Christmas Eve Box Ideas: Create a Magical Christmas Eve for Kids
Christmas Eve is one of those magical nights that children remember for years to come. The excitement of Christmas Day is just around the corner, but why not make Christmas Eve special too?
One of my favourite ways to build excitement is to turn finding the Christmas Eve box into a Christmas treasure hunt!
Rather than simply handing your child their Christmas Eve box, imagine them following a trail of festive clues around the house until they finally discover their special surprise waiting beneath the Christmas tree.
And I've made it even easier for you...
FREE Christmas Eve Treasure Hunt
I've created a free printable Christmas Eve Treasure Hunt that you can use to make finding your child's Christmas Eve box extra special.
The treasure hunt includes eight festive clues, with each clue leading your little one to the next hiding place. The final clue leads them to the Christmas tree, where they'll discover their Christmas Eve box waiting for them.
The treasure hunt is designed to be really easy for parents to set up.
Simply:
Download and print the free treasure hunt.
Cut out each clue along the dotted lines.
Hide each clue in the location described by the previous clue.
Give your child Clue 1 to begin the treasure hunt.
Let them follow the clues until they reach the final one.
The final clue leads them to their Christmas Eve box!
The printable includes clues leading to places such as the bed, a light, the kitchen, the fridge, a dining chair, the couch and outside, before finally leading your little one to their Christmas Eve box beneath the Christmas tree.
✨ Want to personalise it?
I've also made the template editable in Canva, so you can change the wording, add your own clues or include special hiding places that are unique to your home.
Once you've finished personalising it, simply download and print your own version.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE CHRISTMAS TREASURE HUNT
PERSONALISE THE TREASURE HUNT IN CANVA
The printable PDF is free to download, and the Canva version allows you to personalise the clues before printing.
What's Inside Your Christmas Eve Box?
Now for the fun part!
Once your little one has completed their treasure hunt and discovered their Christmas Eve box, what should you put inside? The beauty of a Christmas Eve box is that there really are no rules.
You can fill it with a few special things that your child will enjoy, rather than filling it with lots of presents.
Here are some of my favourite ideas.
Christmas Pyjamas
What's Christmas Eve without a new pair of Christmas pyjamas?
A pair of festive PJs is a classic addition to a Christmas Eve box and is something children can enjoy wearing throughout the Christmas season.
You don't need to spend a fortune either. Stores such as Kmart and Big W have plenty of affordable Christmas pyjama options. For our children’s Christmas Eve box, I chose these adorable Paddington Bear pyjamas from Big W.
For an extra-special touch, you could place the pyjamas inside a cute Christmas-themed PJ case. This makes them feel like a special gift and gives children something they can use again throughout the year.
Something Crafty
Christmas Eve is a great opportunity to include an activity that keeps little hands busy while everyone is getting ready for Christmas.
I love adding a few small crafty activities to a Christmas Eve box. In this box, I've included a rock painting set, a Top Model activity pad and an origami set.
These don't have to be expensive or elaborate. The idea is simply to give children something fun to do while enjoying the excitement of Christmas Eve.
If your child isn't particularly crafty, you can easily swap these activities for something they will enjoy more. Card games, dominoes or mini chess are great alternatives and can encourage the whole family to get involved.
Little Knick-Knacks
I also love adding a few little surprises that children can discover as they explore their Christmas Eve box. These don't need to be expensive. Little keyrings, fun jewellery or mood rings can be lovely additions.
Other ideas could include lip gloss, bath bombs, squishy toys or bouncy balls. These little surprises are often the things children love discovering tucked amongst the larger items in their box.
A Christmas Hot Chocolate
No Christmas Eve box would be complete without something delicious! A homemade hot chocolate cup is a simple and inexpensive way to add something special to your Christmas Eve celebrations.
I like to purchase a new mug that can be used throughout the year for warm drinks, then fill it with everything needed to make a delicious chocolate drink. For my version, I used Lindt chocolate flakes and mini marshmallows.
You can wrap the mug in cellophane and finish it with a beautiful Christmas ribbon, making it feel like a special little gift.
And if you're short on time, there are also some beautiful ready-made hot chocolate gift sets available to purchase such as these gorgeous Christmas hot chocolate kits from Charlottepiper.
I've included the full instructions for making the hot chocolate gift cup at the end of this blog.
Christmas Play Dough Activities
For a creative activity with a Christmas twist, homemade play dough kits are another lovely addition to a Christmas Eve box.
I've created two simple ideas here - a Christmas star play dough kit and a snowman play dough kit.
The star kit is made with a ball of play dough, a star cutter and colourful decorations such as beads, glitter and buttons. Children can roll out the play dough, cut out their stars and decorate them however they like.
The snowman kit uses white play dough along with simple accessories such as googly eyes, buttons, colourful string for a scarf and an orange matchstick for the snowman's nose.
These activities are a great way to encourage creativity and imaginative play, while also giving children something to enjoy during the excitement of Christmas Eve.
You can make the play dough yourself or use store-bought play dough if you're short on time. The decorative materials can be found at places such as Kmart and variety stores.
I've included the detailed instructions for both the Christmas star and snowman play dough kits at the end of this blog.
Creating a Christmas Eve Tradition
The beauty of a Christmas Eve box is that there really are no rules. You can fill it with whatever your children enjoy, whether that's craft activities, games, little treats, pyjamas or something completely different.
It doesn't need to be expensive and it certainly doesn't need to be perfect. The purpose is to create a little moment of excitement on Christmas Eve and give your family something special to look forward to each year.
Perhaps your children will put on their new pyjamas, make their Christmas star play dough, enjoy a hot chocolate and play a game together. Or perhaps you'll start your own Christmas Eve traditions that are completely unique to your family. Sometimes it's these simple traditions that children remember most.
So gather a few of your favourite things, pop them into a beautiful Christmas Eve box and enjoy a little Christmas magic together.
Christmas Eve Box Activity Instructions
The following instructions are provided as additional details for the activities featured in the blog above.
1. Homemade Hot Chocolate Gift Cup
A homemade hot chocolate cup is a simple and thoughtful addition to a Christmas Eve box.
What you'll need:
A new mug
Chocolate flakes - I used Lindt chocolate flakes
Mini marshmallows
Cellophane
Christmas ribbon
How to make it:
Step 1: Choose a mug that can also be enjoyed throughout the year.
Step 2: Place the chocolate flakes into a small clear bag or container.
Step 3: Place the mini marshmallows into another small clear bag or container.
Step 4: Arrange the chocolate and marshmallows inside the mug.
Step 5: Wrap the mug in clear cellophane.
Step 6: Tie the cellophane with a festive ribbon to finish.
When you're ready to enjoy it, use the chocolate and marshmallows to make a delicious hot or cold chocolate drink.
If you're short on time, you can also purchase a ready-made hot chocolate gift set instead.
2. Christmas Star Play Dough Kit
This simple Christmas star play dough kit is a fun activity for children to make and decorate their own festive stars.
What you'll need:
A ball of play dough
A star-shaped cutter
Beads
Glitter
Buttons
Cellophane
Christmas ribbon
You can use homemade or store-bought play dough. If you'd like to make your own, the original inspiration for the play dough recipe is from I Heart Naptime.
How to make the kit:
Step 1: Place a ball of play dough into a clear cellophane bag.
Step 2: Add small containers or bags of decorative materials such as beads, glitter and buttons.
Step 3: Add a star-shaped cutter.
Step 4: Gather everything together inside the cellophane.
Step 5: Fasten the top with a festive ribbon.
Creating your Christmas stars
On Christmas Eve, children can roll out the play dough and use the star cutter to create their stars. They can then decorate their stars using the beads, glitter and buttons, creating their own colourful Christmas decorations.
The decorative materials can be found at Kmart or your local variety store.
Please supervise children when using small decorative materials.
3. Christmas Snowman Play Dough Kit
A snowman play dough kit is another fun and creative Christmas Eve activity.
What you'll need:
A large ball of white play dough
An orange matchstick for the nose
Googly eyes
Mini buttons
Colourful string for the scarf
Mini zip-lock bags
Cellophane
Christmas ribbon
Again, you can use homemade or store-bought play dough.
How to make the kit:
Step 1: Place a large ball of white play dough into clear cellophane.
Step 2: Place the small accessories into mini zip-lock bags to keep everything organised.
Step 3: Add the orange matchstick, googly eyes, mini buttons and colourful string.
Step 4: Place all the materials together and wrap them in cellophane.
Step 5: Fasten the cellophane with a festive ribbon.
Creating your snowman
Children can use the white play dough to create a snowman using three different-sized balls.
They can then add the googly eyes, orange matchstick nose and buttons before using the colourful string to create a scarf.
The result is a cute little snowman that children can create completely themselves.
The accessories can be found at Kmart or your local variety store.
Please supervise children when using small decorative materials and matchsticks.
A Little Christmas Magic
A Christmas Eve box doesn't have to be complicated.
A few thoughtful gifts, a creative activity, something delicious and a little bit of Christmas magic can be enough to create a tradition your children will remember for years to come.
Whether you choose to make your own hot chocolate cup, create a Christmas star play dough kit or build a little snowman, the most important part is simply spending time together.
Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and a magical Christmas Eve. ❤️