Christmassy activities that are free to do?

[FairyJuice]

Can we make a list of christmassy activities to do with kids that are free to do? I'll start

-Curl up under blankets with hot choc and treats and watch Christmas movies
-Doing Christmas crafts, making decorations
-Going for a drive or walk at night in town to see the Christmas lights
-Trawling the local DIY stores at quiet times to see their Christmas displays
-Listening and dancing around the house to Christmas music (maybe a bit early for this yet)
-Going for a walk in the crisp winter weather
-Baking Christmas themed treats
-Putting up decorataions

Board games, sardines, charades.
Making Christmas tags from last years cards.
Telling ghost stories.
Sticking cloves in oranges.

Stargazing can be nice on cold clear nights if you can get out of the city.

We always mark the solstice and there can be a surprising number of megalithic alignments if you research your area

With young dc building an igloo from the sofa cushions is lots of fun

Decorating with paper- snowflakes are lovely on windows, paper plate angels, paper dolls can be adapted to make angels/gingerbread men/elves. Turn the fridge or a door into a snowman. Hang up a string and peg up paper cut outs of elf’s washing

Stories. (And Christmas books can be picked up very cheaply second hand)

Cutting ordinary food into Christmas shapes

Our local library has:

Bedtime Christmas story with Santa (kids come dressed in their pyjamas) & Carol singing

Christmas themed story times & rhyme times

Christmas colouring competition and treasure hunt around the library

Christmas crafts for kids (make clay tree decoration, Christmas cards, make a Christmas robin or snowman)

There is a special 'secret Santa' where a children's book that has been delivered by Santa is unwrapped and read to the children.

(All of the above are free drop-in sessions)

....not to mention all the great Christmassy books and DVD's

There is also a Santa's grotto (£2 per child)
And adults fresh wreath making (£10)
Adult felt decoration making session (£2 per decoration)

Picking Christmassy foliage from the garden to decorate with.

Going to Church for a Christingle service, carol concert or a nativity play.

Decorating brown paper then wrapping gifts in it for other people.

Delivering Christmas cards to neighbours - my children like to get dressed up as elves to do this. Particularly patient and long suffering neighbours request a carol while we’re there.

Most of the best stuff about Christmas is free.

We make salt dough decorations which everyone loves

As well as the above we do
Candlelit bath (DC loved this when they were little)
Baking
Making paperchains
Making fatballs for the birds
Christmas colouring books or activity books
Santa Run (entry fee goes to charity)
Collecting some things for a food bank
Christmas Jigsaw (we have 1 that comes out every year, Hobbycraft had some nice ones when I was in there recently)
A reusable nativity set

See if there are any free events near where you live.

A Christmas morning breakfast picnic! Wrap up warm and go for a woodland walk with rucksacks full of flasks of hot chocolate, warm croissants wrapped in foil, egg/bacon rolls.....anything! Find a log to sit on!!! We've done this 9 years running. Great fun!

Visiting a garden centre that has real reindeer

I read this one on here a few years ago and we do it every year now, my dc love it - we get in the car in the evening with snuggly blankets and hot chocolates in travel mugs, blast the Christmas songs and drive round the area looking at all the lights decorations on the houses and deciding which one we think is the best (we vote on it).

Carol singing

Listening to Christmas songs and watching the music videos on YouTube-

Making Christmas biscuits (not free but store cupboard ingredients if you have Christmas cutters- or you could use a knife to etch shapes?)

Take a family photo wearing Christmas jumpers/Santa hats

Make Christmas cards for family and friends

Make a Christmas picture/video (eg Snapchat with Santa hats/antlers on-supervises of course)

Go for a walk and collect greenery and pine cones to make a table centrepiece

Check locally for Christmas light switching on ceremonies

Our local town has a parade from the park, through the High Street to the town green. The Christmas Tree is on the green and it is officially switched on. There is free lanterns and face painting for children. The band plays, all the shops are decorated for Christmas and the High Street decorations are all switched on too.

We have a night time walk around the village with torches looking at the decorations.

Making paper snowflakes and paperchains is free if you have paper in already.

I get the dc to build Xmas scenes from their Lego to use as decorations.

We do a film night or two.

I save Xmas cards from the previous year to be cut up to make new cards or gift tags.

Also, there's a free app called elf yourself that my dc think is hilarious.

@DialMForMurder we use old Christmas cards to make our tags too! I always cut the shoulder ribbons off new tops and use those to tie the tags to the presents .
Also:

• Making up a Christmas story, writing and drawing it.
• Making Christmas cards and paper chains.
• Collecting holly, ivy, pine cones and fir branches/leaves to make a wreath.
• Going for a walk along the prom before Christmas dinner as you get to see all the little kids trying out their new bikes/scooter/rollerboots.
• Rearranging the furniture the weekend before the decs go up so what seems like 11 months of clutter are removed from the lounge to fit the bloody tree in the corner!

@PorridgeAgainAbney @PorridgeAgainAbney oh my god that is genius about the shoulder ribbons. Never thought of a use for them and I am queen of thrift.