FOR FAMILIES · AGES 5–11 · CHRISTMAS EVE
A reading Christmas Eve box: a book, a story and a cosy bedtime
A reading Christmas Eve box holds a book to unwrap and a story to share before bed, opened on the evening of 24 December. Here is what to put in it, how to choose the book, a 10-minute bedtime story routine and a checklist to print.
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What is a reading Christmas Eve box?
A Christmas Eve box is a small box of treats that some families open on the evening of 24 December, before bed. This one is built around reading: at its heart are a book to unwrap and a story you share, and everything else in it is there to make that story feel like an occasion.
It need not cost anything. A shoebox, a gift bag or a basket from the cupboard will do, and the book can come from the library, a charity shop or your own shelves. What makes it special is the ritual: the same box, the same cosy corner and a story read together, which your child may well start to look forward to each year.
What to put in a reading Christmas Eve box
The first two are the heart of it. Everything else is a suggestion: choose what suits your child, and leave out the rest.
- A book to unwrapThe heart of the box New, second-hand, borrowed or an old favourite wrapped up again: the unwrapping is half the fun. A picture book or a short book you can start tonight works better than a long novel nobody opens until January. How to choose a book they will want to read
- A story to read together tonightThe heart of the box If the new book is long, save it for the morning and share something short at bedtime. The Missing Christmas Star is a free story set on Christmas Eve, for ages 5–7: 3 short chapters, 3 choices and 3 endings, and your child decides what happens next. Read The Missing Christmas Star
- A torch for reading under the covers A small torch turns the last few minutes into an adventure. Agree when it goes off before it goes in the box.
- A page for “the story we read tonight” Print the sheet on this page, or a page of the reading log, so your child can write or draw the story you shared. It also makes a good first entry for the Christmas reading challenge, where a story on Christmas Eve is one of the twelve ideas. Reading log to print · Christmas reading challenge
- Something to write A letter to Santa to write before bed, or a first line to start a Christmas story together, so your child gets to be the author as well as the listener. Letter to Santa template · Christmas story starters
- A bookmark Make one together from card, or print a bookmark of your child’s own story hero, ready to keep their place in the new book. Hero maker (prints bookmarks)
- Cosy extras, if you like Pyjamas, a hot chocolate, a blanket or a soft toy to listen in. None of them is needed: the book and the time together are the box.
Print this list as a checklist, with a page for the story you read tonight.
Choosing the book, by age
- Start from what they love. A book about whatever your child is mad about this year will be opened more eagerly than one picked from a list. The Department for Education’s advice to parents: “What matters most is that they enjoy it.” (DfE)
- The read-aloud book can be harder. You are doing the reading tonight, so it can be above the level of the books they read alone. The colour band on a school reading book describes that book, not the one in the box.
- An old favourite counts. A book they already love, wrapped up again, can be the most welcome present in the box. The Department for Education’s advice to parents: “Read favourite stories over and over again.” (DfE)
- Match the length to the night. Read aloud, ten minutes is about 1,200 words (Litsee’s rule of thumb, not a published figure): a picture book, or a chapter or two.
| Age | A book that might suit the box |
|---|---|
| 5 to 7 | A picture book to read aloud, or a short story they can read part of to you. Rhymes and repeated lines they can join in with suit a sleepy, excited evening. |
| 7 to 9 | A funny or adventurous chapter book to start together, with one chapter tonight and the rest over the holidays. |
| 9 to 11 | The first book in a series, a graphic novel or a book about their passion. They might like to read the first chapter to you, or to a younger brother or sister. |
Your child’s interests matter more than their age. For more on finding a book they will want to read, see how to choose books your child will want to read, and for what the colours on school books mean, book bands explained.
A 10-minute Christmas Eve bedtime story
For most children aged 5–11, a bedtime story of 10–20 minutes is plenty. On a night this exciting, the short end is often plenty. This is the 10-minute routine from our reading at home page, with a line for Christmas Eve under each step. The minutes are a suggestion: watch your child, not the clock.
- Choose together (1 minute). Offer two books you are happy to read and let your child pick one. They feel in charge of bedtime, and the story stays short enough for tonight.On Christmas Eve: Tonight the choice might be the book from the box or The Missing Christmas Star, or which ending of the story to try first.
- Their turn (about 4 minutes). If your child brings home a school reading book, they read it first, while they are freshest. If they get stuck on a word, pause, then say it for them so the story keeps moving.On Christmas Eve: No school book tonight? They can read the title and the first page of the new book, or read the story’s choices aloud for you to decide on together.
- Your turn (about 4 minutes). Read a story aloud to them, even once they can read alone. Children can enjoy stories well beyond what they can read themselves, so hearing you read keeps the plots, jokes and words rich.On Christmas Eve: Read the book from the box, or the story, with all the voices. Read aloud, one way through The Missing Christmas Star takes about 3 minutes at Litsee’s rule-of-thumb pace, so there may be time for a second ending.
- Stop at a good place (1 minute). Finish at the end of a chapter, or as soon as they are yawning or losing the thread, while they still want more. Ask one easy question, and let them choose the bookmark for tomorrow.On Christmas Eve: It is an exciting night, so stop early if they are fizzing. Fill in tonight’s line on the sheet, then it is torch off.
The read-aloud time is Litsee’s rule of thumb for a calm read-aloud, not a published figure. For a child reading The Missing Christmas Star alone, its own page gives about 7 minutes for a 6-year-old reading on their own. To time the book in your box, use the reading time calculator.
No Christmas? Make it a winter reading night box
Not every family celebrates Christmas, and some celebrate other festivals in December. The same box works on any winter evening: the first night of the school holidays, a snowy weekend or the last night of the year. Keep the book, the torch and the routine, and swap the rest.
- A winter story instead of a Christmas one. The Snow Day Sledge is a free snowy story for ages 5–7, about helping a friend join in. The Snow Day Sledge.
- A letter to someone they love. The letter template has a “Someone I love” option that turns it into a winter letter to a grandparent, a friend or a cousin. Letter template.
- A winter story to write. First lines about snow, ice and dark evenings, with nothing about Christmas in them. Winter story starters.
- A winter reading challenge. Every idea in the Christmas reading challenge has a swap that needs no tree, cards or crackers. Christmas reading challenge.
The printable checklist works for any night: the story page has no date on it.
A checklist and story page to print
One sheet of A4: the box checklist to tick as you fill it, and a page for your child to fill in by hand after the story. Nothing is typed on screen, and nothing is saved.
A reading Christmas Eve box
Our Christmas Eve box
In our box
- A book to unwrap
- A story to read together tonight
- A torch for reading under the covers
- A page for “the story we read tonight”
- Something to write
- A bookmark
- Cosy extras, if you like
The story we read tonight
- Tonight we read
- It was read by
- Where we read it
- My favourite part was
- Next year I would like to read
Colour a star for each thing you loved:
litsee.com/parents/christmas-eve-reading-box · Free to print and share · No sign-up · Litsee
Questions about Christmas Eve boxes
When should we open a Christmas Eve box?
Whenever suits your evening. We suggest after tea or after bath time, so there is still time for the story before bed. Leave at least 10 minutes for the reading itself, and open it earlier if the evening will be busy.
What age is a reading Christmas Eve box for?
Any age from 5 to 11, and younger brothers and sisters can share it. For ages 5 to 7, a picture book and a short story to read aloud work well; older children might prefer a chapter book to start together, a torch and a story of their own to write.
Does the book in a Christmas Eve box have to be new?
No. A library book, a second-hand book or an old favourite wrapped up again all work. The Department for Education’s reading framework tells parents: “Read favourite stories over and over again.”
Do we need to buy anything for it?
No. Use a box or bag you already have, borrow the book from the library (check its holiday opening times) and read The Missing Christmas Star free online. The checklist on this page is free to print, with no sign-up.
What if our family doesn’t celebrate Christmas?
Make it a winter reading night box instead, on any winter evening: a winter story, a letter to someone your child loves and the same ten-minute bedtime routine. Nothing in the box needs a tree or Father Christmas.
Keep reading
- Reading at home, on one page: The everyday version of the routine, with book bands and questions to ask.
- How to choose books your child will want to read: Start from their interests, with a picker for kinds of book.
- Book bands and reading ages explained: What the colour on a school reading book means.
- Reading to your child: Why to keep reading aloud, even once they can read alone.
- Reading time calculator: How long a particular book will take, read aloud or alone.
Sources
- 10 top tips for parents to support children to read Department for Education, 16 July 2020, updated 25 April 2022
- The reading framework Department for Education, July 2023, updated 22 September 2023
The box, the checklist, the book ideas and the Christmas Eve tips are Litsee’s own suggestions. Spotted something wrong? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it.
About Litsee: we make an interactive storybook app for ages 5 to 11, in which your child creates the hero and decides what happens next. How it works.