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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

My 12yo will be home alone Christmas Eve. Any ideas?

109 replies

HappyHollyween · 10/10/2019 11:50

For the first time ever (I know - I've been very lucky so far!) i have to work Christmas Eve. I'm also working the 23rd but DD's friend's mum has offered to take DD and friend shopping that day.

DD has always said she loves Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day as it's just us two, it's really relaxed and there is the excitement of 'just one more sleep!' We usually do some wrapping, karaoke, film and snack fest, walk with a scavenger hunt (still loves these at her age!) or a drive into town to look at the lights. She's quite disappointed this year that she'll be on her own.

She'll likely not get out of bed until 10am at the earliest and I will be home around 4.30pm. I was hoping to leave her a list of ideas she can crack on with to still enjoy the day without me.

E.g. I can leave her a Christmas Eve box - she can have a nice bath with smellies.

I can leave her some Christmas films to watch.

She can wrap the presents she bought the day before with her friend.

She can build a gingerbread house.

Any other ideas that your tweens like doing around Christmas? These all sound like things she'll probably get bored of doing on her own and will likely just sit on her phone all day! I want her to enjoy Christmas Eve just as much as she normally does and hopefully the day will go by quickly for her until I'm home.

OP posts:

Mrsjayy · 10/10/2019 15:37

Tbh I would get her to maybe wrap some presents and let her do whatever she wants at home replicating the day she would normally have is going to make her miserable imo pick up a takeaway on the way home get into your PJs and watch a film when you get in. I know it isn't very exciting but .doing things on her own might make her feel a bit lonely.

AnnieMated1 · 10/10/2019 15:41

How come no one has expressed any level of concern that the OP is planning to leave a 12 year old all day?!

Fishcakey · 10/10/2019 15:43

The evening is the exciting bit, I bet she is just pleased you will be there then. She'll probably watch rubbish TV all day and eat and you can do nice stuff later on.

Fishcakey · 10/10/2019 15:44

@AnnieMated1 what's wrong with a sensible 12 year old spending the day alone?

Comefromaway · 10/10/2019 15:46

becasue there is nothing wrong with leaving a 12 year old secondary school aged child alone in the day.

Mrsjayy · 10/10/2019 15:50

A 12 year old is in secondary school there is no real reason why she can't stay at home she sounds sensible and doesn't need baby sat.

FAQs · 10/10/2019 15:56

Can she make one of those large pre cut gingerbread houses, that’ll keep her going for a while.

LifeSpectator · 10/10/2019 15:58

we do a lot of the things you say but to be honest i doubt we'd be doing them before 4, as its first day off work there is usually a few last minute things to do, some food prep for next day, turkey to be collected after room made in fridge, some peoples last minute shopping to be wrapped. Going out to look at lights is better after dark, and we also usually go to church etc then home into pjs, hot chocolate and snacks before the xmas movies. you are very lucky your 12 year old will engage with you all day mine would happily spend it on his computer, so i'd give her chores to do, like snack prep, getting kareoke set up, while saying this is because the minute i'm home we are in full chritmas eve mode so builds the pleasure for her. you will still have the exciting evening and one sleep left.

i like the idea of the house treasure hunt with chrismassy clues to find stuff she can use christmas eve.

i also like the making crackers idea too a friend does them with her godchildren and it takes a good while, you could give her some money for shopping the day before with the task to find small items suitable for the family you are seeing xmas day, that she can put into a cracker and it will be a surprise for you too, works if they like being arty, my friend buys a kit and then lots of craft items so they are all individual designs.

Spied · 10/10/2019 16:01

I won't be leaving my DC alone when they 12 any day of the week.

Mrsjayy · 10/10/2019 16:03

That's also fine spied you don't have to. But you can reassess when they are 12.

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 10/10/2019 16:07

Because by 12 she is at secondary school and most childcare (and childcare funding) stops at the end of primary.
Op you have had lots of good suggestions on this thread. I like the idea of leaving her a nice breakfast and a Christmassy scented bath bomb. If you don’t want her using the oven, how about a decorate your own gingerbread house? Morrison’s did a good one last year for about £5. And of course cleaning her room so that Santa () doesn’t trip over on his way to her stocking. And then enjoy your lovely evening together when you get home.

TheOrigRightsofwomen · 10/10/2019 16:08

her friends are all doing their own thing with families Christmas Eve

How on earth do people know this already?

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 10/10/2019 16:09

What is wrong with a 12 year old spending a day alone how bizarre

Assuming no SN, she would be fine with the oven and you have plenty of time to build up to it. But the other ideas people have had are lovely too.

I prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day so I totally get where she is coming from!

TheBossOfMe · 10/10/2019 16:14

Spied - when your children are 12, you might feel differently. My DD at 11 is more than able to be at home in the daytime for 6/7 hours on her own. She'd be incredibly offended if if I suggested she needed babysitting.

NameChange84 · 10/10/2019 16:16

In a similar boat at aged 11, my parents paid for a taxi for me to go to my local ice rink for a couple of hours. I was on my own but had a brilliant time. I also did a pottery painting class on a Christmas Eve one year and another year friends of the family took me to a ballet in the afternoon. Does she have a friend or relative she can go to the cinema or a pantomime with? Baking is a good idea too.

If she needs to be home based then how about making up a hamper with some crafty things to do, a DVD, brownie or cookie kit, a bath bomb or festive nails set etc?

Is there no one at all she could join for the day?

FurnitureAndBackgammon · 10/10/2019 16:26

How come no one has
expressed any level of concern that the OP is planning to leave a 12 year old all day?!
Ha ha ha, because she's 12 not two?

Not helpful but, If it’s was me, if I couldn’t take A/L, I would probably phone in sick to work.
You would really do this?? How selfish can you get

I like FAQ's idea of a gingerbread house, those bastards take hours to make

Mrsjayy · 10/10/2019 16:32

Supermarkets have become build your own kits @FurnitureandBackgammon they are pre made just put together with icing and they come with icing pens DD prefers Morrisons one

flooredbored · 10/10/2019 16:36

Would she be able to get to a town near your place of work if you drop her before you start? She could kill a few hours in a cinema and then lunch and shopping.

Willow2017 · 10/10/2019 16:37

How come no one has expressed any level of concern that the OP is planning to leave a 12 year old all day?!

Why on earth would they she is 12 not 3! If you can't leave a 12 yr old alone then for a while durung the day there is something far wrong.
(Usual health issues exempt of course)

Ninkaninus · 10/10/2019 16:37

A gingerbread house is perfect and it might become a much loved tradition for her to do it on her own every year.

She could prepare a Christmas buffet for the two of you to have for dinner when you get back - my two grown up daughters loved this from around her age and we still have it every Christmas Eve. I do little canapés and we serve it with Prosecco. Maybe a glass of Buck’s Fizz for her, if you deem it appropriate.

Our Christmas Eve dinner is comprised of the following:

Blinis with smoked salmon, quails eggs, sour cream and caviar

Vol au vents with trout or crab mousse, topped with a little tiny slice of lemon and a sprig of dill

German grain bread cut into little squares, half of them topped with liver patè and pickled beetroot, the other half topped with roast beef, horseradish sauce and a slice of cucumber

Crackers, cheese and chutney

Also, it’s absolutely fine for a sensible 12 year old to be left at home for the day.

dreichsky · 10/10/2019 16:47

How come no one has
expressed any level of concern that the OP is planning to leave a 12 year old all day?!
Ha ha ha, because she's 12 not two?

Where I live this wouldn't be legal but in the UK it is much more normal.

ScatteredMama82 · 10/10/2019 16:53

@Spookydot great plan, phone in sick and screw over someone else who HASN'T had months to plan for it. FFS.

OP I think you've had some great suggestions here, and you'll have a lovely xmas eve when you get home form work.

CanICelebrate · 10/10/2019 17:01

@AnnieMated1 Well done for deliberately missing the point to be judgment towards the OP or just be goady

mumwon · 10/10/2019 17:06

making a Christmas wreath? with ribbons/or whatever you can gather to hand (you tube or pinterest - just googled you tube seem to have plenty of ideas!)

user1573334 · 10/10/2019 17:09

@Spied I did actually express concern about her being left alone at 12 all day earlier on. And I do actually have a 12 year old so the patronising comments about waiting until you have a 12 year old to have an opinion is irrelevant.

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