A Christmas Eve box is a lovely tradition to start with your family this year if you haven’t yet. This pretty box will make this Christmas more magical – with lovely presents inside, your children will be excited to get one this year and in the years to come.
The idea with the Christmas Eve box is to fill it up with things that your children can use on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Think of it a special treat for kids that will be given on December 24th to keep the excitement going before Santa Claus comes to bring them their Christmas gifts.
Now, before you go out to buy fancy gifts to load your boxes, it would be worthy to note that this box is not about expensive gifts. What with all the expenses that this holiday brings you, this box is not meant to add more to that.
To help you out, here are some tips on how to decorate and fill up your children’s Christmas Eve boxes.
The Box
For the box, you will need a cardboard box or a small crate. A shoe box with a lid would do nicely, but a wooden crate would be something that you can reuse.
Line the box with gift wrapping paper, preferably with festive designs. You can personalize the box by adding your designs or writing the name of the child using a stencil, glitter, and other art supplies.
If you prefer to use wooden crates, you can paint it in any color you want and decorate it using chipboards or stickers. This way, the box can still be used again in the following years.
If you would rather buy pre-made boxes, you can also get some at physical and online stores.
What’s Inside?
- Books or movies – A Christmas Eve box usually contains a Christmas storybook or movie to help your kids relax and go to sleep before they can start convincing you that they’ll wait for Santa to come. Look for Christmas titles that are age appropriate for the kids.
- Hot chocolate – This is a must for every Christmas Eve box and is supposed to be drunk while watching the movie or when reading the bedtime story.
- Reindeer food or Santa’s key – You also need to include one pouch of reindeer food inside your box. It is to be sprinkled on the walkway before midnight supposedly to help reindeers find your home quickly. Make your own reindeer food by combining one cup of oats and two teaspoons of edible glitter and packaging it nicely.
If you don’t have a chimney, it would be a great idea to add a magic key to your box to help Santa get inside your home.
- Marshmallows – Think of classic-sized marshmallows if you are planning to roast them over the fire. You can also do this before the movie so that you’ll enjoy them while watching the film and pair it with your hot chocolate.
- Popcorn – This one is another option for you to enjoy your movie time with the kids.
- Pajamas – This is the time of the year when you are allowed to wear pajamas even during the day. Choose from a variety of festive prints.
- Onesie – This is an alternative to pajamas if you want your kids to love you even more. Go for the funniest ones you can find.
- Slippers – A pair of warm indoor slippers will complete the whole package, so make sure to look for the cutest ones.
- Plushie – The Christmas Eve box will not be complete without a teddy! Consider adding teddy bears and other toys such as a plush reindeer or snowman to your kids’ Christmas Eve box.
- Gingerbread – This should be present in your box because it is the best time to share biscuits with the whole family and even leave some for Santa. Now is the perfect time to take those baking skills to the test! Adding your personal touch to these biscuits will surely be appreciated. If you are not the baker type, there are always shops that sell Christmas biscuits.
Finishing Your Box
To make your Christmas Eve box look even more attractive, tie a pretty ribbon around it. You can even add fillers inside the box using shredded paper to make it look fancier!
Now that Christmas is coming, try making these boxes for your kids! The Christmas Eve box is a great idea to stop the kids from nagging you to open just one gift before Christmas. But wait, it wouldn’t hurt to give the older kids and other adults in the house their own Christmas Eve boxes, too! Just keep in mind that they don’t have to be expensive to make them special.
