Last year, Scott and I were newly married, and we wanted to start a Christmas tradition that was more our own. We decided to start doing a Christmas Eve box each year. We really enjoyed this tradition last year, so we plan on continuing! If you haven’t heard of a Christmas Eve box, it’s essentially a gift for the whole family that can be opened the day before Christmas. The box should contain things that the whole family can do together (like a game or a movie), and it gets everyone really excited for Christmas! (Although, to be honest, I really don’t need any help getting excited for Christmas.) 
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I love to play games, so we’ve been using our box to build up our game collection. Last year, we wanted to get something that could be played with only 2 people, and after a lot of research, we decided on Pandemic. It’s a cooperative board game (meaning you play against the game), and it’s insanely fun! You play as CDC employees trying to stop viral outbreaks around the world. It’s really intense, makes you think, and uses a lot of teamwork. We’ve gotten quite a few people hooked on it! This year, we decided to buy the first expansion pack for the game, and we’ll probably be stocking our Christmas Eve box for years to come with other expansion packs – there’s a lot of them! If you have younger kids, Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert are both great cooperative games with slightly easier play!
Sleep Shirt (Similar) / Tie / Pandemic: On the Brink / Rivals for Catan / Fererro Rocher / Hot Cocoa
When I was younger, I was obsessed with the idea of opening one gift on Christmas Eve. I asked pretty much every single year! So this box is kind of like my Christmas dreams come true! We’ve included some really fun things this year; I’ve linked them above. The Christmas Eve box can be opened anytime on Christmas Eve; whatever works for you! Last year, we opened it in the evening, but this year, we’ll do it in the morning (so Scott can wear his new tie to church). The nice thing about this tradition is that it’s really easy to work with your budget and your family! I’ve shared some of my ideas for what to include in your box below!
Christmas Eve Box Ideas
- Christmas Movie & Movie Snacks
- Board Games
- Christmas Book to Read
- New Christmas Pajamas
- Christmas-y Tie
- Candy
- Hot Cocoa
- A Copy of the Christmas Story
- Special New Ornament for the Tree
