Christmas Eve box ideas
What to Put in a Christmas Eve Box (Kids' Printable Ideas)
A Christmas Eve box is a small box, basket or gift bag that kids open on the evening of December 24. It isn't for the big presents. It holds the cozy little things that make the night feel special and give everyone something calm to do while they wait.
You don't need to spend much. Most of the best ideas below are things you already have at home, a couple of treats and a few printable activities. Here's our list, grouped so you can mix and match for your own kids.
1. Something cozy to wear
- New pajamas. The classic Christmas Eve box gift, and the reason many families open the box right after bath time. Wash them first so they're soft and ready to wear.
- Fuzzy socks or slippers. Cheap, useful and good for padding across the house to check whether Santa has been yet.
- A small blanket. Especially nice if your box includes a movie, because it turns the sofa into a nest.
2. A Christmas Eve story
Reading the same story every Christmas Eve is one of the easiest traditions to start. Pick a picture book you can read in ten minutes. The Night Before Christmas is the traditional choice, but any favorite works, including one already on your shelf, freshly wrapped. Read it in the same chair at the same time each year, and it will quickly become the part of the night kids remember.
3. Treats and a hot cocoa kit
- A cocoa kit: a packet of hot chocolate, mini marshmallows and a candy cane stirrer, tucked inside a mug.
- Popcorn for a movie, or a little bag of their favorite crackers.
- Cookie supplies for baking cookies for Santa together: a mix, sprinkles or a tube of icing.
- Reindeer food: a small bag of oats to sprinkle on the lawn. Skip the glitter, which isn't good for birds and other wildlife.
If anyone in the family has allergies, the cocoa and cookie ideas are easy to swap for whatever treat works for you.
4. Something to do together
This is where printables shine. They cost very little, they're ready in a minute, and they give excited little hands something to do in the hours before bed.
- A Christmas scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the house that end at a small treat or the box itself. For kids who can't read yet, use picture clues: a drawing of the tree means the next clue is under the tree.
- A letter to Santa. Older kids can write it; little ones can draw what they hope for and tell you the words.
- Christmas coloring pages and a fresh box of crayons. Coloring is calm, quiet and good for the hour after dinner when everyone is buzzing.
- A puzzle or a new card game to play as a family.
Want to try a few pages first? Our free printable Christmas coloring pages include a Christmas Eve stocking scene and a tree-trimming page in two versions, one for little hands and one for big kids.
5. Something for Santa and the reindeer
Pack a plate for the cookies, a cup for the milk and a carrot for the reindeer. A little note to leave beside them makes the setup feel official, and kids love finding a reply from Santa on Christmas morning. It doesn't need to be long: a thank-you for the cookies and one kind thing Santa noticed this year is plenty.
6. A small Christmas Eve adventure
- A flashlight or a lantern for an evening walk to look at the neighborhood lights. Bundle up, bring the cocoa in a travel mug and count the brightest houses.
- A family movie. Add a homemade "ticket" to the box so kids know a movie night is coming, then pair it with the blanket and popcorn.
- An ornament with the year on it, hung on the tree before bed. After a few years you'll have a little row of them.
Christmas Eve box ideas by age
Toddlers (1 to 3)
A board book, a soft toy, chunky crayons and simple coloring pages with bold lines and big spaces. Skip small parts, hard candies, glow sticks and anything else that could be a choking hazard for under-threes.
Preschool and early school (4 to 7)
This is the sweet spot for a picture-clue scavenger hunt, stickers, a letter to Santa with a drawing, and coloring pages they can finish in one sitting.
Older kids (8 and up)
A chapter book, a card game, a puzzle, more detailed coloring pages, or a small notebook to write down their favorite memory of the year. Older kids also make great helpers: let them hide the scavenger hunt clues for younger siblings.
How to put it together on a budget
- Use any box. A wrapped shoebox, a gift bag, a basket or even a pillowcase works. Add a tag with each child's name, or make one box for the whole family.
- Shop your house first. Books, games and puzzles you already own feel new when they're wrapped.
- Print at home. Printable activities cost a few dollars, and you can print them again next year.
- Pick a time. Many families hand the box over after dinner or after bath, so the pajamas go straight on and the evening slows down.
Our printable Christmas Eve box filler
If you'd like the activity part done for you, Christmas Eve on Juniper Lane is our printable Christmas Eve activity pack. It has a picture-clue jingle bell scavenger hunt, a letter to Santa, a note from Santa, cookies-for-Santa tags, a cookie recipe card, gift tags and 8 Christmas coloring pages, as instant PDFs in US Letter and A4.
Planning for all of December? The Cozy Christmas Bundle pairs it with 25 Lit Windows, our family Advent coloring countdown, so the same cozy Juniper Lane family keeps you company from December 1 right up to the big night.
Our illustrations are made with AI image tools, then picked by our family and cleaned up into line art for coloring.
