Are we the only parents who don't do Christmas Eve boxes?

[User6447482684755]

we have just never bothered, something else for me to think about too!

They've never questioned why they don't get one. They weren't even a thing a few years ago right?

I was Christmas shopping today (I know, early but I don't often get much chance to shop mid week when kids are at school). The cashier picked up on me buying for Christmas and was chatting nicely, she says oh well you give your kids a Christmas Eve box yeah? Just her assuming that all kdis have one. She meant well but I am questioning myself now.

I was like no we don't!

we tend to visit family on Christmas Eve and gifts are exchanged and sometimes opened early (from family). We always have take away on Christmas Eve!

that is our tradition.

we have an elf on the shelf but we do it our own way. Sometimes I wish I never started though.

we also don't bother with the whole matching PJ thing.

we tend to just do things our way without following any fads! That's okay, right?

@ShowOfHands that is the funniest thing I’ve read in ages. Thank you 🤣

Yes it's Definitely kind of them and his mum is just excited I guess. I just wish they'd think about what they are buying.
DH has said he will speak to his mum about it.

But yes, it's very kind of her to do them for us, for sure.

@ShowOfHands that's amazing 😅

No boxes, no elf, new non-matching pyjamas so their old ones aren’t in any stocking photos and they kind of need them.

Goodness no!!

I'm not against them it was just too much extra work.

I won't be, mine are 3 and 18 months.

That doesn't mean we won't be doing a hot chocolate, movie ect... its just not been on my radar this year. We also have other traditions like a Christmas eve gammon

Nope. Think it's all a load of bollocks. Surely presents on Christmas Day is enough.

We don't do a "box" but we do get new (non-matching 😅) jammies and a book on Christmas Eve. They're both under 4 so grow out of things and need new quickly, so the pjs are just the next size up. No elf, I dread the day they ask for one.

Agreed

Theres also something in the less you have, the more things mean.

I don't do Christmas eve boxes, elf on the shelf, the Easter bunny or leprechaun day (that will come here from our across the sea cousins too!)

You mean Paddy's day?! 🍀
Or Patty's day as Americans say?
Not just Americans that celebrate it though ...

This.

I like Christmas but it’s out of hand! A massive big festival of over consumption. You get presents in the day why do you also need them the night before?

Meh. I had a Christmas Eve box when I was a child in the '80s, so it's not that new. And it's only massive consumerism if the cool boxless children don't wear pyjamas, drink hot chocolate, use bubble bath/shower gel, hang up Christmas stockings, write thank you cards or leave a note for Father Christmas. Otherwise it's stuff you'd have anyway, just in a box and all at once to make going to bed on Christmas Eve more appealing.

We don't do them because they're not cool!

I am just weirdly picky about them not having gifts to open before Christmas morning. I always had new pajamas (not Christmas themed, just something I'd like, like my beloved Gryffindor dressing down) to open on Christmas morning and to this day it's one of my favourite things. In our Christmas pictures, our DC are in half of them wearing last night's pajamas and the rest of the picture are in their new ones as they've immediately put them on!

It's not always a deliberate/competitive underbuying choice! People just like to do things differently 🎄

I mean we don't not do them because we think it's cool to not do them, I don't know why I'm struggling so much to frame this sentence 😬

It's nigh on impossible to divorce the word Christmas from the cultural. You don't have to like it I suppose but I doubt they were too happy when the Christians overwrote the festival in the first place

Especially when the likes of Cromwell came along and turned it into a joyless affair with no celebrating allowed.