Any traditions for older DCs

[SeaViewBliss]

We are having a lower key Christmas this year. DS is 13 and has asked for money towards an expensive item he is saving for. DD is 20 and moved out this year. She will be home from 20th December.

We are just not going in for all the buying excessive crap that we have before. We will still do stockings but no more Xhristmas Eve pjs as neither of them wear them nowadays. DH an I are going on a big holiday next Easter so don’t want to go mad on gifts for each other. The DCs will still get presents of course but not mountains.

DH and I will be working up until 24th.

We still live Christmas but not a long build up. We will have elderly DPs and MIL here for Christmas Day which we all love.

Is there anything you do as a family with older DCs to still make a few special moments?

Ah the joys of older DC is you don't need all the Bells'n'Whisteles (or get the 5am wake-up )

Mine will be 19yo (DS) and 16.6 (DD) by Christmas.
DS is completely un-bothered by Christmas , we give him (at his request) money for Birthday and Christmas (he's a December baby)
He did all the Traditions when he was little but now its a quiet time with us , out with his mates , on his XBox.

He will get bits for his guitar and maybe Game Vouchers.

(DD is a breed apart , she's Full On Christmas)

Will your DC bake for Christmas , something for the GParents?
Or make a meal in the lead up ( it is always good to have something in the freezer , I make a big vegetarian lasagne and vegetarian chilli to freeze)

I still do PJs for mine and new underwear (which they'd need anyway)
They have a bathbomb /showergel, sweets
Maybe a book

Christmas Dinner can be laid back, everyone helping if that's what you want (or in my case Non Players Off the Green get out of my kitchen)
Don't need to entertain little ones or oversee how much selection box they eat.
Their presents get smaller , fewer and ££ over the years.

I've decided our new Tradition is we look up the Christmas Episode of Dr Who ( The Two Doctors) one that was set in the Victorian times , my favourite episode .

DD and I go to London on the 23rd for a mooch about (which is a Sunday this year) , look at the shops , have lunch and see who has left their shopping till the last minute !

And a Christmas Tradition I have going (been doing this a few years)
the £2 jar
I get those money tins for a pound (B&M or The Range)
I used to save £2 coins and anything under 20p seperate but now they go in together. Everyone puts the change in and it gets cashed up (MetroBank have a cash changer machine that doesn't charge ) and split between us.

We get about £260 a year so everyone gets a share , the Rule is to spend it on ourselves .

What about a Secret Santa , £5 upper price and put loads of thought into it?

We have gradually developed food-based traditions, for example we have fillet steak on New Year's Eve.

And make our own cheese straws on Christmas Eve.

It's lovely when they grow up because even after this xmas changes so much.
We have recently become gp, baby only small, but this has changed things too.
Things like who comes to who and on what day etc

Thanks for all the ideas. I love the idea of going to London as we’re not far away.

Also DD will definitely bake.

I am looking forward to laid back and not an early start.

Five adult DD's here.These are some of the little traditions that have evolved in our family.
We have a very nice garden centre near us which also has a skating rink so we go there for ice skating [for those that would like that] then beautiful cake and hot chocolate in the conservatory cafe there afterwards. Enjoy a little look round at all the Christmassy stuff whilst we're there as well. Do you have anything like that near you?
We also have a lovely fillet steak candlelit dinner on Christmas Eve along with table presents. Everyone wears their Christmas jumper for this and in past years we've incorporated a naff Christmas jumper competition with a selection box prize for the tackiest jumper at the table.
After this we play a board game - I buy a new one each year so there is a bit of a novelty to that.
On Christmas morning everyone has a stocking - can be done quite cheaply if you use consumables such as lovely Lindt chocolate reindeer, miniature alcohol bottles [obviously not for DS 13] , nice shower gel, new toothbrush, mag/comic etc.
We then leave the main present opening until after dinner so that Christmas lasts a bit longer.
Would any of those work for you OP? Hope you enjoy yourselves!