Ooh, look what I found! Suggestions for little gifts for all of us please :)

[TheFantasticMrsFox]

I have happened across this lovely advent decoration:

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002RAGMDK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1411471582&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

I can already picture it draped artfully along my banisters, filled with lovely bits for DH, DS(10) and I. I am thinking Celebrations/ Heros on some days, mini mince pies on the days I bake, small notes like "go and buy the tree today" etc but my creative juices have dried up at that point.
Treats need to be suitable for all three of us, though I am happy to diversify eg. bottle of beer for DH but J2O for DS.

[TheFantasticMrsFox]

Damn,
<a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002RAGMDK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1411471582&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">//www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002RAGMDK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1411471582&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[xalyssx]

You could put these in and have a snowball fight one day?

[BiddyPop]

I am just going to paste in my list from my pc of ideas I've gathered over the years - some suitable for all ages, others best for smaller or older DCs but I use it as an inspiration for a few activity days.

I also print a lot of free printable Christmassy or wintery pictures from the net for DD to colour in, there are loads of different ones out there between characters, religious, Santa, snowmen, nature.....you name it!! And you can get things like puzzles, mazes, crosswords etc for older DCs, not just colouring picture. (And even some stories!!).

Some days, I leave a clue in the day's pocket in DD's advent calendar, the start of a treasure hunt around the house to find today's thing. Which might be something small but too big for the pocket, or just a reason to burn off energy!! I usually limit it to 5 clues.

Lidl and Aldi, and M&S too now, have net bags of festive chocolate shapes that work very well in the pockets so I don't have to spend loads on treats. As long as DD doesn't find the stash and go through them (leaving me with not enough for the last week and having to buy the VERY EXPENSIVE chocolate nutcracker soldiers from the posh deli because everything else is sold out!!).

So those are my main ideas. Apologies for the length of the following post - but that is just a copy and paste job with no edits.... some you may enjoy, others think are just bleurgh, I don't do them all, but thought it was useful to save them one year to have ideas!!

[BiddyPop]

1. Write a letter to Santa
   
2. Colour in some Christmas pictures (free printables)
   
3. Make some Christmas Cookies
   
4. Make and decorate some salt dough decorations.
   
5. Watching Christmas Dvds
   
6. Making and decorating a gingerbread house
   
7. make cards,
   
8. do potato print wrapping paper,
   
9. go out and look at all the christmas lights then home for hot chocolate,
   
10. have a charity day when we sort out all their toys and take the extras to the charity shop,
    
11. bake biscuits to take to the local fire station to say thanks for working to keep us safe over christmas while we are busy having fun,
    
12. decorate the tree out the front with strings of dried fruit and popcorn for the birds,
    
13. stick cloves in oranges
    
14. cook some fudge/coconut ice for rellys
    
15. decorate xmas biscuits
    
16. put xmas decs up
    
17. choose xmas tree
    
18. write a letter
    
19. make a Christmas present for dad
    
20. go out and collect holly and fir
    
21. Make some reindeer food (porridge oats and glitter in a little jar, the idea is that the reindeer will see it twinkling from the sky and come down and stand nicely for Santa to do his thing whilst filling their tums! A lot of people spread it outside, I find a bowl is easier as the DC can see just how much the reindeer have eaten in the morning.)
    
22. put on Christmas Carols/Music and have a dance
    
23. bake mince pies
    
24. drink hot chocolate and watch a film (polar express)
    
25. Do a Christmas kindness each - just aim to do something for someone else that is just kind. Like buy the person behind you in the queue their coffee or help someone to carry their shopping or something else similar.
    
26. "See if you can go for a whole day without asking how many days it is till we put the Christmas tree up"
    
27. Make paperchains
    
28. make card for Nanna, Granny
    
29. Make some crackers?
    
30. Learn a new christmas song
    
31. Learn a christmas joke
    
32. Go for a walk with a torch
    
33. Go to Carol service
    
34. Wrap presents
    
35. Tidy bedroom
    
36. learn the words to a Christmas song or poem and recite to Dad when he gets home
    
37. Make mum a cup of tea
    
38. Make a bookmark
    
39. send a Christmas card to someone who has not found any room at the inn
    
40. make paper snowflakes (one of the few crafty things I know how to do!)
    
41. Collect pinecones, leaves and twigs to paint and turn into a centrepiece.
    
42. Ice skating
    
43. Track Santa (for Christmas Eve)
    
44. Read a Christmas book (How the Grinch stole Christmas)
    
45. Go door to door and sing Carols
    
46. bake stained glass biscuits to decorate the tree with
    
47. put baby jesus in the nativity scene if you have a nativity scene
    
48. make mince pies/cookies for santa
    
    
    
    
49. have a fashion show and pick the outfits that everyone should wear on christmas day
    
50. if it snows...you can put in, "build a snowman
    
51. Make a Christmas crown to wear
    
52. What did the three wise men bring?
    What do you think the Wise men would bring today?
    Name three things you need to make christmas pudding?
    Sing jingle bells backwards?
    Name three things that glitter?
    Imitate a turkey?
    Do 5 star jumps
    Think of 3 words that rhyme with "Yule"?
    Think up the next line of this poem:
    At Christmas time the thing I like the best
    
    Name 3 plants or trees associated with Christmas?
    Name 3 animals or birds associated with Christmas?
    Name 4 reindeer?
    Sing a Christmas Song
    Name 5 carols?
    4 3-letter words from Christmas?
    4 3-letter words from stocking?
    Name a carol with someone's name in the title?
    Name a song with Santa in the title?
    What was given on the 9th day of christmas?
    In the 12 days of Christmas - how many birds altogether were given?
    Name two animals in the traditional nativity scene?
    Make a snowflake out of paper?
    Tell the story of the first christmas in less than a minute?
    Name 5 christmas foods?
    Make something to hang on the christmas tree?
    Think of 3 names for father Christmas?
    
    
53. Make glittery tree decorations using cookie cutters as templates to draw round on card. Cover in glue, add glitter and thread on a red ribbon to hang.
    
54. making some place cards/ a decoration with names for Christmas lunch guests?
    
55. Visit ducks in the park to wish them a very Happy Christmas and give them some bread
    
56. Make secret den in order to discuss secret Christmassy stuff and wrap presents
    
57. Plan Christmas show for Daddy/Grandma/Grandad etc.
    
58. watch a christmas film under the duvet
    
59. Read a christmassy book
    
60. do some Christmassy puzzles (will find some online to print off I'm sure)
    
61. Write cards to school friends
    
62. write & post a letter to the big man
    
63. Sing carols or Christmas songs while you do the washing up (or some other chore)
    
64. Have a Christmas-sy bath. Use "Christmas scented" bubble bath/bath oil/essential oils or Lush bath bombs. Think orange, tangerine, cinnamon...
    

65.     Have an indoor snowball fight using cotton wool balls
    

[bogiesaremyonlyfriend]

Thanks biddypop great suggestions I am stealing :)

[50ShadesofXmas]

biddypop I think I luff you a little bit!

[Lariflete]

biddypop That is an amazing list! Will definitely be using some of those, thanks

[BiddyPop]

You can thank previous ladies both here and on Magicmum (the Irish version of MN) when I was looking first, about 6 years ago. I just kept all the suggestions for as DD grew. I haven't even done half of them, even when they were age appropriate!!

[TheFantasticMrsFox]

Thanks biddy that is an amazing list! Although some bits will be too young for DS there's more than enough there for us to use or adapt :)

[averythinline]

on our list we have - strictly final party...and any school/community events that we go to....eg own clothes/fete/ carol concert
we also do an xmas foodbank shop
name cards for xmas table
buy xmas stamps
make and post cards
I have a cheap and cheerful advent calender with pockets from Lidl and the list is now called 'the xmas todo's' and will get ds out of bed in the morning with a ooh what's the todo today

I have been known to swop the todo's around depending on how I feel in the morning

[MrsPear]

Wonderful list!

[dustybinlydia]

Thank you, BiddyPop! :-)

[Gatekeeper]

Biddypop ...if you were here in front of me now I would sob on your shoulder with the loveliness of your post

[stealthsquiggle]

I saw the same thing as the OP, but didn't fancy the rustiness of the buckets much (plenty of rust and decay round here without needing to add any of the "artful" variety) so I went for this one instead. In my case it is just for DS, so I have scoured eBay for a selection of Lego minifigures and will be wrapping them and putting one in each bucket.

[dustybinlydia]

That's really nice, stealthsquiggle :-)

[ScrabbledLeggsAndToes]

Just bumping this thread for SkullytonFlowers!

[SkullytonFlowers]

thanks scrabbled :)

[lucysmam]

I'm just placemarking so I can c&p Biddypop's list tomorrow morning Excellent ideas!

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

also place marking so I can steal some of these great ideas

[bananapuddles]

Beautiful list, thank you very much!

[ScrabbledLeggsAndToes]

Just bumping this thread for Misty9!

[Misty9]

Thanks! :)

[iloveholidays]

Place marking