Am I mad to think about taking daughter clothes shopping on Christmas Eve?

[LineRunnerBonfireMother]

All my DD (15) wants for Christmas is clothes. It was the same last year, and I gave her New Look and Debenhams vouchers. But it just seems so impersonal.

I daren't buy her clothes because they won't fit and she won't like them and she'll end up with the chore of taking them back.

So I wondered about a Christmas shopping trip treat, where she can actually try the stuff on.

Christmas Eve seems less horrendous IME than any day in the week prior to it - maybe everyone's given up by then and gone home to crack up?

I used to go clothes shopping on Xmas eve in my pre kids days - often the clothes would be all marked down ready for the boxing day sales so they would sell them at sale priceand although the hides would be scumming to wrestle the last perfume set for great auntie Billy downstairs in the department stores, upstairs would be deserted and a haven of tranquility.

Some shops have pre Xmas shopping nights with money off, entertainment, refreshments, etc. Find out when one is, go and have a try on session for the fun of it together (and maybe buy one thing to give on Xmas day). I remember one particularly jolly shopping session where they were doing drinks promotions on each floor, very generous cocktails of di sarrono(?) and orange were particular favourites. By the time I'd tried one (or more) on each floor and got up as far as the fifth floor I was decidedly pissed and all for free. Plus chocs, mince pies etc to nibble on as you go. So you could have a really nice shopping session without buying anything as well as picking up ideas for the actual shop when it might be more of a bun fight.

Is she into customising her clothes or making jewellery or handbags or something that you could get her a kit or supplied for?

If you do make her a voucher or something make sure you wrap it up in a really big box (or a series of boxes) so it looks good under the tree!

You could also make her a little survival kit for your big shop - a new little purse (with the money in or an IOU!), a little bottle of energy drink, one of those reusable shopping bags that folds down small, packet of tissues, bag of favourite toffees/mints/etc, lucky shopping troll (or a couple of silly things to make her laugh), voucher for chauffer driven transport there and back (ie you), coffee card for her favourite coffee shop (or voucher to say youll buy her lunch), packet of wet wipes, little bottle of foot soak for your her aching feet when you come home etc etc. If you wrap everything up and then wrap it all together it should provide lots of present unwrapping fun as well as showing you've made lots of effort for Xmas day as well as for the shopping day.

Happy shopping - and happy Christmas!

One year when i was about 14 i asked "santa" for money for christmas and i got a Money Tree. It was a little tree that had been sprayed gold (think a twiggy tree as opposed to a christmassy type tree) and i had £100 in a mix of notes stuck to the tree and pound coins stuck in gift tags attached to the tree and loads of 50p at the bottom. It looked fab and made it more special than just a pile of money.

It was my dad that was the creative one done loads of inventive things with christmas.

Oh my lordy, you are all so creative!

Thank you, thank you.

zipzap She does textiles (badly!) at school but she would actually love a kit to start being able to customise clothes. She'd surely love the survival kit, too. That's such a brilliant way of giving presents on Christmas Day in advance of the actual present. Brilliant. And I'd love the cocktails.....

Rainbow, That's so sweet of your dad to do that. So much better thn putting it in an envelope. (I'm so bloody boring that that's what I did last year....)

meglet I think the same, that shops can be quite quiet on Christmas Eve pm.

But I like the ideas about trawling a bit (and getting the Christmas spirit!) beforehand as well, giving 'anticipatory' gifts [sorry if that sounds a bit wanky] and then maybe going for the Big Day Out at a time that suits both my DD and myself.

Dilys and pastGrace, My DD's not shy but I'm wondering how she's react to a personal shopper. Shows how little I know her... I can't decide if she'd be embarrassed or thrilled.