a School now? It’s ages till Christmas! I think it’s a man dressed up” So I do think that dilutes it a bit.

No, just advent calendar. Though Sinterklaas is visiting next week (shoes put out and receive chocolate letters, tiny gifts etc) then we celebrate winter solstice later in the month, and finally Christmas itself.

Our kids put shoes/slippers out on new years eve too for father time to leave something, this is a tradition from dp's family.

A Christmas box? Seriously?? Is this consumerism gone mad??