Talk to me about Christmas Eve boxes

[Tinseltotties]

As a kid I used to get new pjs, an early gift (usually a book or crafts to keep me occupied and give my parents a break I suspect), a hot chocolate and a vhs/dvd. This sounds fairly similar to modern day Christmas Eve boxes, which I don’t remember being a thing then.

am I right? Is it just a more formal way of doing it? what do you put in yours? And when do the dc open it?

Yeah very much what you would have had as a child. I always got pyjamas and maybe a book or some kind of treat. As did my grandmothers way back in the 1940s/50s so don’t think it’s quite the modern concept that some here seem to be horrified by

No Christmas Eve boxes here but we do a few bits on December 1st. pjs (Christmas ones), a Christmas craft activity, Christmas bedding on and a Christmas film with hot chocolate to start December off.

I give it on Dec 1st… I think it makes more sense.
Xmas clothes, pjs, books and an advent calendar. At least they get a full Month out of it then.

@Needmorelego we do a lot of hot chocolate all winter - at one stage, we needed to get extra calories into DD somehow and a hot milky drink (with added squirt cream and marshmallows) was on the menu most nights. Christmas Eve (and the odd other night) would be the "lump of chocolate on a wooden spoon" type to melt into hot milk. As a special treat.

@BiddyPop when I was little my mum gave me hot chocolate almost every day for breakfast.
I was a fussy eater, didn't like eating breakfast and didn't like drinking milk - so my daily hot chocolate made with milk kept me going 🙂

I don't do a box but my kids get new pyjamas, a new teddy and a bath bomb on Xmas Eve. The idea is bath, pjs, cuddle teddy to sleep. They're also getting a small choc selection pack and a snow globe this year - no particular reason!

It's from us, not Santa, but Santa leaves a gift for them on the end of their bed to find on Xmas morning

I'm 43 and always had new pjs and a book on Christmas Eve.

I've always done the same for my children - may add a bath bomb this year too now though as that's a nice idea.

We always had new pjs on Christmas Eve growing up and I was born in the 80s.

I love putting together the Christmas Eve box for my children. We come down in the morning to find the elf has gone back to the North Pole but has left the box with a note under the tree. I always get them matching pjs which are then worn until they are outgrown, fluffy socks, a Christmas bath bomb each and some chocolates. This year I’ve bought some of the mini Lindt reindeers and santas and a big tube of Smarties each.

Mine are 25 and 22
I did a CEH ( Christmas Eve Hamper ) until they got to maybe 10/11yo , mainly to wind them down after their walk and start the "off to sleep now"
Pyjamas ( wintery not Christmas)
Bath bomb
toothbrush
hot chocolate sachet and small pack biscuits
annual
some chocolate
jar of sweets that were their own

Now they're older - they have a Dec 1st Box instead ( or the bag that is dragged out every year )
pyjamas but these are more £
loungewear for DS
socks/pants ( a year worth for DS)
toiletries
selection box (no advent calendars they don;t want them)
DD has make up , nail care , hair care , shower gel , some jewellry like earrings .
Then she can use them all December in the lead up not just on the day

No they are not because it's an American marketing idea disguised as a tradition as an excuse to sell even more stuff to consumers and will inevitably end up in landfill. Just read them a book.

@Londoneye20 why are you blaming Americans for this?
Apparently it's more traditional (in some parts of America) to have the big meal and presents on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day is for church.

Reindeer Food :

We used to take ours to a visitor centre there were reindeer , obviously resting up before their busy night . They sold little packs of food that was safe to feed them.

Magic Reindeer Food ;
One year (never again) I mixed porridge oats with sugar that I'd mixed with pink food colouring and some edible glitter* stars . In a little bag tied with a ribbon,
The DC went to scatter it , DS dumped his in one spot where it sat like a lump of vomit till I cleared it .

• craft glitter isn't good for wild life

I think its just a new name due to social media. I was born 1987 and always had new PJs and book on Christmas eve. Sometimes a vhs too so I'd go to bed early and watch it!

I also received a version of a Christmas Eve box as a child.

Craft kit/new pjs/new mug/hot chocolate/xmas book

The only difference is it was in a gift bag not a cute wooden box !

Ok , it's actually a German idea but I'm not German either so still not doing it

As children we would get a few treats on Christmas Eve so I have carried on with our children.

The contents have changed as they’ve got older but it usually consists of pyjamas, fluffy socks, hot chocolate sachet, marshmallows, Christmas cup, cadburys selection, book, soft toy. That kind of thing.

I'm late 40's and was always allowed to open one present from under the tree before bed when I was a kid. SO exciting!!! 🎄🎄🎄

We never had a Christmas Eve box, I had not heard of it as a child (1980s). The whole point of Christmas Eve was to be excited about Christmas Day.
We would watch whatever was on TV at the time, and have an early dinner so we could go to bed early, no extra gifts or special bedding. All very simple and yet we were always so excited!
I never made Christmas Eve boxes myself because I wanted the kids to have the simple experience I had and for them to experience excitement at the idea of something, rather than have more "stuff".

@Londoneye20 in Germany it's traditional to do all the gifts on Christmas Eve - not give a "Christmas Eve Box".
Still not sure why you randomly blamed America.
Obviously many American traditions evolved from all the different traditions of those who emigrated there - which would include Germany.

I always do new PJs on Christmas Eve which I started when my children were very small to encourage them to bed and still now now in late teens. They are winter PJs but NOT Christmas themed as do not want them worn for 1 week then never again. If they don’t need new PJs I’ll give something cosy like a blanket or slippers.

@Londoneye20 we read the exact same book for at least 12 years if not more- on top of 1 other book that was read religiously during December (a failed. Attempt to teach French on my part - apparently a family of French mice is not exciting) I had grumbles when, even though dd no longer wanted it read at bedtime, our family copy of TTnBC did not appear- as that was our tradition.

What suits one family does not suit every family. But it doesn't mean huge amounts of consumption above normal levels. So a pair of winter PJs and a special ( rather than everyday) hot chocolate of Christmas Eve does not make me a massive overconsumer. I didn't buy a tonne of plastic crap for the advent calendar or food we would not eat - but a few extra festive treats that I knew dd would enjoy were something I enjoyed getting for her.

And if I really wanted to- I could claim Americanism to give it to my child (as an actual US Passport holder) but I prefer a single lump of hot chocolate on a wooden spoon (that later gets burnt in the fire) and a bath bomb that she uses in her bath, than 2 black sacks of plastic toys that dd would never play with.

I only started it because DD normally needed new pj’s around Christmas and like a Christmas story on Christmas Eve. I got a cheap box from card factory and put in pj’s, snack, hot chocolate or something, her stocking, book, cuddly toy and a Netflix ‘voucher’ to watch whatever she liked

We do 1st December instead - Xmas jammies etc and they get used all month