The Thanksgiving Box Tradition: A Little Christmas Magic Before December Begins

How my mom turned a box of Christmas goodies into one of our family's favorite holiday traditions.

There are certain holiday traditions that sneak up on you. They start as something small, a thoughtful gesture, a simple gift, a fun surprise, and before you know it, they've become something your children look forward to every single year.

For our family, that's the Thanksgiving Box.

My mom lives far away, which means she doesn't always get to be part of the little holiday moments that make this time of year so special. But years ago, she came up with a way to bring a little grandmother magic into our home, even from miles away.

Every Thanksgiving, she sends holiday-themed items for me to put in a Christmas-themed box for the kids to open on Thanksgiving night. And while the contents have changed as the kids have grown, the excitement hasn't. The kids each have their own lidded box that we reuse each year. They automatically know which is theirs!

In fact, opening the Thanksgiving Box has become the unofficial kickoff to Christmas in our house.

What's Inside a Thanksgiving Box?

The beauty of this tradition is that it isn't about extravagant gifts. It's about filling a box with little things that make the entire Christmas season more fun.

My mom usually includes a mix of festive favorites:

• An Advent Calendar: Because nothing says December like children racing downstairs to open a tiny cardboard door before breakfast.

  • Magnatiles Advent Calendar

  • Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar

  • Disney Lego Advent Calendar

• Christmas Pajamas: Festive pajamas they can wear all December long instead of receiving them when Christmas is practically over.

  • Older boys PJ Pants and Vineyard Vines Christmas Shirt

  • Little boys Star Wars pajamas

  • Softest Girls PJS

• A Christmas Book: A new story to add to our holiday collection. Even as the kids get older, I love having Christmas books scattered around the house. See some more of our favorites in a whole post on Christmas books!

  • Dear Santa board book

  • Boy Called Christmas Box Set

  • The Christmas Pig

• A Christmas Treat, Toy, or Bath Scent: Something small and festive, whether it's holiday candy, a Christmas-themed toy, or another fun surprise like bath soaps and bombs.

  • Christmas Picasso Tiles

  • Christmas Bath Bombs

  • Duke Cannon's Illegally Cut Pine Soap

  • Hot chocolate bombs

• Cozy Socks or slippers: Because December is better with warm feet.

  • Christmas socks

  • Elf slippers

• A LEGO Kit or Puzzle: Something to build or work on during those slower holiday afternoons. Bonus points if it keeps everyone entertained without a screen! Here are some of our favorite kits over the years. We tear apart the Legos after the season and store them in zipper pouches to rebuild next year!

  • Lego Gingerbread House (large)

  • Lego BrickHeadz

  • Christmas Puzzle

• Christmas T-Shirts or Sweatshirts: Festive clothes they can wear to school, holiday parties, or just around the house throughout December.

  • Star Wars Christmas Sweatshirt

  • Santa Sweatshirt

  • Bonus points if you can score a Buc-ees or Bass Pro Shops Christmas sweatshirt for older boys

It's a wonderful combination of things they'll use, things they'll enjoy, and things that make the season feel special.

The One Addition I Made: A Yearly Christmas Ornament

I've added one little twist of my own to their Thanksgiving Box.

Each year, I include an Old World Christmas ornament that represents something meaningful from that child's year. Maybe it's a dance shoe to celebrate a first recital, a musical instrument for a concert, but it's great to have the ornament for this year's tree rather than one received on Christmas that has to wait a whole year! And while researching for this page, I may have added this "White Christmas" ornament to my cart for my own sister ;)

And here's the best part of the Thanksgiving Box: They actually get to enjoy everything for the entire Christmas season! Gobble, gobble!

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