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Christmas

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Original poster

"Giving" a play room makeover as main present

55 replies

drspouse · 17/09/2021 12:20

Now the DCs are more into games, active play (one has SEN and some sensory needs), and Lego than small world play, we are doing a makeover of the play room. We are going to get a climbing wall, swings, and a build-yourself-sofa.
I would love to have this be the DCs' Christmas present (along with some smaller stuff). Has anyone done this? How have you wangled it? They are 9 and 7 and unlikely to be going to bed early, for a start!
They are reasonably easy to fool/hide things from so we could potentially keep all the bits in separate bits of the house away from them e.g. the build-yourself-sofa could possibly fit in the attic (but then what do we do with the existing sofa...)

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NuffSaidSam · 17/09/2021 12:25

I can't see how you're going to be able to surprise them with it on Christmas morning. Unless you can get rid of them for the whole of Christmas Eve?

Could you wrap the individual pieces to open on Christmas morning and the spend that weird/boring bit between Christmas and New Year assembling it all together? Get the DC to help of they're into that sort of thing?

NuffSaidSam · 17/09/2021 12:25

Sounds great btw! I'd have loved that as a kid!

milian · 17/09/2021 12:27

Can you just lock the room for a few weeks beforehand and say Santa’s asked you to store something in there or something? Or invent a boring adult reason like there’s a problem with the pipes? I can’t imagine any climbing wall you are forced to assemble between say 9pm Christmas Eve and 6am Christmas Day is going to be especially safe … plus what a tough Christmas Eve night for you!

PegasusReturns · 17/09/2021 12:28

Honestly I’d think really carefully about doing this, on the face of it it sounds lovely, but no matter how you dress it up it won’t feel like a present in the same way tearing paper of a lego set will.

Your DC are quite young and are unlikely to appreciate that this is a “big” present from your perspective.

I sort of speak from experience as I did a bedroom makeover for DD years ago. It’s wasn’t for an occasion and she’d talked about how she really wanted a canopy bed and I went all out. She liked it but didn’t see it as gift for her.

I’d be more inclined to get them some smaller presents for Christmas and then do the playroom in January. This would have the added benefit of you being able to get them out of the house before the big reveal

Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 12:37

I can’t imagine any climbing wall you are forced to assemble between say 9pm Christmas Eve and 6am Christmas Day is going to be especially safe

The joiner would come a few weeks before hand and the wall has holes you put the hand holds in - so we'd just keep the hand holds back (and the swings, he'd put up the anchors beforehand).

DD did have a new bed for her 6th birthday but I think she saw the packages come and we built it at the weekend, obviously she had other things to open as well but she did tell everyone it was her present (and it was during lockdown 1 so hard to give her much!)

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StopGoQuitStart · 17/09/2021 13:48

Even if the joiner came the children would spot the holes in the wall before hand surely and wonder why their new playroom had holes in it? I’m not sure how you can do this without ruining the Santa thing (I’m assuming like me everything is from Santa and not from yourselves? If you do parent gifts you could easily explain your gift is a surprise for their playroom and therefore it’s out of bounds until Christmas morning etc).

I think I would decorate the playroom before hand. Then get the joiner in to do the holes etc and see if the children make comment. If not then xmas Eve add the swings and climbing bits and do that paper over the door that some people do. For the sofa I’m not sure how big the box is etc. I’d dispose of old one in advance and have new one in garage (if you have one) ready to bring in. Ideally I’d have grandparent if close to take children somewhere special xmas eve afternoon so you can set everything up. Then children back for bedtime and just keep playroom door closed and children distracted elsewhere.

Otherwise do in advance when they are at school and leave a letter from Santa saying he sent his elves to update their playroom as it would be too big a job on xmas eve. Then Christmas morning have lego or whatever you’d get then maybe big cushions for playroom wrapped for bulk and wow factor without costing much extra.

Good luck anyway - their new playroom sounds amazing! I think my ceiling and walls would cave in if I tried that Blush

Monkeytapper · 17/09/2021 14:19

what is a build-yourself-sofa? had a google and nothings came up

leakymcleakleak · 17/09/2021 16:37

Could you invent a safety thing that meant you couldn't go in their for a few days - like say a leak that a plumber would need to look at, and tell them it won't be usable till a few days after Christmas. Then on Christmas morning be really surprised that there's a big ribbon across the door, and Santa's elves have fixed the leak AND upgraded the room?

I saw someone who's husband did an amazing Tardis room makeover on twitter and it was a surprise somehow.

The main concern I'd have is generally around room makeovers as presents but what you're doing sounds fab - I would make sure there's also a stocking and something 'big' to unwrap, even if its smaller than usual cost wise, as well.

leakymcleakleak · 17/09/2021 16:38

Oh but I will say: if you can't spread it over a few days I'd be careful. DH said he spent longer assembling our toddlers IKEA play kitchen than installing our actual IKEA kitchen! Flat pack furniture, and checking the safety on wall handles, at 3am on Christmas morning sounds completely hellish.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 17/09/2021 17:27

Dress it up as a 'problem' in the room for a few days - water leak, smell, mice, spiders - whatever they'll fall for Then do a clue card and one of those balloon bag things behind a sheet of wrapping paper covering the door come Christmas morning. I think it sounds like an AMAZING idea for a present

Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 17:33

Only stockings come from FC so that's not a problem.
The sofa is this
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1065526451/activity-play-mattress-set-foam-mattress

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Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 17:39

I think we will look at likely lead times re joiner, sofa as it may be unrealistic either to wait that long or it may not be ready.

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NorthernTights · 17/09/2021 17:39

How about making a shoebox type model of the finished room for them to open on Christmas Day, along with a few other bits for them to play with? Then you can all get stuck in building and installing together on the days after Christmas.

simkin38 · 17/09/2021 18:33

I wouldn't bother with climbing walls, internal swings etc

Kids will use once, inevitably grow bigger and not use

A huge outside trampoline is a much much better investment

I know multiple people with built up internal bed and climbing wall features that kids did once and never again

Save your money. Also makes house harder to sell.

Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 20:01

We don't have a garden.

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Cakecrumbsinmybra · 17/09/2021 20:06

Instead of a swing can I suggest pull up rings. My10 year old loves to swing. On them and the rest of us use them for exercise, so years of use and great for upper body strength!

Cakecrumbsinmybra · 17/09/2021 20:07

Excuse the typos!

NuffSaidSam · 17/09/2021 20:10

Or keep the swing, but do pull-up rings as well?

The swing sounds great!

ChikiTIKI · 17/09/2021 20:13

Great gift idea. My husband got a bedroom for his 8th birthday (renovation house, they could afford to do one room per year, so he shared with brother until then). He wasn't allowed in the room while it was being decorated. He still reminds me about that gift 23 years later!

My husband is one of those people though, who if you say to him "don't look at this it's a surprise", he will quite happily put it out of his mind and not look at all. I organised various decorations/photo things for his surprise 30th party while he was in the same room-I knew he wouldn't look and so knew the fact he was having a party wouldn't come to light until it happened.

Scarby9 · 17/09/2021 20:19

It's a great gift idea.
Whichever PP said tou couldn't unwrap it - it could be some of the best unwrapping ever!
Paper across the doorway with a huge gift tag- they can tear their way through that forastart. Whole body unwrapping! Then random individual things in the room wrapped eg the swing, but in situ so you can use them as soon as they are unwrapped.

Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 20:30

@NuffSaidSam

Or keep the swing, but do pull-up rings as well?

The swing sounds great!

Good idea!
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Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 20:34

I have to say, I really do fancy wrapping the door.
We could always keep the hand holds for them to put up.

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WHtonks · 17/09/2021 20:46

I think you'd need a good pile of new toys wrapped up in there as well. They are too young for there not be lots of toys.

Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 21:03

@WHtonks

I think you'd need a good pile of new toys wrapped up in there as well. They are too young for there not be lots of toys.
We don't usually do huge piles, they find it too overwhelming, and we bring them out bit by bit, so they will be OK.
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Original poster
drspouse · 17/09/2021 21:04

(I mean they will be OK with a few extra).

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