33 Festive & Fun 1st Of December Box Ideas For Families

These 1st of December box ideas are an exciting way to start the month of December with your family. Holiday traditions always help make the festive season feel extra special, especially for kids and this is one tradition they will definitely love.

If you’re not unsure what to put in your December 1st box, this list will give you plenty of inspiration, from practical to special little treats to extend that Christmas magic right from the 1st day of December.

What Is A 1st Of December Box?

If you’re here looking for ideas for your 1st December boxes, you likely already know exactly what it is. But just in case you only just discovered this fun idea, let’s quickly cover the basics.

A 1st of December box is a relatively new tradition.

In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that I myself heard of it for the first time. Always looking for new and exciting ways to add some extra magic to our holiday season, I started seeing people asking in all the Christmas Facebook groups what to put in their December 1st box.

You might have heard of a Christmas Eve box. This is a tradition that has gained popularity over the recent years and is maybe a little more well-known.

But a 1st of December box is an equally wonderful way to kick off the festive season with your family.

It is essentially a box filled with Christmas goodies to celebrate the beginning of the month of Christmas.

This means what goes into your box is completely up to you, but the list below will give you plenty of inspiration on what to include.

What To Put In A December 1st Box

Now, let’s get onto the fun part – what to put in a 1st of December box.

This list has fun December 1st box ideas for the whole family, but they are equally wonderful if you’re just putting together a box for your kids instead.

Here are some fun things to include in your December 1st Christmas box:

1. Christmas Pyjamas

Christmas PJs are definitely one of the most popular things to include in a December 1st box.

If you are putting together a family Christmas box, you might like to make these matching pyjamas for the whole family.

That way you’ve already got your cute jammies ready before Christmas day for those matching PJ photos!

And this means they actually get some wear in before Christmas arrives, instead of being worn just on Christmas Eve and outgrown before the next festive season arrives.

You can find matching Xmas PJs or cute Christmas pyjama sets in loads of places coming into the festive season – here in Australia, Kmart, Target and Big W all have some super cute options!

And of course, there’s Etsy if you want to get personalised sets instead.

2. Advent Calendars

The advent calendar tradition is one that has long been associated with 1st of December and this makes it a perfect item to include in your box if you are doing both.

Whether it be a simple chocolate advent or a more elaborate advent calendar, this is a must-have for any December 1st box.

A homemade advent calendar for each child or a shared family advent can be a lovely personal touch. You can find a heap of fun fillers for advent calendars.

3. Festive Books

Other popular December Christmas box ideas are Christmas books. These can be Christmas stories to get the kids excited for the upcoming festivities.

Or for older family members, skip the festive part and just add a new book to read over the holiday break.

4. Hot Chocolate And Marshmallows

What better way to kick off the festive season than with a warm cup of hot chocolate and some marshmallows to top it off?

You can even add some festive touches like candy canes or sprinkles for extra fun. Or make your own hot cocoa balls to include.

5. Christmas Movie

A movie night is always a fun family activity. We try and fit in a few of these every December with a mix of new Christmas movies and our family favourites – Home Alone, Elf, and The Christmas Chronicles 1 and 2.

Include a DVD or a little note card with the festive film you plan to watch on streaming.

6. A Holiday Shirt Or Outfit

Whether it’s a Christmas t-shirt or a full outfit, such as a cute dress or baby onesie, adding a festive item of clothing to your box means you get to wear their Christmas clothes throughout the month. Not just on Christmas day!

7. A New Puzzle

Gift an activity to give everyone something quiet and relaxing to do together as a family throughout December.

See how quickly you can complete the puzzle together and possibly even make it a family tradition to complete a new puzzle each December.

8. Christmas Crafts & Activities

When you’ve got baking to do and things to prep, having some activities to keep the kids busy throughout December can be a bit of a lifesaver.

They are also just a lot of fun.

Pick up some cheap craft supplies from your local discount store or grab a craft kit. There are loads of cool festive craft kit options on Amazon.

For something the whole family can do together, check out the STEM kits from KiwiCo. They always release new holiday kits to build together and they double as beautiful decorations once you’ve finished.

While they have different holiday kits available each year, you can see how much fun we had making one of the past holiday kits together above.

9. New Ornament For The Tree

Adding a new ornament to your Christmas tree each December is a lovely tradition and your December gift box is a great way to present it to the rest of the family.

A personalised ornament is a way to make it extra special, such as one with the year on it and your family name or one for each member of the family with their names on it.

If you have a machine such as a Cricut, you can easily personalise your own decorations.

10. December Bucket List

Create your own family Christmas bucket list of things you want to do for the month.

You can either create it and add the list to your box or add a blank list and fill in all the activities together as a family.

11. Tickets To A Festive Event

If you often attend a local Christmas carol event or festive concert, adding the tickets to your December 1st box is a fun way to gift it to the family.

Even if you go every year, this is still a fun way to present the tickets ready for an exciting month.

12. Letter To Santa Kit

For families with younger kids, including a letter to Santa kit in your December 1st box is a great way to kick off the Christmas magic.

This can be as simple as some nice paper and a pen or you can get proper kits from places like Etsy with beautiful backgrounds to make the letter extra special.

13. Snacks to Share

Finally, don’t forget to include some snacks in your 1st of December box so you can all sit down and enjoy your goodies together as a family for your movie nights or when you head to local holiday events.

Popcorn, candy canes, Christmas cookies… whatever you all love to eat!

14. Festive Games

There are some seriously fun Christmas games you can DIY and play at home with the family.

Include everything you need in your 1st of December box to play a new game each December.

This might be a printable game such as a Christmas dice roll game or a Christmas Left Right game, or it might be a hilarious minute-to-win-it style game.

You can get loads of Christmas game ideas here.

15. Christmas Bedding

If you really want to go all out for your Christmas box, consider adding some festive bedding to the mix.

Christmas-themed sheets or a cozy throw blanket with a holiday print can make your bedroom feel extra festive during the month of December.

But if you want to keep it more budget-friendly, you can get your kids just a pillowcase to add a tiny touch of festivity to their bedrooms.

16. A Festive Jumper

For those in colder climates, a festive jumper is a must-have for the holiday season.

You could even make it a family affair by getting matching jumpers for everyone! Or get everyone an ugly Christmas sweater instead for a laugh.

17. Cookie Making Supplies

Christmas baking is one of my favourite things to do each year and the kids love to help out.

Get supplies to make a family favourite Christmas recipe such as Christmas cookies, shortbread or rum balls.

18. Christmas Socks

Keep those toes warm for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere with a winter Christmas. Cute Christmas socks can make for some fun family photos too, just like the matching sleepwear!

19. A New Board Game

Board games are a great way to spend time together as a family and there are some fantastic Christmas-themed options available. But it doesn’t need to be holiday-themed.

Pick out a new board game or family card game to add to your collection or choose an old favourite that you don’t already have in your game cupboard and schedule a game night together.

20. Outdoor Toys

Here in Australia, Christmas falls over summer so one of our favourite things to include is a new pool toy for the kids or something for the backyard.

One year it was a slip-and-slide since we don’t have our own pool. It was definitely the winner that year!

If you’re in a colder climate, consider including an outdoor winter activity such as ice skates or a new sled for when the snow falls.

21. Colouring Pages

Quiet activities are helpful for taking a break during the over-stimulated, busy holiday season. Kids need this quiet time as much as we do.

Colouring is a wonderful mindfulness activity for kids so adding new Christmas colouring books and pencils is an affordable gift for your holiday box.

Alternatively, print out some of these free festive colouring pages or these mindful colouring pages instead.

22. Elf On The Shelf

If you have an Elf on the Shelf visitor who comes to your home each December, he might be the one arriving with your box. This makes your elf arrival pretty simple too!

If you don’t have an Elf on the Shelf, consider starting this fun tradition and include all the necessary items in your 1st of December box! Let the fun begin!

23. Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are great to have for attending night events during December or for having your own glow stick dance party at home.

24. Christmas Hats

A simple, but fun addition to your December 1st box is a new Christmas hat for each member of the family.

You could go for traditional Santa hats or opt for something more unique and fun like reindeer antlers or Christmas caps.

25. Ginger Bread Making Kit

A gingerbread kit is not only a great family activity but also delicious to eat!

Include all the ingredients and decorations in your December box for a fun afternoon of decorating and snacking.

26. Festive Music Playlist

Don’t forget to add a festive music playlist to provide the soundtrack for your month.

Put together a playlist on Spotify, Apple Music or whatever your preferred listening app is and add a link or scan code to a card for the rest of the family to download it too.

27. Holiday Scavenger Hunt

There are a lot of ways you can set up a Christmas scavenger hunt.

One of my favourites is doing a Christmas light scavenger hunt if you have a tradition of going out and looking at decorations together each year.

You can tick the list off as a family or give each family member their own printed scavenger hunt list to complete.

28. Santa Sacks To Hang

Include a personalised Santa sack for each family member in your 1st of December box or simply add your existing Christmas sacks into the box ready to hang together after you finish decorating the tree.

Definitely no need to buy new ones each year if you’ve already got one!

29. Advent Activity Cards

Another fun tradition that helps focus on what really matters over the festive season is doing advent activities rather than a traditional advent gift calendar.

Include 24 envelopes each with a different activity inside and each day, you open an envelope and do the activity together.

This can be anything from baking cookies, watching a Christmas movie, doing a random act of kindness for a neighbour or donating unwanted toys.

You can get my free printable advent cards here so you don’t need to make your own!

30. Festive Accessories

Gifting hair accessories, novelty headbands or silly hats is almost a little too late if you wait until Christmas day to do it.

Instead. you can add these items to your box so that they get worn throughout the month to Christmas parties and special events.

31. A New Mug

Enjoying a warm drink in a festive mug is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit.

Get each family member their own special Christmas mug or a funny mug that has nothing to do with Christmas.

32. Holiday Plate Set

Start a new family tradition of using special holiday plates throughout December.

If you want to keep it affordable, pick up some inexpensive reusable plastic plates with festive designs on them that can be reused each year.

There’s no reason why you can’t pop last year’s set into your box for this year.

33. New Swimmers

This is definitely a Southern Hemisphere staple to kick off the 1st day of summer!

New swimmers are a great addition to your December box, especially if you’re planning beach or pool days throughout December.

What To Use For A December 1st Christmas Box

What you use to gift your Christmas box doesn’t need to be fancy.

It can be a gift box like the one we use above, or a cardboard box wrapped in Christmas paper, a wooden box or a special personalised box you reuse each year.

Other great reusable options include baskets or plastic storage tubs.

Conclusion: 1st Of December Box Ideas

I hope these December 1st Christmas box ideas help you to come up with some fun options to add to your family box for this upcoming holiday season! Remember, keep it within your budget since you’ve got Christmas just a few weeks later.

Simple and affordable is absolutely fine, just as splurging is too if it’s in your budget and feels right to you!