INSIDE: What’s inside your Christmas Eve Box this year? If you’ve never done one before or you’re stumped for ideas, you’ll LOVE the suggestions in this post. I’m sharing what we’ve included in ours the last couple of years PLUS what’s going in it this year!
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The Christmas Eve Box…
Ask my youngest what his favourite thing to do on Christmas Eve is and he’ll tell you opening the Christmas Eve Box. A great way to mark the start of the Christmas celebrations, it’s got to be our favourite family Christmas tradition. Not only does it make Christmas Eve magical, it really helps to bring the family together too. It’s also a LOT of fun!
Having stumbled upon it three or four years ago, it’s been a HUGE hit with my boys every year since, especially my youngest. Now one of our Christmas ‘must-do’s’, I don’t think it’s a tradition we’ll be giving up any time soon – no matter how big my boys get!
And, with it looking like it’s going to be the newest most popular tradition for UK families this Christmas, if you’ve never had a Christmas Eve Box before, now’s THE time to try it!
Related: The BEST Family Christmas Traditions to Do with Your Kids this Year.
So, what’s it all about?
The Christmas Eve Box – or Night Before Christmas Box as it’s also known, is a box that’s opened not surprisingly, on Christmas Eve. Packed full of Christmas-themed goodies, it helps to get the festivities started and bring the magic of Christmas to life. Just like the Christmas stocking, consider it a warm-up act before the main event!
Perfect for those who are struggling to contain their excitement, the Christmas Eve box helps to whet the appetite and tie even the most excited kids (young and old!) over until Christmas morning. The parting gift from our Elf before he flies back to the North Pole, our Christmas Eve Box normally gets opened after dinner because the contents are usually centred around the evening’s activities. But you can open yours any time you like.
Related: 24 Quick and Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas.
What goes in the Christmas Eve box?
Anything Christmas-themed that’s fun and likely to encourage play and a smile or two is perfect. The most obvious choices are Christmas-themed pyjamas, a Christmas storybook and a Christmas movie, but as long as there’s some kind of connection to Christmas, anything goes. The possibilities are endless, you’re limited only by your imagination!
Think about who the box is for – whether you’re doing a personalised Christmas Eve box for each child or one big box for the whole family. We’ve tried both but having one that we all open together is definitely our favourite way to do it. Whichever you choose, try to pick things that are either age-appropriate or can be used by everyone. Think what you would normally do on Christmas Eve, collate all the supplies and present them in your Christmas Eve Box.
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What we put in our Christmas Eve Box…
We’ve added all kinds of things to our Christmas Eve Box over the last couple of years, but there are a few items that make it into the box every year. A great place to start if you’re not sure what to put in yours, our Christmas Eve Box staples include:
- A goodbye letter from our Elf.
- Christmas-themed pyjamas for the kids.
- A Christmas movie – sometimes we’ll buy a new one, other times we’ve packed a favourite that we already own.
- A Christmas-themed storybook to read just before bed – we LOVE the Santa Comes to Essex and Santa is Coming to Sussex stories. If you’re in the UK, you’re bound to find one for your county too!
- Hot chocolate and marshmallows to drink before bed once everyone is in their PJ’s.
- A remembrance candle to honour the loved ones we’ve lost.
- Reindeer food to sprinkle on the path outside so Santa knows where to land his sleigh.
- A plate to put Santa’s mince pie and glass of milk on.
- A mince pie for Santa – plus a carrot for Rudolph!
- A magic Santa key so that he can let himself in.
- Prosecco for the grown-ups for Christmas morning.
What’s going in this year’s Christmas Eve Box?
This year the boys are celebrating Christmas with their cousins and grandparents, so our Christmas Eve Box is going to be for the whole family. We don’t get to see them very often and there’ll be ten of us in total, so it’s going to be a VERY special occasion! Here’s what we’ve added this year to make it even more fun:
- Christmas-themed pyjamas for ALL the kids.
- Glowsticks to put out on the lawn as landing lights for Santa.
- Christmas-themed photo booth props so we can take silly selfies of one another.
- Pin the nose on the Snowman game.
- Inflatable reindeer ring toss game.
- A miniature bottle of whiskey and shot glass for Santa.
- A box of chocolate liqueurs for the grown-ups.
- Chutney and crackers for the cheeseboard.
- A bag of mulled wine spices.
- Mini Christmas puddings for everyone.
I can’t wait to see their faces when they open it, this may be our best Christmas Eve Box yet!
Related: Five Ways to Enjoy a Family Christmas.
Need a little more inspiration?
Want more ideas of what to include in your Christmas Eve box? Check out this awesome video from Kerry Whelpdale:
And, if you have younger kids, this video from Rebecca Lamb has some great ideas of what to include too – as do these posts:
- The Christmas Eve Box – Best Ideas for Kids.
- The Night Before Christmas Box – Fashion Ave Mom.
- How to Make a Great Christmas Eve Box – The Telegraph
Simply enter your details below. Once subscribed, you’ll also receive weekly emails from me packed full of motivation and inspiration.
A family Christmas…
There’s no denying that the Christmas Eve Box is a LOT of fun, but what I love most about it is just how much it brings the family together on Christmas Eve. Full of things you would probably have done anyway like leaving out a mince pie for Santa, reading a bedtime story or drinking hot cocoa before bed, it’s a lovely way to encourage a bit of family bonding and kick-start the Christmas celebrations.
Be warned though, the Christmas Eve Box tradition grows on you…once you’ve done it once, you’ll want to repeat it every year! That’s not a problem though because as well as growing on you, the Christmas Eve Box grows with you too. No matter how old your kids get and whether they still believe in Santa or not, there’ll always be something to put in your Christmas Eve Box to make the night before Christmas feel special. It’s fast become our favourite family Christmas tradition and I’m sure it’ll become yours too!
That’s it for this post! Do you have a Christmas Eve Box? What do you put in yours? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time…
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Did you like this post? You’ll LOVE these too!
- Five Ways to Enjoy a Family Christmas.
- 24 Quick and Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas.
- The BEST Family Christmas Traditions to Do with Your Kids this Year.
