What do you put in 1st December boxes vs Christmas Eve boxes?

[ChristmasIsComing2023]

What do you put in 1st December boxes vs Christmas Eve boxes??

No one’s making you buy it Scrooge. Calm down.

Why not? My son was given a box made by a family friend when he was born. It is just a nice box, carved lid, painted santa in the snow scene. It is where I store the bits in between years. It makes me smile to take it out each year. It is a thing that brings joy to my child when he sees it every year and I know my baby will soon recogniseit too and she will love it as well. You might think it is naff. You're entitled to think what you like. But I love our box, it is special to us and we will enjoy taking it out every year for many more years.

It kicks off the Christmas joy and in no way detracts from Christmas day. It is the start of the excitement building.

First of December is when we get out the usual Xmas stuff from the attic! This includes any Xmas clothes that still fit, all books, candles and decorations. In addition we have new

Xmas pyjamas
advent calendars

I think that’s it really. we don’t do Xmas eve boxes.

elf on the shelf sometimes brings the odd gift eg blanket, Xmas Cereal!

I might be old fashioned for that, but I think that Christmas gifts are more than enough, no one needs a December 1st box or whatever it's called. We might do smartshow 3d christmas videos though, but even that would be a bit later.

I don’t want my children’s excitement building from 1 December – 3+ weeks of hype would just turn them into exhausted little ratbags.

That was my view too when DC were younger.
We decorated the house on the last day if term. I couldn't cope with decorations and school simultaneously.

@spitefulandbadgrammar @TeenDividedbut most Christmas events happen in December.
Christmas Fairs, Markets, Visiting Santa, The big light switch on in town, Carol concerts, Nativity plays, Christmas disco at school, craft fairs, nativity service at local church.....
These all take place throughout December before the actual day.
Don't you do any of these things?
Schools often don't finish until 22nd or even 23rd December. If you wait until then you've missed most of it.

@Needmorelego We did the school and town events though there weren't as many as you mention. But I kept home a relative haven of calm to unwind/decompress. So didn't hype things up by decorating early. Elf on the Shelf wasn't really a widespread thing 16 years ago etc.

@TeenDivided that's understandable if your children get over stimulated.
My daughter absolutely hated the school Christmas fairs/discos etc (she is autistic with probably sensory processing disorder). We went to a Christingle service with my mother in law when she was around 7 and she actually found that quite relaxing because it was gentle Carols and not overly loud.

Mine get stored away & brought out the following year to wear in the run up to Christmas throughout December with new ones on Christmas Eve. I've got about 10 pairs now.

On 1st December we get out all the Christmas books and jigsaws, decorations go up, Christmas jumpers and pyjamas, advent calendar, Christmas mugs, stuff like that. Same every year basically. On Christmas Eve the kids get a new teddy, a new pair of PJs (winter ones but not Christmas ones necessarily) and a bath bomb.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people pile onto a thread on the Christmas topic to be mean! Go and be mean elsewhere and leave the OP alone - she asked a simple question. If you've got nothing nice to say about it say nothing atall! Reminds me of the pile on I had one year when I posted about doing a 'Christmas breakfast' on the 1st December. Other people are allowed to have traditions that you don't have!

Anyway, to answer the question. I don't do a 1st December box - I do as mentioned a Christmas breakfast and my DC get their advent calendars. When they were smaller I sometimes also gave them a colouring or activity book. I think the idea is to put in things that will be used for the whole of December (and beyond) such as winter pyjamas, blankets, mugs/cups etc. They can be things you already have of course. I do a C.E box with Christmas pyjamas, a book, a tree ornament and some sweets - any of these could also go in a 1st of December box. Have fun with your traditions and ignore the Scrooge's! 🎄

How are the clothes 'throw away, one-use'? Just because someone get's a Christmas dress on the 1st December, doesn't mean they wear it once. For my DD she'd wear it to all Christmas events and it would then become her best/party dress. The following Christmas it would carry on being worn if it still fit. And I imagine that people who buy bedding carry on using it til worn out or no longer needed when it would be passed on or given to the charity shop. I do a special breakfast for my DC on 1st December - the only thing they get new is an advent calendar and sometimes a Christmas colouring/activity book if the old one had been finished. This was branded 'plastic tat mentality' by ignorant posters who failed to realise it involved no plastic tat atall. Everything was and is still re used!

But if you do make your own traditions and mention them on MN you will be berated for all the consumerism, using things only once, plastic tat....even if there is none of that in your tradition! Made to feel horrible about something you do that brings your family joy.

What is so funny is most of the moaners think it's fine to get a chocolate advent calendar every year. Personally, I think DC get enough chocolate on Christmas day and don't need it every day in December. I'd never think to criticise someone else's tradition though. Others have chocolate advents, we get the picture ones. Different people can have different traditions and that's ok.

Where does the tradition of chocolate fish come from?

Exactly. People tend to buy their DC things like a Christmas/wintery dress to wear to parties/get togethers. Not sure why it matters if it's put together in a box for the 1st December!

WTF is a 1st December box? I thought Christmas Eve boxes were bad enough. Good grief.

If you read the thread, it's explained quite clearly.

I used to do a Christmas Eve Box when the DC were little to wind them down and give them something to keep them occupied (annual , bathbo,b, new pyjamas)

They started with the Dec 1st Box instead of Christmas Eve when DD wanted higher priced /branded nightwear . Made more sense to start wearing in Dec and then through winter .
I buy a years worth of socks/underwear/lounge wear for DS

Ot works for us / No animals are harmed . And no-one is holding a gun to anyones head to make them do the same

On 1st December our elf used to arrive with. North Pole breakfast - everything was white (or near enough!)
Milk, white toast, rice crispies, white French fancies etc
christmas crockery was used and the elf would sit in the middle of the table with advent calendars and a “I’m back!!!” sign
My kids loved it

"It never ceases to amaze me how many people pile onto a thread on the Christmas topic to be mean!"

Quite

Here we go again....🙄

I am amazed at all the people posting negative comments here. If someone spreads out what they spend on Christmas presents over a 1st December & Christmas Eve box and Christmas Day, then I don't think they are any more consumerist than another person who spends the same but gives them all in one go on Christmas Day. Most of the presents in the boxes seem to be either reused or inexpensive anyway.

I've personally never made or received a 1st December or Christmas Eve box but there are lovely ideas here about individual rituals and customs that families enjoy.

I once caused much tutting on a thread just like this when I said I bought my kids Christmas shaped pasta for December 2st with advent calanders and Christmas craft or card kits.

They've all grown up to be productive members of society even withe the extreme indulgence of seasonal pasta shapes and chocolate stirrers on Christmas Eve.
Enjoy your Chritmas and birthdays however you like them. They'll soon be big 🤶🤶🧑‍🎄🤶🤶