Best Christmas Eve box fillers 2023: 11 gift ideas for kids, including toys, books, crafts and more

Nothing says Christmas quite like a pair of joyful PJs and, while there are plenty of more-affordable, novelty designs out there, this set from The White Company will see little ones through the festive season and beyond.

Made from soft pure-cotton flannel, the set comes in a timeless red gingham print with a piped trim collared shirt that features a patch pocket – perfect for stashing sweet treats – and long trousers that are designed with an elasticated waistband for extra comfort.

Available for children aged 1-12 years, these pyjamas are really special and give you all the Christmas feels.

Get ready to settle down for a peaceful Christmas Eve with this snuggly blanket. Great for bringing a touch of joy and warmth to evenings, it’s lovely and soft with a fleecy feel that will make you want to hunker down alongside your little one. Featuring lots of seasonal characters, including gingerbread men and snowmen, alongside a scattering of wreaths, Christmas puddings and candy canes, it’s a fun, festive design that will help create the cosiest holiday experience for your child. Plus, it’s machine washable and can be tumble dried, so you don’t need to worry about it getting ruined by sticky fingers.

Upgrade their cup of cocoa (complete with a mountain of marshmallows, naturally) with this personalised mug from Emma Bridgewater. Featuring a series of hand-painted illustrations, including a teddy bear, holly, mittens, a Christmas tree and rocking horse, it’s just the right size for little ones, with a capacity of 175ml and a sturdy handle that’s comfortable to grasp.

As well as the adorable design, we love that you can choose to personalise the mug by adding your child’s name in an aesthetically pleasing hand-painted font. This is a sentimental gift that can be used every day or whipped out of storage year after year as a Christmas keepsake.

While you don’t want to ruin Christmas Day by gifting anything too large, a small toy is great for getting the excitement started (not that you’ll need much help doing that), and it doesn’t get much better than a seasonal Lego set.

Suitable for kids aged nine and over, this 312-piece set features a Christmas tree and two adorable polar bears on a decorated rotating base. The snowy toy model measures in at just 3in tall, so kids can proudly put it on display in their bedroom. Great for keeping little hands busy, it lets your child get creative without making a mess, and the fact it costs just over ?10 makes it a real winner.

A scattering of sweet snacks is perhaps the most important Christmas Eve box filler and, while we all love to receive a good old-fashioned bag of chocolate gold coins, this crew of pleasantly plump penguins offers a tasty upgrade that any kid with a sweet tooth will devour in one sitting, should they be allowed to.

Made from deliciously smooth 40 per cent milk chocolate, each rotund penguin is decorated with a white chocolate tummy, dark chocolate eyes and a colourful yellow beak. Rich, creamy and full of chocolate flavour, you’ll find it hard not to keep these for yourself.

All kids, not matter their age, love receiving a soft toy at Christmas, and this pint-sized one from Jellycat is nothing short of adorable. Measuring just 13cm tall, it’s an ideal size for small hands, and will fit perfectly into most Christmas Eve boxes. Incredibly soft, the reindeer features whispy tufts of cream and biscuity brown, with cute waggly ears, tiny legs and the smoothest chocolate suedette antlers.

We love that the cuddly companion comes with a weighted bean base, which helps it stand upright. This one is sure to deliver magical dreams on the night before Christmas.

Surprise them by popping in a Christmassy book that will help get them settled amid all the excitement. A great way for your child to lose themselves in the magic of the season, Squirrel’s Snowman is part of the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood lift-the-flap series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Here, we join Squirrel, who sets out to find everything they need to build (you guessed it) a snowman. The story flows with simple rhyme and each page has a little flap to open, which only adds to the fun. Plus, we loved the illustrations that are packed with charm and gave our little tester plenty to explore.

While it’s aimed at toddlers, we think this is a book that will be adored by most young children – the teeny ones will love lifting all the flaps, while slightly older kids will be able to read the book themselves. All that’s left to do is snuggle up and enjoy.

We can’t think of a better way to wind down on Christmas Eve than with a warm, happy bath time, which makes this gorgeous-smelling bath bomb a brilliant addition to your child’s box of treats.

If the colourful penguin character doesn’t catch their eye at first, the addictive scent is sure to have them (and you) hooked. When dropped into the water, the bath bomb creates a whirlpool of pink and purple as it fizzes around, while the citrussy smell of mandarin and lemon fills the room and lingers gently on the skin for some time after. Hop in and then snuggle up ready for a great night’s sleep.

If you’re looking for a shared activity that will keep little hands busy, consider a baking set, such as this one from Honeywell Bakes.

The kit includes everything you need to make cinnamon rolls, including all the dry ingredients, decorations and a recipe card that guides you through each step – taking some of the stress out of baking with a little “helper”.

We loved how easy the steps were to follow and, while the results might not have looked as flawless as the ones you see in the product shots, they tasted incredible and, most importantly, plenty of fun was had by all.

Bright and sparkly, these hair clips are ideal for sprucing up your child’s locks throughout the festive period and beyond. With eight in a pack, there are four different styles to choose from, which all feature padded stars in colourful combinations of metallic and glitter fabric.

A stylish and fun way to keep their locks in order, they’re incredibly well made and have clearly been designed with little ones in mind. We loved that the soft grosgrain ribbon that covers the alligator clips ensures they’re comfortable to wear for long periods of time, while still managing to snap firmly into even the finest of hair.