Thrifty Christmas Eve Box Ideas
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The Christmas Eve Box has become more and more popular in recent years but as lovely as they are to some they are just another expense to add to a long list of Christmas expenses. Yet, when it’s something you feel everyone else children have, it can be hard to resist the temptation to make one for your own child.
What Are Christmas Eve Boxes?
Christmas Eve boxes are small box full of treats usually given to children on Christmas Eve. They typically contain things like new Pyjamas, hot chocolate, Christmas books and films and sometimes things to leave out for Santa such as reindeer food.
They have become hugely popular in recent years but some parents may see them as an added cost to an already expensive time of year.
Others may argue that it’s all things they would buy anyway, just wrapped up nicely to look like a gift for extra added Christmas cheer.
Whatever your view on Christmas Eve boxes, if you are planning on making one, here are my tips for making them as thrifty and reusable as possible.
Related Post – How To Make Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats
Thrifty Christmas Eve Box Ideas
1. Cheap Box Ideas
First up, the boxes themselves. As this trend becomes more popular personalized Christmas boxes are popping up everywhere. These aren’t cheap though, on average costing between £10 and £15.
My advice is if you can use a box you already have. Kids are going to be far more enamoured with the content then what the box actually looks like. The thrifty among us tend to have a stash of Christmas gift bags tucked away somewhere and if you’re anything like me that’ll include the odd gift box too. Repurpose these as Christmas even boxes if you can.
If you have a picnic hamper or basket that could also be jazzed up with some Christmas bows and used.
Alternatively, wrap a cardboard box in Christmas paper and et voila. Christmas Eve box for pennies and some good recycling too. I often do this for Christmas Hampers when I’m too stingy to buy a fancy box or basket and works well.
2. Opt For Second-Hand Pyjamas
One of the most popular items in a Christmas Eve box is Christmas Pyjamas.
However, leaving it until the day before Christmas to give these means they’ll likely get very little use unless you are happy to dress your little ones in Christmas Pyjamas all year round (which, incidentally I am – in the video of our daughter taking her first steps in June 2019 she’s wearing Peppa Pig Christmas Pyjamas!).
If you don’t think your little ones will get much wear out of them then buying second-hand is a great way to save money and help the environment.
And you’ll likely be buying ones that have also had very little wear so it’s they’ll be almost as good as new.
Vinted is great for this sort of thing, especially if you’re looking to buy matching family PJs.
How To Find The Best Bargains on Vinted
Tips For Buying Kids Clothes From Vinted
Alternatively, you could give Christmas Pyjamas at the start of the month to ensure plenty of wear.
3. Reuse Books Every Year
Lots of parents like to add a Christmas book to their child’s Christmas eve box. As you’re not likely to read it during the year, this could be bought second-hand then reused for a few years to come.
Another idea would be to buy a book bundle from somewhere like The Works, who often do 10 books for £10 in the run-up to Christmas so you could buy these and use one or two over a few years or use some as gifts for other family members.
Related Post: 10 Things To Do With The Works 10 Books For £10 Offer
4. Avoid Buying Christmas DVDs
There are loads of Christmas movies on telly over the festive period and if you have the means to record them then this a great way to avoid needing to buy DVDs.
There are also loads across all of the various streaming services. Why not print out a movie night ticket instead?
However, if you do want to buy DVDs, secondhand is almost always cheaper and as many people now consuming a lot of media with digital streaming, you may even be able to pick some up for free via Facebook Marketplace.
5. Make Homemade Popcorn
I am obsessed with popcorn and it’s one of my favourite foods.
We’re still making our way through the masses of popcorn kernels we had leftover from the popcorn machine at our wedding – four years later!
Making popcorn is cheap, cheerful and good fun.
You could make popcorn cones or bags ahead of time or put a small bag of kernels in the Christmas Eve box for you and the children to make together on Christmas Eve.
Homemade Popcorn is also much healthier as you can control how much sugar and other ingredients are added. I like to make mine feel Christmassy by adding a touch of cinnamon or mixed spice.
6. Grab Free Items Using Coupons
I love getting free food and in the run-up to Christmas, lots of shopping apps offer freebies including chocolate and sweets which would make a perfect addition to any Christmas Eve box. A few years ago I made a huge chocolate hamper for under £3 using these apps.
Below you can find some of my posts about these apps and how they work.
7. Make Hot Chocolate Cones
Hot chocolate cones are easy to make and you may already have some of the ingredients, such as cocoa powder and marshmallows. It’s then simply a case of raiding the kid’s craft stuff for some googley eyes, ribbon and pipe cleaners.
You can find a full Hot Chocolate Cone Tutorial here.
8. Shop Ahead
If you want to get really organised and save loads of money when shopping for Christmas Eve box items in the January sales is the best way to do this – especially for the more expensive items like Pyjamas and the boxes themselves.
Alternatively, you could start picking up one or two small things each week in the run-up to Christmas such as sweets and chocolates or colouring books.
9. Make DIY Reindeer Food
Making reindeer food is simple and generally, you can use items you might already have around your house such as oats, seeds and biscuits.
Avoid adding glitter as it can be harmful to the environment.
Thrifty Christmas Eve Box: Final Tips and Ideas
- Set yourself a Christmas Eve Box budget to avoid overspending on it.
- Buy packs of sweets/toys that can be split between two or three children.
- Colouring sets can be picked up very cheaply from places like Poundland.
- Give the box on Christmas Eve Morning so there is time to make use of the contents throughout the day. Or even better, give it at the start of December.
- Include items children may need anyway such as socks and slippers.
- Avoid personalised items as these are harder to reuse or reuse when your children are done with them.
I hope this has given you lots of ideas for thrifty things you can add to a Christmas Eve Box!
