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🎄 Christmas Eve box ideas for kids (that aren't more presents)

A Christmas Eve box is a little box of cosy things given on the afternoon or evening of the 24th. It has become a much-loved tradition in many UK homes, partly because it helps excited children wind down (a bit) on the most exciting night of the year.

It does not need to be big or expensive. The best Christmas Eve boxes are not about more presents: they are about a slow, warm evening together before the big day.

What to put in a Christmas Eve box

  • Pyjamas or socks to change into after bath time.
  • A Christmas story to read in bed. Our free Christmas stories with Pip the elf are written for reading aloud.
  • A hot chocolate with marshmallows, or popcorn for a family film.
  • The Father Christmas plate: a mince pie, a small glass of milk (or sherry for the grown-up in the red suit), and a carrot for the reindeer.
  • Writing things: paper and a pen to leave Father Christmas a note.
  • Something calm: a colouring page, a little puzzle, a book of stickers.
  • A torch: for spotting stars, and maybe a twinkle in the sky that could just be a sleigh.

Keep it simple and fair

If you have more than one child, make the boxes the same size and the contents roughly the same. Reuse the box every year: children love seeing the same battered box come out of the loft. And remember that plenty of families do not do a Christmas Eve box at all. A story and a mince pie on a plate is every bit as magical.

More Christmas Eve ideas

  • Lay out the stockings at the end of the bed or by the fireplace together.
  • Go for a short walk after dark to look at the lights on your street.
  • Some families have a phone call from Father Christmas in the afternoon: ours is an AI Father Christmas who already knows your child's name and news, booked by a parent in advance.
  • Read the same Christmas story every year. One day your children will read it to theirs.

Steps

  1. Pick a box. A shoebox wrapped in Christmas paper, a cardboard box decorated by the children, or a wooden crate you use every year all work.
  2. Add something cosy to wear. New pyjamas or warm socks are the classic choice, ready for Christmas morning photos.
  3. Add a Christmas story to read together at bedtime. A library book or an old favourite from the loft is just as good as a new one.
  4. Add the makings of a treat, such as a hot chocolate sachet and a few marshmallows, or a little bag of popcorn for a Christmas film.
  5. Add the things for Father Christmas and the reindeer, such as a small plate, a mince pie, a carrot and a pen and paper for a note.
  6. Add something to keep busy, such as a colouring page, a small puzzle or a sticker sheet for the afternoon.
  7. Add a little torch for a last look out of the window at the night sky before bed.
  8. Give the box after lunch or at teatime on Christmas Eve, so there is time to enjoy it before bed.

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