a diiferent christmas activity every day in december?

[Liz79]

Read on here that someone does the above with their kids so I got wondering what I could do with mine. They are 2.5 and dd will be 5 the week before christmas.

Ideas so far.
Make stars from toilet roll inners & paint.
Make picture of Santa & stick on cotton wool beard.
Mince pies
Put up & decorate tree
Other decorations
Family service at church on Christmas eve
Write cards (they both did pictures at school/nursery which have been printed up)
Wrap presents
Go see Santa at garden centre.
Go to farm park & take part in live nativity.
Make bells from egg boxes.
Make those German cinnamon cookies
Decorate said cookies
Make paper chains.
Movie nights with Christmas films (ideas please)
Cinema to see Christmas movie.

Some of these are bigger than others & will be better for the weekend, what would you do?

[DewDr0p]

Here's my list - we usually repeat the simpler ones like reading. HTH!

Go to see Christmas lights
Go to the Panto
Christmas party
Write a letter to Santa
Make Christmas cards
Write Christmas cards
Christmas baking
Make reindeer food
Make Christmas decorations
Eat mince pies
Drink hot chocolate
Nativity set
Read a Christmas story
Watch the Snowman
Watch Polar Express
Play some Christmas tunes
Hang your stockings up
Play Stick the Nose on the Snowman
Play Christmas charades
Buy Christmas trees
Decorate the Christmas tree
An audience with Santa (Portable North Pole)

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

I actually need December to be longer than it is, so I can fit all these things in! The first year I struggled to think of 24 things and now I have about 50 things I want to do!

[DewDr0p]

We do this every year and it's lovely. Lots of our activities are things I would want/have to do with them anyway (eg decorate the christmas tree) so it just gets me organised.

Double double gave v good advice. Low key activities in this house inc listening to Christmas CDs, eating our first mince pies, reading a Christmas story, drinking hot choc, getting the nativity set out etc

Have got long list somewhere, will try and post from laptop tomorrow. My dcs love this tradition.

[Liz79]

gingerbread play doh recipe going to make it into balls with glitter in, top with holly cake decoration, wrap in clingfilm & give to Kids with laminated activity mats.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

But not holly leaves

Mwha ha ha

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Put some glitter in the Playdoh?

[Liz79]

Have printed Christmas play dough mats from sparklebox website & laminated them. Might even give them as Christmas presents to their little friends. How do you make Christmas play-doh? Add cinnamon to normal DIY play-doh?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

No it's not overkill at all.
With yound DC just do something simple (according to what they can cope with)

Ours used to love a walk round the lake, feeding geese then into the cafe for a drink (on Christmas Eve)

Now they are older (10 and 13), they go to London, DS goes on a adventure day (Activity Centre)
Film (we saw ^Nativity 2 today)


I just asked my 13 yo DS what he remembers from Christmases gone by and he said "the Santa Train (steam train) and the castle, exploring, drawing then going to the Grotto).

Surely nothing sadder than thinking "Oh, I wish I'd done that" . But it's too late.

All you humbugs out there - pah !

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

It would be forcing it if a child wasn't interested - come on, we WILL enjoy this! etc - but a child wanting to do simple Christmassy things at Christmas... I don't see the problem.

[Liz79]

Not done it before. We have had a crappy year and the end is in sight. I am now willing to acknowledge it is nearly Christmas & even get a bit excited about it. I'm not one for starting Christmas too soon, but December seems acceptable! It will be nice for the kids, better than just getting a chocolate out the advent calendar each day. We will do more as a family, spend less time on -mumsnet- our phones & they will have fun & learn something. They are small & materialistic, so won't suffer overkill come Christmas day, they'll be excited Santa has been & brought them presents.

Just tried to explain to Dd she needs to choose 2 toys she doesn't want anymore, to give to poor children. I think she only heard "choose 2 toys..."

Also doing the Christmas hamper for friends that have been wonderful to us this year, couldn't have got through the year without them. Another mumsnet idea! Will place on doorstep on Christmas eve, ring doorbell & leg it!

[pictish]

Just forcing the season I think.

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

Bah humbug, Pictish :) I don't think it's overkill at all, it's just enjoying the season.

[pictish]

overkill even

[pictish]

Aren't any of you worried about overkilled? Creating an anti climax?

I love Christmas, and am very looking forward to geeing it up...but I think this idea is too contrived.

I think it's better to let it all happen naturally myself. x

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

Oh, it's fab, I do it every year! If you are organised then it's fun and never a chore. And I speak as someone who's opinion of doing things with the kids is more "do I have to?" rather than "won't this be fun?!" :o It doesn't have to be major operations, some it can be really nice and simple like reading a Christmas story together. And don't forget that there are usually lots of Christmas things you do anyway that can count - school nativity, visit to FC in a store etc. I have just done my calendar for this year - I keep it each year so don't have to keep thinking of 24 different things to do! I have one of those fabric advent stockings like this and you just shove a slip of paper in each day with the activity written on. You can usually find these in advent calendar sections - I think our one was originally a M&S advent calendar with choc coins in each pocket. Anyway, two best tips for anyone who hasn't done it before:

1. Save the longer projects for weekends rather than after school.
   
2. Write a list of everything you will need for all the activities and get it all before December starts. Then you will always have the stuff ready and won't have a daily panic of going shopping to buy glitter etc.
   

Things we do that haven't been mentioned are:

1. Make pomanders. These are quite involved and need specialist ingredients if you do them properly but we just stick cloves in oranges and wrap some ribbon round it. They don't last that long but so much less hassle than proper ones.
   

1. A 'fill in the blanks story'. This was a new thing I did last year and was their favourite. Without telling them what it's about you ask them for a list of nouns, adjectives etc. and then you fill these in and read out the strory at the end. Something like this. That example is very dull but I wrote my own and you can make it really funny. I wrote a story about our family at Christmas and did things like "Daddy put on his special Christmas outfit which was ....(name an item of women's clothing)..." or "Mummy served Christmas dinner and everyone said it tasted like.... (name something disgusting, eg a slug)....". DCs thought it was the funniest thing ever :)
   

3.Decorate Xmas biscuits. I've foudn the most stress-free way of doing this is to make the dough yourself and stick it in the freezer until needed). Get some Xmas cookie-cutters and let them do that, then just give them a bowl of icing and Xmassy sprinkles and let them go for it.

1. Make a Yule log ie. buy a Swiss roll, give them some chocolate icing and thens tand back and prepare to clear up the mess!
   

1. Paper snowflakes. Those things where you fold a sheet of paper into quarters and then cut out a pattern along the edges.
   

1. This simple drawing game went down well

[buzzgirly]

We are planning this as well.

So far we will be:

Going to pantomime
Making hand print cards
Making gift tags
Visiting friends/family to deliver presents
Go and look at lights
Xmas movie and hot chocolate day
Visit reindeer
Make decorations
Decorate tree
Cinema
Dd and I will have a shopping trip to buy a party dress
Writing to Santa

Have you looked on Pinterest? There are loads of lovely kids christmas ideas on there.

[Floralnomad]

Oh forgot Baker Ross usually have some good Christmas crafts.

[Floralnomad]

Make reindeer food for leaving out on Christmas Eve.
Visit a reindeer farm ( if you can find a local one )
Ice skating
If you're near enough Winter Wonderland in Hyde park

[StickEmWithThePointyEnd]

Marking place to read in the morning.

[Liz79]

Go to town to see Christmas lights/tree, babyccino, get Christmas books from the library whilst we're there.

[Snazzyfeelingfestive]

Steam train ride is good. Some more options that are less expensive:

Donate a toy/money to appeal for less fortunate kids
Walk around the neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights
Learn and sing a carol

Also, I love the way people come onto a thread in the Christmas season asking for Christmas things to do specifically to say 'won't that all be a bit too much of Christmas?'

[ChristmasCountdown]

Make/decorate salt dough decorations
Print a Christmas tree colouring sheet and let them at it with paint/glitter/stickers
Take an old toy to the charity shop, because FC/Santa is always pleased when children pass on their old toys
Go to see the Christmas lights

Movie recommendations - Arthur Christmas, Polar Express, The Snowman, The gruffalo

[Liz79]

PS is construction paper what the Canadians call sugar paper? or thick paper?

[Liz79]

Grandparents are taking us all out on a Father Christmas steam train day, with lunch included. Last year DD helped her pops prepare the brussel sprouts on Christmas eve!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that DLTk site queenmaeve

[Murtette]

We're doing something similar but my list includes (DD is 3.1):

• walking/driving around the village to look at the Xmas lights in people's houses
  
• going to local town when it will be dark to look at lights and go for a babycino (the babycino being DD's idea of heaven)
  
• delivering Christmas cards to the neighbours
  
• going to toy shop for DD to choose an Xmas present for 6mo DS
  

Some of the play dates we already had in the diary are also being dressed up as Xmas activities so we will go to E's house to deliver her Xmas card and, as this friend & DD love play dough & always end up doing it together, will take some red & green play dough & say that its for them to make Xmassy shapes with & overlook the fact that it will inevitably end up turning into a sludge coloured sausage!