Christmas Eve baskets 4 1 and 2 year old?

[xmummy2princesx]

I’m thinking of getting a Christmas Eve basket 4 my kids. What do u usually put in there? I’m thinking maybe sum new pj’s, the night b4 Christmas book, reindeer dood maybe a DVD? Any ideas? Nothing 2 expensive

Hot choc cone with powder, marshmallows for your 4yo.. Christmas colouring, mug/plate ready to put out for Santa. Christmas cup and plate for Xmas dinner. Poundland usually have some bits like that and Matalan too.

My two get: choc Santa/reindeer, hot choc, new pjs and slippers and the night before Christmas book and Elf dvd

Thank u! Gr8 ideas

Ours has new PJs and slippers and a bath bomb/fizzer. Their letter from father Christmas doing the yearly round up about how he's been a good boy this year etc. I get mine from the RSPCC, it's about a fiver and you can personalise it etc but they're easy enough to do if you have access to a computer and a printer.

And then all the rest is recycled yearly. So, Father Christmas plate for biscuits, drink (and new for this year, hand sanitizer for father Christmas!), stocking (which used to be mine), twas the night before Christmas book, reindeer food (which is literally bird seed, no glitter, edible or otherwise.)

I don't put any sweets or hot chocolate in ours because the Elves deliver it just before bath and bed time.

I try to keep it as low "stuff" as possible (because I go mad for Christmas) it's more sentimental/tradition.

Thank u gr8 idea. I’ve been looking at stuff and gone a bit crazy

We usually do PJs, DVD, book, hot chocolate and mug, a cracker and usually something silly like Christmas tree glasses or something.

I usually do mine on 1st December, so they get the benefit for the month. Actually it’s because I’m too excited to wait lol.

I put their new Christmas bedding on for 1st December (usually from Asda, lovely designs), so they get their new pyjamas and socks (usually Asda too) then, together with a Christmas bath bomb from Lush. Then when they’re downstairs after bath (in their new pjs), they have a new Christmas book and hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

I wasn't a big fan of Christmas eve boxes, just seemed a bit more pressure and a bit more that but love the idea @CrimeCantCrackItself of one that comes out each year with Santa's plate, the families stockings and it was a night before Christmas, ready to be read each year. That sound like a lovely tradition.

Mine is a "get ready to settle down for a good sleep" basket. DD has always known that Mom makes it, we don't have Elves running around this house. (You could, but still have this as a "Mom" thing).

So there's both the timing of it, and the contents.

Contents:
In a cardboard box with seasonal decoration (it normally holds the Christmas books and DVD collection for storage year round, until they appear in early December to use until early January):
DD's stocking
DD's plastic plate and glass with Santa on them (toddler ones)
DD's hot water bottle with snowman cover
Family copy of "Twas the Night before Christmas"
New PJs for DH, DD and I
Sometimes some new slippers, fluffy socks etc to go with those
Lush festive bath bomb for DD (and relaxing one for me)
Sometimes, a nice seasonal but manly shower gel for DH
Nice hot chocolate for us all, and a Christmas craft beer for DH

We have dinner, which is a lot of different nice things, mostly cold, laid out on the table for people to serve themselves. Cooked and cured meats, prawns and squid rings, smoked salmon, olives, carrot and pepper sticks, cherry tomatoes, hummus or other dips, cheese, nice crusty bread or good crackers etc.

Then we go into the sitting room and (per Irish tradition), the youngest in the household lights the Christmas Candle - a red candle that should sit in the window to show any weary travellers that there is room in our Inn should they need it. (Youngest got significant help lighting and guiding the match until she was about 10!!). We then take a few minutes, as a family, to think about, remember and reflect on the good and bad things of the year just finishing, wider family, and to remember family members and friends who have passed away, finishing with a short prayer. (Not a particularly religious household, but it is nice to reflect on these at this time of year).

Then the box comes out. DD takes the plate and glass to the kitchen, to put on cookies she made in the afternoon (from scratch some years, but many years just slicing and baking from a half batch I freeze when baking earlier in the month, just in case!) and pour a glass of milk, and find a carrot.

She lays these out with her stocking. Then heads upstairs for her nice festive bath.

Into fresh new PJs, and down for the hot chocolate snuggled on the couch. Before I bring her up and tuck her up with her HWB, and read the book to her.

DH used to do many many bedtimes too, but Christmas Eve has always been a Mammy one. And we read the book every single year (by DD's request) until the Christmas just gone, where DD wanted to read it to herself in bed (now 14).

I know many others have theirs as activity baskets for earlier in the day, but we always had enough going on. DD would make her cookies while DH and I were also in the kitchen prepping veg etc for roast turkey next day. And new pjs are always useful in wintertime, so getting them on 24th has made sense to us to get snuggly and cosy in bed that night and make going to sleep more appealing.

Little Christmas finger puppets would be sweet, and can possibly pick up from somewhere like Poundland. I also love the 'that's not my Santa' etc books. Aww I wish I had tiny ones to buy for.

We put in a hot water bottle too along with most things that have been mentioned. I bought a hot water bottle with an elf cover from ebay this year. Super cute. Get the kids all cosy and snuggly before in bed on Christmas eve 🎅

Wow. Am amazed that people bother. It all sounds terribly expensive to me.

Love the hot water bottle idea too! Will see what I can find when the Christmas ranges come out. Hopefully mid-September

@Arthersleep

Wow. Am amazed that people bother. It all sounds terribly expensive to me.

Not expensive at all. My DS is still wearing last years Christmas Eve pyjamas, he's just grown out if the slippers. The bath bomb cost about a quid. The rest is recycled annually.

Being "bothered" to do it is separate and personal preference surely?

Thanks Glendaruel we love it My Grandma always bought us Christmas Eve PJs and a book so it's been the same all my life. And as my DC get older I'll probably put a few more bits in, popcorn and the like for Christmas eve film, but for now I keep it simple and it works for us. 🎅🦌⛄

New pyjamas and bath bomb.
Christmas Eve teddies to cuddle that night (same ones every year).
Santa’s Magic key to put outside (same every year), reindeer food (bird seed) and bag of popcorn for the Christmas film.

We would each get a new pair of pjs each in winter anyway, and the odd lush bath bomb as a treat. And we occasionally get those nicer hot choc spoons anyway, again as a treat, and I would get DH a couple of craft beers from time to time. There’s nothing else new in our box.

You can spread the cost out over months. The plastic plate, glass (and bowl) probably cost me €15 when I bought them 13 years ago, but it was nice to have a second plastic set and a seasonal one at the time, and while the original everyday one is long gone, DD still puts the Christmas one away carefully with the decorations every year, and the book. The HWB is probably 5 years old and the cover is definitely older, and gets used all winter long. So it was a slightly fun indulgence at the time, maybe €10, but it was a later year than the crockery. The box originally held a present, the stocking was a present from DGranny and the book was under €5 for DDs first Christmas.

New pjs.
Possibly a dvd but tbh they are totally overexcited and never sit through it.

I did Reindeer Food once .
You need to make sure it is all edible , don't use craft glitter .

I had some edible gold star glitter (Lakeland) , mixed some sugar in a plastic box with a drop of food colour then when it was dry , added porridge oats to the sugar and glittter .

DS lobbed it onto the lawn where it say , like a pile of vomit till I scooped it up

We used to put tealights in old jars along the path to make a Landinf Strip Runway for the sleigh )

PJs
Bath bubbles or bomb
Hot cholate sachet and a tiny pack of biscuits
Annual (if you can still get them )
Colouring book and pens

Ours was left by the fireplace while DH git their shoes on for a walk. They're an extra touch to settle them down on Christmas Eve . Mainly things they'd use anyway

Same as pp really. New PJs, new slippers, hot chocolate and marshmallows, night before Christmas book and bath bomb. Traditionally I've always put a new cuddly toy in there as well but she might be getting a bit old for that now. Love the idea of a festive hot water bottle!

Mine contains things that come out every year - santa plate, stockings, holders, candle, books. We used to have a dvd and cd but technology overtook them.
I buy new pjs to ensure everyone looks neat and tidy in the inevitable photos in the morning. I buy generic pjs rather than Christmas ones, because at least one of mine would be likely to refuse to wear them, and they will get lots more wear.
I don’t add any more sugary snacks because there’s so much sweet stuff that time of year.

BiddyPop that sounds so lovely, brought a tear to my eye. We do some of that too and have a very battered copy of TNBC that I read to the kids, more for my benefit than theirs now!

These ideas have probably been said but we do the classic pjs, book, some fluffy socks maybe a new little festive mug :) poundland do great little colouring books or maybe a new decoration for them to put on the tree? :)