How to Make a Christmas Eve Box

Sharing is caring!

Making a Christmas Eve box is such a nice way to add to a family tradition. With just a few supplies, you can make this beautiful Christmas Eve box.

I’ve been hearing about a tradition called the Christmas Eve box. Basically, it is a box of goodies that a family can share together on Christmas Eve. This makes Christmas Eve a special time and something to look forward to.

The box is brought out on Christmas Eve and it is a time for families to spend time together before Christmas Day. Sometimes little ones simply can’t wait until Christmas Day and so this gives them a little something just before the big day.

Your Christmas Eve box can be filled with all sorts of things for the family.

• new pyjamas (Want to personalize them? Check out my All About Heat Transfer Vinyl post for more information)
  

• Christmas book – I recommend the classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas if you don’t already have it. My favourite is the Jan Brett version as her artwork is amazing. There are lots of great Christmas books out there (including others by Jan Brett).
• hot chocolate mix and Christmas mug
• treats for the reindeer to leave out
• Cookies for Santa plate and Milk for Santa cup (Make your own using adhesive vinyl. Check out my All About Adhesive Vinyl post for more information)
  

• gingerbread house or gingerbread man decorating kit
• Christmas ornament (Check out my post on How to Make Glitter Ornaments for inspiration)

• Christmas craft activity
• a Christmas colouring book
• a Christmas stuffed toy (Put your child’s name and the year on it. Check out my post on how to apply HTV on stuffed animals for more information)

• candy canes or other candy

The possibilities are endless. Think of how much fun it would be to put these together every year for your family.

Supplies Needed to Make a Christmas Eve Box

• box or crate; for this project, I used the Ikea Knagglig Wooden Crate. You can also find wooden crates at hardware stores or big box stores (like Home Depot and Walmart), Michaels and sometimes even the dollar store.
• stain or paint to finish the wooden box or crate (optional)
• some sort of protective finish like Polycrylic (optional)
• adhesive vinyl design – I designed and cut mine using my Cricut Explore Air 2
• decorations – ribbon, ornaments, jingle bells, etc

Step by Step Directions to Make a Christmas Eve Box

• Finish or paint the wooden box or crate. This is optional. I personally like the look of finished wood better, but it’s entirely up to you.
  For mine, I used a Varathane gel stain, applied with a foam brush. Check out your local hardware store for various wood finishes and paint. I get my foam brushes from the dollar store. Don’t forget to lay some newspaper down (this makes clean up much easier). I also wear gloves when I finish the wood – in order to finish the wood, you need to hold it and this again makes clean up (of yourself) much easier.
  TIP:  the Ikea Knagglig Wooden Crate comes unassembled – I finished all the pieces first before putting it together. It made it easier to get into all the little spaces.
  Let your finish dry overnight
  

  

• Since my crate was painted, I wanted to seal it with Polycrylic to make sure the vinyl sticks. Adhesive vinyl has a better chance of sticking to a protective finish.
• Cut your graphic or design out using adhesive vinyl (Oracal 651 or Avery or any other equivalent – there are lots of brands out there). I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut out the design. I love that I can personalize the Christmas Eve Box.
• Apply your graphic or design. For information on weeding and applying adhesive vinyl, check out my post here.
• Decorate – this is the fun part. I went through my stash of Christmas crafting items and add some nice snowflakes. The dollar store is a great place to find little ornaments and jingle bells.
  

  

• Fill your Christmas Eve box with goodies and wait for Christmas Eve!

This is an easy craft with the help of your Cricut. The most time-consuming part was waiting for the stain to finish and then waiting for the polycrylic to dry.

You can try a variety of finishes to see what you like the best. In addition to walnut, I also tried cherry and mahogany.

Want something bigger? Simply get a bigger crate. Ikea makes a larger version of the Knagglig Wooden Crate. This one measures 18×12 ¼x9 ¾. Again check out other places like Home Depot as well. Find a size that suits your needs.

If you haven’t already, consider starting a new Christmas Eve tradition with this Christmas Eve Box. What a nice keepsake to have and use year after year.

Can you imagine other applications for this cute box? It would also make a great gift box for gift giving. Consider decorating a box for other occasions like birthdays, a new baby, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Use the crates to hold gifts of wine or beer as well.

Here are some others that I made.

And why not use it just as basic storage? I know I could find tons of things I could store in these wooden crates.  There’s something about storing things in pretty boxes that makes your clutter look better!

Want to remember how to make this Christmas Eve Box? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.