Christmas Eve Box

[ChristmasTraditions]

I've only just come across these Christmas Eve boxes in the shops, is this a new thing? I'm not English but I've lived here a few decades now and didn't know that it was a thing...

Its based on a WW2 tradition from Europe where gift are most commonly give on Xmas eve not Xmas day and originally consists of things that where easy do get during rationing (like books). WW2 caused global movement which brought many culture to cross paths and share ideas so although Xmas is celebrated on the 25th not the 24th in the UK the 'xmas eve' tradition was born.

The only 'new addition' is the packaging of using a 'box' which still doesn't change the history of it.

I bough on for DGS last year as he'd had a tough year, it contained, mugs, mug cake, colouring book and a cookie kit. Plus some other bits.

I do one. Christmas Eve is by far my favourite part of Christmas and I would have loved one when I was little. We do a joint box rather than individual ones and it has Christmas cookie cutters so we can make some biscuits for Santa, his plate and cup, their stockings, same book and DVD every year, reindeer food (eco-friendly), pyjamas, some bubble bath and chocolate. The only things I've bought new are pyjamas (which they need anyway), bubble bath and chocolate.

I've seen a lot of other posts talking about getting their idea for it off Instagram

We don’t do it but we’ve always made Christmas Eve special so I guess have always done it in our own way. New Christmas pjs to open and everyone gets a new book, sometimes something nice to wear Christmas morning. Then we have hot chocolate and watch a Christmas film.

So for us we don’t need to have a special box but we gift if you like.

With the internet the world is now even more global.

I didn't not grow up with stockings or sacks... I added them after reading about them here. Thats how the multicultural world works, we learn new things from others and implement them into our life.

I didn't eat Mexican food until adulthood and now I love it... These things still existed before I personally discovered them though.

Wow I had no idea. Thanks for mansplaining that for me!

I would have to have a 'y' chromosome to 'mansplain' lol.

Given I pushed 3 tiny humans out of my vagina I'm pretty sure theres no doubts that there is no 'man' involved in my explanation (that you clearly needed given your previous posts that showed a lack of understand of the history or concept).

Sometimes learning something new (both culturally and educationally) and accepting it into your life is just growing and bettering yourself, not a personal attack on your little world.

But somehow you managed to do it anyway!

It does feel a ploy from the shops to squeeze out a few last minute extra sales to bolster their profits before sales drop again in the New Year. More excess consumerism on pointless stuff people don’t really need.

The boxes to put things in are a newish thing but items of xmas eve I would say are not a new thing. I'm 43 and always had the reindeer dust, new pyjamas and sweets and maybe a colouring book on xmas eve and remember my mum sitting down watching a film on tv with me at some point in the day.

I've always done xmas eve based items not just for the kids when they were growing up but for myself as well. I think the internet has just highlighted "xmas eve boxes" more in recent years and some people will do them and others wont. I have a hamper that I put our stuff in and it's literally pyjamas, movie, bath bombs and some other bits and pieces

My parents did this because it's a cultural tradition to do the gifts on Christmas Eve, but being that we're in the UK they decided to do a few small things on Christmas Eve and then the main stuff on Christmas day.
I've continued with my own DC but have gradually changed it to be more similar to Xmas Eve boxes people here do now.

DD is 21 now and it certainly wasn’t a thing when she was young. It’s definitely appeared in the past decade.
When I was growing up my siblings and I all received new (non-Christmassy) pyjamas and that’s what I did with DD.

I think it’s just a way for retailers to try and squeeze out more money by creating commercially beneficial traditions.