Personalised Christmas Eve Boxes

Small things for the evening ahead. The wooden boxes are sized for gifts such as books, DVDs, pencils, chocolate and sweets, so a bedtime story and a treat or two fit well. Leave the main presents for Christmas morning; the Christmas Eve box is about making the waiting easier, and the box itself is kept and filled again the following year.

There is no set age. A first box can be filled for a baby's first Christmas, and the tradition kept going as the child grows into it. The wooden box, with its metal clasp, is a keepsake container rather than a toy, so younger children should open it with an adult.

A large box gives room for a book and several small gifts, while a small box suits a handful of sweets or a single small present. If you plan to refill the box for several years, the larger size gives the contents room to grow with the child. The large boxes measure 28cm high, 28cm wide and 10.8cm deep, and the smaller designs are noticeably more compact.

Yes. Most designs carry a name or a short message rather than a year, so the same box works every Christmas Eve. The box closes with a metal clasp and hinges, and storing it somewhere dry between Christmases helps look after the natural wood, which on most designs shows its own grain, knots and colour.

No. The mince pie plates are shatter-resistant plastic and should be washed by hand, as they are not suitable for the dishwasher or the microwave. Each plate is 7.5 inches across, large enough for a mince pie and a carrot for Rudolph, and the message you add is printed at the bottom of the plate, below the fixed festive wording.