Do you like Christmas Eve boxes?

[lottieandmia22]

I'm not sure whether to do one this year. I kind of feel that present giving should be on Christmas Day. OTOH it's making the most of Christmas perhaps?

Agreed! As if there aren't enough pressures already to spend money! As for Christmas pyjamas??!! Wtf? What a monumental waste of money!

Why are pjs a waste of money? They're not actually Christmas pjs, with a Father Christmas on them, just new pjs, given at Christmas. Every year, 9/10* people I know get pjs at Christmas so why not children, and why not the night before Christmas?!

*based on a totally unscientific poll of asking a few colleagues just now

Bold and asterisks fail.

Maybe in my Christmas Eve box I'll get typing lessons

All traditions are made up. They didn’t emerge with us out of the swamp.

My mum still brings round PJs, slippers and a dressing gown for me to open on Christmas eve - I'm 23.

Nope, we do have gift giving on Christmas day itself though.

All gifts opened on Christmas Day. Mumsnet is the only place I’d ever heard of Christmas Eve boxes

All traditions are made up. They didn’t emerge with us out of the swamp

True..but all the new traditions, like Christmas Eve boxes and Christmas jumper day are just built around consumerism and getting us to spend more. There's no new traditions that don't involve spending money.

Ah, formerbabe, Christmas jumpers absolutely do my fruit!
At least pyjamas can be worn regularly until outgrown. A sweater, to wear to school on one day? It's the height of waste.
I hate them. Children grow so quickly that they never last more than a year, they're made from mainly polyester, destroying the planet, probably by child-labour in Bangladesh and Cambodia etc.
I hate this trend with a passion.

But my children have AS, and have anxiety cannot bear to not take part and be singled out.

haba

I have a nightmare with my ds (no sn) and Christmas jumper day...he absolutely must join in and won't hear of not doing so, but he hates Christmas jumpers. . It's one hell of a dilemma!

I’m not sure - a lot of people that do it are reusing things from past years and giving things they would buy anyway for the season - I would wrap and give them the bubble bath and pyjamas on the day anyway, I moved them to the night before so they can wake up in them and use the bath stuff. Other people do spend more on them and that’s their prerogative, but some people spend money on events, hosting, parties, Netflix...

Christmas trees, decorations, special food, gifts - it all involves spending money, to a greater or lesser extent. We have lots of traditions that do not involve spending money as I’m sure do others. We also have a tradition of buying things for the food bank, or the refuge for e.g at Christmas, that also involves spending.

It's important to them to be like everyone else, isn't it? So quick, salespeople, invent something else to make children anxious and tearful about, and parents to stress over

We avoid a lot of this issue by having no television, but Christmas jumpers are pushed by schools! I know for a fact the attendance dips on non-uniform days, so why do schools push this consumerism?

I think it's mainly thoughtlessness.

Ours is very low key. One box shared between them.
New pyjamas (they need these anyway)
The night before Christmas (same copy every year)
A bath bomb
Some hot chocolate

That's it. So hardly any effort or money spent, but the children really enjoy it and it helps get them ready for bed.

I made my boys a 1st Dec box with some DVDs and chocolates in, also Xmas bedding. I think if you give them that stuff at the start of the month they get more use out of it all

No Christmas eve box here, I think they sound sweet but not something for us, I have enough stuff to do in December! we've always watched Christmas movies like most people in December, they get new Christmas pyjamas at the beginning of December but there's no special opening/putting stuff in a box.

I don’t do a box anymore actually since it gave up last year. I just lay the things out on their beds now for them to find when they go up.

Doesn't it depend on what you are doing on the Eve? We are going to church, then back home for new PJ's after a bath and to snuggle up on the sofa watching a movie (downloaded) with hot chocolate, cream and marshmallows, posh bottle of wine (for DH and I) and a box of chocolates. Our Eve box has all that in it plus reindeer food and a treat for Santa. If we were not staying in I wouldn't do a box.

We've always done new pj's on Christmas Eve. Anyone who is staying at our house on Christmas Eve gets them. (Thank christ that's only ever been two extra people on top of me and the kids and exh) I get them and wrap and label them, and there is always one that says 'to mum, love mum' so I get some too... and I do sort of mock martyr-ish comedy flouncing about it-which has sort of become a tradition in itself

My pair were wearing last night the Xmas sleep suits the elves left them last year. I buy a nice large size and they wear them on an off throughout the year, the sky doesn't fall in if you wear Xmas stuff occasionally outside the season. I don't wrap or box anything, I can barely manage that for Xmas but a small practical gift if a nice thing. My experience from previous years as that DC can get quite overwhelmed quite quickly with gifts so spreading them out is a good thing. Also my DC always seem to be in need of pgs.

Banyan yes when I was a child, we'd go to bed early not wake up for midnight mass, come home and open our presents with hot chocolate. It's the only thing I miss about losing 'God' so now we don't have any real Christmas traditions because mine were all based around religion and none of us have one. I might force the kids to come to a carol service with me for old times sake!

I usually have to work right the way until christmas so most often that means I don't get home to DS until around 6pm on Christmas Eve.

I do a Christmas Eve Box as a gift for all of us to unwrap together. It has PJs in it for everyone, a DVD for us to watch together and a box of chocs/bag of sweets to be shared during the movie.

I love doing it as often I don't feel very christmassy, as I'm just tired from work (and know I've got a long evening of present wrapping ahead of me) so it a) helps me to get in the christmas mood, b)forces me to stop and sit with DS for the film and c) it's lovely to share that extra bit of time just us together before we see all the extended family on xmas day. especially as DS is getting older.

I do however think that a lot of people go really over board with these things though.

I don’t do Christmas Eve boxes, it’s just more unnecessary expense in my opinion of course, nor do I subscribe to the elf nonsense. Lol !! 😀🎄🎄

If the elves actually put together and delivered them I would be 100% on board. As it stands there is too much faff!

Not particularly. Although I always got new pajamas and could open a present after Church on Christmas Eve.

However I had a friend who was Christmas obsessed. She introduced me to the idea last year and I thought I'd give it a go. It went down well and I included something for DH and me but wasn't sure if I would do it every year. Then my friend died in February in a car crash and now, we're going to keep doing as a way of remembering her.

Nope. To me this has become a thing due to FB and those competitive mummies.

My Christmas is better than yours 🤗

We've done it for years but it's nitbing extravagant.

PJs (non Christmassy ones)
A book each
Decoration each
Plate, key, believe bell from previous years.