10 min read
A Christmas Eve box has one real job: getting a very excited child into pajamas and into bed. One parent put it better than any gift guide: think about what the box is for. For that parent, it was something to keep the kids busy while the vegetables got prepped for Christmas Day, and to get them into the bath and settled for bed.
So here’s the short answer. Put in new pajamas, a book, a warm drink, and one small cozy thing. That’s plenty. Of all of it, the book is the part that lasts, so this guide spends most of its time there: which book, by age, and how to make the reading the calm center of the night.
Key Takeaways
- The classic Christmas Eve box is pajamas, a book, a warm drink, and something cozy. You don’t need more.
- The book is the item that gets used after December. Choose it with more care than anything else in the box.
- Pick the book by age: short and rhythmic for toddlers, a little more story for five and up.
- If your shelf is already full of Christmas books, a new gentle bedtime story that isn’t about Christmas can be read all year.
- We don’t have a Kitty and Dino Christmas book. Our two everyday bedtime picks are clearly labeled as ours.
What goes in a Christmas Eve box?
The boxes parents describe are remarkably alike. One parent’s list sums it up: “Pajamas, a book, an ornament to commemorate the year, and a snack.” Here’s the usual set, and what each part is for.
- New pajamas. The signal that the day is over and the night has started.
- A book, read together once the pajamas are on. More on this below.
- A warm drink, like cocoa or warm milk, for the read.
- Something cozy: a small blanket or a soft toy to hold during the story.
- Optional: a small ornament with the year on it for the tree, or a favorite family movie for older kids.
You really don’t need all of it. Plenty of parents skip the box completely, and plenty more keep it small on purpose. As one put it, keep it very simple, or it “becomes like a second stocking.” Pajamas and a book is a whole tradition on its own.
From our own shelf. Looking for a new story for the book slot that isn’t about Christmas? These two are ours, so weigh them that way, and there are Christmas picks by age further down.
Why the book is the part that lasts
The pajamas get outgrown and the cocoa is gone in five minutes. The book stays on the shelf, and if it’s the right one, it comes back out the next night, and the one after that.
Iceland has a whole tradition built on this. Books are given on Christmas Eve, and the evening is spent reading them. It even has a name, Jólabókaflóð, which roughly means the Christmas book flood. Lots of families who do a box have quietly arrived at the same idea. “The same Christmas book since they were tiny,” one parent wrote. “We used to read it as the bedtime story.”
In our house, almost every day ends with a story. Some books get asked for again and again; my son once had me read one to him several times over, and I could tell he was thinking about it. That’s the kind of book you want in the box.
Which book should go in the box? Picks by age
For toddlers (2 and 3)
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Blue delivers Christmas trees to his animal friends and finds there’s one left over for him. Short, gentle, and made for the littlest readers.
Merry Christmas, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Mouse’s holiday fuss in a short board book, from the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. Sturdy enough for small hands.
Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis. A family picks out their tree, brings it home and decorates it, right up to switching on the lights. Calm and lyrical, with no worries in it at all.
For three to five
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Bear’s friends wake him from his winter sleep so he won’t miss Christmas. Rhyming, cozy, and a sleepy bear is about as good a bedtime theme as there is.
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney. Llama Llama gets overwhelmed as all the Christmas preparations pile up, until his mama reminds him what the holiday is really about. A good one for a child who’s wound up tight by December 24.
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, in whatever edition you love. The poem nearly every Christmas Eve box list mentions, and for good reason. It’s short, it rhymes, and it ends with everyone asleep.
From our own shelf, not a Christmas book: Pippin the Pig, about a dream everyone calls impossible and the balloon that proves them wrong.
For five to eight
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. A boy boards a mysterious train on Christmas Eve, bound for the North Pole. Dreamy and still, though a little long for the youngest.
The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert, with photographs by Per Breiehagen. A girl named Anja sets off north to find Santa, because she dreams of being one of his elves. Quiet and wintry, with real photographs instead of drawings.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss. The Grinch steals Christmas from Whoville, then softens when the town sings anyway. Wordy and fun to read aloud, so it suits a child who’s old enough to enjoy the rhythm.
The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. The postman delivers Christmas mail to fairy-tale characters, with real envelopes and cards to open inside the pages. Wonderful, but a lot of fiddling, so it may work better on Christmas morning than at bedtime.
From our own shelf, not a Christmas book: Walter the Wolf, a cooking contest that ends with a feast shared with every animal in the forest.
Already have plenty of Christmas books?
One parent said they loved the idea of a Christmas book tradition, but “we have so many of the Christmas books already.” That’s a common spot to be in. In that case, a new gentle bedtime story that isn’t about Christmas can be the better choice. It still feels like the night’s special book, and it doesn’t disappear into a box with the decorations in January.
These two are ours, so weigh them that way. Neither is a Christmas book.
Kitty and Dino Help Walter the Wolf. Walter is a wolf who cooks, and his soup for the Forest Cooking Contest just isn’t good enough. His recipe book says it needs three rare ingredients he can’t reach on his own, so Kitty and Dino help him find them. When he wins, he says he couldn’t have done it without his friends, and he shares the soup with all the animals. A feast, friends, and sharing it around: about as close to the feeling of Christmas as a story can get without being about Christmas. Free with Kindle Unlimited, or get it on Amazon.
Kitty and Dino Help Pippin the Pig. Everyone says pigs can’t fly. Pippin, Kitty and Dino build a balloon together, the first try won’t float, and after a second go he flies. A little bit of magic and a lot of not giving up, good for the night when a child is sure something wonderful is about to happen. Free with Kindle Unlimited, or get it on Amazon.
How to read it on the night
Bath, then pajamas from the box. Lights down low, the drink in reach, the cozy thing in their lap. Then the book, read slowly, all the way through, with no screen anywhere in the room.
When it’s done, ask one small question about it, like who their favorite character was, and leave it there. Then lights out. If the book is a good one, you’ll be asked for it again tomorrow, which is the whole point.
If your child is the sort who gets more excited the closer bedtime gets, our list of books about patience for kids is made for exactly the long wait until morning. And for more gift ideas by age, see our book gifts for kids guide.
FAQ: What to Put in a Christmas Eve Box
From the Kitty & Dino bookshelf
Gentle everyday bedtime stories for ages 3–8, read all year:
