They've become more mainstream and they're easy to do affordably, which basically makes them working class to a certain type of MNer. The collective MN horror towards them is classism masquerading as morality. The accusations of wastefulness, excess and indulgence (it's a film night box, and anyway the whole point of Christmas is to go beyond what you do on ordinary days) are never levelled at anything deemed suitably middle class, like expensive tech, winter sunshine breaks or high quality organic food for Christmas lunch.I love the angst they have about Christmas Eve boxes and they are far from new. My dad Used to tell me how he’d be given new pjs on Christmas eve and he was born in 1936.
I remember late seventies I’d be given a little Santa sack With a new nightshirt, bottle of matey and a book. I’d have a bath, put on my new nightie and go to bed with my book.
Its hardly a new thing, they just made the boxes fancier