Which Christmas outings and activities do you do?

[DrSausagedog]

I'm just curious I suppose, plus always on the lookout for new ideas.

We do:

Breakfast with Santa on Christmas Eve at the local garden centre

Santa train usually on the second weekend in December

Panto by local am dram group usually attend of December, as its DC1s birthday then. And she loves going as part of her birthday treat.

Christmas disco/party at a local pub one evening during the week before the big day.

Christingle service, carol service, participating in the Nativity play and Christmas Day service. . That to me is what Christmas is about. A couple of years we also volunteered to help with a Christmas day lunch - DC were only young but really enjoyed the occasion. My DH once went missing for an hour - turns out that when he delivered a Christmas day lunch to an elderly gentleman who was on his own he was told that what he would really love to do was to go to a pub for a drink on Christmas Day - so my DH took him, what a nice gesture.

We are only really starting out but we go to a gorgeous dept store to see Santa and make a day of it on the first Sunday in December

I have a handmade sign I get the dcs to sit in their Christmas jumpers and Christmas cushions on the sofa. I take a photo each year to show them growing up. Send to family.

I made my own mincemeat and make mince pies

We go to a very low key local Father Christmas, it's beautiful because it is low key. Kids are in the nativity and Xmas eve service at church. We do an Xmas eve walk to look at the lights. The last few years we've looked up for Santas sleigh (space station) on Xmas eve. DTs are only 4 so don't know of this happens every year or not!

We only go to see Santa at ds's school fair, as he's the REAL Santa ( I'm not kidding he has his own beard and belly 😂).

We go to the garden centre which has huge Christmas displays and lights at the beginning of December.

We may go to Manchester Christmas markets.

We will go to a few different parties.

Not sure what else yet.

We do a local Christmas market, panto or show, santa train, christingle service and Christmas eve children's service.

we go the local panto, we see santa, go to our town Christmas light switch on , christmas party at the playcentre, we watch a Christmas film every Sunday afternoon in December and do loads of Christmas crafts, i do fancy going on a steam train journey again this year, i looked into the polar express one but its too expensive for us

We do a 4 days butlins christmas event. Which includes santa, panto, ice skating, snowman at cinema and day upon day of xmas carols! That's our lot ha

We always start with posting the letter to Santa once our town lights have been switched on- this is followed by the obligatory hot chocolate somewhere.
Usually we will visit Fenwicks window in Newcastle on the second weekend in December or around then and allow DS an opportunity to buy his gifts for friends (I am always finished the main shopping by then so this can be a general wander enjoying the festivities)
As DS has a festive birthday, we normally halt proceedings to celebrate 5 family birthdays between 12th-16th.
From the 17th it's full on Santa mode - in the past we have had a festive weekend at Centre Parcs, which has been magical but alas not this year.
We will probably do one visit to Santa, possibly with a breakfast or a tea but I don't like to so too many Santa visits, it de-mystifies the experience in my opinion.
This year school finishes for DS and I on 16th so we can go straight into festivities.
Christmas eve is buffet supper at our house with in laws then a trip to church for family service at 6pm - this is in my school church so lovely to be with my family and school family too then home for CEB for us all.
Fizz and left-over nibbles for DH and I whilst arranging the gifts etc.
We also manage a family trip with in laws to panto too but this year we head off to Tenerife on 27th for some Winter Sun - whoo hoo!

Every evening in advent we light the advent candle and then have Christmassy stories by candlelight with hot chocolate with squirty cream and cinnamon.
We tend to go t o a Christingle service and the Crib service. Go to visit Father Christmas in a local national trust property.