Christmas traditions for teenagers

[SHAR0N]

Please help me find some fun things / traditions to do with my teenagers ( 15, 17, 19) at Christmas. Obviously they are way too old for Santa / elves.

I have just escaped a long and controlling marriage and I want to make this year much more fun for my teens. Their father was always very difficult and holidays / festivals were stressful as we all walked on eggshells around him.

So now we have freedom to do exactly what we want and my mind is a blank! Apart from all the usual things like decorating the house ( which I and DD love to do , the DS are less keen but will help out ).

They are all quite plain eaters so wouldn’t spend ages doing fancy cooking. But they all LOVE sweets and chocolate.

They like music and outdoor activities.

We don’t have a lot of family now as most were on their father’s side so they don’t see them anymore ( it’s not that I’ve stopped them, their fathers family don’t want to see them). So there’s not an option to have large family parties etc .

I’m only just rebuilding some of my own friendships after years of being isolated by my Ex so I don’t have a wide circle of friends and only a very small family. And of course Covid hasn’t helped.

So please give me some ideas . I just want to make nice for them.

Ah this sounds lovely! What about a day out in London? It’s absolutely magical at Christmas. I’m not sure how your finances are but you could even stay over or just wander, shop, look at all the lights on Regent St and Covent Garden, get a hot chocolate etc.
Another idea is a trip to the beach with their favourite foods. Maybe a trip to the cinema for all of you?

Christmas markets are always lovely if you can find one close by.

We have a gingerbread house bake-off challenge. Everyone designs, bakes and decorates a gingerbread house, then we judge them and eat them. When DCs were younger teenage I used to bake the gingerbread for them, and now they live away we tend to photograph the bakes, but the challenge still runs.

My kids are younger (although I have one young teenager) but would they enjoy some of the illumination shows that some places put on? We went to one last year and it was totally magical!

Not sure where you’re based but a trip to London to see the lights and maybe a west end show. Ice skating? Getting creative with gingerbread? One of my fave family traditions is having a fondue evening…this started when I was young and I’ve continued it with my family now too (as have my siblings with theirs). We usually do it on Christmas Eve.

Have fun OP!

My teens love a cheese board and card games night.

Would they enjoy decorating a gingerbread house? Mine are 14 and 16 and still like that.

Making daft Christmassy playlists.

Look up winter bucket list on Pinterest for lots of ideas like ice skating, seeing Christmas lights, gingerbread house, special Christmas breakfast, volunteering etc

Well done so much for getting out
Charades is fun. So is the guess who I am game.
Could you have a no screens games night?
What about a silly secret Santa? Under a fiver?
Make your own crackers? Bit of baking might be fun. Chocolate cake that you can decorate together. Yule log is delicious.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas. They don’t need the parties, you are all enough.

We go ice skating Xmas eve afternoon...
Willing ds6 to start liking it!!

Drive around looking at Xmas lights (London if you’re near enough)
Ice skating
Cinema
Panto/a show or concert
Do a secret Santa for filling stockings for each other
Bake off - someone could bake something each weekend in December

ice skating
gingerbread house decorating
christmas shopping
silly secret santa eg budget of £5 to find the craziest/silliest present for the person you have picked
christmas film night with a big box of xmas chocs
fancy xmas hot choc station
any national trust or similar near you with lights etc?

Christmas pjs? Bedding? Love the gingerbread house idea!!

Open top bus tour of Christmas lights in London
Ice skating at Christmas market
Cut your own tree at a Christmas tree farm
Making gingerbread houses

If they like music is there a gig during the Christmas period that you would all like?
Some kind of themed film watching? E.g. each person picks their favourite Christmas film or you watch all the Harry Potters back to back or each person picks a film that changed their life.
Each of you schedules four hours of Christmas day.
Long walk ended at a pub.
Geocaching ended at a pub.
Pyjamas only day.
Desserts only day.
Each person takes over one meal (even if it’s beans on toast) and you pretend you’re on come dine with me.
Games like Coup.

All my teens have Xmas bedding.. And really join in with the excitement!!
When I went to ds 25's house (2019)I put a double set on for him also!!

He pretended to complain but left it on!! And last year he put it in himself!!

Out for hot chocolate.
Walk around the Christmas market - churros!
New Spider-Man film out Dec 17th.
Christmas Eve pyjamas and a movie.

Oh and DC 17/19 still love their reusable advent calendar filled with sweets and notes to find treats/days out/film nights etc.

I'd be tempted to do hot sandwiches (hot roast pork & stuffing, pulled pork or even home made burgers) in front of a film you'd all enjoy with bowls of their favourite sweets.

Oh my goodness I’m so grateful for all these ideas ! I didn’t think anyone would reply on a Monday morning - you Christmas experts are the best ❤️

I’m writing lists here and checking out what’s available locally as we are VERY far from London.

Check out local cinemas for screenings of Christmassy films.

We did a Bob Ross paint along on Christmas Day last year. Bought cheap canvases and little table top easels from Amazon and had a selection of acrylic paints and brushes already, but somewhere like The Works would have all of them pretty cheap. Then spent a couple of hours watching an episode on the iPad while painting along. They loved it and we all created a fab wintry scene.

My teens (18 and 14) adore Christmas and it's the home based little things that they seem to appreciate the most. Some of the things they like are:

• New Xmas bedding ready for Xmas Eve

- Family decorating the tree together on Xmas Eve, so it's fresh & magical to have the tree lights in for Xmas Day - Family Xmas Jigsaw (new one each year, started on Xmas Eve to be finished by 12th Night) - Making homemade biscuits/cakes for 'Santa' - Xmas board games - new one to be added to the usual favourites each year - Daft Xmas socks for all to wear on Xmas Day - Xmas PJs for all on Xmas Eve - New outfit (not dressy just nice comfy things for a day at home) for everyone outside their bedroom door ready to wear on Xmas Day

Oh my goodness ShoeLady your paintings are fab.

We have a jigsaw going over Christmas too Chequer

We are heading out for pizza followed by the new Kingsman movie at lunchtime on Christmas Eve then it will be party food and cocktails/mocktails in front of Christmas movies in the evening.

Gingerbread house making and decorating.

So as not to throw the baby Jesus out with the bathwater, are there any earlier family traditions that you can keep or adapt or subvert? A lot of teens might still love certain traditions because they have grown up with them but they might not be up for new activities if introduced when they are 17.

Do you decorate the house? Let them put light up outside if you have space. All go together to choose a real tree and struggle to carry it home or tied to car roof.