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?

Google re Germany. Thought was in same category as Elf on the shelf etc but stand corrected. In the UK matching family Christmas pyjamas was definitely not a thing when I or the children were growing up, seems more recent. I'm not old.

I’m really confused as to why some posters are so outraged
the majority of posts from posters who do Christmas Eve boxes talk about books, family traditions, trying to recreate Christmas nostalgia and the experiences and excitement pp had as children.

I don’t know how you read that and then come here to complain about all the tat and stuff and spoiled children and performance parenting. I’m sure some people buy loads of tat and plaster it all over social media, but that’s going to happen on Christmas Day anyway!
Maybe you just celebrate Christmas how you like and let other people celebrate how they like, without making uninvited negative comments

im going to stop engaging with the negative now though.

Oo what’s your French book?

There's levels! A friend of a friend does "December boxes", apart from it's not a box, it's a huge pile of gifts and I've seen the photos- it's more than mine get on Christmas Day. I can understand people seeing that and being worried about climate change and overconsumption. I understand that this is the norm for every occasion: elaborate "Easter baskets" which is a sprawling heap of gifts covering a whole dining table, Halloween presents, a "back-to-school" haul incorporating every type of stationery known to man.

It's very different to a few bits that DD would have needed anyway and a couple of treats in the same box every year which will be used for bauble storage after Christmas.

We do a 1st December box too, new Christmas pyjamas, the Christmas jumpers return if they still fit or a new one (this years was from Vinted). It has the plate for Santa in, the key, a Christmassy bath bomb, maybe a new book, the same old Orchard Toys Christmas games from a couple of years ago. Very little new every year. It starts the month off nicely for us!

@Tinseltotties it is safely in the box of Christmas books at home in Ireland so I can't check sorry (I'm in Europe for 4 years for work and it wasn't something I thought I'd need as dd is now 18), but I think it is called
24 petite souris avant le Noel

They got up to all sorts of mischief and fun over the 24 days, one page per day. And did some chores and helped each other as well. Less than half an A4 size, but lots of bright colourful pictures and only 1 or 2 sentences per page. So a perfect bedtime storybook when young - or to do today's page before getting out a bigger book/the current chapter book when older.

And as for the performance element - there has never been a photo even taken of our box, let alone shared on SM. It is purely a thing we did in our nuclear family unit. I didn't even talk about it to extended family (as in anyone who didn't live in our house).

There were years when a pair of pjs had a more festive theme to them - dd still wore them until the weather got too warm, and then took them out again with other warmer ones if she still fit them when it got cooler again. And many years they weren't festive - just new. But she wore those in the exact same way.

One thing I don’t understand is people saying you can’t wear Christmas pyjamas all year around. Of course you can! In case that makes anyone feel better about the “waste” 😉

We do Christmas Eve boxes - they sit under the tree once it’s decorated and are filled by mummy and daddy in time to be opened Christmas Eve. All the Christmas Day presents are from Santa so we do a little treat the night before. It’s usually new pyjamas, reindeer food, bath bomb and a treat to watch the film with. They get lots of treats throughout December though, including new matching pyjamas on the day we put up the tree, jumpers, books, treats.. all sorts really. We just enjoy December all month long in small ways. We have kindness elves but they don’t bring the box. Just enjoy and sprinkle as much magic as you can before they grow up!

@almay I absolutely wear Christmas pjs all year too. A lot of the time I stock up on pjs for the year when they’re massively reduced in Jan too.

@BiddyPop yes tbh you wouldn’t even know we had dc from out sm profiles, so we’re certainly not going to be posting it for likes!
Ive just ordered that book though thank you!

My mums side of the family have always had new pyjamas on Christmas Eve and my mum is almost 70 now. It is a tradition I have carried on with my children.

The pyjamas have always been run of the mill pyjamas, nothing Christmassy, just whatever my kids wanted.

It really frustrates me that it’s seen as a ‘performance’ thing or as added pressure to families. My nan used to give pyjamas on Christmas Eve to her children because they had no money, they were their pyjamas for the year (she had 6 children and an abusive alcoholic husband) and she wanted her children to be presentable on Christmas morning. My mum continued the tradition that she had as a child, as do most people.

My DC are 15 (almost, her birthday is 28/12) and 12. They love picking out their Christmas pyjamas, it just adds to the excitement for them. We have no special box or anything. We do all shower, new pyjamas and a movie or something that we have all wanted to watch. As a mum of teens I will take that family time for as long as possible.

I love Christmas Eve, it's my favourite day, more so than Christmas because I just love the anticipation!

This year is going to be the best Christmas Eve box ever though as at the bottom of the box are some tiny my first Christmas pjs, a little mug and a Christmas tree ornament announcing that my children have a sibling on the way!

Oh congratulations @teampacey !! That will be an exciting Christmas Eve box! I hope you have the best Christmas and I agree Christmas Eve is even better than the big day

Never got one myself but know people my generation who got the things you list just not in a box.

We do boxes; open them in the morning due to them containing tickets, shoebox size, they have the following inside:

PJs; not Christmas print so can be worn all winter, tartan is good, they wear them that night and open stocking wearing them in the morning

Christmas book, possibly DVD but not if attending theatre that day

tickets to theatre for Christmas panto or smaller show depending on age or Santa train ride

bath bomb

hot chocolate and small marshmallows

I'm mid 40s and always had new Pjs, vhs video and snack and activity book on xmas eve to keep me entertained..I've always done similar with my dc and the eldest is 25 now so it's always been a thing when I was growing up and my dc.

My teen has a xmas eve basket and in it is pyjamas, bath bomb, snack bowl and cup, personalised cards from our pets and snacks.