Worried about dc growing up and not fitting in Christmas days out and activities

[Sweetappley]

im worried about dc growing up and not fitting in Christmas days out and activities in the run up to Christmas. The years are so fast but there are so many days out, Christmas breaks and activities I want them to experience. Does anyone else feel like this?

No.

You can't do everything, and you shouldn't feel pressured to do so. Just pick one or two activities that fits in with your schedule and don't feel guilty.

Weird, no.

If there are 'so many', just do the ones you can do.

No, I can't say that I do.

Is your concern that you won't fit things in around school, or that they will grow out of activities before you get to do everything you want?

Kids don't need lots of days out and activities. It's interesting to talk to young people in their 20's the stuff they remember is the small everyday stuff - for my son it was walking on the walls on the walk up to town, Christmas baking and board games. Make your own memories and traditions, crafts local crib service, baking, walks and bike rides.

it is true that you can’t do everything, teenagers definitely don’t want to do all the same activities, but you can do different things. I went with teenage ds to see a Christmas Carol. He wouldn’t have been able to sit through that as a little one. Equally when they were little some of the more simple things were the ones they liked the best. Nothing stays the same, you just have to make the most of it.

No.

What kind of things do you men?

There can’t be that many Christmas activities, surely.

No.

Christmas is about a couple of Christmas parties / carol concerts then Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day traditions which we do annually.

Specifically what are you missing?

No

We did some "winter wonderland" type days out over the years. Covid struck when they were 7-8 & 9-10, so by the time normality resumed they were into cynical rather than childish wonder. DS2 wanted to do a "breakfast with Santa" last year at 10 as a last hurrah.

No one will ever do everything in life. Do some things you want to do that fit your life. Bin the FOMO.

No. And come off social media if that is making you think you need to do a million activities, Santa trails, movie nights, crafting days etc etc.

We've never been tempted to 'fit in' at Christmas. Apart from Panto, when DH's employer paid, our Christmas activities are centred around church and family. That's enough!

No.
Did you post about this before? Worried about how to fit in Lapland, and a winter lodge etc all before the children were too old. Posters then told you it was all a load of marketing bollocks.

Have you posted about this before?

…there are so many days out, Christmas breaks and activities I want them to experience.

What about what they want to experience?

When I was a kid there were no activities and experiences on offer other than maybe a trip to see Santa in a department store or school trip to a pantomime, and I loved Christmas time. It was about being together with family and friends and looking forward to presents and food on Christmas Day.

Honestly OP ,it's not compulsory - my son is now 26 and I know expectations are different but I don't remember anything above a schoolnativity, 1 childrens Carol service in the town and maybe 1 trip to panto 'some' years and he certainly wasn't deprived and we were comfortably off-

Things I remember from my childhood Christmases:
My dad struggling to fit the huge turkey in the oven.
Opening the door on my advent calendar each day, with the anticipation of the double-door nativity scene under no 24.
Once being taken to see Cinderella on Ice.
Helping my mum set out the sideboard with a bowl of fruit, some nuts, and other odds and ends. We did it the same each year, and used the same special red mats.
Making paper chains and hanging them up.
Going with my dad to buy the Christmas tree.
Glitter in little pots in all sorts of colours, and making Christmas cards, and learning how to draw robins and candles and whatnot.
The Salvation Army band playing carols in the town centre on the Saturday before Christmas.
The overwhelming excitement of knowing (hoping, praying!!) that there would be a new pack of felt tip pens among my presents.
My mum ironing out the used wrapping paper so it could be used again next year.

Very little of what I remember was based around days out, trips or special events.

Op, I don't think kids really care about this stuff that much - it's often more for the parents.

Kids really just want your attention, so make time for them and I doubt they'll have any complaints.

We never did any of that stuff. I can only remember seeing Father Christmas once or twice. My happiest memories of Christmas are things like decorating the tree, watching The Snowman on Christmas Eve, opening presents, playing games and Christmas Day ‘tea’ (cold meats etc.). And then meeting up with extended family and walks in the Forest in the bit between Christmas and New Year.

We have done the odd Christmas activity over the year such as a crafts fair but other than that we do Christmas Eve panto and that’s pretty much it!

Kids honestly do not need all this activity stuff!

I understand how you feel in that the array of Christmas activities can seem overwhelming. The important thing is that you have a lovely time at Christmas - you don't have to do everything on offer. Many are quite similar - one evening glow lights is very much like another, ditto ice skating etc. I did lots when my DC were younger but definitely not something every day. Now they're older, I don't feel we missed anything they've now grown out of. Pick your top one or two, then just do whatever else is easy to fit in.

Lots of people asking what type. I mean theme parks like Alton towers etc, centre parcs Christmas breaks, Lapland/and uk, polar express, just off the top of my head.

We never did any "Xmas days out and activities", and didn't feel short-changed at all. Christmas is just one day, OP, so don't try to make it more than it is. As they get older, your kids will just want to hang out with their friends, or fester in their bedrooms. So, let them...... it's all part of growing up.

Not a single child in the country needs to do all (in fact, any) of this stuff! Just forget it - they will still have enjoyable Christmases.

I don't feel this way, most of things on are overpriced rubbish. Tacky, meaningless and hollow, to be honest. I try to take mine to a play and a ballet every year, not the pantomime. We have lots of our own traditions as a family, but must of the advertised things are a waste of money. I've had children for 13 years now (still have very little ones too) and over that time we have tried a few winter wonderland type things, centre parcs, stately home winter lights walk, pantomime, Santa's grotto, christmas train ride and all of them it was a one time thing, never to be repeated. Overly crowded, noisy, tacky music playing, just dragged down to an empty, consumerist, low-brow, painfully modern experience.
The simple, traditional things are much more beautiful and magical experiences I've found, carols at a local church (cathedral even better), brass band, carols around the tree, wintery walks with friends/family, beautiful plays and ballets without all the crass jokes and TV references of panto. And all the good times at home besides - reading Dickens around the fire, baking mince pies and gingerbread, making Christmas treats for the garden birds.
My SIL just posted pictures and videos of a Christmas ice skating disco shes taken her children too.. all Glow sticks, sweets and Mariah Carey. It looked ghastly! My girls are doing watercolour christmas cards and singing Gaudete (and the baby is grizzling over the singing, and my toddler is trying to destroy said watercolours - not trying to appear sanctimonious!)
Stick a more wholesome theme OP and save yourself the wasted cash.

Why don’t you write down your top 5 that you want to do and plan in a couple for next year. I’ve decided which to do next year otherwise I get overwhelmed with all the choices and end up not doing anything.

No. My mum went to great lengths to "make christmas magical" and do lots of stuff, and my nicest memories of christmas were always boxing day morning, eating chocolate in my pyjamas infront of the TV whilst dm was still asleep. No effort required at all!

I would also add to my PP - there are usually more grown up alternatives they might like when older. For example, we never went to Lapland, would have liked to but the timing was never right before they grew out of Father Christmas. We went to Norway a few years later and did older kids' stuff instead and it was a great trip.