Christmas Eve gifts

[Jedi Princess]

I’m 49 and my Mum and Dad used to get me new PJ’s, some choc/sweeties and a new toothbrush.

Although our children are older we still do new PJ’s, hot chocolate, sweets and watch a movie.

I’m sure if Christmas Eve boxes were a thing when they were younger, I would’ve put all of the above in one.

We also do a naughty/rude version of Elf On The Shelf. Buddy Boba Twinkletoes gets up to all sorts of mischief.

[LunaNyteskye]

Originally Posted by WhereIBelong

It is not an issue at all - just another cynical commercialisation of Christmas - people have always had the new/fresh clean pjs for Xmas eve

so let's make it "a THING" - lets sell boxes especially (at every price point), and bags of reindeer food, and special keys and snow for elf footprints and new mugs with marshmallows and hot chocolate, and special plates for santa - and now there will be special edition DVDs of Xmas films, special Xmas eve cookies, board games, presents.

What was simply a way to get kids to actually go to bed on Xmas eve now has so much commercial possibility, so much you can buy to make your child's Christmas even more special... a marketing dream.

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And what’s wrong with that? Just as Christmas has gotten bigger more commercialised, so has this, and every other holiday/occasion. And let’s remember that we’re on a forum where most, if not all, members have spent thousands on a 2 week holiday! You don’t get much more commercialised than Disney, yet we’re happy to throw a small fortune their way. Why do we do that? Same reason as we do the Christmas Eve thing - to make memories!

I just don’t get why it bothers so many people that it’s a “thing”? You don’t like it, don’t do it! But there is no need bring down those that do enjoy it.

[WhereIBelong]

Some parts of the "thing" are awful though, stuff that is damaging to the environment - I don't like it for a reason.

The reindeer food sold in bags in the shops and in the PTA sales has glitter and larger bits of plasticated foil, and people are encouraged to spread it on the grass. Let's get rid of single use plastic like a lid on a cup(useful stuff sometimes), but let's chuck the teeny tiny bits of useless cr** all over the grass at Christmas.

I do want that banned, so I guess it would spoil kids fun. But, "they" could simply not put that stuff in. Or "we" could choose not to buy the sparkly stuff.

[Lell]

Originally Posted by Jedi Princess

I’m 49 and my Mum and Dad used to get me new PJ’s, some choc/sweeties and a new toothbrush.

Although our children are older we still do new PJ’s, hot chocolate, sweets and watch a movie.

I’m sure if Christmas Eve boxes were a thing when they were younger, I would’ve put all of the above in one.

We also do a naughty/rude version of Elf On The Shelf. Buddy Boba Twinkletoes gets up to all sorts of mischief.

See more...

Our children are 20 and 22 and we also do an adult version of Elf on the Shelf. We have a laugh taking turns what Elfis is going to get up to and my kids friends and our work colleagues say they love to see what he is going to do next.

[mushumadness]

Mine have always got new pjs And a bag of chocolate coins left by the elves Christmas Eve morning

[making49]

"Also, my Nan had a big Santa which she put little Christmas presents in and attached numbers and you had to draw a number and then find your present - does anyone else remember them?"

My dad bought us a big Snowman, sounds similar to your Santa. We used to refill him each year until his "snow" started to "melt". Now we just have a table present, scratch card or we all have numbers and draw one, the winner gets what I'd have spent on the cards.

I guess most of us have family traditions which bring back happy memories of those we've lost, bitter sweet.

[vhm672]

Never been a tradition in our family. The only issue I have with it is the expectation or pressure to adopt it for blatantly commercialized reasons.

Everyone should do what they (and no one else) wants to do with regard to Christmas and particularly presents.