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??

What do you do with last year's stuff?! Why wouldn't you reuse it?

I use the same bedding but I don’t use the same mugs/blankets or pjs. I buy new ones so the box doesn’t look the same.

December 1st boxes???!!!!! Jeez.

The level of consumerism is crazy. Businesses are laughing all the way to the bank.

Nothing I don't plan on burdening myself with someone else's rubbish tradition just for a like on social media. My kids are happy with their advent calender and the start off making Christmas bits cookies, cards etc

All these people saying Christmas PJs don't get much wear??

I started buying xmas PJs for teen DD a few years back (the M&S kids ones with animals on), she wears them all year round 9stopped growing a few years back)

Why would anyone buy PJs for kids and only wear them for a month?

It was a good day when DT’s said they didn’t want Christmas jumpers - they hated them as much as me!

Sick of what social media, influencers and competitive overspending has done to Christmas. It's so depressing.

Advent calendar starts on December 1st (my sister made us a refillable one). I just buy a box of Celebrations and pop some in each pocket. We don't do Xmas Eve boxes. Presents are opened on Xmas Day :)

How about the gift of an actual future on this planet if we end this silly consumerist greed? You don't have to keep up with every daft social media trend that makes you want to buy more pointless stuff you and your kids don't need.

This isn't about being miserable either, they will get fun stuff on Christmas but the boxes full of stuff is just silly. You can get them colouring on Xmas Eve/1st Dec or new pajamas, but boxes force you to add additional crap.

This is so true. Christen has just turned into a massive commercialised competition and it's so sad to see. Ours get an advent calendar each on 1st and then prezzies on Christmas Day.

I do think there is a lot to be said for a Dec 1st box that comes out yearly with relevant things like Christmas themed books, table cloth etc. But not for buying new stuff for it each year 'just because'.

Don’t do either - problem solved!

A chocolate. Only Cadbury does it for me. It's called a chocolate Advent calendar. Job done.

What about the people who OP is making feel like shit as they won't have the insta photo of their December the 1st box 🙄.

This is yet another thing born out of social media. Another photo opportunity to make others feel inadequate and rubbish about their lives!

Mugs, plates, advent book, Christmas cuddlies

December 1st the elf comes out and they have their advent calendars and some Xmas pjs, so they can wear them throughout the month.

Christmas Eve we all get new Pajamas, not Christmas ones and not family matching

What happens to the old ones? 😕

The advent calendar comes out on 1st and that’s about it until Christmas Day! Seriously though, all this naff elf on the shelf, 1st December as well as 24th December boxes, it’s seriously cringe as my kids would say. We love the run up to Christmas and have our own traditions but none involve pre Christmas presents. Kind of misses the point surely?

December 1st pack for teens:
Edible advent calendar,
Bargain Oodie,
The pile of Christmas books I've collected over the years,
Novelty socks and boxers,
Christmas mugs. (They're also the same mugs they've had for years.)
The only new things are the Oodie, which we'll get years out of because they're massive and the underwear which they'll wear all year round.

Christmas Eve box has never been a thing here, we prefer to use the stuff for all of December rather than just the end of it.
We also don't put it on social media, it's done for us, not the competitive likes.
I love Christmas, For us, December is all about the fun, build up of Christmas excitement.

Depending on what day it falls, on a Wednesday (my day off work!)either side of 1st December I get all of the Christmas boxes out from the loft.

We LOVE going through the boxes, unwrapping delicate decorations and finding bits from years ago we had forgotten. Then we obviously start using all of the Christmas cups, plates, blankets, board games, teddies etc etc. this is probably my favourite day in the lead up to Xmas, and it's DCs too.

I leave any Xmas PJs out for DC because they wear them until they no longer fit but my pjs are in there, DCs bedding is in there so if there's time we'll put them on the beds.

I love that it's not a massive surprise but that we do it together, it's more special to me. I much prefer digging through boxes together over having a box arrive as a present.

Unfortunately I suspect most of the stuff is thrown away, before the exact same thing is bought just in a different colour or design. How many mugs, plates, cups, blankets, PJs, cuddly toys and christmas books does a child need?

You put nothing in either! The world doesn't need more stuff and you don't need a spoiled child that then won't enjoy Xmas as much.

Or the squad that doesn't buy into consumer bullshit.

When mine were younger I used to pack all the Christmas things - Christmas books, films, cookie cutters, clothing etc into a box with their reusable advent calendars so they came out only at Christmas. I didn't buy anything new other than the contexts of their advent calendar but the other stuff stayed fresh and exciting because it only came out in December.

You realise that realistically the only things that need to be rebought each year is the pj's if outgrown, hairclips and chocolate - the rest can be stored and brought out annually?

This will be by baby's 2nd Christmas this year, and the only thing i need to buy this for either box this year is new pjs (£3.50 of vinted), a new sensory light toy (£3 out of the pound shop?), and a gingerbread man decoration kit which was £2.99.

the rest - books, christmas utensils and plates etc, santa teddy, advent calendar is going to be the same each year. Its hardly over the top - its just boxing everything into an annual gift rather than just leaving the books and stuff out all year.