What is a Christmas Eve Box? 10 gifts to fill boxes for kids and grown-ups

(Image credit: Getty)

last updated 29 September 2020

For many, Christmas Eve used to be wrestling the kids into bed after getting them to leave a mince pie and a carrot out for Santa and Rudolph. Herculean task complete, the adult would eat the mince pie, pop the carrot back in the fridge and it was job done until the morning. However, the evening has since become almost as big a deal as the main event, with kids and grown-ups alike playing games, opening gifts and topping up on anticipation for the big day.

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To that end, a new tradition has sprung up over the last few years: that of Christmas Eve boxes. Essentially, it's stocking fillers in a box instead of a sock, tiding kids (and adults) over with small gifts and entertainment to occupy and delight, whiling away some of the time between Christmas Eve and present o'clock.

Christmas Eve boxes can be as simple as a cardboard box or a homemade container full of surprises, or you can pick up bespoke tins, treasure chests or custom-designed wooden Christmas Eve boxes to use year after year. If you're buying a box, here's a small selection of options, from simpler containers to bespoke engravings:

Yes, it's one more thing to buy for, but it doesn't have to be a lot of pressure: all the contents can be acquired fairly cheap, as its a "teaser" of sorts for the big day. Think sweets, toys, Christmas books, films and all the usual stocking stuffers. We've gathered a few options for both children and grown-ups, so no matter who you're spoiling this year, everyone gets a Christmas Eve box they'll enjoy.

Christmas Eve box fillers for kids

Christmas Eve box fillers for adults

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Matt Evans now works for T3.com sister brand TechRadar, covering all things relating to fitness and wellness. He came to T3.com as staff writer before moving on, and was previously on Men's Health, and slightly counterintuitively, a website devoted to the consumption of Scotch whiskey. In his free time, he could often be found with his nose in a book until he discovered the Kindle.

Christmas Eve box fillers for kids

Christmas Eve box fillers for adults

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