Does nearly everyone do Christmas Eve boxes now?

[Inyournewdress]

Just wondering about this, because dd is two and will be three in spring so she is becoming more aware about Christmas. She doesn’t know about Christmas Eve boxes yet.

I feel that really she’ll have enough and it could be too much, too overwhelming or even lessen the impact of the presents on Christmas Day morning. But I also would be happy to put one together so I am thinking, is it inevitable that she’ll end up having one anyway once she’s at school because everyone else does? Or is it still a minority thing?

No elf, no box.

We always go out for dinner on Christmas eve so there wouldn’t be much use for baking kits or new PJs as bedtime is late and the smallest ones usually fall asleep in the stroller. School does the elf. For us stockings go up above the fireplace when we do the tree. DC get an advent calendar which inevitably gets missed then eaten en masse as we always going skiing for a week before Christmas. We don’t do the carrot for rudolph or mince pie for santa, just never really thought about it.

Make traditions your own, don’t think you have to do things just because online randoms are doing them!

Everybody doesn't do them. Some do. You can do whatever you wish.

As it's a Christmas Eve box your child won't be at school to know the difference. When they're back they'll be too busy talking about what they got for Christmas.

I'm 34 and never had a Christmas Eve box or presents before Christmas Day. Gifts from friends were opened when they gave them to us so we could say thank you and have a hug. Any other presents were from Santa and weren't seen until Christmas Day (after Santa had been). I remember coming into the living room saying "Has he been? Has he been?" despite seeing presents on my chair! The concept of Christmas presents under the tree used to confuse me as we had little decorations at the bottom of our Christmas tree.
Even Christmas PJs and socks were part of my main Christmas presents and worn on Christmas day at night and into boxing day.
My DD just turned 2 this year - still doesn't fully understand Christmas but aware that exciting things are happening (Christmas tree and everything). I want her to have the same exciting experiences as I did.
Also not doing Elf on the Shelf. If DD asks for it, I might start doing it, but not putting pressure on myself to do anything if I don't need to.

Everyone has their own traditions though and traditions change through the years. As the saying goes - each to their own!

No Christmas Eve boxes, matching pyjamas, December 1st presents, elf on the shelf etc here.
just an advent calendar and presents on Christmas Day.
Santa does like a home made mince pie over a shop bought one though so the kids make those on Christmas Eve every year, and they hang stockings in their rooms and leave a carrot, a mince pie and a cherry brandy for Santa by the fire.

I think you need to keep the excitement down a notch on CE and giving even more presents doesn't help with that.

No boxes here. Also no elf or special traditions or even pajamas.
We buy an Advent Calendar as it's fun (and motivating DS to get out of bed on the dark December mornings!) but that's it for presents until Christmas morning. We don't buy piles and piles of presents either.

We do, but it's a pair of pyjamas (not Christmassy) a copy of the night before Christmas that gets put in every year, a mug that gets put in every year, a hot chocolate stirrer and a bath bomb. So nothing excessive, just helps move things along when we get in Christmas eve after carol service, we open it have hot chocolate watch a short film together (snowman or one.of the Julia Donaldson type shorts) then DS has a bath puts PJ's on , book then bed. It's the exact same routine I had as a child just in a box.

My eldest is 38 now , I have always done new pyjamas, a Christmas themed book and a small bag of sweets or chocolates on Christmas Eve. The boxes are reused every year, the ones my kids had are really tatty now!
Now I do it for my grandchildren, it is a special way to start Christmas for my family. We have made it one of our traditions.
I don’t think anyone one else should or shouldn’t do it.

Never done one for my kids and they’ve never mentioned that so-and-so has one.
I usually get a few craft bits in December, they had new Xmas socks on their school jumper day, I bought a new Xmas jumper for the child who’s jumper from least year no longer fit. Other child is wearing last years. Mince pie and carrot will go out on a normal plate. Haven’t bought Xmas pjs since they were cute toddlers. So yes, they get “stuff” throughout the month but not labelled as anything

No we don't. I wouldn't start it either unless you are happy to do that for the next 20 years.

Do have asd child so sometimes do a few presents over several days as he prefers that so less overwhelming and also he's better knowing the presents in advance.

But good for anyone who does it.

No. Christmas pj's and Advent calendar on Dec 1st - PJs then get worn throughout the year till they put grow them. Christmas Eve is either watching a movie and pizza or going to visit friends/family depending on what we're up to. I've got enough to do without adding more effort and expense!

We changed ours to a December box. Elf brings in on 1st.

Crafts
Pjs
Hot chocolate station
Xmas book
New decoration.

We don't, it just isn't one of our traditions, I think the anticipation of Christmas on Christmas Eve is enough excitement for our dd. We always have salmon for lunch, then go for a walk and get muddy/wet/cold, then come home and light the fire and have treat nibbles for supper and watch a film with hot chocolate and cream.

I've never done them (teen kids now) but I sometimes give them a bath bomb on Xmas eve to encourage washing/ going to bed early enough.

The pressure to consume never ends.

I think that the ones people do sound really nice but I think overall based on replies I won’t start anything. Keep my options open and maybe do a 1st December gift instead if anything (not this year!).

Maybe I’m just nostalgic but I feel like Christmas has changed since Instagram etc, it’s so easy to get swept along and think you need to do everything. Whereas if I look back on what I feel was magical about Christmas as a child it really was the simple things and most of them free.

Thank you so much to everyone for the really helpful replies.

No, I don’t know anyone that does.

My dses are adults now, and Christmas boxes weren’t a ‘thing’ when they were small. But we did develop some Christmas Eve traditions, over time - we’d read ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’ by candlelight, and then the nativity story, then sing a carol before bedtime - it was a nice way to wind down so they could get to sleep (and we could fill the stockings and get a reasonably early night too).

You can make whatever traditions you want - with or without a box - maybe Christmas Eve ends with a Christmas film, hot chocolate and popcorn, or reading Christmassy stories - and if you want to put the movie, popcorn and hot chocolate stuff in a nice box, that’s fine, but it is equally fine not to.

For me, the main thing is that you all enjoy it, and it doesn’t become yet another thing on your to-do list, causing you stress.

No box, no elf

No elf here (hate the creepy wee bastard) but we do a Xmas eve box. Ours is geared towards settling down for the night so this year they are getting a bath bomb, fluffy socks, book and hot chocolate sachet. We also put in a Christmas plate for Santa's biscuit and a carrot for Rudolph, sometimes "reindeer food" if I can be bothered making it.

Even before Christmas Eve boxes were a thing we’d always get new pj’s and leave a mince pie and a carrot out before bed.

It’s just got a name now, it’s not a big deal if you do or don’t do it.

No and I hardly know anyone who does.

Nope. Though I will give them new pyjamas this year. And we do Christmas stockings.

I also don't and don't know anyone that has. The consumerism of Christmas does make me slightly sick and although I'm probably looking back with rose-tinted glasses, I'm glad things were much simpler when I was a kid.

You have plenty of time to start your own traditions as the kids get older. Just doing things because "they're a thing" gets a bit much after a while - pick and choose what you actually think suits you!