What goes in your Xmas Eve box?

[myfavouriterain]

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?

If these items are used yearly (bar the clothes which children tend to grow out off) how is that a waste? When my niece was 3 we bought her a xmas blanket for her bed, she turned 18 this year and it is still used. So that's 15 years of use for about a tenner. We bought my dd xmas bedding for her toddler bed which is now been used by my ds. The books are the same most years, same with the films. They are not presents as such. We use the same box every year.

Well pyjamas are in that list. Along with some chocolate coins, fruit, an advent calendar, Christmas jumper for school and parties. Things that would be bought anyway.

The hot water bottle is ott and teddy and blanket if buying new ones every year but as OP states things will "come out of storage" I'm thinking that's not the intention here. OP also explains that Christmas things go away straight after the day itself due to a birthday.

That's a good enough reason for the OP to bring her traditions forward.

DH was working away the last 2 christmases We celebrated the whole thing including the opening of presents on the 22nd. Circumstances 🤷🏽‍♀️

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

If you change 'stranger' to 'mother' then you've got a description of me anyway sleep with one eye open kids

I've never done a Christmas Eve box! I didn't even know they were a thing until I saw people going on about them on Facebook. DS14 has never commented on them either so never put the idea in his head. He gets enough on the day.

How about a new idea for a Christmas Eve box?

Take a large empty cardboard box. Ask your kids to spend time on Christmas Eve sorting out the toys and games that they no longer play with, and put those in the box. Explain that Santa will take these old toys and games back to his workshop and the Elves will refurb them for less fortunate children. Santa will then decide how many new toys to leave them based on how generous they are with their old toys ....

(In reality, hide said box of old toys in garage or shed; and take to charity shop early in the New Year.)

We don’t do Christmas Eve box. Christmas Eve is very busy for us with preparation in the morning, Christingle at 3 and friends for drinks etc in the early evening. We just have time to do story, mince pie etc and bed.
We do a 1st December box which this year has PJs and Christmas T shirt, a book (this year Matt Haig’s Father Christmas and Me), advent calendar (this year the Lego Harry Potter one) and some chocolate tree decorations. It’s all stuff we would probably buy anyway.
I CBA with Elf on the Shelf!

I'm going to do that too eggy

Just because a child gets a box doesn't mean they are spoilt or ungrateful.

Mine are doing the reverse advent calendar for the food bank too

My dd has recently given some old toys and clothes to the charity shop. Every year we do a big Christmas food shop for the local food bank. This has zero to do with the xmas box they get on the 1st december.

Have I missed something- what is a Christmas Eve box?

@Corneliawildthing

Sigh, have you not read the thread? You basically buy a load of Christmas themed landfill, preferably with a high polyester content, and give it to children who can't wait or rather the parents who can't wait until Christmas Day.

@ToTheRegimentIWishIWasThere

I’m glad this wasn’t a thing when my DC were small. I wouldn’t have done it anyway, it’s complete overkill.
My DC got presents at the Sunday School Christmas party, presents at the primary school party, then stockings on Christmas Day and a heap of presents under the tree. The last thing they needed was yet more consumer crap.
Christmas Eve for us was (and still is) a time of anticipation, preparation and religious observance. We make the different stuffings for the turkey while listening to Carols from Kings, then make the chestnut yule log and ice it with melted Nutella, have a civilised late dinner and then go to the midnight service at church.
Present opening is reserved for Christmas Day, to keep it special. Although the DC were allowed to peep in their stockings and open one present before going to bed after church!

*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*

Yes, this. We don't put anything in ours as THEY ARE NOT A THING and presents are given on Christmas Day.

What's wrong with just reading The Night Before Christmas? Should kids be getting a Christmas Eve Eve box etc etc.

As for Dec 1st.....I think my head might explode.

I do a 1st December box. It's mainly filled with Christmas books and DVDs i put away every year so are a novelty. I also put in Christmas colouring books, hot chocolate and advent calendars. 90% of it is just brought out from storage from last year. I am keen to minimise our waste so this works well for us and gets the kids excited about reading their special xmas books

What the hell is a Christmas Eve box? Please explain the link to the nativity

@joystir59 should be joylessstir

I love Christmas but not because of all the commercial crappiness of it.

Mumsnet thread from 2009 discussing Christmas Eve pyjamas and boxes so they've been going a fair while just on here. I think though the difference now is with all the pound shops, B&M, home bargains etc are here and specifically cater to the consumerism of Christmas Eve boxes. We never had a special plate to put out for FC etc, now you can buy them pre-personalised or whatever.

@crustycrab are you okay hun?

What's the difference between bringing out an old board game and giving new pjs and bringing out a box with xmas books or films etc in it and new pjs? I honestly cant see the difference. If it's not new stuff which many people have said it isnt then I don't really see what the angst is about. My xmas box has no toys in it at all and no plastic tat.

What the hell is a Christmas Eve box? Please explain the link to the nativity

Mary was probably a bit busy in labour to be buggering about sorting hot chocolate, festive pyjamas and mince pies for Santa joystir59

@TitaniaQueenOfTheFairies good thanks hun. You?

Maybe Mary had read Spark Joy, and had decluttered the stable in advance. Also I'm not sure matching Christmas pyjamas was the look that the Magi were going for.

Maybe Mary had read Spark Joy, and had decluttered the stable in advance. Also I'm not sure matching Christmas pyjamas was the look that the Magi were going for.
Yes! Spark Joy combined with nesting, it's a wonder there was any hay or a manger even in there. Swaddling clothes all KonMari rolled ready

I’ve always done it. The elves deliver it when it’s nearly time to wind down. It only has PJs and a bath bomb in - it’s arrival means big bubbly bath and bed time. And it has always worked - no bed refusing!