Help please!!

[Beccalaaar]

Hi, I have a 13yo ds, 11yo dd and 3.5yo ds.. my older dc have stopped believing but they are going to continue the magic for their younger brother. We've had a rough year this year due to them being taken from us for 3weeks however they came back and all is sorted (long story, bad but not 100% our doing - wrongly accused!) However due to this, I want to make christmas special so I need some ideas for stocking fillers for all of them, ideas for a Christmas eve sack for each that the elves will leave and I've decided to do an advent present each day from the elves from 1st -24th mainly for the magic of my youngest but the older 2 wouldn't suspect it either!! 😀 Thank you xx

I'd suggest to buy board games that you could all play together, that would be a special memory to them..

I do Christmas Eve boxes even though we don’t do Santa. We have new jammies, new cup and sachet of hot chocolate marshmallows etc. watch a Christmas film with hot choc, skooshy cream and marshmallows and munchies before bed. Can’t really help with presents. I buy presents all year round so I don’t end up skint and I limit them so there’s still room to swing a cat

I’d concentrate on family activities rather than presents, so a pizza and film night, or taking each one out individually for a cup of coffee or an ice cream. Or geocaching. Maybe enlist the older two to help write clues for a treasure hunt for the youngest. Could you pick up a couple of really basic metal detectors from eBay and take them to the beach one afternoon? I think they’d remember things like that more than presents.

As the others have said, just doing family activities together is what makes the memories x

As pp have said family activities to all do together would be really good. I’ve only got the one DS(7) so I can’t really think of any particular games for that age range bit have a look on the likes of Amazon or Smyths Toys for ideas. Perhaps outings together as a family in the lead-up to Christmas to local events? Doesn’t always have to be £££ either - find out where Christmas lights are being turned on / already on and go for a winter walk and have a hot chocolate afterwards etc.

For the daily advent I now just put a choc or sweet for everyone in a wooden advent house-thingy that I bought from The Works and painted and decorated.

Previously I had an idea from a friend to wrap a book for DS to open daily 1-24th Dec - I scoured the charity shops for a couple of months prior to get a good selection and also had a couple of new books from The Works. It’s economical that way, educational and and something that will be enjoyed (hopefully!), and you’re not buying a load of tat that will end up in landfill after Christmas.

I’ve only ever done a Xmas Eve box once and DS wasn’t fussed so I’ve never done it again, but actually I think I will do the books again this year as I’ve already got several put aside that I’ve picked up in charity shops.

Take each them to choose a new decoration for the tree?

Why don't you book a special treat like a local pantomime matinee for Christmas Eve and go out for breakfast first. Enjoy all the lights on your way home. Use your advent ideas to get them to collect clues (could be an anagram or clues about the panto characters etc)!each day plus a sweet. Then they get the tickets on the 24th.

Bake your Christmas cake together - we don't like it but it's always been a tradition we love doing and the house smells very Christmassy! We put chunks into cellophane bags to give to people who do like it! Then continue the baking in Dec, cookies, marzipan fruits etc. build a gingerbread house together - you can get nice kits in Lidl.

Use a wet Saturday to get all 3 dc to make paper chains to hang in their rooms - make it a competition to see who can make the longest one or see if they can work together to make one huge one which stretches into every room.
Buy some of the decorate your own baubles and have an arty weekend doing them or go to a pottery place and get them to decorate a Christmas plate or bowl each. They become a tradition and get used every year. Even as adults the Santa snacks go on Christmas tree plates they 'decorated' themselves when they were wee! Christmas bowl used for Christmas Day cereal/dinner/pudding.
Christmas bedding on their beds on Dec 1st.
Let them have their own wee tree in their own rooms. Cheap battery lights from £ shop and can make de orations or go daft with tinsel

Someone in bargain thread said Exploding kittens is on Amazon for £11 which would be a good game for your older 2.

My 10yo has asked for a special advent calendar with challenges, each day we place a note in the advent calendar with a puzzle, treasure hunt, challenge and once it’s complete then she gets a Christmas chocolate.

I agree that time is more key than stuff. We love a board game night, or doing a jigsaw together over a few days. I work with teenagers and they can get really into making decorations if the atmosphere is right.