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

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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?

Eh?? Never heard of this. Not in this house, nor an elf or pyjamas.

What a cunning plan by retailers to persuade the gullible to buy twice as much tat! And if your DC are getting a boxful of presents on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day becomes an anticlimax of just “yet more presents”.
Very few PPs have even mentioned the actual purpose of Christmas- celebrating the birth of Christ. My children always loved taking part in the Nativity play at church, (often with a real baby playing Jesus in the manger) singing carols, going to the Sunday School Christmas party, and when older staying up late for the Watchnight service in our village church. Presents were kept for Christmas Day.
The run up to Christmas - the period of Advent - is supposed to be a time of reflection, self denial, and spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming. Followed by the celebratory 12 days of Christmas finishing with Epiphany and the arrival of the Magi.
One year we were on Tenerife for Epiphany, and three chaps dressed as the Magi processed off the ferry riding real camels, accompanied by Roman soldiers, the Holy family and angels, before a massive firework display in the resort centre! Who needs a “Christmas Eve box” when the nativity story itself is so much more thrilling?!

If it makes you feel any better, we do none of that extra stuff, just some Christmas themed crafts or baking in December (stuff we'd do anyway but Christmas colours and shapes etc), a normal advent calendar, and presents on Christmas Day. No box/elf/'North Pole breakfast' etc. I like a nice, calm, happy life and we achieve that at Christmas by not over doing it!

As a child what made Christmas Eve magical for me was midnight mass.

Nah, there are enough films to watch that the Christmas Eve one will be different. Last Christmas for me it was Sc

Scrooged!

I tried to get involved with Christmas eve stuff as we did not do Christmas when i was growing up (what with being Jewish and all) but since marrying someone who does Chritsmas I find Christmas eve dinner, Christmas day and Boxing day to be so exhausting I just can't manage anything else. And truth is I am usually working until the last minute on Christmas eve and go home for a fairly rapid meal, send the Dcs to bed so i can crack on with present wrapping and drinking santa's sherry with DH.

I'd love to be organised enough to both add AND enjoy something else into the mix as well, but it's never really stuck.

Of course they where a thing years ago, they have their origin in WW2 and my mam grew up with it (born in the 60s) then passed it on to me and I do it with my children too.

That said your not the only ones that dont, like all traditions people pick and choose their own and many of us are even unaware of all the tradition out there until we read threads on sites like this.

The thing to remember is just because you have never done it in your family doesnt mean is 'new' or 'commercalism' or 'crap' just that there lots of subcultures and variantions.

We always had xmas eve as did my mam (not in boxes, the stuff was left on the foot of the bed) however we did not have stockings growing up, my DH didnt have stockings either and I had no idea they where that popular until mumsnet and then decided to add them to our traditions too.

I still find it interesting how many different versions of the 'stocking' tradition there is (those that add fruit, those that add clothing/toothbrushes and those who add expensive gifts, those that use pillow cases, those that sneak into bedrooms, those that have the stocking from 'santa', those who use it to distract kids so they can lie in and others who have it as almost the main family event and so on).

I guess since we didnt have it I see no 'right' way but I dont put in toothbrushes (they already go in xmas eve box) and I aint got time to be sneaking in excited childrens bedrooms and pillow cases slightly confuse me because its physically not a stocking lol.

My son's birthday is on Christmas Eve so we don't do Christmas Eve boxes. We spend the day focusing on his birthday and then after bath time and when they are in their pjs we do the Christmas things like reindeer food on the driveway and leaving a mince pie and brandy for father Christmas before bed time. He is only two so things may change in the future don't think we will be doing Christmas Eve boxes. We don't do elf on a shelf either, mainly because I know I'd remember to do it for a couple of days and then completely forget

All the huffing about "consumerism" and "tat" is a bit misplaced as it seems to me that Christmas Eve boxes are mainly a nice way of storing and presenting items which come out every year, plus a few consumables.
No child was ever ruined, nor a planet destroyed, by their battered old copy of Night Before Christmas and a sachet of hot chocolate appearing in a nice box.
Other items which are used each year seem to include Santa plates, Christmas mugs, old DVDs, maybe Santa's magic key. And a bath bomb. Oh the horror.
I don't though, I like a December 1st box instead, out come the same books each year, topped up as DC ages, and a new Christmas colouring or sticker book. It's hardly lavish, it's just a nice bit of fun.

Christmas is a globally celebrated holiday. Not just a Christian festival. It's based on centuries old customs and has so many influences.

It can be celebrated however anyone likes.

People can't even agree on if it's father Christmas, Santa or St Nicholas, and that's just the name of one aspect of some people's Christmas!

Some people might do the Jesus thing, some people might just do the commercial thimg, some people might just do the Yule thing etc but most people will do a mish-mash of traditions to suit them and their families.

There's no definitive/correct way.

We have one- it doesnt cost a lot. Maybe some bath stuff, popcorn, hot chocolate.
We have an elf too-he just moves around so its like hide and seek- nothing fancy
We do new winter pyjamas- not Christmas and given whenever-maybe late Nov maybe mid Dec

I love Christmas and I'm aware that the best years are 4-10ish, its not for long really.

Aah op in avoiding being faddish and assuming you're a "my way" kind of person (entirely possible to do things your own way and adopt popular customs btw), you've joined the cult of people who start Christmas threads with a mix of wide-eyed innocent " am I the only one who doesn't..." and derisive "consumerist fucking tat, we're better than that".

Every. Bloody. Year.

Extra points for consumerism, Instagram accusations, wilful misconceptions, assumptions, sneering etc .

Ho ho ho.

I fail to Christmas Eve boxes, elf on the shelf or matching pjs. They do get a Lego advent calendar and a Lindt chocolate ball everyday of december

The elf makes me want to 🤮!

Never done xmas eve boxes, never will.
Our tradition is, kids get new PJs xmas eve- not matching but an xmas pattern/character.
Ive always done just PJs though.
We started Elf on the Shelf above 5yrs ago, we don't go over the top- a few treats such as ' Movie night treats, variety of breakfast goods on xmas eve morn, Toilet roll draped down xmas tree ect!

"Never done xmas eve boxes, never will.
Our tradition is, kids get new PJs xmas eve- not matching but an xmas pattern/character"

That's 80% of most Christmas Eve boxes. Majority seem to be PJs, hot chocolate and a DVD. Or very similar.

We don't do Xmas Eve boxes, I do a December one and get the Xmas books out, advent calendars and Xmas pjs in them.
But that's more because it's easier to store the story books.

I think 'am the ONLY one who doesn't do this' smacks of thinking you're better than everyone else for not buying into something. Whatever you call it. Annoying faux naivety that is rife on MN.

You sound like fun.

That's not what Christmas means to me.

'Keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine'

Nope I have never done it and don't intend to! I might buy my dd Christmas pjs if I see any but I find the whole idea of a Christmas Eve box unnecessary when they have Christmas stockings and presents the next day.

And 'tat'. Always tat.

Nope! I don’t do them- she gets enough. The stocking is bad enough! Never mind a Christmas Eve box too! Plus we go to my DM’s for Christmas Eve, back to ours Christmas Day with DM.

No eve box, no elf in the shelf here.
Not looking to introduce them either

Yes, you are definitely the only one. You are better than everyone.