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Original poster

Worried about child growing up, so trying to fit in Xmas activities

199 replies

Greenbutterlfy566 · 22/11/2019 09:17

My son is 7 and I’m acutely aware of how fast time is going.

I’m panicking about the Christmas activities and places to go to and things to see before he grows up. I want to get it ‘right’ I worry that I haven’t taken him to many places before he stops believing in Santa. I don’t want to make a mistake of missing amazing things that can only have the ‘magic’ through children’s eyes before it’s too late.

I mean things like big days out to theme parks and Christmas holidays etc.

Is anyone else like this?

OP posts:
mumof2masterofnone · 22/11/2019 12:05

My fondest memories of Christmas as a child are playing board games and quizzes on Christmas Eve.

My step dad would create a clue quiz for me and my siblings around the house. So a clue to find another clue and so on until we found the treasure.

We used to visit a lot of garden centres to see their Christmas displays too. (Free and close by)

We were just all together and playful and exited.

I'm 25 now with a 3 year old and a 6 month old and I'm exited to do the 'homely' Christmas things and make memories with them like I have.

It's the simple things that are best.

Bluerussian · 22/11/2019 12:17

For a start, I think 7 is too old to believe in Santa!

Ask him what he wants to do, as a child mine was interested in various things and his dad and I took him wherever he wanted. He also liked being with his mates and we had 'open house' which often involved taking friends out with him. None of which were 'Christmas themed' but I don't think you were asking that.

We went to Center Parcs, not specifically for son but because we thought it looked like a good place to go, he enjoyed it but there were better holidays.

Concerts were popular as he was musical, he saw the Rolling Stones at ten.

Get your child to tell you what he wants to do.

theEnglishInPatient · 22/11/2019 12:18

For a start, I think 7 is too old to believe in Santa!

ffs, why now?
Time to start joining the real world, get a job and deal with real life issues is it? Hmm

BillHadersNewWife · 22/11/2019 12:32

BlueRussian Rubbish! I know loads of DC around that age who do!

Original poster
Greenbutterlfy566 · 22/11/2019 12:35

7 too old?

And thanks to everyone’s kind posts Smile

OP posts:
dottiedodah · 22/11/2019 12:44

My children remember going to see Santa on the Steam train ride .Also remember going to the local Garden Centre(DD still likes this now!) Most magic. Baking mince pies/Gingerbread Men .Watching Christmas movies .Going for a hot chocolate on the beach Boxing Day(We live on South Coast)

Whitehorseinthehill · 22/11/2019 12:44

7 IS NOT too old to believe in Santa. How ridiculous.

dottiedodah · 22/11/2019 12:44

7 not too old for Santa!

Original poster
Greenbutterlfy566 · 22/11/2019 12:51

I forgot to say it means a lot

OP posts:
SooticaTheWitchesCat · 22/11/2019 13:08

7 is not too old to believe in Santa!

Jeezoh · 22/11/2019 13:12

I enjoy Christmas way more with my children who don’t believe any more. The pressure is off to keep to the pretence so I’m more relaxed. And I’ve realised the best part is spending family time, regardless of what we do. The days we stay in our pjs, watching films and scoffing our selection boxes are more magical than seeing them get a gift off a pretend Santa.

Original poster
Greenbutterlfy566 · 22/11/2019 13:24
Smile
OP posts:
Foldinthecheese · 22/11/2019 13:26

When I was growing up in America, my parents would book a day off work and take me out of school for one day in December. We would go cut down our Christmas tree, then go to the department store to see Santa (it was the same one every year, and he was excellent), and then home to decorate the tree and listen to Christmas music. I loved that day and remember Christmas in my house as being very magical.

I am very easily influenced and feel that same desire to make Christmas magical for my children. I know that, if my husband didn’t stop me, I’d be booking all the expensive Christmas experiences I could find. But I’m trying hard to remember what was special about my own Christmases growing up: decorating Christmas cookies with my mom, going shopping with my dad to choose gifts for my mom, reading my dad’s Christmas books from when he was a child, unboxing all my favourite ornaments, reading The Night Before Christmas in my new pyjamas on Christmas Eve, and opening a new ornament for the tree on Christmas Day. None of that costs a lot, and I’m sure that I looked very happy throughout it all, even if there was no evidence of it all social media.

Tfoot75 · 22/11/2019 13:40

Do those things if you want to? But I think it's more for you than your son (not in a harsh way, I mean that you will look back on these things as the biggest memories (because they cost you the most!) whereas your son might remember completely different things and forget the big things.

We tend to steer away from the big ticketed events to see santa, simply because they cost a fortune and aren't good value, and my 6 and 3yos can't tell the difference between a £100 day out and a free community event - ie they are just as likely to enjoy the community events. And the time of year meaning theres a high risk of cancellation due to illness/weather, so it really isn't worth it.

There are a few things I would really like to do with them though before they get too old - but it's for me really, they won't think they've missed out!!

Ariadnepersephonecloud · 22/11/2019 14:10

We went to Lapland when one of mine was 8. She believed in Santa even less after despite enjoying the whole trip immensely. The fact that you could book a holiday to go and visit him was finally the last bit of the puzzle for her... She still loves Christmas though, as do I and I never really believed in santa as I was the youngest in a big family Hmm

Bickles · 22/11/2019 14:33

7 is not too old. I believed until 11 and it hasn’t done me any harm.

Original poster
Greenbutterlfy566 · 22/11/2019 14:33

Aww

OP posts:
OrangeSlices998 · 22/11/2019 14:44

One of my favourite childhood traditions was going into town and seeing pantomime with my Mum & brother on Xmas Eve. We did it for years and years, it felt so special, getting the bus in when it was dark and it being a treat as we usually saw the evening show. Picking some sweets to have during the show, the town centre lit up, my arsehole Dad not being there... 😂

We never did much other than decorating at home, playing games, watching films. All lovely lovely simple memories. Don’t worry OP.

Isithometimeyet0987 · 22/11/2019 14:57

I’m 22 and one of the best thing we got to do at Christmas was getting to stay up late and watch the late late toy show (RTE so Irish tv channel) and we always got chocolate coins and hot chocolate while it was on, we always got to decorate the tree the same day so it felt like Christmas was here. I still watch it every year, DD is 4 now so can’t wait to watch it with her this year and buy some treats she normally wouldn’t get.

Cuppachino · 22/11/2019 15:19

FizzyIce

Cuppachino 🖕🏻

Haha, just admit that you got the wrong end of the stick. You made a mistake, no big deal.

formerbabe · 22/11/2019 15:43

My dds favourite thing to do currently is attend all our local churches Christmas fairs

corythatwas · 22/11/2019 16:02

There is no reason why the end of "believing" should spell the end of the magic. In Sweden where I come from Santa (dad or granddad) actually visits the house and hands out the presents in full view: this makes it very difficult for any child over 4 with normal powers of observation to actually believe in the sense you are talking about. But the magic is still there: it just takes the form of deliberate suspension of disbelief. Kids are still excited pressing their noses to the window to look for Santa and see if he's heading for their house. It's what imagination is for.

VaggieMight · 22/11/2019 16:07

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at poster's request.

Fleamaker123 · 22/11/2019 16:20

Like everyone seems to be saying, it's the simple things that kids love... the build up of excitement on Christmas Eve, watching a Christmas movie, hot chocolate and watching one of those Santa trackers on the computer, they still love all that!

minipie · 22/11/2019 16:34

I just think surely theme parks and holiday centres such as centre parcs, bluestone, Disney have their place? The kids always look super happy in photos

Funnily enough they don’t take photos of the kids who are standing in a queue bored stiff and asking how much longer, or crying because they’re tired and want to sit down instead of walking any more, or refusing to go and talk to Santa...

I think the big showpiece events sometimes turn out great and sometimes not, perhaps more often not, because we’ve invested so much (time and effort) in them and put pressure on ourselves and the DC for it all to be perfect. Also I think we see things through an adult lens and forget how impressed DC are by simple things like lights and carols and baking. Better to do lots of small inexpensive things and then at least some of them will go well!