What goes in your Xmas Eve box?

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Found a lovely big box while out shopping today, wondering what others put in theirs for Advent or Xmas Eve?

If for 1st Dec I'm thinking I can put things in that are used all month so maybe better value... also DD turns 6 a couple days after 25th so Xmas things go away and Birthday things come out quickly.

Ideas list under consideration so far:

Xmas PJs
Chocolate coins
Advent Calendar - wrapped up as a present
Oranges/satsumas
Xmas teddy bear - DD adores anything soft and furry
Furry xmas blanket
Xmas themed hot water bottle
Hot chocolate packet or set
Xmas jumper - school will have a jumper day before the end of term
Xmas hair slides or similar
Xmas bubble bath or bath bomb if I can find one
Small size Xmas mug/cup - can find one in a £1 shop
Xmas craft bits - DD loves making stuff

There are bits I can put in that are not new but from storage:

Xmas pudding bobble hat
Xmas Books
Xmas baking cutters

That's obviously too much, but anyone do anything more original?

I prefer taking my children to church for the christingle service and just spending time together.

I LOVE going to the Christmas Eve service. It's probably my favourite bit of Christmas Eve. Coming out into the frosty air, getting home to the warm to go through the Christmas Eve bag and find the new PJs etc.

It is a waste if you're buying stuff that you already have. Fair enough wear xmas pjs all year though why not just buy nice pjs?

What difference does it make if the pyjamas are festive themed or not? Last year they were, this year they're not. They're still nice PJs. I've had new pyjamas on Christmas Eve since I was 2. They were bought for all the grandchildren by my grandma until she died I'm 33. My DM does the same for DS. It's family tradition.

Someone asked unthread if anyone really needs a Xmas themed HWB?

In our case, no, we don't need it, but when dd was small and we wanted a cover on a hwb for her, we saw a small sized snowman-covered hwb and bought that for winter. Dd still uses that most winters, (at least 10 years since we bought it), and it goes into the Xmas Eve hamper religiously on 24th every year.

Not everything that is Xmas themed is necessary.

But not everything that is Xmas themed can only be used on 25th. Some can be used for the entire season, and some are even suitable to use all winter.

And many of those would be things that can come out again year after year.

So we do new pjs for everyone in the family in our hamper. DD's are sometimes Christmas themed, sometimes not. The same with mine (usually a more subtle, less kitchy themed than DD's if they are themed). DH will never have Xmas themed pjs - but that's fine too.

New pjs are useful in winter, and especially at Christmas when we are more likely to have long sleeps and more relaxed breakfasts still in pjs.

But that works for US. Not necessarily for every family, but it does FOR US.

And that is what everyone needs to do thinking about the umpteen great and not so great ideas out there - think about what suits
YOUR FAMILY AND
YOUR BUDGET AND
YOUR SHOPPING TIME AND
YOUR HOUSE'S STORAGE CAPACITY
YOUR FAMILIES NEEDS AND
YOUR FAMILIES WANTS AND
YOUR FAMILY'S EXISTING TRADITIONS;
and how if you want to take an idea you have seen somewhere, you can make it work for you and not how everyone else does it.

What's wrong with "jammies"? They've been called that in our area since I was a child (and I am no spring chicken anymore).

@Mrskeats "Another stupid invented thing"

Yeah, damn those inventors inventing things. Stupid

Nothing. I am utterly flabbergasted that so many have bought into this shite!

Our December 1st goodies included this from Lakeland

Yes crusty
It's a stupid thing designed to get people to spend money on things they don't need and has absolutely nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas.

Some people are so miserable and judgemental! If people want to buy stuff for their children to open on Christmas Eve that's up to them.

I give my DDs (19 and 17) new PJs and something for a nice bath on Christmas Eve. It all started because when they were little I wanted them in nice PJs for the photos on Christmas Day. We didn't have much money and a lot of their clothing was from charity shops or hand me downs, so it was lovely to give them new pjs on Christmas Eve that would then last until they out grew them.

We still do it now that they are grown up and money isn't a problem because it's our family tradition and we love it!

In fact, I've ordered their new ones just this morning.

I don't understand the 'December 1st' thing? Why are people buying shite for the whole of December?

@PeterRouseTheFleshofMankind Instant gratification

I remember this from last year - there was one poster who was apoplectic with rage about it all, and kept going on about hot chocolate becoming a magical elixir.

What I want to know is what is a magic key?

What I want to know is what is a magic key?
If you haven't got a chimney, Father Christmas used one to get in the front room. 🎅🎄⛄

I'm not big on hot chocolate personally, and it would have the opposite effect in DS that I wanted. All that sugar, soporific it wouldn't be. Maybe when he's older

I know what you meant @Mrskeats it's just the way you put it. There was bound to be at least one screaming "stupid invention"

My kids need new pyjamas cause they grew in the last year. Shock horror, how dare they? If I put them in a box (the pjs not the kids) along with a book and some hot chocolate and satsumas will that offend you?

@PeterRouseTheFleshofMankind you not been to the shops lately? Those rectangle boxes with little doors on that have either a picture or chocolate behind, approx 99p? They are called "advent calendars". A fairly new "invention" so it's understandable if you haven't

@TitaniaQueenOfTheFairies that is not the definition of instant gratification

you not been to the shops lately? Those rectangle boxes with little doors on that have either a picture or chocolate behind, approx 99p? They are called "advent calendars". A fairly new "invention" so it's understandable if you haven't

Yes, that's slightly different to giving your kid an actual present in the run up to the day where there are going to receive....a shitload of presents.

Sorry that should say 'an actual present every day in the run up...'

Is a Christmas story and new pyjamas "an actual present" though? I'd rather give them a new Christmas story on 1st December to read several times in the run up to Christmas than give it Christmas Eve only to be read once or twice.

@crustycrab well it's certainly not delayed gratification is it? Can wait until 25/12 for presents? Have some now.

@ToTheRegimentIWishIWasThere

I see. Well, I didn't really do FC with my children. Fat,bearded stranger is going to creep into your bedroom in the middle of the night. Oh, and I've left him a key

The "December 1st thing" isn't a present for every day. It's giving kids the things some people give in Christmas Eve boxes on the 1st so as to get more use out of them.

I'll be giving my kids a new story I got at the school book fair, new pyjamas and slipper socks an advent calendar, hot chocolate and satsumas. And I'll do it on the first. It's a bit of excitement for them, there's nothing in there I wouldn't buy anyway and they'll get more use out of the book than they would if I gave it on 24th or 25th December.

Really not offensive or difficult to understand and I'm not doing it because of a "stupid invention"

@TitaniaQueenOfTheFairies no it's not instant gratification nor is it delayed gratification.

It's giving children pyjamas a year after they last got them. If I did that on 20th October would you say it was "instant gratification"?
No, it's just growing out of their old pyjamas.

It would be bloody weird to give kids and advent calendar on the 25th December.

@crustycrab I'm not talking about pyjamas, I was referring to the 16 items on OPs list.

1st December the kids on their Christmas bedding (years old) and get advent calendar. We have a shared reusable one with chocolates and activities plus a Lego one for DD(7).

Christmas Eve the elves leave the same wicker hamper every year (santa takes it back when delivering their gifts). It contains:

pyjamas for everyone staying on Christmas Eve
Shortbread stars
Hot chocolate pieces
Marshmallows

Simple but exciting and pyjamas are usually colour coordinated [santa]

And all this Christmas themed tat is just about encouraging people to buy more and more landfill.

So many have stipulated new stuff. Get out an old favourite board game, why does it have to be new every year? Spend time together as a family, you don't need stuff to do that.

Bah humbug