Christmas Eve box ideas for kids: cheap and meaningful
Updated 30 October 2026 · By Rob and Chris, two Sheffield dads, and our families
A Christmas Eve box is a small box or bag opened on the evening of 24 December with a few things for a cosy night in: pyjamas, a Christmas story, a film-night snack and something to leave out for Santa. In our experience you can make a lovely one for a few pounds (a rough guide) by reusing a shoebox and filling it with things you already have, plus one or two small treats.
- Cost (rough guide): free to about £10, depending on what you already have
- Ages: any age. The ideas below say which suit whom
- When: after tea on Christmas Eve, or mid-afternoon if you want pyjamas on for photos
- The box: a shoebox, a gift bag or a pillowcase all work
What goes in a Christmas Eve box?
Pick four or five things, one from each group. Costs are rough guides for UK shops.
Cosy
| Idea | Ages | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pyjamas, new or a favourite pair washed and wrapped | Any age | Free to £10 |
| Fluffy socks or slipper socks | Any age | £1 to £3 |
| A blanket from the cupboard, folded in with a bow | Any age | Free |
| A bath bomb or bubble bath for a Christmas Eve bath | 3 and up | £1 to £2 |
Story and quiet time
| Idea | Ages | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| A Christmas book, from the library or a charity shop | Any age | Free to £2 |
| A letter from Santa or your Christmas elf, written by you | 3 and up | Free |
| A Christmas jigsaw to start together | 4 and up | £2 to £4 |
| A Christmas colouring sheet and crayons | 3 and up | Free |
| An audiobook or Christmas story to listen to in bed | 3 and up | Often free: check your library’s app |
Film night
| Idea | Ages | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| A handmade ticket for a Christmas film | Any age | Free |
| A bag of popcorn | 5 and up | About £1 |
| A hot chocolate sachet and a mug, made by a grown-up | 3 and up | About £1 |
| A satsuma or clementine for the toe of the box | Any age | About 20p |
For Santa’s visit
| Idea | Ages | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| A carrot for the reindeer and a biscuit for Santa | Any age | About 50p |
| Reindeer food made from plain oats, with no glitter | 3 and up | About 20p |
| A homemade “Santa stop here” sign for the door | 3 and up | Free |
| A card key for Santa, for homes with no chimney | 3 and up | Free |
| A note to Santa to leave by the plate | 4 and up | Free |
Meaningful, and free
| Idea | Ages | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| A card from each family member: “One thing I love about you” | Any age | Free |
| A “This year I…” card: favourite food, best friend, best day, what I want to learn next | 4 and up | Free |
| A printed photo from this year, with a note on the back | Any age | About 20p a print |
| A ticket to stay up 15 minutes later | 4 and up | Free |
| Tomorrow’s plan, written out, so they know when presents happen | 3 and up | Free |
| A family wish for next year, written by everyone and sealed until next Christmas Eve | 4 and up | Free |
| A battery tealight for a calm bedtime, instead of a candle | 3 and up | About £1 |
The 5 minute Christmas Eve box
It is 23 December and you have nothing ready. Find a shoebox. Put in their usual pyjamas, freshly washed. Add a Christmas book from the shelf, a carrot from the fridge, and a note from you that says one thing you loved about them this year. Wrap the lid. That is a Christmas Eve box, and in our homes the note was the bit they kept.
A Christmas Eve box checklist to print
Tick off what you have, then fill the gaps. The first 12 are free or nearly free.
| No. | Idea | You need |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pyjamas, washed and wrapped | From the drawer |
| 2 | Socks | From the drawer, or £1 to £3 |
| 3 | A Christmas book | From the shelf or the library |
| 4 | A letter from Santa or the elf | Paper and a pen |
| 5 | A colouring sheet and crayons | A printer, or draw one |
| 6 | A film ticket | Paper and a pen |
| 7 | A carrot and a biscuit | From the kitchen |
| 8 | Plain-oat reindeer food | Oats in a paper bag |
| 9 | A “Santa stop here” sign | Card and pens |
| 10 | A card key for Santa | Card and pens |
| 11 | “One thing I love about you” cards | Card for each person |
| 12 | Tomorrow’s plan | Paper and a pen |
| 13 | “This year I…” card | Card and pens |
| 14 | A family wish for next year | Paper and an envelope |
| 15 | A printed photo | About 20p |
| 16 | A stay-up-15-minutes-later ticket | Paper |
| 17 | A blanket with a bow | From the cupboard |
| 18 | A satsuma | About 20p |
| 19 | Hot chocolate sachet | About £1 |
| 20 | Popcorn (5 and up) | About £1 |
| 21 | Bath bomb or bubble bath | £1 to £2 |
| 22 | Christmas jigsaw | £2 to £4 |
| 23 | Battery tealight | About £1 |
| 24 | A box, bag or pillowcase to put it all in | A shoebox |
Get the Famoo app Family life, sorted together. The family calendar, jobs and lists, shared by everyone at home.
app.famoo.app
Keeping it safe
- Leave popcorn, packet marshmallows, whole nuts and hard sweets such as candy canes out for under 5s, as the Department for Education’s choking advice for young children says.
- Check every food and bath product for allergies.
- Hot chocolate is made by a grown-up and left to cool. The NHS says a hot drink can still scald 15 minutes after it was made.
- No real candles in a child’s bedroom. Battery tealights use button batteries, which can cause severe internal burns if swallowed. Check the cover is screwed shut, and if you think one has been swallowed, go straight to A&E or call an ambulance.
- Keep children in pyjamas and dressing gowns away from open fires and heaters.
- The RSPCA warns that shop-bought reindeer food can contain ingredients that can be dangerous for animals, particularly edible glitter. Plain oats only.
Questions parents ask
What goes in a Christmas Eve box?
Usually pyjamas, a Christmas book, a film-night snack and something to leave out for Santa, such as a carrot and a biscuit. A note from each family member saying one thing they love about the child makes it meaningful and costs nothing.
What age is a Christmas Eve box for?
Any age. Little ones like the pyjamas and the carrot for the reindeer. In our homes, older children liked a film night, fluffy socks and the “This year I…” card to look back on.
How much should I spend on a Christmas Eve box?
As little as you like. A box made from things you already own, like their usual pyjamas, a book from the shelf and a handwritten note, costs nothing. In our experience, a few small bought extras come to a few pounds.
When do you open a Christmas Eve box?
Whenever suits your family on 24 December. We open ours after tea so the pyjamas go straight on for bath and bed. Some families open it mid-afternoon to have time for the film.
Do we have to do a Christmas Eve box?
No. Lots of families do not do one. If you like the idea but not the extra thing to buy, a bedtime story and a note on the pillow does the same job.
More ideas from Famoo
Plan the whole of December in one place
In Famoo, your family’s Advent calendar opens one door a day with an activity, picture steps and a part for each age, right up to a Christmas Eve moment on door 24.
Famoo is a family app for UK homes, in beta, so things may change.
Where this comes from
Each fact on this page links to one of these. Everything else is our own view from our families.
- Department for Education, GOV.UK, Help for early years providers: Food safety, checked 30 October 2026
- NHS, Baby and toddler safety, checked 30 October 2026
- Child Accident Prevention Trust, Button battery safety, checked 30 October 2026
- RSPCA, Christmas dangers for pets, checked 30 October 2026
