For me, the timing and reason for the CEH is a big part of deciding what should go into it.
For us, it comes out after dinner on CE. We eat, clear away, and then light the Christmas Candle (Irish tradition - a lit candle is put in the window to show that there is "room in this inn" for any weary travelers - ours sits on the fireplace rather than the window). As part of that, we have a small remembrance of the high and low points of the year, and remember any family no longer with us, and say a family prayer.
Then the hamper comes out.
It has:
New pjs for all (which may or may not be festive themed)
Sometimes slipper socks or slippers (if useful)
DD's Snowman or Robin hot water bottle
DD's stocking
Her plastic Christmas plate and glass (from when she was a toddler)
Festive Lush Bath Bombs each for DD and I (and maybe a festive or manly shower gel for DH)
Naice hot choc (the lumps of chocolate on a wooden spoon type) for all
Sometimes a Christmas/Winter beer for DH
The family copy of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (from DD's very first Christmas Eve)
DD then sets up her stocking for Santa, and puts out a cookie (which she baked in the afternoon - from scratch if we've had time, or sliced and baked from a half batch I keep in the freezer at that time of year if we don't have time) and milk for Santa, and a carrot for the reindeer, on the plate and in the glass.
She goes up for a bath, using her bath bomb, and gets into her new pjs. She comes back down for her own cookie and milk, and then goes up to bed with her warm hot water bottle and I read her TTNBC.
So, for our house, it's about signaling and getting moving towards bed in a calm and relaxed fashion, and in a way that DD will actually sleep.
If I was doing it earlier in the day, I would have things like maybe a festive themed DVD or an activity to keep her occupied.
But ours is also a large proportion of re-used items that come out year after year, some of which have been in use already in the season (the plate and glass come out on 1st December and DD (12) still uses those occasionally, her HWB is well used all winter, and the stocking and book are the same ones we've had for 12 Christmases now).
And some new stuff - pjs, bath stuff, hot choc, and maybe a Christmas beer.
And it's a family hamper rather than just for DD. Partly because she is an only DC, and we don't want to utterly spoil her, and partly so we can all enjoy it.
It will be interesting to see if we need to change it up this year (she's going into secondary school, she does know about Santa but is trying to "confirm" it all year, but DH still wants her to have that "magic" for one more year!)....