Wednesday 24 December 2014

A Magical Last Minute Christmas Eve Box

Christmas Eve Box Ideas


Pictures of lovingly-prepared and planned out Christmas Eve boxes for children have been flooding social media sites. These boxes are filled with things bought well in advance to enhance excitement on the eve of Christmas for our little ones.
Some mums may well be feeling glum that they haven't had the time or the extra cash to splash on preparing this final extra treat before the big day. But don't worry! There's still time, and you can soon make one up. It's time to switch on your imagination, and to be resourceful. You don't need to face the panic-buyers and mayhem in the supermarket, and it needn't cost you a thing. After all, Christmas, for children, is all about the magic and not the materialism; and that magic comes from within, and not from a shop.

So, here are a few ideas from Skibz for a very magical last minute Christmas Eve box!

Firstly, you'll need a box. Any box will do. It needn't be a fancy one-off, hand-crafted wicker basket like the one you saw on Pinterest. It can be a shoe box, or a temporarily emptied toy box, or that box that your Amazon order was delivered in, that you were just about to put out for recycling. Now, you just need to jazz it up a bit. Some tinsel, some leftover wrapping paper, some stickers, some glitter-glue... Whatever you can get your hands on, really!

Now, here are a few ideas for the contents:

A magical key.
If you don't have a chimney in your house for Santa to slide down, then how will he get in? Here's your opportunity to add a little excitement to the night with a 'magic key' to leave on your doorstep for the big guy in red, so that he can let himself in and deliver your presents. We all have an old key kicking about somewhere in the house. That one at the back of your bits'n'bobs drawer, or the old spare to your parents' house, or even your shed key. Wrap a piece of ribbon around it, or even attach a gift tag in place of a key ring, and give it to your child to leave out for Santa.

Magical reindeer food.
Porridge oats and glitter tied up sweetly in a pouch make an ideal snack to sprinkle outside your house for our four-legged friends to munch on in passing, but if you don't have the ingredients, then it really doesn't matter. I'm sure that Santa's antlered helpers are glad of any sustenance that you have on offer on their great annual mission. Raisins, sultanas, or even perhaps bread crumbs. Wrap them in tin foil, or seal them in a sandwich bag, and instruct your little ones to scatter them outside for those festive, furry travelers in the night.

An invitation.
This could be handwritten or typed and printed, but this is a very special invitation indeed, from Mr. Claus himself, inviting your child outside to watch as he travels across the sky to deliver presents to the children already in bed. You see, at around 17:20 on Christmas Eve, the International Space Station is due to fly overhead, and the bright light zooming across the sky could easily be passed off as Santa's sleigh! If you'd like to know more, then a quick Google or a click of this link will tell you all you need to know. Stick on your coats and boots, pop outside to scatter your reindeer food, and look up at the sky to see "Santa" whizzing by! What could be more magical?

A movie.
This doesn't have to be new, or one that they've not seen before. Just present your child's favourite DVD in the box for them to watch before bedtime.

A bedtime bath.
Perhaps you have a little bottle or jar that you could pour some of your child's regular bubble bath into, ready for them to swirl into their Christmas Eve bath?

Pyjamas.
These don't have to be brand new, just choose the best ones. The ones you won't mind posting pictures of on Instagram when you're uploading your Christmas morning, present-opening snaps.

A bedtime drink and snack.
Perhaps their favourite cup and a sachet of hot chocolate powder? Or a cup and a label to say, "Add milk." Perhaps wrap a piece of fruit or a biscuit to have as a bedtime snack? Apparently, a banana before bed is good for getting you off to sleep; wink, wink!

A favourite toy.
Does your child have a favourite soft toy that they like to take to bed? Sit them in the box to guard the goodies!

A bedtime story.
Again, this doesn't have to be new, just pick an old favourite. If you have a Christmas themed story sat on the shelf, then even better! This will hopefully have your child unwinding and preparing for sleep.

Sleep?

Well, you can hope!

Merry Christmas, from Skibz x







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