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Christmas

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

Original poster

Christmas activities with teens

28 replies

MegBusset · 14/09/2021 16:47

Finally accepting that with DSes age 12 and 14 we're no longer in the visiting Santa or doing Christmas crafts years 😢 it's borderline on the panto but I don't think they'll be too keen on busy indoor stuff.

Would still like to keep the festive feeling though! I'm thinking of going to local festive lights trail if I can find one, and making mince pies with DS2 who enjoys baking.

What do people do with teens that's Christmassy without being cringe?

OP posts:
IAmSantaOhYesIAm · 14/09/2021 16:52

Ice skating
Dinner out on Christmas Eve or the 23rd.
Gingerbread house decorating.
Movies with popcorn and hot chocolate
Shopping for gifts for each other

ItsReallyOnlyMe · 14/09/2021 16:53

I think they'd still like gingerbread house decorating. Mine did and they were 22 and 19 at the time.

Senorasurf · 14/09/2021 16:58

Christmas movie trip to the cinema

EvilPea · 14/09/2021 17:01

Theres lots of light walks in national trust and RHS gardens now, they are nice for all ages

What about sledging at a snow centre?

Place marking on this thread

Ricekrispie22 · 14/09/2021 17:06

Christmas Tree festival www.christmastreefestivals.org (the dates for this are still 2020 at the moment but they’ll hopefully change nearer the time)
Go and see a pantomime
Try some of the Costa and Starbucks Christmas drinks

Silkiescatz · 14/09/2021 17:08

Things mine might do

Ice skating
Glow in Dark Golf
Longleat festival of lights
Xmas meal out
Snowboarding
Making gingerbread houses

MySaladDaysAreGone · 14/09/2021 17:11

F

Original poster
MegBusset · 14/09/2021 17:16

Gingerbread house is a good one. When we go to visit their younger cousins it's a traditional activity to see how little like the picture on the front of the box we can make it look Grin

OP posts:
Igmum · 14/09/2021 17:19

I second the Christmas lights walks - they are amazing

EvilPea · 15/09/2021 19:26

I’ve thought of two more we do

Christmas wreath making. Have a Google some florists, National trust and wildlife trust places run them.

And we always go to a “naice” big town, do a bit of window shopping, find a nice cafe for hot chocolate and maybe dinner out.

londonmummy1966 · 15/09/2021 19:38

Do you live in a friendly area? Could they, with your help, organise a living advent calendar? One of the streets near us has one where each house has a QR code to donate to the local food bank so it doesn't just cheer everyone up it also helps to raise money for a worthy cause

You can find out about them here...www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/16/christmas-spirit-living-advent-calendar-community-unites

Lots of ideas here www.pinterest.co.uk/loulie1/living-advent-calendar/

CasparBloomberg · 16/09/2021 05:26

In a similar vein to @londonmummy1966, local charities run advent lists of donations. A food bank has a different item of food you collect each day into a box to donate, or a women’s shelter for toiletries.
Give them a budget to buy gifts for a hospital/toy gift appeal?
Another local charity produces gift packs for families in need and collect toys, then on a day in December volunteers get together to make them up. My kids have done this and it’s been very rewarding and eye opening for them.

Newnormal99 · 16/09/2021 05:35

Night in a cheap Travelodge in London / other city. Tickets to a show. Wander round and look at lights. Shopping. Just soak up Xmas atmosphere.

languagelover96 · 16/09/2021 09:08

Road trip to see Xmas lights
Tickets to a concert at Christmas
Help prepare Christmas tea
Ice skating
Make snacks and drinks for movie evening etc
Christmas cocktail and game night (poker)
Decorate Xmas tree
Sing carols at church if you go

mamatoTails · 16/09/2021 12:15

Gingerbread biscuit bake off? With Christmas biscuit cutters!

Xmas film evening.

Ice skating and hot chocolate?

Rollergirl1980 · 16/09/2021 12:27

Visit a Christmas market. Maybe make it a challenge to get a stocking present for each other.

Lovemusic33 · 16/09/2021 15:34

Christmas market and national trust Christmas lights (both my teens seem to like both).

We do movie and pizza night Christmas Eve.

IggyAce · 17/09/2021 22:03

This will be our 2nd year with no Santa visit dcs 10 & 15. We still enjoy decorating a gingerbread house.
We still visit Beamish we just don’t do the santa visit, it’s so beautifully decorated and makes us feel Christmassy.
Now they are older we head out late afternoon to a city grab a hot chocolate and wander round looking at the festive lights and do some shopping.
We also do a movie afternoon/evening, I put all our Christmas favourites in a pot and we draw one out in the weekends from late November.

UndertheCedartree · 17/09/2021 23:01

My DS is 14 - he still wanted to visit Santa last year, we'll see if he does this year! His DS is only 9 so we'll do it anyway. He might still want to as he is Autistic and likes routine! Smile

He wants to go to the panto so that's something we can do together. He enjoyed making a gingerbread house last year so will probably do that again. Might do a London Christmas lights tour.

ChicChaos · 17/09/2021 23:28

Ice Skating, we often go on the last day of term as it's a half-day. Panto is still popular too.

Have done the Winter Wonderland in London (visiting for the weekend) which was good but gets very crowded later on.

Our local Church does decorated Christmas trees (themed each year) that you can go into the Church and view - there's about 20 or so trees and rather fabulous cake and we usually get our Christmas Tree for the house from a place where you need your wellies to go into the muddy field to choose it and someone cuts it down with a saw for you.

We did a Festival of Lights last year as the panto was off, not sure we'd do it again though.

reluctantbrit · 18/09/2021 20:09

Our shopping mall runs a toy appeal, I normally go with DD, she picks a label with sex and age and we hit the shops.

Ice skating ideally

Light trail

Baking

We have a evening out with friends, all four women have a December birthday so we do just one big meet, chilli or pizza and have fun. The children know each other since toddlerhood and are thick as thieves.

Carol concert, we don’t like pantos, and we mix between modern, traditional or a classical concert.

Christmas tree shopping followed by hot chocolate and cake

alrightfella · 22/09/2021 21:35

Last year we did a Christmas light trail and a Christmas escape room which went down well.

Shodan · 22/09/2021 22:01

We do the christmas light trails, and gingerbread house making, but a surprising hit last year was a tour of three or four garden centres to browse their decorations.

I've been eyeing up these special cinema trips as well:
backyardcinema.co.uk/shows/christmas-at-backyard-cinema/
(I don't know if they do them elsewhere though)

TheLovelinessOfDemons · 22/09/2021 22:03

I'll be taking the DC to Winter Wonderland. We've missed it.

goose1964 · 23/09/2021 15:48

Making mince pies, homemade sweets. I used to love doing that with my mum (RIP) we used to do Turkish delight both the usual rose and lemon, and a mint one, fudge and peppermint creams. We also used to do marzipan fruits and dates stuffed with marzipan.

I'm hoping that DGS will help me do the peppermint creams this year.