To rant about booking stuff for Christmas so early?

[DappledThings]

I'm in a right sulk right now! DD's birthday is 2 days before Christmas. We will be doing her a party the weekend before but trying to also find something like a winter light trail or train or similar on the actual day and everything is already booked up.

It's not even October, Christmas is bloody ages away. I thought I'd be doing a bit of research and noting the dates booking opened for stuff not already be too late.

When do people book this stuff? I'm going to have to start looking in June next year it seems or is that already too late.

AIBU to think it's ridiculous that Christmas has to be planned in the Summer?

We book our meeting Father Christmas thing in Jan/ Feb
Booked a light walk thing a few weeks a go. I’m like other PP who enjoy going into autumn / winter with no panic of where we’re going to go.

I booked our Christmas light trail in April and there were only end of November slots left. This suits us as its DC birthday but i was definitely late.

I booked the santa train/visit in August.

Just saying I feel your pain. We have a birthday at end October and missed all the Halloween stuff and another birthday 3 days after Christmas...I thought, surely I'm in time for the Christmas stuff...but no!

I’ve just tried to book Xmas day lunch, thinking I was super organised. Literally everywhere decent is fully booked already! I’ve never known it like this!

Lots of things were cancelled last year so I expect many people have moved their tickets to this year.

Have you tried local zoos or farms? Ours does a santa train and you can go and hand-feed the reindeer before going to the grotto.

Office xmas dos get booked around August September. By October it's cutting it fine.

A light trail local to me was advertising on Facebook in May/June, when I checked availability all the good slots had already gone. I think a lot had been rolled over from last year.

I booked Santa grotto and the panto about 3 weeks ago.

Last week of the summer holidays, I book all the activities for the term ahead. So October half term, Halloween events, the annual trip away for Guy Fawkes night and any Christmas activities. This year in Dec I’ve booked lights trail, Santa and panto. They’ll be plenty of other things we do spontaneously though such as a day at the local markets, out for walks to see lights, local community events and hopefully the DC will do a school concert. The Feb half term I’ll book all of the major summer holiday things.

Would you really prefer it to be like a big concert, with everybody trying to buy at same time, clicking on computers, laptops and phones at the same time and massive resale prices? Because that's what you'd get if you didn't allow booking through the year.

@KrisAkabusi

Would you really prefer it to be like a big concert, with everybody trying to buy at same time, clicking on computers, laptops and phones at the same time and massive resale prices? Because that's what you'd get if you didn't allow booking through the year.

Yes, if it would save having to think about before what I consider a reasonable time (by which I really mean mid-November, mid-October is my compromise). Or at least 50/50. So they can sell some tickets to people who have brains that plan that far in advance and half are held back in daily release for those like me who find having to plan too far in advance tedious and dispiriting.

I booked all our Christmas activities 4 weeks ago and struggled with dates. You need to book earlier and earlier now.

I've booked a few things for this year, but I booked quite a while ago.

Everything I've booked, I'd have done last year, but obviously the restrictions meant that everything was cancelled.

I think this year is going to be very different purely because there are a lot of families who are finally in a position to be able to spend Christmas together again, I know from a friend who works in a restaurant that they are already fully booked, but that the parties are significantly larger than usual, average bookings are for 12 - 20 guests, whereas normally they would be 6 - 8.

Wasnt going to go big this year but the good garden centre was booked by end of august, small garden centre are not doing it so now have splashed 75 quid on a 7 yo and 2 adults to see santa on a train at Didcot.

And yes to a PP. Thursford in norfolk do a special Christmas show and it sells out as soon as tickets go on sale.

Annoying but thats how it was pre covid.

I usually start booking things mid to end of august. I was late this year and didn't book anything until two weeks ago. luckily one event I managed to book tickets the day they came on sale ( and sold out on the same day) and I managed to book another which is fairly new to doing Christmas events but it looks amazing. Santa trains and theme park type places, gullivers, sundown ect were all fully booked.

I buy DD’s birthday cards in the summer otherwise I can’t get anything nice for her. We are currently trying to sort out her 18th which is going to be challenging with all the Christmas parties. My birthday is also at Christmas and I get fed up of only having Christmas themed meals etc on offer. It’s not the only thing happening in December!

Dd birthday is the week before Christmas. Plan birthday parties really early because EVERYWHERE is booked months in advance. It’s really hard to find a spare village hall in December, unless you’ve booked it the spring before.

If you're Gloucestershire way for Christmas check out Dean forest railway, toddington railway, clearwell caves, smart trees or perrygrove railway. They all do excellent Christmas/Santa experiences. I think there are also light displays at soudeley castle and westonbirt arboretum.

If anyone's in the right area it looks like Westonbirt Arboretum have spaces for their light trail

I agree to some parts. Yes, it's nice to know what is in your diary and with just weekends to do things (thank you secondary school and Y10 school work) we need to plan carefully.

But I also think some fault is with the organisations. Our local garden center only opens bookings for their very popular grotto in September, Hever Castle went on general sale last Monday and I was able to book while lots of other light trails or similar outdoor events were fully booked by June/July.

I went on lots of newsletters in the last years to see what's up and when booking opens.

I'd love to know what percentage of people who book that early actually turn up.

All of them! Christmas at Kew is popular because it’s amazing. Of course they turn up.

I’m so glad we don’t live in your brave new world where no one is allowed to be organised, and we all have to leave our plans to the last minute! Would drive me mad.

I’m so glad we don’t live in your brave new world where no one is allowed to be organised, and we all have to leave our plans to the last minute! Would drive me mad.
Depends on your definition of last minute. To me that means

I think this divides people into camps really.

I am very much a book it early person. DH likes to pretend Christmas doesn't exist until it is upon him. Then looks all bewildered when there's nothing available.

You are wrong like my DH

We are going to Christmas at Kew this year and are v excited!

Things I booked last year have been rebooked for this year. Booked Santa train back in July. I like to book things early so I don't have to pay loads out near Christmas and the cost is spread through the year!

It's not just Christmas.

My children's birthdays are in April and I always booked their birthdays in January when there was something big. This was 10 years ago, so nothing new.