Christmas Eve Box Ideas for Kids (UK): What to Put In, by Age

Pennaby · 10 November 2026

A Christmas Eve box is a small collection of treats and cosy things that children open on the evening of 24 December. It gives the day a calm focus, helps fill the long wait for Christmas morning and nudges everyone towards an earlier bedtime. It does not need to be expensive or elaborate. This guide covers what to put in one, ideas by age, how to keep the cost down and a simple checklist you can work through in December.

What is a Christmas Eve box for?

Most families use the box to settle children down rather than to wind them up. The best boxes have a theme of "get cosy and get ready": something to wear, something to do quietly, something to read and a small snack. If the box is full of noisy toys, Christmas Eve can turn into a late night, so save the big excitement for the morning.

It is also a good way to hand out the practical things you would be buying anyway, such as new pyjamas, a toothbrush or slipper socks, and make them feel like part of the celebration.

The box itself

Reuse what you have. A sturdy shoebox or delivery box wrapped in Christmas paper works perfectly. Children rarely mind what the box is made of.
Make it reusable. A plain lidded box, decorated with stickers or a name label, can come out of the loft every year.
One box or one each? A shared family box is cheaper and easier if children are close in age. Separate boxes help when ages are far apart and one child needs very different contents.
Add a label. A printable gift tag with the child's name and "Open on Christmas Eve" makes even a plain box feel special.

Cosy things to wear

New Christmas pyjamas, the most common Christmas Eve box item.
Slipper socks or fluffy socks.
A dressing gown, if one is needed anyway.
A soft toy to take to bed.

Quiet activities for the evening

This is the part that keeps children happily occupied while the adults finish wrapping or prepare food for the next day. Choose things that can be done at the table or on the sofa without much help.

A colouring book and crayons. For toddlers and preschoolers, bold outlines and big, simple pictures work best. Our My Big Digger Colouring Book and My Big Tractor Colouring Book (£6.97 each on Amazon) each have 40 easy pictures for ages 2 to 5, one picture per page.
Printable activity sheets. Our Kids Christmas Activity Pack has 8 pages of Christmas colouring, dot-to-dot, word search and a maze. Print a few pages, roll them up and tie them with ribbon, or download the pack from Gumroad.
A simple jigsaw with a Christmas picture, matched to the child's age.
A sticker book or a craft kit for making a decoration or a card.
A board game or a pack of cards the whole family can play once tea is finished.

Something to read or watch

A Christmas picture book to read together at bedtime.
A chapter book or comic annual for older children.
A family film to watch together, written on a "film night ticket" you make yourself.

Small treats and Christmas Eve traditions

A hot chocolate sachet and a mug, or a few marshmallows.
A small bag of popcorn for film night.
A carrot for the reindeer and a biscuit or mince pie to leave out.
A note or letter "from Father Christmas" saying he is on his way.
A sleigh bell or a small torch for looking out of the window.

Keep sweets modest, especially close to bedtime, and remember that whole grapes, nuts and hard sweets are choking risks for young children.

Ideas by age

Babies and toddlers (under 3)

Keep it simple: pyjamas, a board book, a soft toy and perhaps chunky crayons for older toddlers. Check every item for age warnings and avoid small parts, button batteries and long ribbons. For more ideas that suit this age group, see our guide to stocking fillers for toddlers.

Ages 3 to 5

Pyjamas, a colouring book with crayons, a Christmas picture book, a reindeer carrot and a hot chocolate. A vehicle colouring book is often a hit with children who love diggers and tractors. Our guide to colouring books for toddlers explains what to look for.

Ages 6 to 9

Printable puzzles such as word searches and mazes, a craft kit, a family card game, a book and film night snacks.

Ages 10 and over

Fluffy socks, a book or annual, a puzzle book, a favourite snack and a family board game. Older children often enjoy helping put together the boxes for younger siblings.

Keeping the cost down

Set a budget per box and add it to your Christmas spending plan, so it does not quietly push the total up. Our guide to planning Christmas on a budget shows how to set a total and track it.
Use things you were buying anyway, such as pyjamas, socks and a new toothbrush.
Print rather than buy activities. A few printable sheets cost very little and are easy to tailor to each child.
Buy early so you are not paying for last-minute delivery, and keep the box hidden somewhere sensible.
Reuse the box each year rather than buying a new one.

Plan it with a countdown

Christmas Eve boxes are easy to forget until 23 December. Our free Christmas countdown and to-do list gives you one small job a day from 1 to 24 December, so you can pencil in "buy pyjamas", "print activity sheets" and "pack Christmas Eve box" on the days that suit you.

Christmas Eve box checklist

Box chosen, wrapped and labelled.
Something cosy to wear: pyjamas or socks.
A quiet activity: colouring book and crayons or printable sheets.
Something to read together.
A small treat, such as hot chocolate.
A reindeer carrot and a treat to leave out.
Age warnings checked for every item.
Box hidden until Christmas Eve.