Christmas Eve Box Tradition -

*Post updated December 2020 with free Nice List Certificate*

Christmas Eve is right around the corner. All the activities, between the Advent calendar and the Santa visits, have the level of anticipation for the big day running high. Getting the kids to sleep Christmas Eve night just might take a small miracle. One way to help calm the excitement is with a Christmas Eve box. This is an up and coming new tradition that seems to have made serious headway in the last few years. There is still time to get on board with this. Do you need help on where to start or simply need ideas on what to put in the box. I will share some Christmas Eve box ideas with you all.

THE BOXES

Christmas Eve boxes are placed under the tree with a tag that says do not open until Christmas Eve. The box can be as simple as a cardboard box or as elaborate as an engraved wooden chest, whatever you decide it will be perfect. For us, I knew I wanted something that was sturdy and that we could reuse each year. I also didn’t want to pay a small fortune for 3 boxes. This year, I found these wooden crates at Micheal’s craft store on sale. Using my cricut, I cut out the names and words for the box. Then used the sticker like a stencil to paint the letters. I finished it by adding a large letter, ribbon, and a sleigh bell. Love the rustic and simple look of these. (See the bottom of this post for the previous version of our boxes that I bought from Hobby Lobby)

BOX CONTENT IDEAS

You can fill the box with whatever you want but the goal is to get them all snug in their beds with visions of sugar-plums dancing in their heads. What are sugar plums anyway? Inquiring minds want to know. Each year, we include a pair of pajamas which can be Christmasy for them to wear for photo ops Christmas morning or some comfy winter pajamas. We also include hot cocoa and popcorn to enjoy along with a new movie or book. Finally, I add one small toy for them to unwrap on Christmas Eve. The boys look forward to this more than I knew. While shopping at Tarjay last week, I found snowflake shaped marshmallows and got all giddy inside as I was putting them into my shopping cart. My oldest son, asked if it was for our Christmas Eve boxes. This stopped me in my tracks. It shocked me that he remembered and knew what I was up to. Makes it all worth it.

List of Possible Content Ideas:

Christmas or Winter Themed Pajamas
Christmas Movie
Festive Book
Hot Cocoa
Marshmallows
Chocolate
Popcorn
Christmas Mug
Christmas Themed Candy or Food
Candy Canes
Slippers
Fun Socks
Robe
Small Toy
Playing Cards
Reindeer Food
Cookie Decorating Kit
Christmas Stuffed Animal
Ornament
Favorite Snack
Christmas Craft
Coloring Book with Crayons
Christmas Scented Bubble Bath or Bath Bombs
Cozy Blanket
Jigsaw Puzzle
Snow Globe
Personalized Letter From Santa
Nice List Certificate

FREE PRINTABLE NICE LIST CERTIFICATE

Below is a 8 x 10 printable of the Santa Nice List Certificate. This is a labor of love and I hope that this blesses your family too.

Nice-List-8×10-1 Download

BOX CONTENT EXAMPLES

Here are some pictures of all that we included in their boxes last year. I added robes to wear to a Polar Express train ride on Christmas Eve. And of course, we had to add the classics of Christmas Vacation and Home Alone 2 to our movie collection. Honestly, I needed a break from the original Home Alone movie that we have already watched over 5 times since Thanksgiving. In this year’s boxes, we added similar items plus a soft cozy blanket.