Opinions on Elf on the Shelf and Christmas eve boxes

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To the PPs who mentioned why give new PJs on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day..

I asked a friend this years ago, whose mum still bought her new PJs on Christmas Eve, why they done this, as I was always given them on Christmas Day. She said it was so they looked nice in the photos of them opening gifts on Christmas morning, which makes perfect sense to me! All the photos and videos of me and my DSis that were took on Christmas morning show us wearing slightly tatty looking, bit too short in the leg PJs no-one ever seen our lovely new ones we wore that night!

I've started getting my DC a new pair for Christmas Eve for that same reason now.

We don’t do elf on the shelf. The elves visit to fill the advent calendar but remain hidden from the DC.
We do Christmas Eve boxes. They get a set of pjs, book, hot chocolate and a mug. I bough Christmas mugs last year which were put away after Christmas so will be the same each year till they break. I made my own reindeer hot chocolate sachets out of stuff we already had in the cupboard. The only things I have to buy each year are books and pjs which I’d be buying anyway.
Their advent calendars are home made fillable ones. They get chocolates or a nativity character or an activity to do. All stuff we’d be doing anyway, the characters are the same each year. The only consumables are the chocolates.
Each family has their own traditions, that’s what makes Christmas special to each family.

I've done Christmas Eve activities, pjs and chocolate plus on their first Christmas a dated soft toy on Xmas eve the past few years. This year as they are older I've got some Christmas craft to give them from 1st dec along with their advent calendar and pjs so they can wear throughout the month although they'll were them until springtime anyway! Juts gives them longer in them.
So then they have some christmas themed stuff to do as we won't be up to much this year like year previous.
Never started the elf on the shelf, I'm glad I've never started it, I'd not have the time to think of things to do with it, set it up and then clean up after it!!

I will do a box with stockings, Santa's plate and a christmas book on Christmas Eve though to get ready for Santa's visit and make sure the pjs are clean!

I plan on doing a December box to arrive with the elf, which will include:
Christmas films
Christmas related story books
Hot chocolate & marshmallows
Cosy Christmas throw
A new mug or cup or something like that
A (homemade) voucher to visit Fenwick's window
Advent calendar

Most of this will be the same stuff each year, with the occasional new book or film thrown in.
Our elf will not be doing anything particularly elaborate, but will move around the house.

On Christmas Eve, when the elf goes back to the North Pole (during bath time) he will leave a gift on DD's bed of new pyjamas to wear that night. My DM always gave me new pyjamas on Christmas Eve until I was 30!

DD also has her birthday on 18th December so Christmas Day won't be too full on with gifts either

I don’t use a box, but on 1st December I put Christmas bedding on their beds and they use a Lush Christmas bath bomb at bath time and wear new Christmas pyjamas. I also buy a new Christmas book.

This year, I’m adding the invites to Lapland UK (if it’s still going ahead without masks).

Then on Christmas Eve, we read all of our Christmas books (many bought over the years), use another Christmas bath bomb at bath time, drink hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. They also wear new pyjamas.

I don’t think of pyjamas and books as just presents though, as they’re used throughout the year.

MIL bought the elf and the book about it flying back to Santa carrying tales of being good or bad. I don’t like the concept. I’m giving the book to the charity shop. I’ll keep the elf stashed away just in case DC ask for it in future after hearing friends do it.

We have a small Christmas Eve box, and we put in reindeer food, bubble bath and a new book.
Not doing the elf though, I find it a bit creepy!

We never bothered. New pjs on Xmas Eve is about as far as it gets.

I love Christmas... but the Xmas Eve boxes are expensive and wasteful in my opinion, unless you're reusing items year after year (same mug, book, dvd etc.) Plus it seems excessive and unnecessary when the kids will receive gifts on Christmas Day anyway.

And I think the elf is just weird, I think it's more for the parents (and posting on facebook) than the kids. At least, that's what I gather from my friends Facebook pages!

Neither are for us personally.

Christmas eve boxes - No need, Christmas Day presents are enough

As someone who celebrates Christmas because I'm actually a Christian, I prefer the build up of Carol singing and advent, rather than all these commercial "traditions" that mostly just seem like an excuse to buy more stuff, show off with photos on social media and "make memories". I grew up without any of this and fondly remember how magical Christmas felt and the anticipation of presents, rather than constant "surprises" and presents throughout December. So we are an "old-fashioned" household, I suppose we'd be described as now, but I like it.

I'm too knackered to oratabout positioning an elf in the evenings. I quite like seeing elf posts on fb though, they are cute.

We are doing lego advent calendars this year. Last year we had a reusable fabric one with a mix of real coins and chocolate coins. They like the old fashioned card calendars with a picture inside too.

Xmas eve boxes- nope. No point in having new pjs on Christmas eve as they won't get worn again and will be outgrown. I make sure they wear non-scruffy ones on Christmas eve so the photos under the tree are decent.

We have a basket of books with Christmas or winter themes that lives in the loft, it gets brought down on 1st December and any festive books they are given get put in the basket. That's a nice thing to do as we forget what's in there throughout the year. Babyish books get passed down to younger cousins.

oratabout = prat about

@Bluewavescrashing why would new pjs on Christmas Eve not be worn again?

They don't have to be "Christmas themed" pyjamas, but even if they are, does it matter?
My favourite pyjama bottoms are slightly Christmassy, with robins in scarfs and polar bears skiing, but I had them on last night!

Did elfie not succumb to corona? Asking for a friend...

Well by next Christmas they'd be too small, probably.

Not for me and my family.

DH and I come from abroad and we have loads of lovely Christmas traditions and customs that are not based on buying things or placing an elf in funny positions.

I think the elf thing is creepy so don't do that and won't be starting it either, I don't do Christmas eve box but do a December box, it's the same box each year, has a advent calendar for each of us, a few Christmas stories that are the same each year too, then some baking bits, crafty bits and a jar of hot chocolate, packet of mini marshmallows and a squirty cream, so it's not expensive as all we're buying is the advent calendars and the hot chocolate stuff, we always have baking and crafty stuff in anyway, we make Christmas cards and little biscuits or truffles.

@Bluewavescrashing but would they not be worn throughout jan, feb, etc?

@Immigrantsong can I be nosey and ask what some of your traditions are? I love reading/hearing what everyone else does around Christmas

@Bluewavescrashing I don’t get festive ones we tend to buy checked or unicorn pyjamas etc to last until they outgrow.

I can't stand Elf on the Shelf - I had a parent send one in as a 'present for the class' once and while it was nicely meant, I thought it was a dick move. She was putting the onus on me to get involved in the thing and either come in early/stay late to set up! I politely bent her ear about it a bit and she understood why it wasn't appropriate for her to do that.

Now, if you want to do Christmas boxes or the elves yourself crack on but don't be putting other people under pressure to do it too. I don't see the point of either one myself.

Do any child actually believe Elf on the Shelf is 'real' ? You go into Poundland and there will be piles of the things for sale. Even a 2 year old must realise that's where they come from. I can't believe any kid thinks it's magical. More likely to say "Mum - which shop did you get my Elf from?".
As for Xmas Eve boxes. The things people say they put in them like hot chocolate. Do children not regularly drink hot chocolate? It's just a normal drink.

Hmm, I just don't think my DCs would get excited about pyjamas in a box. Not for us.

I really don’t like the elf. Unfortunately my son who has ASD managed to twist my arm into getting one for our house. I really wish I hadn’t given in- it’s just another thing to remember/stress about/try to be original. The run up to Christmas is special enough anyway.

Our Christmas Eve box consists of: a lush bath bomb each, reindeer food and Aldi chocolate reindeer along with the stockings and “Santa stop here” sign and “Twas the night before Christmas” book which we get out every year anyway. Don’t put a tonne of stuff in. There’s a new Christmas book each at the start of December so we have quite a collection now and most of those are secondhand. This stuff doesn’t have to cost a tonne of money or involve a lot consumerism. The stuff I get my kids for example (bath bombs, reindeer food and chocolate) is stuff I’d get them anyway. The box itself is one I got in home bargains years ago and doubles as the box I store the tree decorations in.

However you do it, to each their own.

@Itsalwayssunnyupnorth

Did elfie not succumb to corona? Asking for a friend...

Possibly. Ours is emigrating this year as I can’t be arsed and however innocent and young minded my son is, I refuse to believe he doesn’t know it’s all a load of pure shite and this is an elaborate way to torment me.