How many Christmas events do you do as a family?

[Mountainviewse]

How many Christmas events do you do as a family?

What counts as an event?

None

Going to panto, going to see Santa, ice skating, carnival

Normally a light trail, one Santa thing and a show like a pantomime or Christmas carol thing. Plus whatever they do at school. Then stuff at home like making Christmas cards, baking, crafts etc.

Normally go to one Christmas related thing as a family in December

But also the stuff related to school/clubs

What do you mean by event? We see Father Christmas and do a light trail. Kids do school nativities

None.

We're doing a light trail this year but that's a DD birthday thing, not a Christmas thing. Church crib service. Stuff they do through school.

Been on Father Christmas visits three times over the years, when organised by others, not chosen to do so ourselves.

Panto they went with school and Beavers.

I don't think we'll do any extra this year as between school and church we have something to do every week in December already.

Usually one when we go and visit Father Christmas.

We don't have children, so none really.

But when I was younger, normally three or four? School carol service at the end of term, a Christmas market, visiting Santa and a day where we went out for hot chocolate/cake and then decorated the tree and listened to Christmas music.

In terms of going out and about, our family traditions are that we do Breakfast with Santa at the local garden centre every year (although DDs are getting older so probably not many years of that left). We also always go to the panto in our local city.

Other than that it's whatever they do with school. Normally a carol service and a school festive market run by the PTA.

When dc were small:

The lights switch-on in our town, a visit to a local Christmas craft fair or similar with FC in attendance, church Christingle service, and panto in the week between Christmas and New Year - tickets provided by DGM.

None of it cost a lot. I think one year we went to Milton Keynes shopping centre for a massive Santa's Grotto thing and that was good, but we only ever went the once with friends who asked us along.

At least these: Panto, local NT property, Christmas fair of the charity related to us, walk around town to see lights and Christmas afternoon tea, carols concert.
We usually do a few more but it depends on the year, these ones are the must.

Two teens here. Just local panto. The whole obligation to see Father Christmas/go to light shows/go to Winter Wonderland etc, is new, and for me, too much. Our Christmas has always been relaxed, low key and more frugal.

We have 12 events booked or ar least pencilled in, and will probably do some more. Panto, concerts, 4 plays (admittedly some aren't even that Christmassy but part of the Christmas events aimed at families), some community events, activity farm, craft workshops, shopping lights, light trail. DCs are 1 and 5. Some of it is pretty pricey as it is London and in venues like Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House, but we enjoy it and we have access to some good discount schemes. I started booking things back in June for early bird prices and the best seats.

We do stuff as a family like concerts and plays a few times a month anyway, and we always book plays, funfairs and other activities to fill the school holidays. Some of them are things like museums or the zoo which we'd do anyway but the organiser has put on a festive twist.

Excluding the kids plays and Xmas Fair we do none here too.

Everything** I've looked at over the past few years works out as so bloody expensive for us (2 adults, 3 DC) and it's all non refundable etc. So if it's shit weather or someone is ill then that's it.

We did used to see Santa at the Museum of London but it's moved the the others idea of London and kids are a bit old for Santa now.

**I've looked at Kenwood House / Kew / ice-skating at NHM or Somerset House.

As an aside I did ice-skating at S.H pre DC and it was shit. Ice was slushy (we were one of the last skates of the day), it was rammed, tickets were expensive as was the bar - and this was 15 yeas ago!!

We'll do some more organic / unplanned things. We'll hit the Christmas Market at South Bank at some point. We'll see family and friends and whoever hosts usually does crafts / Xmas treats etc. Kids have an aunt and uncle who come to London and take them on an annual trip to Hamleys + look at the lights + dinner at Rainforest Cafe as their Xmas gift - very generous of them but I play absolutely no part in this!!

Not much. We never did, really, even when the dc were small. They did their Christmas play and carol singing at school, plus the school Christmas fete, then we just did Christmas with family. We went to the panto in the village some years, but that was in early January. That was plenty for us. I can't believe how many things some people go to! Sounds a bit much tbh!

Way too much in my opinion, DH and I booked events without really consulting each other and December were booked every single weekend; we will regret this, thank god we have 2 weeks off for Christmas to recover from it.