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??

Nope. Not here.

Advent calendar gpes up on Thursday.

We'll put decorations and tree up Saturday afternoon as DS would like them up before his birthday (next week) and we might be going away Wed-Sun, otherwise it'd be the weekend after that (17th?). He is 6yo, only young once.

The town lights are up, he'll be doing stuff at school, he is going to a storytime-games-crafts thing Saturday morning based on the Gingerbread Boy - all this stuff on the theme of Christmas. For a month. It is enough.

We do a thing on Christmas Eve and family lunch. Christmas Day just us 3, lots of dog walking on the beach; then a big meal with friends 26th as it is an important day here. The 5th/6th January is also huge with the arrival of the Three Kings (one in a taxi, one in a car, one on his scooter beeping his hooter, travelling from afar

Back to school Monday 8/9th or whatever date. So Christmas lasts the full 12 days after 24th, not 24/25/26+chuck the tree.

No but I plan to put out the advent calendars (traditional picture ones to my kids chagrin), we are going to put up our outdoor lights and I will bring up the Christmas book basket.....so it begins

Quite right.
The Christmas Box is new to me ( children all grown up and no grandchildren) but I think that some of the ideas are lovely.
I saw a lovely red blanket somewhere and thought I might buy it for DD's bed for when she comes home. She is coming South to North and is always cold. She leaves her Christmas PJs here so I could make her bed all Christmassy this year and she will be a bit sad as her dad won't be here because he is working all Christmas and New Year so she won't see him. I might get the sewing machine out and make her a cushion too. A new hottie wouldn't go amiss either.

Quite right was for The Queen!
I see others have posted since...busy early morning on here. I 'm still in my cosy bed as it is my day off. Lovely to wake early and know you don't have to get up. Will put the Teasmade( Chritmas present from son 1 years ago) on shortly.

Is this consumerism gone mad??

Yes.

Yes. I need to go up to the loft this evening to get down the DC's Xmas mugs & plates. After they've gone to bed on Thursday, I'll lay the table for breakfast with those and put the advent calendars at their places along with their Xmas PJs. Neither of my DC (8 & 5) sleep under the covers so most years I go into their room once they're asleep & put the Xmas duvets on. The latter in particular is completely unnecessary and DH looks at me as though I'm mad when I say I'm off to do it but DC2 is already speculating whether the Elves will come & check where he lives and put his bedding on. DC1 is looking very sceptical but she is (finally) questioning the who Father Christmas thing. I never told the DC about the Elves. They have made that bit up for themselves.

Does anybody know the possible origins of the Dec 1st box? Somebody mentioned it was based on traditions outside the UK I think. Just out of interest.

I think I can work out Father Time more or less; the old tradition of giving new year presents, plus the great significance of that character at the beginning of a new year. Do correct me if I’m wrong.

I fail to understand why people start shouting "consumerism gone mad" because people put things in a box. Boxes are generally free with pairs of shoes or things you buy online. The contents of the box are things we have anyway.

Fair enough if you don't have an advent calendar, put up Christmas decorations, read advent books etc, but the people I know who do boxes tend to be the ones who made do and mend, and reuse things from year to year and prefer tradition and celebration to new stuff.

The advent calendars in our box are 10 and 24 years old respectively. I really don't think that's excessive consumerism.

I was talking about this with my niece. Xmas eve boxes are the ‘thing’ but yeah then Xmas pjs or top have a limited life. If they get them 1/12 with their advent then it’s a whole month build up

Dd got her Xmas blanket last night as I am weak haha

I actually quite like this idea. Especially as pp mentioned, things like Christmas pyjamas will only get worn once maybe twice before they're put away. At least by giving them at the beginning of the month they can get a few wears out of them.

I didn’t think it had origins other than people getting their Christmas stuff out for advent, it’s not a big leap from there to adding new thins you might buy later in the month anyway, or buying things especially for it to make it “special”

Christmas is commercial - and if you buy special food, decorations, gifts, anything seasonal, you are taking part in that. The good news is you can do it however you want and so can everyone else.

Due to inclination (and money) the things I choose to do to mark the season are mainly free or inexpensive. It doesn’t bother me if some people go bigger, as long as they can afford it and don’t feel external pressure to do so it does no harm.

Especially as pp mentioned, things like Christmas pyjamas will only get worn once maybe twice before they're put away. At least by giving them at the beginning of the month they can get a few wears out of them.
But that is still a bit of a waste to only wear a few times then put away, and they’re not likely to fit the following year. Don’t people wear them beyond Christmas.

We won't be doing any boxes in our house, although I am the biggest Christmas fan going. My worry would be that too many presents etc will take away some of the magic and make the pressies on Christmas day not so special. I already feel like my dd gets given too much and the gratitude and excitement of opening presents starts to wear off about three quarters of the way through the huge pile of gifts on Christmas day.

We do other things in the run up to Christmas - advent calendars obviously (a chocolate one and a traditional picture one), I've bought a few christmas craft bits for her to make from Wilko (making christmas trees and paper chains etc). We get out all the Christmas books from the cupboard and read those. There will be plenty of watching Christmas movies and hot chocolate - I've even dragged out my old box set of the 80's BBC version of the Lion the Witch and Wardrobe and we have started watching that which is pretty Christmassy (albeit the special effects are pretty funny now). Her school also do loads in the run up to Christmas - Christmas turkey dinner, visit from Santa, Panto, Carols etc. We saw Santa at Dobbies the other weekend and she got a Sylvanian gift set from him. Then there is the best bit which is decorating the tree and listening to Christmas carols etc. I would like to take her to church but I'm not sure yet (not a regular so I feel a bit funny about it). I honestly think on top of all of that I really think boxes of extra presents is too much. But each to their own.

She did ask for an elf on the shelf but after the massive hassle we have had because of the poxy Fairy Door in her bedroom (don't do it!!!!) I said no. That elf can sod right off. Bah humbug.

But that is still a bit of a waste to only wear a few times then put away, and they’re not likely to fit the following year. Don’t people wear them beyond Christmas.

Oh I agree, I don't tend to buy Christmas themed pyjamas as I feel it's a waste. I know you can technically wear them when ever but I'd rather buy some cosy winter pyjamas to see them through till spring instead rather than specifically Christmas themed ones.

We're not doing any sort of boxes this year anyway.

My kids wear things as long as they fit them anyway regardless of what’s on them.

Yes, I always do. I put in the box things that the DC will be getting anyway. So I don't buy things specifically for the box, I just sort of use the box as a receptacle for what they would get in the run up to Christmas. In it goes:

Christmas PJs (so that they get proper wear out of them)
Christmas jumpers
Advent calendars
Christmas themed bath bombs
Books - these are not brand new
Plates and cups - not brand new either
Christmas songs CD - again, not brand new
Christmas craft kit
Santa lego set (just need to pick it up from Argos)

I love this idea!!

So much stuff! I think it's bonkers. What excitement is there for Christmas Day presents for kids getting stuff every day from 1st Dec then another box of toot Xmas eve?

The obsession with bath bombs and got chocolate is weird.

hot bloody chocolate

I'm afraid we buy hot chocolate as part of the Christmas grocery shop, something different from what we'd usually drink in winter, usually one of the Whittard's hot chocolates (creme brulee or similar).

Bath bombs, no!

I’ve never seen a bath bomb but hot hot chocolate has always been a thing hasn’t it? My kids love making it and we’re so obsessed with it it’s in the house year round. But then they’re not coffee drinkers.

I don't get the negativity around it. It's just the same as some parents buy loads of presents for Christmas and some don't

I love Christmas and want to make it special for my dc. Christmas for us starts the 1st December until new year. I'm doing a 1st December box with all the little things I would have bought through December anyway along with some of last years books etc.

God forbid we actually enjoy doing something nice for our dc when they should be greatful for a tangerine and wooden spoon.

I don’t have DC (yet - fingers crossed I’ll at least be pregnant by next Xmas!) but tomorrow night, I’m going to put some party food in the oven, light a few Christmassy candles and curl up under a blanket with DP to watch Die Hard or A Very Murray Christmas. I’ll pick up some nice festive bath bombs (the Christmas Jumper one is gorgeous) and make everything a bit Hygge and cosy. It’s not rampant consumerism, just a nice way of kicking off the festive season!

For Christmas Eve I’m with a lot family so my Christmas tendencies have to be tamped down a bit, but I’ve got some lovely recipes and we’ll go out for a long walk.