MNHQ HERE: What do you pack into a ‘Christmas Eve Box’?

[LilyMumsnet]

Hi all,

MNHQ here with another seasonal request! Don't get too sick of us - still got the Christmas name change competition, yet.

Our wonderful video team are at it again and this time, they're making a very merry video on what to put into a Christmas Eve box.

We have a vague idea of what goes into these festive boxes but we'd really like to hear YOUR thoughts! These are children's boxes, so let's keep it child-friendly...

Anyway, you snow the drill. Drop your favourite items down below and watch this space - a video will soon follow.

P.S If you don't know what we're going on about, a Christmas Eve Box is a box given to children on Christmas Eve. It's usually filled with all the ingredients to make a perfectly jolly evening. So get posting!

Christmas Eve is for going up to midnight mass coming home getting the little monkeys into bed drinking a bit of sherry and putting out some stockings

That sounds lovely.

Not going to work for us though on account of the atheism.

I don't understand this need to knock other people's traditions. Everyone does it a bit differently, and that's great.

Used to go to the nativity service...that Was always nice

Children and dh hated it though

They did it for me

Christmas eve box? When did this happen? Mine are 17 and 15 and I don't think it was around when they were little.

Ours has

Pyjamas
Blankets
A million sweeties
DVD
Computer Game
Board Game
Smellies
Hot Chocolate
Giant marshmallows
And probably a whole lot more.

I tell this every time this sort of thread crops up so I apologise to anyone reading it for the 34th time!

My DS2 was stillborn and he had a Christmas Day due date. He was born just a few weeks before. So Christmas could easily be a sad time but I have two other sons so make a big effort for them.
I was around when the Christmas Eve Box was first mentioned on MN many years ago and I loved the idea. It was suggested that Christmas Elves delivered the box but I immediately changed it for my family and decided it would be a present from my DS2 to his big and little brothers.
So now the story is that he borrows some magic from Santa so he can bring a box of presents.
It's our way of bringing in our DS2 and in a happy way. They talk about this box all year, and it lets us talk about him without it being a teary occasion.
I spend lots on the box as I don’t get to buy my DS2 present. I don’t get to make new memories involving him. Except for this box. So I'm pretty defensive of it when people come for it.

Now, that's not the reason for many or even any other family. But our reason and 99% of other people reason for doing this is to put a smile on their family's faces. That's it. You might do it by spending £££ on holidays, or £££ on birthdays, or fancy clothes. Some of us do it at Christmas. I dont accuse anyone of buying crap and falling for consumerist bollocks when you pay out for stuff I don't.

o0

o0 that's just lovely

Oo that's a wonderful way of remembering.

Thanks, everyone

I've never done these. I prefer the anticipation of waking up on Christmas morning without there being gifts/treats the previous night.

It isn't diluting the magic unless the sole focus of YOUR Christmas is gift giving and you're particularly short sighted and reductive

That's a bit OTT and definitely not true for many of us. You have your own traditions but for others a Christmas box would clash with the wait for Christmas Day. My preference is that Advent is for anticipation and preparation (and even fasting in some traditions). Treats, feasting, celebration, the lighting of the final candle on the Advent ring, the last verse of 'O Come All Ye Faithful' (which begins Yea Lord we Greet Thee), and exchanging presents are for the day, not before. Likewise I wouldn't want an 'Easter Box' between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I see that as about learning patience rather than being 'all about chocolate'.

@MrsNoMopp I'm Jewish but I agree with everything you say. A huge part of religion, tradition and ritual is the rhythm and cycle of the festivals. And of course xmas day is less special if it's all been done already.

Nothing - silly idea

We have someone with a Christmas Eve birthday so we celebrate that .

We don't do boxes/ new jammies etc but have a lovely relaxing day with Christmas films, hot choc and marshmallows etc then hot bath, off to nativity service before leaving mince pies etc for Santa, stockings and bed (with obligatory night before Christmas/ other Christmas stories). Kind of box stuff without the box

The most surprising thing for me is how many people put dvds in their Christmas Eve box.
I don't know anyone who still watches dvds. We don't even have our dvd player anymore.

My sanity.

I'm just wondering how many copies of 'The Night Before Christmas' everyone has? We have two but don't even do The Box on 24th.

Christmas Box?? Never heard of it....isn't there enough already without maxing it out Christmas Eve too with what sounds like £100 worth of stuff?? The power of consumerism for materialistic people....

with what sounds like £100 worth of stuff??

They're not my cup of tea but a dvd, new PJ's, book and some snacks probably wouldn't cost more than £20!

Nothing!

They get presents the next morning! Isn't the anticipation and excitement part of Christmas?

We all have a lovely evening together though and look forward to Christmas.

Thinking back to my childhood, there were no bells and whistles, just giddy, blissful excitement all focussed on the day itself with nothing to detract from it

I agree.

All these additional presents are really not necessary!

Mine are 16 and 18 now. We've never done a box but have always opened one present on Christmas Eve, and it has always been PJs. A bath, putting out whisky, a mince pie and carrot, tracking Santa on NORAD, setting up the runway on the lawn (tealights in jars), hanging up the magic key and putting out stockings kept us busy until bedtime.

Someone linked to the Kindness Elves so I thought I'd take a look.

The "mama of 4" who came up with the idea writes "In a world that is so full of “stuff” and a creeping entitlement and have-it-all-now attitude" she designed a whole lot of tat made in China to sell at a ridiculous price. Oh the irony!

Nothing, they get enough of Christmas day.

Always PJ’s
Makings of a hot choc, squidgy cream powder and marshmallows
Sometimes fluffy socks
Sometimes a blanket
Used to do a dvd but generally we watch a Xmas movie on tv
A bath bomb each to encourage the grits to have a bath and get into pjs then come down for hot choc and film
Always a note from the elves basically telling them to sit down, shut up and go to bed and to sleep so they don’t miss out on presents

I never spend much but have done it since they were tiny and have now let DC1 (14) in on secret and she takes great delight in helping place on the doorstep which is lovely.

I put in a dvd, our selection of Christmassy books, and some nice nibbles. Grandma also has a tradition of Rudolph delivering new PJs on his way to work on Christmas Eve, so these go near the box too.

Arrival of the Xmas eve box also signifies the end of our elf. I'm always glad to see him go by that point