How to Make a Christmas Eve Box for Toddlers & Children
Wondering how to make the PERFECT Christmas Eve Box for Toddlers and Children? It’s a growing trend for Christmas 2020, plus it’s easy and fun to do.
2020 hasn’t given us too many reasons to be jolly, so it’s no surprise that parents are looking to ramp up the celebrations this Christmas.
Along with the tradition of leaving a mince pie for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph, families are turning to a new tradition: the Christmas Eve box.
What is a Christmas Eve Box?
If you’re new to the idea, a Christmas Eve box is a simple and fun way to get kids into the festive mood. As its name suggests, it’s a box full of treats and goodies to get you into the Christmas spirit, which is given the day or night before Christmas.
This ranges from festive socks to hot chocolate to kids' plates that will get them excited about the big day, and anything to inspire the inner-hygge. And, it has been growing in popularity over the past few years.
Creating a Xmas Eve Box for Children, in Three Easy Steps
If you’re ready to get started, here’s three simple steps for creating a great Christmas Eve box for children of all ages.
1. Filling your Christmas Eve box
Wondering what to put in your Christmas Eve box? The joy of the festive box, is that there’s no set rules, you can fill it with whatever you like. However, most gifts tend to be a ‘warm up’ for the big day, to get kids excited and feel all Christmassy!
If you’re looking for Christmas Eve box ideas for toddlers, here’s a few items you might want to consider:
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The Munchy Play Vroom-Vroom plate
2. Choosing a Christmas Eve Box
Once you know what to include in your Christmas Eve box, you will know what size to buy. This is important, as boxes can range from a few pounds up to £100 - depending on size, material and type.
Boxes can be anything from decorated carboard gift boxes, to personalised crates.
There’s a whole host available to suit every budget and preference.
At the top-end, wooden Christmas eve boxes are some of the most hip and desirable, doubling up as a gorgeous keepsakes for years to come. Etsy is a great place to source these, many offering personalisation. These range anywhere between £15 and £90.
You can find suitable boxes in most shops, including; Amazon, Hobbycraft and John Lewis, to name but a few. Pound Toy is a great option for those on a budget with large Christmas Eve boxes priced from £2.
Alternatively, you could use it as an opportunity to get crafty and make your own box together with a cardboard box. Wondering how to decorate a Christmas Eve box? Why not get the kids to do it! Arm them with festive decorations, paperchains, tinsel and stickers and let them get customising.
3. Decorating your box
However, if you chose to do to so, scrunched up tissue paper (in green, red, white and silver) works a treat and can be sourced on the high street and most good hobby craft shops for very little.
How to make a Christmas Eve Box for Kids on a Budget
The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to make a great Christmas Eve box for children. Here’s six items, including the box, which can be sourced for under £30 – and it’s possible that you would have bought most of these anyway as stocking fillers.
- Christmas Eve Box - £2 (Pound Toy)
A great place for stocking up on affordable treats, Pound Toy Online has a range of colourful cardboard boxes.
- Hot chocolate stirrer - £1.69 (Aldi)
Hot chocolate with a twist… or should we say stirrer. Serve before bedtime for all the snuggly feels.
- Munchy Play Kids Plate - £12.76 (Munchy Play and Amazon)
Kids tableware has never been more fun. With a built-in track for pushing trains, cars, or even sprouts around, it’s sure to be a hit every day of the year, not just Christmas Day. Designed for toddlers and fussy eaters, the child’s plate is now on sale down to £12.76.
- Kids Christmas Book - £2.00 (The Works)
Stock up on cute kids’ books for Christmas, including ‘The Night Before Christmas’ and ‘Father Christmas Needs a Wee’ – a great bedtime read for Christmas Eve.
- Elf, DVD - £4 (Argos)
There’s so many great Christmas films to enjoy, from Elf to The Snowman and Home Alone. Rated PG, ELF is a classic laugh-out-loud movie to warm the heart.
- Christmas Pyjamas - £7.50 (Marks and Spencer)
With fun designs that can be worn beyond Christmas, M&S have just what you need for getting all cosy this Christmas.
Total cost: £29.95
December 1 Box – the new lockdown trend?
And yes, there’s one more for you. Based on a similar idea to the Christmas Eve box, expect to hear more about the December 1 box this year.
This is the same concept, except the treat box is given on the first of December instead of Christmas Eve, to stretch out the celebrations even longer.
With lockdown forcing us to spend more time indoors, it’s just one way parents are looking at keeping the cheery festive vibe in full flow.
This also allows you to get more creative, by adding extras to the box, including:
- Advent calendar
- Tree decorations
- Christmas nativity scene
- Christmas biscuits
- Elf on the shelf
Where does the Christmas Eve Box tradition come from?
Like many festive traditions, the Christmas Eve Box is believed to come from Germany. Unlike the UK, where we open gifts on Christmas Day, many European counties, including France and Germany, open their presents on December 24th.
In recent years we have ‘repurposed’ the idea into a Christmas Eve box – a prelude to Christmas Day.
Understandably, some parents believe it’s an unnecessary addition. However, a Christmas Eve box doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive, and can serve as a helpful way to get children to sleep the night before. It can also create a sense of occasion, helping to prolong the Christmas cheer, for more than just one day.
In most cases, Christmas Eve boxes for toddlers are filled with items you would have put in their stockings anyway, including treats like cookies and socks, and can be rustled together for less than £30, as we show you below.
As an added touch, parents can include a note from Santa revealing that they are on the ‘nice list’, to make kids less anxious too.
Who do you give a Christmas Eve box to?
Although Christmas Eve boxes tend to be given to children from their parents, it’s not just for kids. In fact, many adults join in with the luxury of having a filled Christmas Eve box too. Since they do not come from Santa, you can get the kids involved in the process too.
They can be given as a touching treat to family members, or you can even make a Christmas Eve box for baby or loved one.
Final thoughts
Christmas Eve boxes for toddlers can be creatively curated on a budget, and bring a sense of occasion to the big day. At a time when we’re looking to make the most of the good times, it’s a nice way to keep the festive vibes going.
Getting into the festive spirit? Have a read of our exclusive interview with Kim-Joy, from GBBO, about her latest baking book 'Christmas with Kim-Joy'.
