Ideas for making Christmas fun for teenagers/older children?

[BaconAndBees]

Does anyone have any?

Missing Santa's grotto etc etc. I think we need some more traditions!

[I8toys]

Its hard isn't it as they get older. I am still doing 1st December boxes - with advent calendars and new pj's.

No trips to panto as they hate it but a decent theatre show and dinner near to Christmas. Walk through illuminated lights and dinner (see the theme here!!). Christmas eve pub lunch and then church. Christmas eve boxes with game, book, hot chocolate etc.

I don't do stockings but wrap 24 tiny things for each day for them to open in homemade advent calendar. I also do a treasure hunt every day.

Christmas hats and 'taches for Christmas dinner.

[BaconAndBees]

I8. . It's all about stomachs at that age, isn't it!

[I8toys]

I pinched these ideas last year


Buck's Fizz after breakfast when we are prepping dinner, ranging from mostly juice to rather stronger

Silly/funny crackers/after dinner game. Moustache crackers were a hit and Name that tune game with kazoos.

One of the surprise hits is a puzzle which arrives Christmas Eve in a goodie bag. The puzzle goes on kitchen table and gets done over the Christmas break with everyone helping out at different times. Mary Berry does this in her kitchen so that makes me feel like Queen of my kitchen

Christmas Eve goodies, really only stuff I would buy anyway but it just spreads things out a bit (in a home bargains Christmas pudding bin bag last year):

Christmas Eve we have got into the habit of lighting the fire pit and sitting out for a couple of hours drinking hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows before bed.
Present Lucky Dip – scratch card, oversized inflatable, tea towel,
Wind Up toy race

It has to be mean Santa! Fill a sack with a number of wrapped items from the pound shop. Add a couple of "nice" gifts of higher value. Now you all sit round and take turns to throw the dice. If you throw a 6 you take a gift from the sack and unwrap it so everyone can see what you've got. If you throw a 1 it entitles you to steal a present from someone. This continues until all the presents in the sack have been opened by which time there has been much stealing of the most coveted gifts. It's very amusing and teens in particular love it. [We normally spend about £15 in the pound shop-you need to be a bit inventive. Invariably I have things in my present drawer that find their way into the sack so it isn't too £££ in the end.]
When we play this, we generally get fairly cheap presents from the pound shop and some charity shops - a mix of shapes and sizes is best, as the point isn't so much the game, but the fun of trying to win the presents and then take them off people. I also get some bags of sweets and small boxes of chocolates. The best time was playing it with a few friends on NYE (so some drink had been taken ) - there was one particular present that everyone seemed desperate to win and it changed hands loads of times. When it was finally opened, it was a royal wedding fridge magnet from years ago!!

Our rules are a pile of wrapped presents in the middle of the table (I try and get about 3 per person). Everyone takes it in turns to throw the dice - if you get a 6, you take a present. This carries on till all the presents have gone - some people will have lots, others may not have any!

Then, set a timer for 15 minutes, and go round again taking turns throwing the dice. Now you get to take presents from other people when you throw a 6, which we find is where the most fun is - trying to take presents that others think might be good and get rid of ones you think might be rubbish. After 15 minutes, everyone opens their presents and then you get another 10 minutes throwing the dice, trying to get a 6 so you can get the decent presents.

[Restingwitchface]

Love that game! So you take the presents and don't unwrap them until they are all gone from the pile? My only issue with this game is dd2 who is so boringly competitve she might actually strop

[I8toys]

Yes - you can smell, feel and rattle them but have to guess what you think they are.

[BaconAndBees]

I8. Thank you so much - love those ideas - both fire pit and game. Emailing this thread to myself for December!

[steppemum]

we have changed the timing of our day as kids got older.
Lie ins and lazy day more the order of the day now.

we usually play a board game together after dinner, which gets very silly (not monopoly!)

[pallisers]

My teens are really into the christmas food. Thanksgiving is coming up and they are already asking me when we are going to start making and freezing the stock for the gravy!

We've gone to the sun for a few years which was lovely with older children. We always do christmas stockings for everyone (I do them) with funny gifts etc. Always do a walk in the woods with the dog. Then have a big dinner and play a game afterwards - right left and centre dice game is brilliant if played for decent money.

I'm going to steal nearly all of 18toys ideas! thank you

[I8toys]

Forgot about JibJab - where you add your photo to musical Christmas scenes. Loads of fun when there are a few kids together.

[BaconAndBees]

I think we should make the royal wedding fridge magnet compulsory! They have as one in Amazon!

[BaconAndBees]

• they have one

[ImNotReallyHere]

I'm loving the mean Santa idea. What sort of things do you put in except the royal wedding fridge magnet?
It's just me, DH, DS 13 and DD10. And maybe DM 78

[Restingwitchface]

I am so excited about Mean Santa

anything i see thats a pound or less is going in my trolley

[I8toys]

Just random things - I got Christmas musical tie, pug measuring tape, back scratcher, bacon popping candy - stuff like that. Go to Poundland!!

[MadamMinacious]

*I8toys Can I just say that game is the most fantastic idea and I fully intend on doing it. Thank you so much for sharing.

[MadamMinacious]

Yep, bold fail there.

[bastardlyandmutley]

I love Mean Santa too. What a brilliant idea. I get to spend on a load of tat in Poundland too - win win!

[Restingwitchface]

How many presents for 5 people??

[snozzlemaid]

We play that game too. It's become a tradition for us. Everyone loves it, from kids to grandparents.
I buy a load of cheap tat from poundland and then a few nicer gifts that somebody might actually want.
My mum buys some to put in the sack too so I can play as well and don't know what everything is.
I think it may be my teens' favourite bit of the day.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

I'm loving mean Santa, definitely going to give that a go.

I have young adult offspring and we love a board game. Something silly goes down well too. One year we played that pie face game. Last year we got hand bells in crackers and youngest DC conducted us in some very shambolic Christmas Carols. Then clever musical DH took us through some rock tunes which we all tried to guess.

[ohanabanana]

I love the fire pit idea and also scratch card, I would never have thought of that!
My children have not been into visiting Father Christmas for years - even when they were little they weren't particularly into him! We still do similar stuff now their older though. Often National Trust or similar properties have a day where you can walk round their grounds, see the decorations and listen to Carol singers or hand bell ringers, that sort of thing. Kids also love a Christmas roast in a pub in the lead up to Christmas, followed by a show or film at the cinema. We have an evening of late night shopping, to see the lights and listen to the Salvation Army band. They also still love watching the old favourite movies such as Home Alone and Elf. The only thing they won't do anymore is go to the Christingle 😢

[ohanabanana]

Oh and they like going to a big garden centre to see the decs plus a mince pie in the cafe

[BerylThePeril44]

Loving mean santa! Played this game at a drunken adult event some years ago...it was hilarious x

[tootiredtothink]

Another one going to do mean santa.

We usually do table presents after dinner so think I'll swap it for that. Cannot wait

[Serin]

Last year, following a thread from MN we made a "Drinks station" box full of Christmas mugs, hot drinks sachets, marshmallows, sprinkles, syrups etc. That was simple and was surprisingly popular.

We also go ice skating at the local rink (once we made it to Somerset house) they always have Christmas music playing and loads of fairy lights.

Christmas Markets?

Forest for a Christmas tree? (which they have to cut down themselves and tie on the car roof!!).

Competition to make and ice a gingerbread house.

Make wreath for front door.