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?

We're going to Kew this year. We're going early in December as from the second weekend we have a big Xmas light show on our house so have to be home every evening!

We've booked Santa's magical grotto @ loch Lomond shores.

Going to Edinburgh for the weekend.

Will go to George Square. Was thinking about booking panto tickets ( don't know if dd would sit long enough )

My youngest is now 20 but we all love Christmas . We went to Kew at Christmas a few years ago and were very unimpressed , it didn’t help that the cafe / restaurant was absolutely filthy.

We've booked to do the Christmas experience at Legoland Windsor. We get a discount with our Merlin passes and we're staying in the nearby Travelodge- looked at staying in the Legoland hotel but the prices were just bonkers. Previously we've done Drayton Manor which was very good and Breakfast with Santa at a local garden centre.

Our local panto is reeeally long and my two wouldn't enjoy it I don't think plus they go with school. But there's more of a proper Christmas play that we go to.
And a pop up skating rink, probably just before the schools go back.
I don't think we'll do anything massively Santa related (again, he comes to school) but we always try to go to a Christingle service.

I absolutely hate panto, I can’t think of anything worse to have to sit through but the dcs have been with their schools over the years so I don’t feel guilty about never taking them!
We have been to see the Nutcracker or The Snowman a few times.
this year I have tickets for The Lion King in December which will be good. We don’t really do a Christmas outing.

We will visit Beamish a family ticket is £50 odd but lasts all year, it’s an additional £6 per child to see Santa we have done it every year still DD was 3 or 4 years but she is 13 and ds is 8 and knows Santa isn’t real so don’t expect he will want to visit Santa this year. But we will all enjoy bakery goodies and the festive atmosphere.
We also see the performing art colleges production at the local theatre (dh hates panto) that’s just under £40.
We also have National Trust so will visit one or two places on the lead upto Christmas and between Christmas and New Year.

The Nutcracker in Birmingham, paid for that a few months ago.
A weekend in London to look at the lights, shop and eat out - saving up for that.
Local Panto and The Snowman with live orchestra. Already paid for.

We are doing a steam train one Christmas Eve (sounds like it might be the same one as you Kitkat). That was about £95.

We are the going to a local illumination display we go to every year. That was about £45.

If there is a local NT Santa we will probably also book that.

A day out in Edinburgh at the market and other attractions. I've no idea how much it will cost but it is pretty pricey once you add on ice skating.

Local village Xmas light switch on, free entry but they have Santa's sled, lights, reindeers and various attractions, Some money will be spent but not a fortune.

Not sure I will... We do a not of days and weekends away as a family and I have done lots of Christmas events and activities over the years and not really enjoyed a single one. Just too busy to enjoy. I've never liked pantos either. I think we will just enjoy driving round and seeing people's light displays, father Christmas at a nice grotto or garden centre, school Christmas fairs, and going out to choose a christmas tree. Lots of Christmas tree places have carolers/mulled wine etc. I'll save the themed nights away for January where everything is dead and very cheap.

I have booked a weekend away near Bakewell to attend nearby Chatsworth's Christmas event.

Also, booked stupidly expensive seats for the pants at the Palladium.

That's it. I don't go to any work events.

@Equimum - Are you in the South East? If so then yes it probably is the same one!

Kitkat, yes, I am!

I’m doing the Spectacle of Light at Sudely Castle with adult family members the week before Christmas and staying in Cheltenham for the weekend.

Ahh yes probably the same @Equimum! I'm really looking forward to it. I bet it's magical on Christmas eve. We're doing ours a bit earlier (14th) as I'm a nurse and will be working Christmas eve and Boxing day, and we have panto tickets for the 21st so thought it would space the Christmas treats out a bit more.

We go to Lapland to see Santa. We will spend three days there.

We've got tickets to see Nativity! The theatre show - really excited about that.

Will also do panto with the family (organised by them) and will do a few NT visits to look at the decorations and themes.

I have booked panto tickets and tickets for the Glow Walk at Wakehurst. Will book a visit to a Grotto in a few weeks when booking opens - we are going back to one we have done before in a crystal grotto as it is lovely - the last couple of years we have gone to different venues.

I'm tempted to book tickets for the Nutcracker in London - will have to discuss with DH.

We did Christmas at Kew last year on the last Saturday evening before Christmas - it was spectacular, but hellishly busy. There were a couple of bottleneck points, at one point we barely moved for 5 minutes. We decided that it was lovely to go (had discussed doing so for a few years) but not something we would do again. We are trying Wakehurst this year.

I love Christmas!

We go to a "meet Santa" event every year, we're going to one at our local farm this year. DS now 6 so not sure how many years left we have until he stops believing.

I usually go on an "adults only" weekend every December to a European city and go round the markets, sightsee and have hot chocolate. Going to Budapest this year!

Then we always go to the panto on Christmas Eve.

Last year I took DS to Lapland and it was so magical, loved every minute.

I am lucky as my office closes over Christmas/NY for at least 10 days every year so we get a nice amount of time off! Finishing on the 23rd and going back Jan 2nd this year.

Oh we always go to the Christmas light switch on in our town centre, they usually have fairground rides for kids and stalls etc.

@ParkheadParadise, panto is great if they can’t sit still. It’s fab for all ages

Lapland UK is amazing and worth every penny . We go every year and we love it as much as my DS!
Christmas at Kew is spectacular.
A pantomime at Christmas is wonderful.
We do as much as possible because we love Christmas

We do Santa train. Lucky to live only 2 miles away. Costs £14 each.

Also theatre. Not panto but a Christmas production. Have been for last 2 year's. They tend to do an offer in mid Sept which is buy the adult ticket and get the kids ticket free so only costs around £15. This year I think it's the Snow Queen.

I'm done with Christmas markets though. Sooo expensive! I love to walk around them but feel right not buying anything. But having been stung in the past, I'd rather go home and make my own hot chocolate rather than pay £5 for it.

I'll make a big deal out of decorating the house (go foraging for greenery etc) and making gingerbread house etc. Hopefully take in some snowy walks if we get a seasonal sprinkling.

I’ve booked tickets for:

Christmas at Kew
Panto
Christmas Story Time at National Trust
Illuminations at RHS garden

I haven’t booked Santa yet. May look at Lapland UK