It's time to start booking Christmas outings - what will YOU be doing?

[QuimJongUn]

Tickets have just gone on sale for a Kate Rusby Christmas show at Sage Gateshead - we go to a Christmassy show of some description there every year, and I absolutely love KR, so we've booked! They also have another Christmas evening every year which consists carols and readings hosted by a well-known type (we've had Matt Baker, Angela Rippon and Gervase Phinn before now) - tickets are usually released in June, so that'll be another thing booked in the coming weeks.

Tickets for this year's local panto went on sale in September last year - it's very popular, but DD will be 20 at Christmas so probably won't partake this year.

Anyone else got anything booked yet? Or will be booking soon? Hoping for some inspiration for other festive evenings

You have all just reminded me I need to get the train sorted... I think tickets went on sale yesterday.

Any recommendations for Surrey/South East?

I've got older teenagers, I hadn't thought of Harry Potter. Quite fancied Kew, we almost went last year.

I can offer a recommendation, the Nativity at Wintershall it's quite magical

www.wintershall-estate.com/events/wintershall-nativity-play/

@ShesAStar I can recommend the Narnia Santa's grotto at Penshurst Place. It's absolutely magical!

We're going to see Frozen in concert! I went with DS before but this time Dd is big enough to sit through it and DH is coming too. Weve got front row on the balcony so we can see the orchestra.

Chessington garden centre is really good plus they have an awesome cafe for lunch afterwards

We loved Legoland last year so have booked again (DSs will be 5 and 1.5 so fewer rides and no queues is ideal!). Now panto tickets to get!

Winter markets in Winch and lunch at Rick Stein's place.

We have 20+ tickets booked for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with my family. My GPs take us all every year to whatever the Xmas show is at the WY Playhouse.

And 16 booked for Bongo's Bingo panto with DH's family.

Me and my best friend will have a day drinking mulled things Xmas shopping in Manchester nearer the time.

As a professional Santa in the Reading area, I'm finding my schedule for November and December filling up very quickly! If you are looking for Santa home visits anywhere in the country, don't leave it much later than now.

DD has booked tickets for us all to do the illuminated walk through the grounds of a NT property. We went last year and it was fabulous, I can't wait :)

We're spoiling ourselves this Christmas (after an incredibly shitty 18 months).

We're going to have a Christmas in Narnia afternoon tea (mid-December). According to all the marketing info it involves walking through a wardrobe into a wonderful snow-covered land where we will be met by Mr Tumnuss. We'll be led through the for trees to Santa's grotto. Then into afternoon tea whilst enjoying a ballet dance from the ice queen.

Then on 23rd (also DD2's birthday) we are going to watch the Peter Pan show in Birmingham- mermaids on trapezes etc.

Then between Christmas and New Year we've booked to go to the Harry Potter studios.

We can't wait!

The Christmas in Narnia sounds amazing @GingleBelle. Where is it? It's good you have lots of things to look forward to, I hope you and your family have a magical Christmas.

Thanks TFSRM. We're really looking forward to all our Christmas events - and trying to distract ourselves from each everything.
The Narnia thing is in Cheltenham (Gloucestershire). It's £20 per person and sounds fab.

Thanks GingleBelle. Looks amazing and so not surprisingly, it's already sold out! I hope you have an amazing time. Would you do a trip report after? I'd love to know what it's like in case they do it again another year.

Oh i am soo jealous of everyones plans!

Can anyone please recomend somewhere amazing not to far from south yorkshire.

Xmas is my fav time of year and our the usual place we go to see santa had jumped up in price and im not sure if its worth it. Need some fresh ideas.

If I was in South Yorks then I'd go to see this www.carrotproductions.com/ ... Sadly we're not close enough.

@whenshewasbadshewashorrid can I ask how you've booked Lapland UK please? Their website says tickets aren't on sale until September 15th. I'd love to take our 2 and don't want to miss the boat!

@bsmirched They opened booking for a couple of days only in June when it was half way through the year to Christmas. It's closed again now but subscribe to their mailing list and you should get priority booking in September.

Yes already booked yonks ago!

@TFSRM Thank you, I shall do that!

Argghh! How do I join their mailing list? Can't see an obvious link on the website!

Christmas Nights at St Fagans booked. Hoping it will be cold and crisp!

Does anyone have any suggestions for places to go in East Kent? Thank you.

TFSRM - The Snowman is on at The Peacock theatre, it's totally magical and if you sit in the stalls it snows (lightly) on you at the end.

Snausage - thank you so much, I'll book it!

Some great ideas here!

Not in the UK for Christmas this year but we will be for Christmas 2018... Looking forward to it already!

Good to see the North mentioned lots.