What Christmas outings are you doing, and how much do you spend?

[KitKat1985]

So it's pay day today and I've been able to finally pay off / book the two Christmas outings that I really wanted to do. My DDs will be 5 and 3 this Christmas so a really nice age where Christmas is still going to magical for them but they're old enough to be able to do some more stuff now than when they were babies / toddlers.

Firstly we're going to a panto as the youngest should be just about old enough now to be able to come along. That was £90 for the 4 of us.

Secondly we live about a 45 minute drive from a really beautiful steam railway. Every year they do 'Santa trains' with a steam train ride (where Father Christmas visits the kids on the train) and it takes you to a Victorian fair before riding you back again. That came to £95 but the DDs will love it. I was lucky to book that today as it had almost completely sold out already.

In some ways it's handy that the two expensive outings we're doing need booking in advance as it means by paying for them now I can spread the cost a bit and now just focus on buying presents (and food)!!

We're lucky enough to have National Trust membership and also membership to a nearby kids zoo / playpark which I'm sure we will also visit in the run-up to Christmas (and come with the added bonus it won't cost us anything to visit them on the day since we're already members)!

What are you planning to do this year?

Dh's sister lives in a city with a lovely Christmas market so we usually go there for a weekend and do a mini Christmas with her. She's a doctor so doesn't really get a lot of time off over Christmas and can't make it back home.

We do a train ride with Santa. It's just a short one but ds loved it last year.

Our local(ish) zoo has gorgeous Chinese lanterns lighting it up, the theme this year appears to dinosaurs and we'll go to that, possibly between Christmas and New Year.

We go to lots of Christmas Fayres.

I LOVE Christmas, we go to a pantomime, take a trip to see the lights in London, go for Christmas hot chocs, attend Christmas markets and go to local turning on of lights esp love a seasidey one that we go to. This year I am also planning to take the kids Christmas Ice Skating at a nearby rink. Not sure how much I spend, but try to spread the cost if I can.

That all sounds lovely 😊

My three are 9 (triplets) and they’re still very much in to the magic of Christmas. We tend to get together with family/friends and do various Christmas outings. This year we’re doing the Christmas Circus and the Polar Express (Mid-Norfolk Railway) in addition to the Pantomime which is a tradition. We also do Ice Skating and the Christmas switch on and light tunnel. Gets expensive but we love Christmas and save hard for it.

We are going Harry potter world Xmas eve. The kids don't no yet and can't wait to see there faces as they love it there

We're going to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong at the beginning of December. We saw the tv version a couple of years ago and it almost broke DS. The stage show is twice as long.

We'll be in the UK this Christmas and going to a panto, DS will be 8, never been to a panto.

We don't usually pay to do anything at Christmas, apart from one day at a huge children's fair that runs 27/12 to 5/1, between Xmas and Kings Day. Cost €3, there are crafts, bouncy castle, scalextric, police do something, bikes on a mini road set up, playpark for very small DC, etc.

I've booked a sunday lunch with a visit from santa at a castle which looks magical. I also have a festive afternoon tea booked. We are going to see the laterns at Chester zoo and I might try and squeeze in a panto.

I've heard good things about Kew at Christmas so going there this year - some tickets are already sold out! I was thinking a carol concert would be quite nice this year too, I've just got to fine one!

'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' here too

Really looking forward to it.
When mine were little we went on a Steam Train with Father Christmas walking through the carriages , they loved it .

I'll see what's on the cinema but there never seems to be much Christmassy

We like to go to gardens that have illuminations and lanterns, mulled wine and marshmallows to toast etc. We've done Glow Wild at Wakehurst and also the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Has anyone been to one of those and to Kew? Wondering how they compare in case we should try Kew instead this year (but is a longer journey).

Other than that - panto; ice skating; seeing Santa; Christmas fairs and markets.

Panto
Legoland Xmas Bricktacular

Cost: ££££

Afternoon tea for 3 - £63 + about £20 rail fare.
Went to Magical Lantern Illuminations last year, don't know yet whether it's returning this year - was about £38 for the 3 of us.

Peter Pan goes Wrong, looking to find a good santa having done lapland last year. Thinking maybe Thursford.

We went to the Kew Gardens Lighted Walk the first year it opened .

From the reviews in later years it's improved and increased .

Winter Wonderland Hyde Park, but as it got bigger and busier its lost a lot of its charm.

DH and I are dithering about a day trip to Bruges for the Christmas Markets but there's only one day we can go so not decided yet .

Usually a panto £60-100

Xmas theatre show £120

Santa visit £15

Drive around seeing all the lights FREE

Xmas parade and light switch on FREE

I'm so excited, we're doing a day trip to Lapland this year. The kids don't know about it yet, we'll probably tell them the day before. I doubt we'll do much else because that one day is insanely expensive!

Wow Lapland WoollyFoolly! That'll be amazing!

We're going to pantomime, syon park enchanted woodland, visit to Santa and Winchester Christmas market.

We've been to Kew about three times now but will definitely not be going back. As the years have gone on it just seems to be busier - so crowded that it's hard to enjoy.

They have a fantastic laser show over the lake at the end of the trail which I've always enjoyed.

Princess - I've seen the Royal Albert Hall advertise Christmas Carol performances. I've never been though.

*WoollyFoolly you'll have such a fab time, we went with the DCs a few years ago and it was magical

Santa sleepover at Chessington Hotel. Booked and paid for in July. We may book tickets for the zoo as well. They do a great authentic Santa.

The smaller theatres do great shows around Christmas time... We're not really Panto fans although the DCs enjoyed it last year. We went because I took advantage of a website glitch and only paid £1.72 per ticket!

The National Trust houses often get decorated in really lovely vintage type decorations, well worth a visit if you are members.

We always see FC at our local fun fair - it's the same every year but the one time I booked something different for a change the DC were so dissapointed!

We often go to a panto inbetween Christmas and New Year but have booked Disney on Ice this year. The other thing we will do is see a production of the Nutcracker which we see at the cinema.

I'd really like to go to Kew gardens at Christmas so might do that next year.

My sister and I always do carols somewhere - in the past we've done ones at the Cadogan and at the Festival Hall but this year we're going to St Martin in the Fields.

We're doing 'Magic Goes Wrong' which is on as a limited run over Christmas, and also by Mischief Theatre. I like the look of Pan for the DC but think my youngest might still be a little young still.

I'll get tickets for panto - probably locally although we do go further afield some years. It's more than £150 wherever we go as there are 5 of us, so we sort of accept that and find one we really fancy.

Oh, and my old school does a carol concert every year, I'll probably go to that too 😁