Even though Christmas Eve Boxes weren’t a ‘thing’ when I was a child, we were always given one gift on the night before Christmas, so I’m loving this trend for Christmas eve boxes. They’re a great way to keep excited kids entertained during the day before Christmas and get the celebrations started in style.
I think there are some essentials that no Christmas Eve box should be without including tasty treats, little gifts, decorations, entertainment and something to snuggle up in so here are my top five items that you should include in your Christmas Eve box…
Get-The-Party-Started Games
I think it’s a good idea to open the Christmas Eve box in the morning. That way, the whole family can enjoy the gifts and activities inside the box throughout the day, which helps to keep kids entertained and to get adults into a festive mood.
One thing I would always include in a Christmas Eve box is a game or two. This provides a fun activity that you can all play together and get a party atmosphere going. This year I’ve got two games that are suitable for both little ones and adults and they’re compact games so will easily fit into a Christmas Eve box.
Cat Chaos is a card matching and swapping game that can get quite frantic, featuring cat ‘celebrities’ like Pawdry Hepburn and The Purrminator. Pass The Pugs is a modern take on the classic game Pass The Pigs where you score points based on the position of the pugs. Whether you’re a family of cat fans or dog lovers, these games will be ideal to get the party started.
For quieter times during the day, my favourite choice of game is Top Trumps. One pack provides hours of fun as kids pair off to out-score each other. There’s a massive range of themed Top Trumps (these are actually the gifts I’ve got for my family this year, so I hope they’re not reading this!) including all the best children’s characters from TV, film and books.
But they’re not just for kids – there are plenty of Top Trumps themes that are suitable for adults, including TV shows like Friends and Peaky Blinders, or films like 007 and Star Wars. Top Trump packs are not much bigger than a deck of cards so they won’t take up too much room in the Christmas Eve box but will provide plenty of fun.
Cosy Christmas Clothing
It was always a festive tradition in our family to receive one present on Christmas Eve and it was always a new set of pyjamas. I’ve carried this tradition on throughout my life and, now that Christmas Eve boxes are so popular, I’d recommend putting some cosy clothing into the box.
This gives you the excuse to get comfy in your new PJs earlier in the day than usual and feel totally relaxed at home. However, after years of Christmas Eve pyjama-giving, I’ve got plenty of PJs in my drawer, so instead, I’ve decided to get some cosy slippers from Slipper Shop this year.
I got myself some fluffy Totes slippers with a practical indoor/outdoor sole and for my husband, I chose some Homey’s slippers in a Scandi-style pattern (again, I hope he’s not reading this!) These make a great addition because they fit into a shoebox-sized Christmas Eve box with ease and still provide that cosy feeling. Is there anything snugglier than pulling on a new pair of fluffy, fleecy slippers and padding around the house? It means you’re staying in for the rest of the day and are ready to relax.
Traditional Decorations
I think it’s a lovely tradition to add a new decoration to the tree each year, so why not add a special decoration or two to your Christmas Eve box? I bought these unique illustrated decorations from Talking of Plants, ready to add to the tree. I love the cute gardening Santa and Mrs. Claus designs – it makes you think about what Father Christmas gets up to during the rest of the year. They’re made from wood so they feel really natural and, considering that we’re keen gardeners, I thought these were the perfect decorations to add to our tree this year.
Eve Entertainment
The best thing to do on Christmas Eve is to cosy up with a festive film. This is an especially good activity for over-excited kids, as it helps them to slow down, snuggle up on the sofa and let their imaginations take over. Of course, you probably won’t need to include a physical DVD in the Christmas Eve box if you’ve got streaming options, but I think it’s still lovely to buy and keep those classic films that you know you’re going to watch every year.
Tasty Treats
Add some classic confectionary like coconut-covered snowballs or a chocolate orange to the box to enjoy throughout the day, and pop in some marshmallows to sprinkle onto hot drinks. Your festive film can be accompanied by popcorn and a relaxing hot chocolate or hot milk to encourage even more sleepiness. If you’re all already in your PJs while you’re watching the festive film, you can head straight to bed afterwards and hopefully, little ones will drift off to sleep easily.
What else would you include in your Christmas Eve box? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear about your festive traditions and, if you’ve been creating Christmas Eve boxes for many years already, what do you always add to get the party started or to calm the kids?
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
