How to make this Christmas an extra special one?

[NotFromConcentrate]

Hello, all you festive folk!

This is my first foray into the festive section, and I'm hoping you can all help me :)

I lost my job due to redundancy a few weeks ago, so money is going to be a bit tight this year. Fortunately I saw it coming and did the DCs shoppIng early so that won't be affected, but the usual breakfast wIth Santa, pantomimes etc will be difficult to manage.

What I do have this year is time - I've never not worked and my job was a demanding one - so I intend to use it wisely as no doubt come next Christmas I'll be back in a job (currently 5.5 months pregnant so nothing in pipeline)

Anyway, I'm looking for fun ideas to make this year special for my 8 and 3 year olds. I've already 'borrowed' the advent calendar idea with fun things to do each day - can anyone else recommend lovely ways to make this year memorable without throwing a lot ofmoney at it?

Thank you, and thanks for all the fab ideas on here

Christmas Eve treasure hunt? if you plan it all out, they could have a trail of clues (in words, or verse or pictures) and follow them all over the house or garden, and end up with a Treasure - maybe some new fluffy jamas (£4 in Primark ) or a new mug for some cocoa or something. You just need to work out the route and the order the clues need to be in, then get half an hour to yourself to hide them all in the right places. I've done this before for birthdays and it's gone down well, they seem to like it if the clues are a bit puzzling rather than just a straightforward direction.

Sorry to hear about your redundancy.

Have you seen the Elf on a shelf thread? here

We're going to be doing it this year and it shouldn't be too expensive. You don't have to buy an "official" elf. We will be getting one from e-bay which should work just as well. You could use your free time to plan extra naughty high jinks for your elf to get up to and it stretches out the festive season. Ours will be arriving on Dec 1st with the advent calenders.

We're also doing a Christmas hamper for the DC's for Xmas eve which will have their new pj's, Christmas DVD and book etc. in.

Sorry to hear about your job.

I think though, Christmas doesn't have to be expensive and we love doing lots of things that really are quite cheap but good fun...

Some of ours are...

Each year one 'joke' present is placed under the tree. This will be heavily disguised, but the recipient of the present is allowed to sniff / rattle / feel said present and make one guess each day as to what it might be. If they guess correctly, then they get to open the present early, if not it goes back under the tree until the next day. If, by Christmas day they haven't guessed ... Then you start opening. Then present is made up of layers, with clues inside (very obvious ones for children). You are only allowed to open the present when you know what it is. Some years it has taken me all day to work it out. Guesses have to be accurate - so CD is insufficient, it would have to be Now album, for example. My girls love this the best :-)

Also, one night when it is dark, let the children stay up late and go walking round the estate looking at the lights. We sometimes play games too - like a winner for the one who sees the most father Christmasses.

Then there are loads of things you can make...

Christmas cards for family
Paper chains for the living room (we decorate a few at a time)
Make Christmas decorations for family ( to go on their trees)
Make calendars out of old Christmas cards
Make tags for Christmas presents out of packs of cheap / last years Christmas cards, glitter and ribbon.
Make reindeer food
Get a box set of a Christmas tv programme and watch each week until Christmas. My girls love the box of delights.

Also, don't forget to go and see the lights being turned on in your village / nearby town.

Check out to see if the local rotary club do anything - does father Christmas tour the streets at all?

Also, see what your local council offers. The big town near us puts on free Christmas films in the arts centre in the week leading up to Christmas.

Go for a walk through the local woods and collect some Christmassy things (pine cones etc) which you can bring home and decorate with glitter

There's more, let me have a think :-)

Make popcorn and cranberry strings for the tree - and ginger cookies with holes to hang them up. Listen to Christmas music while you make them and tuck into the popcorn too...

Paper chains.
Go Carol singing - there might be a group meeting near you to make it more festive and communal.
Christmas films with hot chocolate and whipped cream.
Go out in the dark to look at the lights - especially good if you are in a city!
I love a Christingle service - regardless of whether you are into church. The children all hold oranges with candles, the lights go off and they sing Away in a Manger in the candle light. Magical.

Get a book of Christmas stories and read one aloud each night - a sort of Story Advent countdown.

look out for free christmas concerts/ lunchtime carol services god for taking children to. I have taken DS to the lunch time carol service in nearby City Cathedral, the space and music were fab. This year we will keep him up late and go to a free concert in next village one weekend and the 9 lessons and carols service another weekend.

Making decorations can be fun ( and slow).
Making cookies / sweets and giving them ( wrapped neatly) as presents / christmas boxes.
Home made christmas cards. raid the kids art supplies, card and poster paint and stampers. Less is more unless its OBVIOUSLY been made by the 3 yr old.
Go for a walk and collect pine cones, bits of ivy, holly etc - this may be more practical in some areas than others.
Go for a walk and check out other peoples christmas lights - opposite problem to last idea... Rather hard to do if your VERY rural and have only 2 neighbours within a mile walk.
Go to the christmas lights switch on in nearest town.
Enjoy all the school christmas celebrations, school play, assembly, bazaar etc, this year you will be able to be there with out juggling leave. If you can help out on teh bazaar etc you can avoid spending so much cash.

Wow - so many ideas! Thanks for all of these I'm a huge fan of Christmas and do a few of them already, but there are loads of ideas here that we haven't tried.

It's a bummer about my job, thanks for all your kind words. I suppose every cloud has a silver lining though, and in this case it's having time to spend with my children. I've always worked full time, so we'll really enjoy having time to try out all the lovely MN ideas this year!

letchlady - love the guess the present idea! Will steal that one please!

Here is a blast of lovely cheesiness:

All homespun love and sentiment "One is only poor, only if you choose to be" - gets me every time. Enjoy the time with your children - definitely a silver lining.