Page 2 | Two Christmas questions

wellyouasked · 2023-08-08T19:29:59+00:00

Number 1: Xmas Eve boxes. I was going to start them this year and I saw some in Home Bargains today. They are *enormous*. I appreciate that those are the ones that they have and other shops may have smaller ones, but do you have one box for each DC or do they share the box? I have 2DC and I would struggle to fill it with Christmas Eve related things for both of them but definitely couldn't fill one each. 2: what are these decorations for? I got these but I thought they were what you put the treats for Santa/Rudolph in but when I checked out, there were penguin ones too- are these for treats for Santa/Rudolph or the DC?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 11/08/2023 10:44

My DC are adults so they have their Dec 1st Box to get more use from it

Bathrobe every other year
Pyjamas for DD (usually a 'nice' pair and a couple of Primark ) not Christas but winter
DS has lounge trousers and TShirts for larding about/night
Underwear ( branded ones from TKMaxx or Next for DS / Victoria Secret or other branded for DD)
Socks for DS - black and sports

Jar of sweets ( I refill the glass jars )
Selection box (not doing Chocolate Advent Calendars this year)
Toiletries for DS

DD Beauty Advent Calender or Beauty Gift Box (which I make )

Seems like a lot written down but they need new clothes anyway . They both live at home and students . They don;t mind getting Not Exciting Things like clothes !

JusthereforXmas · 12/08/2023 10:19

The origin of Xmas eve is the tradition of receiving a book on Xmas eve. It started in Europe where gifts are often given on xmas eve night not xmas morning and it was book due to rationing of the war (paper was readily available where other things weren't).

By the time I was a child it was standard tradition to get PJs with your xmas eve book too.

My kids get Book (usually an annual), PJs, Toothbrush, Snack for supper, Hot chocolate, Gingerbread and usually Toiletries (like a bathbomb etc...) and a small Teddy although I might actually drop the last two this year as they never seem fussed by those two. Nothing is specifically 'xmas' related.

I use one of those pop up storage cubes each, I find its the perfect size.

JusthereforXmas · 12/08/2023 10:22

whosaidtha · 10/08/2023 07:33

I hate Christmas Eve boxes with a passion! Kids will get a tonne of toys on Christmas Day. Why do they need more crap 12hrs before the main event. We have a load of Christmas books which come out with the decorations and I get the kids Christmas pyjamas to wear while we decorate and through the Xmas period (otherwise they can only really wear them a couple of times before it's not Xmas anymore).

because they're not 'toys'.

JusthereforXmas · 12/08/2023 10:27

whosaidtha · 10/08/2023 08:59

@Backagain23 it's not taking the shine off that's my issue, it's letting them appreciate the gifts they receive rather than looking for the next thing to open. And people spend more money than they have at Christmas and Christmas Eve boxes add to the competitive over spending along with pictures of things piled high under the tree.
Hot chocolate, mug, book, bath bomb, sweets and pyjamas can easily cost £30+ on top of everything else you'll spend.
People also get trapped into the traditions so this year with cost of living people have to keep it up for the kids when they might not be able to afford it.

I'm sorry but food and clothes that almost everyone buys their kids regardless is not in any way competitive commercialization.

I have never spent anywhere near £30 on xmas eve, neither does it seem any poster is 'outdoing' anyone. They come in my budget of £12 and the majority of that is the PJ (which I would have to buy anyway).

Xmas eve 'box' tradition (wasn't originally in a box but the packaging means sweet FA) started in wartime for the exact OPPOSITE reason.

jlpth · 12/08/2023 10:33

You can get one made of craft paper off amazon for £2.75 that is 22cm x 9cm x 12cm so not big at all - child shoe box size ish. Or you could just get a child shoe box and wrap it in wrapping paper.

seems to be one per child

I am glad my kids are too old for this! That and the bloody elf - fortunately too old for that as well. Christmas shouldn't be so much work.

TheGoodBanana · 12/08/2023 10:37

We did one for everyone to share. Some kind of Christmas craft, a tin of biscuits or chocolate. A Christmas dvd (showing my age) and pjs each.

Glenthebattleostrich · 12/08/2023 10:39

When DD was small it contained PJs, slippers, book, hot chocolate, reindeer food, plate, cookie mix (to make Santa's cookies), carrot, colouring sheets, crayons. Basically stuff we would usually use on Christmas Eve prettily packaged!

Now DD is a teenager it's bubble bath, nice soft drink, little bottle of fizz (for me!) nice chocolates, face, hair and foot masks and a family board game.

ShortColdandGrey · 12/08/2023 10:39

My mum makes up a Christmas Eve box for my daughter. It is basically a mini stocking, but I think my mum misses making up stockings(favourite part of Christmas in our house)My daughter loves it, and granny loves finding bargains throughout the year like she did when we were kids.

Annoyingnamechangerperson · 12/08/2023 10:42

I have them but fill them with things we would use anyway. So every Christmas Eve we bake so I put our ingredients that we will use for baking in there. Plus hot chocolate making cones (that I make myself as it’s cheaper, I do them for all the kids in the family for their boxes too)
our Christmas mugs that we re use every year and some puzzles / books £5 max the works is brilliant for these bits. To keep them entertained when they have too much energy on Christmas Eve. Sometimes if I’m organised enough I print off a map and we drive there on Christmas Eve it’s a particular estate near where we live where they make a massive effort with Christmas decs. So probably spent £5 max on the box, the other things we would use anyway.

Alsonification · 12/08/2023 10:52

My 2 kids are in their 20's so Christmas Eve boxes weren't a thing for them but about 8 years ago I had 2 identical empty boxes here about to go in the recycling. I decided to cover each with different paper (one gold & one red) and I fill them for Christmas Eve each year. They are small, literally fit a pair of jammies, slipper socks & a Christmas chocolate. Sometimes I squeeze in a tree decoration.

HiAlisonItsCookie · 12/08/2023 12:11

I'm 37 and have always had an Xmas eve box/bag. New Pyjamas (for the photos on Christmas morning, long before social media was in existence). And usually a book and a bag of sweets. My Grandma did it every year for us until she died and now I carry on that same tradition.

I still get new PJs on Christmas Eve, and I buy them for my DS. They get put in the same box every year, with the same Santa plate and stocking (which was mine as a child), the night before Xmas book. And often a new fluffy pair of socks. We also have a decorated pillow case, which Santa puts a present in, every year in Christmas eve, we put a painted handprint on it and the year.

JusthereforXmas · 12/08/2023 12:57

HiAlisonItsCookie · 12/08/2023 12:11

I'm 37 and have always had an Xmas eve box/bag. New Pyjamas (for the photos on Christmas morning, long before social media was in existence). And usually a book and a bag of sweets. My Grandma did it every year for us until she died and now I carry on that same tradition.

I still get new PJs on Christmas Eve, and I buy them for my DS. They get put in the same box every year, with the same Santa plate and stocking (which was mine as a child), the night before Xmas book. And often a new fluffy pair of socks. We also have a decorated pillow case, which Santa puts a present in, every year in Christmas eve, we put a painted handprint on it and the year.

My mam had them in the 60s (when I was a kid she passed all the books she had got down to me), we had them in the 80s etc...

People love to spout that its 'modern commercialism' or 'wasn't a thing in my day' but they just can't seem to grasp that there might be a tradition their family didn't do rather than it 'didn't exist'.

I mean I didn't grow up with stockings (neither did DH) but we don't go around insisting they are new fangled commercial invention because 'they weren't a thing when I was a kid' like the xmas eve box haters do.

MotorwayDiva · 12/08/2023 16:45

I do a 1st December box, which has crafts, pj's, the elf, jigsaws etc. All the build up stuff, Christmas eve is too late for pj's etc in my opinion x

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 12/08/2023 17:56

These threads about CEH (Christmas Eve Hampers) always bring out the MORE tat ? or Is this a THING ? posts .

It doesn't have to be tat - when mine were little it was a nice way to wind them down and prepare them for sleep . Bath bomb, pyjamas , hot chocolate and a small pack of biscuits .

Some people like doing them and it's worth the effort and money . That is fine.
Other people do not like them and find the very idea a tedious chore and a waste of money . That is also fine .

As far as I know there's no law that makes you do it and I've never had a gun put to my head , I'll carry on thank you very much

gawditswindy · 12/08/2023 20:43

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 12/08/2023 17:56

These threads about CEH (Christmas Eve Hampers) always bring out the MORE tat ? or Is this a THING ? posts .

It doesn't have to be tat - when mine were little it was a nice way to wind them down and prepare them for sleep . Bath bomb, pyjamas , hot chocolate and a small pack of biscuits .

Some people like doing them and it's worth the effort and money . That is fine.
Other people do not like them and find the very idea a tedious chore and a waste of money . That is also fine .

As far as I know there's no law that makes you do it and I've never had a gun put to my head , I'll carry on thank you very much

Aye. The 'what are Christmas Eve boxes? I've never in my life heard of such a thing.' posts have been weekly from October - December since I joined Mumsnet (2005?) and yet there are still some souls who are utterly flummoxed by the idea.

NadjasNightclub · 13/08/2023 21:41

We have one of those huge present bags, filled with tinsel (I realised I had a ton of spare tinsel one year when my eldest was tiny...no idea where it came from, possibly I'd pinched it from my mum when I first moved out?)

I hide pyjamas, snacks, hot chocolate bombs and the stockings in there, like a lucky dip. I don't need to worry about putting anything too exciting in because they're mainly happy playing with the tinsel!

LuckyNumber6 · 15/08/2023 16:58

We have a wooden Christmas Eve box that my kids share. It’s on the dining room table when they wake up on Christmas Eve and left by the elf on the shelf. We have new Christmas pjs, bubble bath, plate for Father Christmas’ snack, a small bottle and glass for his milk, letters from Father Christmas, reindeer food and then a sachet of hot chocolate and candy cane for the kids. I love this tradition!

SadlyACupOfTeaDoesNotSolveEverything · 17/08/2023 14:55

We have a Christmas Eve hamper (old one from M&S Christmas hamper gift) and each year our elf brings it on Christmas Eve morning. It contains pyjamas for all the family (plus any overnight festive guests), a copy of Stick Man book and Santa visits (insert local area name) book, a bath bomb for each DC, box of favourite chocolates from local deli and popcorn plus a letter from the elf thanking us for our hospitality. Before we go to bed the hamper with the books inside get sat next to FC’s mince pie and glass of milk and the elf sits on top waiting to hitch a ride back to the North Pole with the big fella himself 🎅

Broodywuz · 18/08/2023 14:41

We do december 1st instead, not an actual box but stuff layed out on their beds, (christmas bedding on and light window decorations up) when they get home from school. The elf comes with xmas pyjamas and a christmas dress each, books (same ones every year) and advent calendar and I make up festive tickets to a show/santa visit we have planned with a letter from the elf explaining it all. More about the magic of it rather than stuff