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?

It certainly doesn’t ruin it here. Best friends dd has birthday after Xmas so I start with her present and a cake for her.
We swap gifts for kids, have something to eat and then ‘box’ appears.
It’s a great way to pass xmas eve, celebrate friends DD birthday and Christmas all in one.

Plus as the kids never ‘expect’ anything it’s always fun watching them doing whatever we’ve decided to do.

Nope, don't do them here. Seemed to become a "thing" around my son's first Xmas.. ..hes 6 now.

I do wrap up PJs for the kids (nice normal pjs that they are bought every winter anyway. Love the Asda triple packs, sees them through the year!) and they magically appear under the tree whilst they eat dinner.

Don't do boxes, movies are watched sporadically. Some Xmas eve we do, someone haven't. My husband is usually working and I'm busy prepping for tomorrow so the kids just carry on as they do every day with a bit more excitement.

By the time 6pm rocks around I'm gagging for wine and a sit down so we usually open the pjs, have a shower and get kids to bed earlier than usual then hubby and I drink and wrap gifts.

I can see why some families like them, and each to their own but I prefer minimal "traditions" as I dont want to spend my life a slave to them.

they’ll get pyjamas in their stockings

And these pyjamas...brought by elves? Or you bought them in a shop? Same thing, same spending, different day. My kids don’t get anything one item as expensive as pyjamas in their stockings. But I’m a slave to consumerist nonsense and you are staggered.

My kids are young enough to grow out of pyjamas regularly, yes, and have more than one pair as we like to wash them occasionally. When they don’t need pyjamas I get them socks or just the bubble bath and new toothbrush.

I used to give the kids a bath bomb on the hopes that a relaxing bath would help them sleep. Never worked but at least they were all clean

But enjoyment on Christmas Eve then becomes about what's been bought for the kids. Some of what people describe does sound nice and I bet your dc's love it, but I personally don't like the ever growing emphasis on 'stuff' rather than just being or doing. I bet all the dcs would have just as much fun and excitement if parents hadn't started the whole Christmas box stuff.

There is enough 'stuff' on Christmas Day without adding to the expectation that happiness comes from what you'll find in a box.

Christmas Eve is so special anyway - all that anticipation, it's almost better than the actual day.

It doesn't need a neon saying over it saying SPECIAL, which is what I feel that boxes and dvds and plates and pyjamas do.

Just calm the fuck down. It's Christmas, not the last days of the Raj.

sign over it

I'm 28 years old and my mum bought me new Christmas PJ's until I was in my early 20s, given on Xmas Eve.

Why does it matter what pyjamas you wear?

Santa still comes, right?

We don't do anything like this but in some ways it might be a handy reminder to buy pjs once a year [looks at old pj's and ds'so drafty ankles]

I wish I could get mine to wear pjs. They sleep naked

Our children love putting the plate out for Santa and the reindeer. It isn't about trying to make it more special, it's just something that is nice to do and they enjoy doing (we make the mince pies earlier in the day too; another - probably unnecessary - tradition in our house).

I heard if it's not on a santa plate Father Christmas shits in your log basket

We don't do xmas eve boxes as such but we all get new jammas & a nice film to snuggle up to on xmas eve.
I like the idea of having a lazy family night before the big rush the next day. So this is perfect for us. As a child we did something very similar

Why do we have to find more ways of giving stuff/spending money at Xmas? People should try to find simple, non materialistic ways of enjoying their time.

alexa you are making me chuckle....
I never got the new pjs for Christmas thing for the photos on Christmas day. Do your relatives really look at photos of grandchildren/nieces/nephews joyfully opening gifts on Christmas day and tut saying" God, the state of those pyjamas! That's ruined Christmas for me that has"
And if ours did get new pyjamas as a gift from someone it was an under the tree gift, not an extra or stocking filler. Mind you , we never had money to spare so that's probably why. Likewise, bath bombs were gifts - not extras.

What fresh hell is this? Have never heard of it. How do people have time and money to do all of this? The planet weeps, people. You make memories with your time, love and imagination, not another box of stuff.

Gosh, I sound like a miserable old Scrooge. A happy Christmas to you all, however you do it x

I'm lucky if I get a picture of a clothed child opening a Christmas present.

alexa

Honestly by 7pm my ideal Christmas Eve is me, the sofa and a bottle of white wine.

I'm not going to be watching Muppets Christmas Carol with the kids whilst drinking hot chocolate.

Fuck that shit

I think you’ll be entertaining the ghost of Jacob Marley on Christmas Eve this year with that attitude alexa.

what is the obsession on MN with pyjamas? they seem to be crucial to a successful Christmas....

It's the bath bombs I don't understand. Do kids like them? My niece, the youngest in our family, has preferred showers since she was two, when her parents were renovating and there was no bathtub, just a shower. I guess I'm out of the loop on the bath part.

Yes, thank you mac12 this year I’m going to do the love time and imagination thing instead! Oh wait I already do that, so I’ll just withhold the Matey and new pyjamas and the whole thing won’t be ruined?!

Oh no! Is the ghost of Christmas past going to come and show me the error of my ways?

Will he deliver matching Christmas pjs to my kids and force them to wear them?!

Argh is he going to plant an Elf on the Fucking Shelf too? In various "hilarious" poses?

I don't think ours would go for a bath bomb. I'm not buying one to find out either! I don't really get that bit either really, but each to their own.