How to Make a Christmas Eve Box for Families (Start a Fun New Tradition)

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Check out these fun ideas for how to make a Christmas Eve box and start a fun family tradition this year for Christmas!

If you’re looking for a fun and fairly simple new family tradition, consider starting a Christmas Eve Box for your family. Although this tradition is geared more towards younger children who believe in the magic of Christmas, it will help keep the magic alive for older children.

A Christmas Eve Box is a box that’s filled with fun activities for your family to enjoy. The best part is that you can customize it for your family, so include the things that your family will enjoy. Don’t be afraid to modify the box to fit your budget and family’s interests.

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Where Do Christmas Eve Boxes Come From?

Christmas Eve Boxes have become more popular in recent years, but they are based on an old tradition. In Germany, it was tradition to open presents on December 24th and not on Christmas Day.

Related: Check out these fun Christmas traditions from around the world!

Even if your family isn’t German, it’s still a fun tradition. Little ones get very excited on Christmas Eve, and this helps calm them knowing that they have a fun surprise to look forward to before bed. This may even help them sleep a little better that night since they got to open a gift.

What Goes In a Christmas Eve Box?

This is a personal preference for families. Some families give each child a Christmas Eve Box, and others have one box for the whole family. There’s no right or wrong way to start this tradition with your family.

We will have more suggestions below, but some common items are Christmas pajamas, a Christmas movie, and some yummy snacks.

Choosing a Box

You don’t need to have a special box or even a box for that matter. You can use a basket or a decorative box. If you find a Christmas themed box, then you won’t have to wrap it.

You can give each person a box or give one for the entire family. Younger children may like having their own boxes, but older kids may enjoy having family activities that they can do together in one box.

Although you can use a plain box and wrap it, it could be fun to buy a decorative box so your kids can remember fond memories of past years when they see the box.

Fun Things to Put in a Christmas Eve Box

Here are some super fun ideas for what to put in your Christmas Eve Box!

Pajamas

Since your kids will open it on Christmas Eve before bed time, include some comfy Christmas pajamas. They get something practical, and you get kids dressed in cute PJs for your Christmas morning pictures.

Some families buy pajamas for the adults too. Matching or coordinating family pajamas are easy to find in most department stores.

Related: Check out these fun Christmas pajamas for kids!

Fun Christmas Socks or Slippers

Whether you add socks in addition to the pajamas or instead of, everyone will love a cute pair of Christmas socks to wear on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Since the kids and sometimes the adults will be home for the next week or longer, fun slippers will be practical in the cold weather. For both kids and adults, the crazier the better.

Holiday Movie

There are so many family friendly Christmas movies for families to enjoy. Even though we stream many of them on one service or another, it’s still fun to put in a movie and cuddle on the couch as a family to watch it.

If you do this each year, your family will have a good selection of Christmas movies in a few years. Add a bag of popcorn and some yummy snacks for a complete movie night.

Related: These are the absolute best Christmas movies for families!

Christmas Book

For younger kids, you might consider a Christmas book that your family can read together. Kids will love cuddling on the couch with their grown ups reading Christmas books to relax before going to bed for the evening.

Related: 30 Days of Christmas Books for Kids!

Hot Chocolate

If your kids love hot chocolate, add some Christmas mugs and some packs of hot chocolate for each family member. You can also add some red and green marshmallows, chocolate spoons, and some candy sprinkles to make it extra special. Make sure you have a can of whipped cream or some chocolate syrup to drizzle on top.

Related: Set up this fun Hot Cocoa Bar this Christmas!

Board Games

Whether you give this instead of a movie or in addition to a movie, consider adding a family board game. These will give you hours of fun over the next year as you play it and remember last Christmas Eve.

Reindeer Food

Everyone leaves a snack for Santa, but don’t forget the reindeer who do all of the heavy lifting on Christmas Eve.

To make it, simply mix 1 cup of rolled oats with a few tablespoons of red or green colored sugar. Place it in a bag.

You can make one bag for each child, and they can sprinkle it outside for the reindeer to munch on while Santa visits.

Related: Christmas Eve Traditions to Start With Your Family this year

Letter to Santa

Your children have probably already sent their letter to the North Pole, but you can leave Santa another note. Each child can write a note of encouragement and thanks for Santa on his big night.

Related: Check out this fun Santa letter and Nice Certificate Printable Kit!

Place the letter next to the milk and cookies. Be sure to leave a pen with it in case Santa wants to leave a note back.

Save these notes each year. It will be fun to look back at what your kids wrote each year as they grow older.

Ornaments

Your tree has probably been up and decorated for weeks by now, but you can add a few more ornaments to hang up on Christmas Eve.

You might consider personalized ornaments with your children’s names on them. Or you may want an ornament that has a special meaning like your child’s interests from the year or something that represents your family.

Check out these Christmas ornament craft ideas!

A Christmas Eve Box can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. It’s meant to be a fun family tradition, so don’t stress about making one for your family. Your kids will remember each year that the box comes out and the happiness of spending time together as a family more than what was in the box each year.

Check Out These Christmas Traditions Your Family Will Cherish! These Are Definitely Great For A Stress Free Holiday

Christmas traditions are some of the most powerful bonding opportunities for your family. I know the memories I made as a kid at Christmas-time are a strong anchor for me as an adult.

There are so many ideas though. It’s hard to keep track, isn’t it? Well, these Christmas family traditions are fantastic. Hope you like these ideas!

How to Make a Christmas Eve Box for Families (Start a Fun New Tradition)