Every year I give each of my children just one gift to open on Christmas Eve. It is the only gift they will receive from Mom & Dad because Santa brings the rest on Christmas morning. Each year they receive their Christmas Eve box and it has become such a fun tradition that I now look forward to just as much as my kids do. Being that today was Black Friday I had to be sure I had everything I needed for my Christmas Eve boxes for each of my children. I have them all completed now and ready to be wrapped and placed under the tree with a big ‘ol “Don’t open until Christmas Eve!” sticker on them!
If you don’t already have a fun family tradition for your kids to look forward to, then this one is a lot of fun and it’s also very practical!
I create a Christmas Eve box for each of my kids but they all contain the same things (just in their own size/gender colors). If you need Christmas Eve box ideas then I have some really fun boxes put together for this year! What I really love about these boxes is that they are fun and they are practical and perfect for Christmas Eve. I include a new pair of Christmas pajamas
for each child. This year I got each of my 3 boys a matching pair of reindeer pajamas
that are so cute! They open this box on Christmas Eve and then wear the pj’s to bed. Then in the morning when they wake up to see what Santa has brought them for Christmas morning, they are all adorable and matching in their Christmas pajamas! It makes for great photo opps and it’s a fun gift! My kids love opening up new pj’s and sleeping in them that night!
I also always include a new pair of slippers. By this time of year they have outgrown their pair from last year and it’s a great gift to give each year. This year I got footie pajamas so they really didn’t need slippers to wear with their pajamas but tradition insists they receive a new pair of slippers and since my boys had outgrown theirs, I couldn’t leave them out!
I also include a package of microwave popcorn, a packet of hot cocoa mix, peppermint candies and a new movie to watch together on Christmas Eve night! We often do a Christmas themed movie but this year I went with Planes Fire and Rescue
!
I also included a couple of really fun Northpole themed gifts I found at Hallmark. The North Pole Find Me Santa! Snowflake
which I wrote each child’s name on, lights up for four hours until the jolly guy arrives, so Santa can find your child wherever they are. For my older two kids I also included the Polar Explorer Goggles and Adventure Map
so they would have a fun activity to keep them busy while we are at Papa’s house on Christmas Eve. They can see the North Pole like never before by using the amazing 3-D goggles to explore every inch of the Northpole map, from its exciting places to its fun friends. The mission gets even more magical by flipping over the map for lots of fun activities, like mazes, stickers and more. It’s perfect to keep them entertained while they wait for Santa! It can be so hard to fall asleep when you are so excited! Find both of these along with other fun Northpole activities at your local Hallmark or the links above!
If you want to start the fun before Christmas Eve then be sure to pick up some Magic Mail
too! Your child can write to Santa and Santa writes back! It’s really fun! Your freezer is the mailbox!
Put everything in a box
and wrap it. Open it up on Christmas Eve! Do this year after year and your kids will look forward to it. We love our Christmas Eve box tradition!
What traditions does your family enjoy on Christmas Eve?
I do Christmas pjs also
When my sion was younger, we did the same tradition, opened one gift on Christmas Eve. My son is turning 22 on December 3rd, so we started a new tradition. We open all the gifts on Christmas Eve, have a small party. We do this because he has so many friends to visit, he wants to sleep in Christmas morning, which is just fine for hubby and I.
This is the perfect night before Christmas tradition! I love traditions like these!
This is a wonderful idea for our kids to receive during Christmas or before Christmas. I am still looking for pjs and you help me out, so thank you for that.
I LOVE THIS!!! And I love how everything you included in your box is FUNCTIONAL and perfect for the child. There’s too much junk out there for kids but you’ve got stuff they can use! I may have to steal this one for my family.
This is a lovely tradition! My kids get new pajamas every year too, but they get them well before Christmas eve. I think this would be great to do instead.
We o Christmas pajamas too. My kids look forward to them every year!
Such a cute idea! We go to Christmas Eve service, then drive around and look at lights, grab a pizza and head home and read Twas the Night Before Christmas!
I absolutely love the idea of a Christmas Eve box. I will definitely be borrowing this idea for my boys.
I have never thought to do a Christmas Eve Box! Looks like a fun tradition!
What a fun tradition! I bet my kids would love that too. Thanks for the idea!
My most important tradition was to carefully wrap the presents with matching paper, tags and bows so that gifts were passed out with a gift for each family to open before moving on to the next. These gifts did not have to match, but were of equal interest or value. Important to me was that I very carefully opened and resealed each box before wrapping and put in batteries and removed most wires and zip ties so the gifts were opened without frustration and tears. December 23rd was always Christmas sugar cookie baking day so they would be fresh for Santa. My girls always set aside their very best cookies for Santa and the rest were delivered to neighbors and friends. The 24th was busy. My husband would take the girls out to see the lights so I would have time for any last minute wrapping. At bedtime the Night before Christmas and the story of Jesus’ birth were read. Santa’s very special plate and milk in Santa’s cup were left along with nine carrots, one for each reindeer. A thank you note to Santa was written and left with his plate. Not until this card was written did we open the Christmas Eve gift which always included new pajamas, slippers, and a new stuffed animal to cuddle. The girls were sent off to bed and after they were sleeping did we fill the stockings, eat the cookies leaving a couple of bites, and just a little milk in the cup. A carrot remnant or two was left in the fireplace (or by the front door if we did not have a fireplace in that home). Finally I would vacuum the carpet and my husband would don boots and using baby powder would track boot prints from fireplace to cookies and back. One or two gifts from Santa were left right in front of the fireplace. These gifts were always wrapped in special Santa paper and sometimes would include an inspection tag from elf # 11 or some such. Morning was hot cinnamon rolls before opening stockings, which always included a new toothbrush and toothpaste. The very best gift was always in the toe. A more complete breakfast was eaten before the othet gifts were opened so the excitement would last longer into the day. I know this seems like a lot, but we were a military family away from family and sometimes Daddy was not with us at Christmas. These traditions helped keep continuity no matter where home was.
Every year my mom gives my siblings and I pjs on Christmas Eve but we have a different tradition which we always do and always love. It is called Special Person. In October (my family puts lots of time and effort into the project) we draw names and don’t tell each other who we got. We then think of a project, make the project and give it on Christmas Eve. Because we spend so much time making the project it becomes more fun to give then to get. Also throughout all October, November and December we also can put a little treat under someone’s pillow or on a place that they’ll find it!
So on Christmas Eve after we go to church we eat supper, we get pjs and then exchange gifts. We all look forwards to this as much as Christmas Day because no one knows who is giving them what! Merry Christmas!!!