Many parents have got into the tradition of preparing a Christmas Eve box for their youngsters in recent years, which is full of festive treats, but given the disruption we’ve all faced this year, some are now looking at an alternative option – a December 1 box.
The Sun shared some tips on what you can include in this kind of festive treat for your kids, based on the advice of one mum who posted her recommendations for creating a December 1 box on the Facebook group Family Lockdown Tips & Ideas.
Kirsty Done revealed that this is a tradition she’s had for several years with her youngsters, allowing them to get excited about the big day during the course of Advent, rather than waiting until Christmas Eve.
Among the items that she includes in her December 1 boxes are an advent calendar, festive pajamas and socks, some biscuits, hot chocolate, marshmallows, a mug, a Christmas tree decoration and books.
Ms Done also suggested putting some crafty activities in there to help keep kids occupied in the days and weeks before Christmas.
If you’re looking for a fun and personalised addition to a festive box of treats for your kids, you could print colouring book that includes scenes and characters that you know they’ll love to colour in.
If you’re feeling especially ambitious, you could even include some crafts in there too, such as decorations they can colour and then cut out to make your home or their bedrooms feel more festive.
It seems that many parents feel that Ms Done’s idea is a great one, with thousands liking her Facebook post and one person even commenting: “I’m stealing your idea. What a lovely surprise for the kids after such a challenging year.”
For anyone who is seeking inspiration for some other craft activities to include in a festive box, Good Housekeeping recently shared some ideas.
One option is to create festive decorations using a ‘lacing up’ technique. This means cutting out a shape using any card – you could even upcycle an old cereal box – and then punching holes around the edge of it. Give your kids some coloured wool and let them ‘lace’ around the decoration.
You can also let them paint it and add other touches, such as sequins or glitter if you want to.
Another suggestion is to create some Christmas character candy pots. Simply get some mini flower pots, as well as items such as pipe cleaners, googly eyes and felt, and use these to create the likes of reindeer, elves and snowmen on the pots. Then fill them with some sweet treats.
If you’re keen to get your kids out and about in nature, as well as being crafty, consider the project to create a Christmas tree from a pine cone. Go on a walk as a family to collect a suitable pine cone each, then paint them green and decorate your ‘trees’ with different coloured dots for baubles, or even pop some snow on the branches.
As the magazine noted, these can be a great centrepiece for your festive table come Christmas Day.
Looking for a reliable printing company?
Get an instant quote