What do you put in Xmas eve boxes?

[YukoandHiro]

Want to make a proper tradition of this now we have 2 children (3y and 2m). So far I've got:
Xmas activity book for toddler
Chocolate
Matching PJs
Night before Xmas book (which we have every year)

Doesn't seem much point getting a dvd when you can stream anything you want to watch.

What else do you guys include?

My son doesn't have a load of presents to open. He gets;

Pyjamas
Dressing Gown
Slippers
Box of Matchmakers
Christmas Teddy

When he was younger he would get a story book that we'd read in bed that night. He's 15 now but he has autism so he still likes this to all be the same as we've been doing this since he was 2. He gets this stuff on Christmas Eve because I like to get a nice photo of him in front of the Christmas tree before bed. Then it means he also has a nice cosy dressing gown and slippers for Christmas morning.

@myhobbyisouting
I’ll play!
I’m puting a reindeer turd in ours because it’s sustainable and I won’t have unnecessary tat In This House

I bought 2 pre-made ones this years:

www.etsy.com/uk/listing/887555083/filled-christmas-eve-box-gift?ref=shop_home_active_65&pro=1&frs=1

Plus have got snowman chocolates to decorate for an activity and personalised bells for the 6pm jingle thing.

Varies but it includes same books and plate for Santa’s cookies every year. This year includes a new additional book, hot chocolate bombs, chocolate bars, a marshmallow toasting kit and I’ll probably get a Christmas blanket or game.

I give them Christmas pjs with their advent Calendar on 1st so the wear throughout the month

We don't do a box but always have new pj's, special toppings for hot chocolate, reindeer dust, Christmas craft activity or baking plus treats for watching a movie. Don't really consider them gifts. More like nice things to do together.

Okay, here is my list of the things I've put in my DS Christmas Eve box (he is 3 but closer to 4 than 3 now)

Fluffy socks
Slippers
Pyjamas 
Reindeer food
Wooden tray for Santa treats 
Santa button
Hot choc sachet
Christmas mug
Bath bomb
Decorate tree decoration
Letter from Santa
Activity set
Book

We also have a carpet picnic so there will be lots of snacks

Mine will be 21 and 18 this Christmas and we still do the CEH , but moved it to Dec 1st a few years ago, I don't need to get two over excited LO ready to sleep .

I use big Christmas Bags (re-used)

PJs (winter not Christmas)
Robe
Underwear
Big Bar Cadburys Chocolate
Day 1 of DD Beauty Advent Calendar
Socks for DD (Advent)
Socks for DS
I'll add a Lush Bathbomb each

No tat . Things they need that I'd have to buy them anyway (except the Dairy Milk, but it keeps them sweet )

@YukoandHiro

Bath bombs sound amazing! Sadly my dd has eczema so it's no go. Might buy one for myself though :)

@YukoandHiro I’ve recently discovered Shower Bombs. So they release a lovely smell when the showers running but don’t go anywhere near one’s skin. Here’s a link to some: LINK

A Christmas cookie
Coloring pencils
Christmas coloring book
Pjs
Hot chocolate
Sweets
Santa key
Reindeer food - ready brek and cake glitter
Christmas activity book with stickers etc
Glittery shower gel

Mostly stuff centred around a shower then settling down doing activities for Christmas Eve like colouring etc.

@myhobbyisouting

Just here for the bingo

😂

'hot chocolate' does it for me!

DD will get a countdown box on 1st December which contains:

Christmas Jumper
Christmas Pyjamas
Christmas Bedding
Christmas Mug & Plate
Advent Calendar
Hot chocolate
Craft kit
various Christmas books

Obviously the hot chocolate is newly bought, but the rest at least a year old, some things are ancient, and packed up after Christmas ready for the following year.

Nothing! Because it isn’t Christmas until the next day. Christmas Eve is still Advent - a time of meditation, preparation, spiritual cleansing before the celebration of Christ’s birth
Haha, am assuming this is a joke?
I just asked my kids whether they'd prefer a Christmas Eve box (which has cosy pyjamas, a book for us all to read together and some little treats like hot chocolate) or a bit of spiritual cleansing to prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth. They said no thanks to the latter because they prefer family time.

DS will be 23 months at Christmas this year, so we've gone with:

Hey Duggee pyjamas
The Night Before Christmas book
A little bag of chocolate Father Christmases
A large chocolate coin
A Christmas (gingerbread man) teddy

We plan on putting our Christmas tree up so he comes down to it on the morning of 1st December and he'll have a little present then too, of a Christmas ornament of his own to put on the tree (it's a sparkly dinosaur from John Lewis, they're his favourite) and Rod Campbell's 'Dear Santa' book, so we can have a Christmas-themed break from reading 'Dear Zoo' on repeat for the month of December

PJs
Book
Decoration each to put on tree
Snack like cookies or similar

Stuff we use every year
Believe bell
Santa key
Plate for Santa
Oats for reindeer

This year I have:
Pjs
Warmie sloth/huskie
Penguin/bear tree decoration
Christmas bath bomb
Giant chocolate coin
Microwave popcorn
Sweet cone

I used to put Christmas story books, activity books and dvds in but now we have plenty of both plus have Netflix for films.

I have also made an adult one for the first time - it has:
Pjs
Chocolates
Mugs

@Babdoc - well, each to their own but most DC probably have a bath, pjs on, a film and snack, a story on Christmas eve. Just because you put it in a box doesn't make it 'a load of presents'. I do it because it brings joy and doesn't take the excitement away from Christmas day. We don't limit our love, joy and fun here.

@PeggyMoo - we open ours about 5pm when back from church. Then they take it in turns for bath/shower so activity book would be done while sibling is in the bathroom!

@Thatwentbadly - I do that 2. On 1st December I heave the book basket down, craft box, gift bag with dvds and the nativity set and cuddly toys from the loft.

@reginaphalangeeee - my DS (13) is autistic too and exactly the same. I made the mistake one year of changing where we saw FC as I thought it would be nice to do something different - big mistake! There is no FC this year which I know will unsettle him, unfortunately.

I don't do a box but we have:

Matching Christmas pyjamas (worn all year)
Hot chocolate
Marshmallows
Popcorn

I have also bought Cluedo as a family present but not sure if I will give that Christmas day or Christmas eve. We will then spend the day playing games together and watching a Christmas movie.

Book
Pjs
Their stockings
Bath bomb
Letter from an elf which includes a hint that they need to go bed very soon!
I’ve put chocolate in before but I don’t think I will because we always end up giving it in the evening.

It goes in a wrapped up box and I put it on the doorstep and ring the doorbell.

@Babdoc

Nothing! Because it isn’t Christmas until the next day. Christmas Eve is still Advent - a time of meditation, preparation, spiritual cleansing before the celebration of Christ’s birth. Equivalent to Lent before Easter. Even if you are not a Christian and are just having a midwinter get together, Christmas Day surely becomes less special if you’ve already opened a load of presents the day before?

Christmas comes from Yule to celebrate Winter Solstice and the Oak King winner the struggle with the Holly King (acknowledging that Summer will return. Then at Winter Solstice the Holly King wins. Traditions of yule logs, mistletoe and Holly come from Paganism.

But my main point:

I don't think having new pyjamas and a hot chocolate will put many children off their Christmas presents. Perhaps if they just got a few nuts and an orange a pair of pyjamas would seem extraordinarily exciting but otherwise I can't see it happening.

I personally do consider some of the things given on Christmas Eve to be too much but on the whole it's just things to enjoy the day which can be as happy and memorable as Christmas Day.

We put
New Christmas pjs
A bath bomb
A roblox voucher
Hot chocolate
Actual chocolate
And this year they each have a personalised Christmas mickey and Minnie.

We have ours on the morning of Xmas eve, so that we can put in items to keep the kids busy during the day.
We include:
Colouring book and new crayons
A couple of Christmas themed books (they stay in the box for each year - not bought new)
A gingerbread man decorating kit,
The plate to put mince pie on for Father Christmas,
Tiny bit of chocolate,
Christmas themed bath bomb,
Some sort of craft activity.

I'd just do PJs, Christmas tea (like a spiced cordial) and a book