Christmas Eve boxes 2018

[Smellybears]

Morning all!
I’ve never normally been one for Christmas, so much so that friends call me Scrooge! Anyway, my little one will be 11months and my nephew will be 5months (he’s yet to be born ) so I’m excited this year as it’s their first Christmas. I’ve seen some lovely Christmas Eve boxes that I’m going to buy one each, they’re wooden so can be used each year as part of tradition. My question is though what to fill them with? I’m thinking Christmas pajamas, bibs, a dvd that can be used next year also, a toy, Christmas key and not sure what else.
I’d love to include a nice plate to leave out for Father Christmas, can anyone recommend one please? Had a nosey on eBay and can’t really find any, I’ve found stickers that I stick onto a plate myself but worried these won’t last.
I’m thinking of buying bits now so that it’s not a mad panic closer to the time.
Thank you all for you’re inspiration and expertise!

We got a plate very similar to this. It was 4 years' ago though, so I don't think it's the same one exactly.

All we put in our box (and it's a decorative cardboard box, not wooden) is the stockings, the plate and new pyjamas. I think. (I seem to have wiped it from my memory, helpfully!).

Now I do a 1st December box so they get to wear their Christmas pj's all December and enjoy them and enjoy their DVD too. I used to do the Christmas Eve box, but this works better now.
Just a thought

Oooo now the 1st December box does sound good! Much better idea! Thank you!

And then when they are both old enough, the elf can arrive on 1st December with the box!

In our house, the box has new pjs for everyone (DH, DD and I), lush festive bath bomb for dd and I (maybe a nice shower gel for dh), and a nice hot chocolate mix as the “consumables” (new things needed each year).

It also holds our copy of “‘Twas the night before Christmas” (from dD’s first Christmas and read as bedtime story every year since), DDs plastic Christmas plate and glass for Santa’s treat (we bought a cheap plate, bowl and glass set when she was a toddler and using plastic crockery, and it still comes out for some pets of Christmas) and her stocking to lay out.

We take it out after dinner and after lighting the Christmas candle (a west cork Irish tradition), and it signals getting ready for bed. So dd lays out stocking and Santa’s treat, has her bath, cones back down in new pjs for her hot choc, then snuggles in bed with her story. Even last year at about to turn 12, the story was still important!

I know others though use it as an activity box to keep DCs occupied during the day with coloring books, jigsaw, dvd or something like that in it instead. It depends what might suit your family best.

It's June!

It’s the CHRISTMAS board!! 🤶🤶🤪🤪🎅🎅

@Smellybears you are officially a Scrooge no more, welcome to Christmas

We do 1st December too, I think it enables you to get more use of the stuff. Ours signifies the 'arrival' of Christmas and we also put the tree up after bedtime so DS wakes up on 1st Dec to tree/ advent calendar/ box/ elf. It's almost as good as Christmas itself TBH!

Box has PJs, the year's Christmas jumper, new Christmas DVD, new hot chocolate mug.

Honestly I’m so excited!! Been scouring the internet for sale goodies and having a nosey in the supermarkets too! 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

Flippin eck, advent calendar!!! Perfect! I am defo doing 1st December box. Now it’s whether to do it addressed to the whole family or just the little one

Definitely everyone. My Christmas candle and gin arrives in ours!

Ladypeacock thankyou, decision made, us parents deserve a vodka from Father Christmas! 😂 family box it is!

Good idea to be the stockings in there too fluffy.
I also like the sound of putting the tree up then little one comes down in the morning and the Christmas box is there waiting with lovely decorations up.
A nice Christmas blanket in there too I think. God I’m excited! My Scrooge days are over!

Children do that to you, Smellybears!

Matalan normally have lovely and cheap Christmas plates etc. From October onwards usually. Welcome to the festive world of no longer being a Scrooge!

I’ve got a Matalan in town so will have a nosey in there! I’m so keen to get started now but will wait and get stuff.
Changed my mind and found crates instead that I’m going to get so I will order those soon. The box was lovely but the crate will be better suited to family (to fit a bottle of something in 😉)

Mine are teenagers and we do The Box on 1st December now , but for little DC , I think it would be too far ahead and they'll be frazzled by the 24th.

We used to rake them out for a walk after lunch, just as it was starting to turn dark(ish) , feed the ducks or the reindeer. When they were outside with DH , I'd "Oh, I'll just check the back door is locked" and put the boxes in front of the fire for when they got home (They never twigged or if they did , they never said)

CEB were to get them calmed down and ready to sleep.

They do them now on the 1st , to get more use from things .(All things they will use anyway)

PJs- (DD has a set from Victoria Secret Pink for winter and a Primark or Sainsbury set for Christmas Eve. She wears these all winter /spring . DS gets Primark or Sainsbury and a robe)

Jar of sweets

Bath smell (Lush bathbomb )

Nice pens (to use at school after)

New underwear

Chocolate

New mug and a sachet of drinking chocolate

Book

DD insists on her Winter bedding going on for Hallowe'en night then here Christmas fleece on Dec1st.
DD has Primark flannel woodland animals and tiny fir trees (not Christmas) and DS has red with snowflakes .

YY to Matalan
Costco
Home Sense/TKMaxx (they do really lovely boxes that I use to store Christmas decorations in after )

I start looking in late Sept then the shops start seriously stocking things after Hallowe'en.

30th November here!. Christmas pj’s, elf, advent calendars. We have normal choc advent calendars and then an activity advent calendar that they share that has one Christmassy activity to do each day up to Christmas. 1st dec activity is always to get the Christmas tree. Some activities are events (visit Santa, see Christmas lights etc) and some are crafts or other things (make bird feeders, post Christmas cards, buy a present for x) and so on.

Do you actually want to do the elf?! We don't do it and I don't think many people round our way do that I know of.

Just going to offer another perspective. I avoided bringing elves etc into the mix because once they twig one magical character isn’t the real the rest go down like dominoes. The tooth fairy was the weak link in our house. For me elves, delivering boxes or sitting on shelves, just stretches the magic a bit thin. But as I said on another thread I’m not very good at fairies and goblins to begin with.

Last year the shops were suddenly full of elf-on-the-shelf type stuff and big santa sacks and boxes with “North Pole delivery/ from santa’s Elf, etc emblazoned on them. A few years ago this was mostly stuff you had to make for yourself. But once a child can read for themselves, it lets the side down a bit.

We don’t do a dedicated box as such but have bits and pieces that only get taken out for December: mugs, cereal bowls, table Christmas cds and dvds, cuddly toys, a Christmas jigsaw etc. they each get an advent calendar, and the new pjs are produced on Christmas Eve so that the dc will look good respectable in the photos in the morning. We also have a collection of Christmas themed books that takes over a shelf for December. Because it hasn’t any magical attributes we can reuse the stuff from year to year.

My two ds’s are no longer believers but we still play “the santa game” so this year I might introduce an elf-delivered box, and/or possibly (still considering) the elf-on-the-shelf too. It’s nice to have something in reserve to add a new layer to the Christmas fun at this stage.

The elf won’t be for a couple of years yet so I will see how I feel about it then.
Really like the idea of reusable things going into the box each year so that we have a tradition each Xmas. He’s already got so many books and Christmas books will getting bought closer to the time which I will put in the box every year.

We have a really beautiful elf (well, actually, he's really ugly, but I love him). He doesn't do anything and we don't pretend he is real, he just comes out like one of the Christmas decorations.

"Night Before Christmas" is a lovely book, there are loads of different illustrations (some more traditional, some more cartooney but the text is the same) it's a short book and your DC will learn the names of the reindeer and Rudolph isn't in there . TNBC was from 1823 , Rudolph didn't appear till 1935. Good to know for Pub Quizzes

Loads of Christmassey films for the DC , you can get DVDs really cheap of the Muppets Christmas Carol/Home Alone/The Snowman/ Gruffalo/The Stickman

And even though mine are 18 and 16 , we still have our Christmas Tradition - everyone sits down to watch The Snowman on TV .

This was my daughters last year. She was just 2.

Chocolate
Stickers & colouring (Poundland)
Santa/elf/reindeer toys from elc sale year before
Penguin bath spongy thing (primark)
Dvd of snowman
Pyjamas

She liked it.
I know it's June but good to get planning some of these things - plus the shops clear out their stockrooms at this time of year so you might be able to pick up afew bits - I got some Xmas pj's in mothercare this week £5 instead of £15!