If you don’t know what goes into a Christmas Eve box, then these ideas for Christmas Eve box fillers will make your life easier.
There’s no doubt that Christmas Eve boxes are growing in popularity and lots of families now make them for their children, partners and also their pets.
Put simply, the box contains a small collection of gifts and treats so that family members can indulge themselves on the day before Santa delivers his presents.
Here, we take a look at what to put in adult, children and pet Christmas Eve boxes to make your evening a special event.
What is a Christmas Eve box?
A Christmas Eve box is a fairly new tradition that is gaining popularity and is thought to originate from the German tradition that sees Germans opening their presents on Christmas Eve.
Now, the British version is mainly aimed at children to enjoy on Christmas Eve and give them something to look forward to other than Santa’s arrival.
These boxes are also being created for adults and there are pre-filled Christmas boxes available too.
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YouTube: Christmas Eve boxes!!! What I put in them and ideas
Here’s the popular YouTuber Rosie Henshaw explaining what Christmas Eve boxes are and what she puts in them.
And, rather than use a box, Rosie uses a bag and gets a personalised motif to place on it.
There are also chocolates, mittens, Christmas candy canes and a mug for hot chocolate.
There’s also a quick round-up of putting a Christmas Eve bag together for an older child.
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Where can Christmas Eve boxes be bought from?
Since Christmas Eve boxes are growing quickly in popularity, you will find that lots of retailers are offering Christmas Eve boxes for sale.
They are available in a range of budgets and sizes to meet your needs.
If you are after a personalised Christmas Eve box, then platforms such as Not On The High Street and Etsy offer some impressive creations that can be used by you and your family year after year.
Alternatively, you could create your own box by recycling something that may have contained a gift from a retailer.
You can either paint or draw on it or wrap it in gift paper before placing under the Christmas tree for youngsters to open.
It’s also worth noting that if you are struggling to come up with ideas to put in a Christmas Eve box, you can now buy pre-filled Christmas boxes from the likes of Etsy and Amazon.
Even John Lewis is offering a Cartwright & Butler ‘Cosy Night In Treat Box‘ for £55 that is filled with delicious hot drinks including their classic afternoon tea blend, and milk hot chocolate stirrer, a variety of biscuits and sweet treats – these include sea salted fudge, triple chocolate chunk biscuits, butter oat crumbles and crispy wafer rolls.
Christmas Eve box fillers for children
There are some great ideas for Christmas Eve box fillers for children and they include:
- Festive pyjamas: A cosy pair of Christmas pyjamas to snuggle into on Christmas Eve
- A Christmas book: A classic tale like ‘The Night Before Christmas’ or a new favourite author
- Hot chocolate and marshmallows: A perfect wintertime treat
- A small toy or game: A fun surprise to keep little ones entertained
- A Christmas-themed activity book or puzzle: A creative way to pass the time
- Reindeer food: A sprinkle of magic to leave out for Santa’s reindeer
- A Christmas-themed sticker sheet: For some festive fun.
The sky is the limit when it comes to Christmas Eve boxes for children, though you need to appreciate that the gifts should not overshadow the presents that Santa brings the next morning.
That means you don’t need to spend a huge amount because you are simply buying small treats to distract children from Santa’s visit and keep them entertained
Christmas Eve box fillers for adults
Whereas children will get sweets and activities in their box, Christmas Eve box fillers for adults will be festive themed but again you don’t need to spend a small fortune to impress. Popular items for adults include:
- Christmas pyjamas: Festive PJs aren’t just for children!
- Luxury hot chocolate: A decadent drink to indulge in
- Toiletries: A selection of facemasks, hair treatments or bath treats
- Festive candle: To create a cosy atmosphere
- Christmas mug: Choose either a festive mug or a personalised alternative
- Bottle of festive drink: Think mulled wine, hot toddy mix or a special Christmas beer
- Christmas-themed puzzle: A relaxing activity to enjoy
- Luxury bath or body product: A pampering treat
- Christmas-themed board game: A fun way to spend time with loved ones
- Socks and/or slippers: The traditional favourite – might be just as popular on Christmas Eve!
- Festive snack: This could be a box of chocolates, a bag of Christmas cookies or mince pies.
Remember, the key to a successful Christmas Eve box is personalisation. Consider your loved ones’ interests and preferences when selecting items. For example, a bookworm might enjoy a new novel, while a foodie might appreciate a gourmet hot chocolate.
What to put in a Christmas Eve box
Not only are Christmas Eve boxes a nice idea but they are growing in popularity because they help a family create their own tradition.
And with many countries opening their presents on Christmas eve, including Norway, Sweden, Brazil and Iceland, means you can also join in a tradition that others overseas are taking part in too.
Also, the Royal family has exchanged their presents on Christmas Eve – which is the German style.
These boxes began appearing as a tradition in 2014 for UK families.
They have grown in popularity since then and they are usually a small shoebox-sized box filled with small treats.
However, for many people there’s a controversy over the giving of Christmas Eve boxes because, they say, it ruins the magic that many families enjoy on Christmas morning.
There’s no doubt that while these boxes were filled originally with small gifts, they have grown in size as families decide to offer an impressive Christmas Eve box for their children or partners.
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Adult Christmas Eve Box Idea UK – Simple and Affordable
Here, Laura Edwards offers ideas for an adult Christmas Eve box.
It has been inspired by Pinterest and includes PJs from Primark, a Yankee candle, bath foam, Christmas films and a mini Hendricks gin.
There’s also a reindeer mug, candy canes and Cadbury’s hot chocolate.
Laura shows you don’t have to spend a fortune putting together a box that the recipient will be very pleased to receive.
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Ideas for Christmas Eve box fillers
We have mentioned already about the gifting of toys and activities for children, and small gifts such as slippers and festive pyjamas for adults.
However, you could consider gifts for Santa including reindeer food and Christmas jumpers to be worn the next morning.
Here, the Christmas.co.uk team take a closer look at some of the great Ideas for Christmas Eve box fillers that will delight:
Personalised Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar: We love this idea to put the recipient’s name on a big bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate – the bar weighs in at 850g. The team at Firebox have these for £14.99. Firebox also offers Cadbury’s Milk Tray and this can be personalised with a name or any text. The chocolates cost £12.99.
The Snowman book: Amazon is selling the Snowman paperback book for £6.47, plus they have the hardcover alternative. While the animation is a very popular film to watch during the festivities, this is a classic piece of Christmas magic to capture the wonder of childhood. Using the platform means it’s easy to buy similar books, including ‘The Snowman and the Snow Dog’ and ‘The Snowman pop-up book’. There’s also the Father Christmas book by the same author, Raymond Briggs.
Matching family pyjamas: Among the retailers offering matching family pyjamas this Christmas is Marks & Spencer. We rather like the checked family pyjamas set for children, men and women. It’s a great way to welcome in Christmas Day and enjoy the process of present opening and enjoying sweet treats. Made from brushed cotton, the pyjamas are warm and soft with an elasticated waist on the pyjama bottoms. Along with the men’s checked family pyjamas set at £25, there’s also a women’s checked family pyjama set for the same price, plus there’s a short pyjama set for women at £19.50. While these are stylish, quality pyjamas, it might be worth looking at the matching family pyjama sets being offered by Primark this year for less money.
Personalised Santa Elf Nice List certificate: Another great Christmas Eve box filler idea is this personalised Santa Elf Nice List certificate – but only for those who have been good this year. They cost £2.99 on the Amazon platform and consist of quality paper that can be placed in a Christmas Eve box to confirm that a child (or adult!) has been good enough during the year to receive a visit from Santa the next morning. It’s easy to personalise the certificate and it’s an ideal choice as a box filler. We also like the Magical Reindeer Food Bag that contains wildlife-friendly biodegradable food. Again, it’s a great filler for a Christmas Eve box and will help ensure that Santa’s reindeer get fed when visiting a child’s home.
Christmas Eve box: If you are struggling to find a personalised Christmas Eve box then most retailers offer them – here is a great creation from John Lewis. You can choose the personalisation and the box costs £35. This is a sturdy creation and will last for years – even as the recipient gets older. As mentioned, Etsy and Not On The High Street also offer very creative boxes and you can also buy a large Christmas Eve CHEST from Amazon.
Do you wrap Christmas Eve box presents?
While Christmas Eve boxes are a new tradition, there’s no established rule as to whether you should wrap presents or not.
Essentially, the gifting of presents can be anything you want whether they are unwrapped or wrapped, and you don’t even have to use a box, you can buy a Christmas Eve bag instead.
While many of us will like to individually wrap any presents we buy for a box, you could just use tissue paper at the top to hide the contents as the recipient eagerly ploughs past the paper to find the goodies.
