Empty Box Christmas Gift Craft Idea

This Empty Box Christmas Gift Craft Idea portrays that valuable presents are not necessarily large or expensive. The best gifts come from the heart and may even be invisible.

This Sunday evening we have a Christmas service in our Church. The program planners asked if I could bring a part, so here’s the plan:

All the little children will come and squish together on the front bench, because that’s what they do when someone does a children’s activity. They squeeze together so tightly they can hardly move. I think it’s adorable.

They will listen attentively while I tell/read a story. “The Empty Box.” There are many Hallmark-worthy Empty Box Christmas stories, and it’s super hard to choose which one to read. Should I tell them about the girl who got scolded for giving her daddy an empty box for Christmas, because he thought she just wasted expensive gold wrapping paper for nothing? And then, then when she told him… well, I can’t tell you the story, can I, and give it away.

Or maybe I should tell the one about a poor orphan boy who gave his teacher an empty box for Christmas… That story could possibly have someone (me?) furtively wiping cheeks afterwards, it’s so good.

And many similar true stories out there that could work for the rest of my plan. I never got empty boxes for Christmas, but I have a drawer full of little, useless pretties I can’t part with. Simply because a student gave them to me. And you can’t throw love away. Ever.

Empty Box Christmas Gift Idea:
The Rest of The Plan

After telling the story, each child will get a little gift-wrapped empty box. I ordered these to hand out.

And then I’ll give them a tiny notebook with 12 pages. We’ll make the notebooks, because that’s what we do. But if you want to buy little notebooks, we like these or these.

So that every month they can tear off one piece of paper and write a love note to their parents. Or their teacher or someone else they admire. Then they’ll tuck the note into the box. The notes are supposed to say something they admire or appreciate about the person(s) they’ve chosen. And the littles who can’t write yet? They’ll have to ask mommy or daddy to do it for them.

At the end of 2024 there will be 12 LOVE notes in each child’s box.

And at the end of 2024, someone will get a tiny box filled with a HUGE gift. A part of a child’s heart.

What could be more precious or more valuable?

How to Make an Empty Box Christmas Gift

Supplies:

3″ square gold favor boxes with included gold ribbon
navy party pencils
DIY Notepad Printable with cover options and directions
deckle edge ruler
clear cellophane bags and red and green foil curly ribbon

Directions:

Fold the favor boxes along crease lines. Cut gold ribbon about 36″ long for bows for each box. Fold the ribbon in half, then place the center along the top of the box. Wrap around to the bottom, twist at a 90° and then bring the ribbon back up the other two sides of the box to the top. Tie a tight double knot, then make a pretty bow. Cut the bow tails about 4″ so they drape down the sides of the box.
Tuck the favor boxes into the cellophane bags. Fold the corners of the cellophane bags under the box and tape, so it looks nice and trim. Tuck a pencil diagonally beside the box in the clear bag.
Download the DIY Notepad printable and follow directions to complete. Tuck a notepad into each cellophane bag.
Twist the top of the cellophane bag and tie shut with curly ribbon. Curl the ribbon with a knife or blade of a scissors.
Keep one box, notepad and pencil unwrapped so you can demonstrate the empty box gift to the children when you read the story. Demonstrate drawing or writing “love notes” on the notepad. The notes can be folded and tucked into the box without untying the ribbon. Just slide the ribbon wrapping over the flap side of the box to the side, and slide the note through the slit between the flap and side of the box. Then slide the ribbon back into place.