Free/cheap ideas for kids in the run up to Xmas

[SugarCookieMonster]

I’m inspired by some of the bargain threads and ones about activities people are doing. I thought it might be good to share our free/cheap ideas for things to do with DC in the run up to Christmas.

DS is 4 so this is the first year that he really understands and I’m very excited to make some memories (but not overspend!)

• Writing letters to Santa followed by hot chocolate station (marshmallows, grated chocolate bar and some leftover Halloween sweets)
• Free personalised Santa video. FYI - the video is weirdly sent on the child’s birthday and valid for 2 months so put the correct year but today’s month and day for it to be available now. I’m going to play it the week before Christmas so it’s a response to DS’s letter.(Thank you to poster on the bargains thread who originally posted this!)
• Also Royal Mail, NSPCC and RNIB all do written/audio responses from Santa. For the cost of a stamp or small charity donation. Martin Lewis had all the last posting dates and info on his show.
• Film advent - pick one a week until Christmas. (Amazon Prime has a 30 day free trial which can be cancelled completely online. NOW TV have user specific offers. Normally either a 7 day free trial or 2 months for the price of 1 at the moment. Not sure what cancellation process is so check before signing up.)
• Homemade decorations - old faithful cotton wool snowman or use up whatever craft supplies are lurking.
• Walk around the local Christmas market when the lights are on.
• A local charity does an evening Santa sleigh ride through the streets each year. Like a tiny parade with music and fancy dress.
• Festive biscuit baking - I might attempt it this year but I’m a hopeless and impatient baker!

Please share your own suggestions or favourite cheap/free traditions🎄

I bought a kit but fully admit I could have done it all myself for a yule log advent calendar. Find a log on 1st Dec and each day find a new thing to add as decoration. Ivy flowers, yellow leaf etc. I'm looking forward to it

Carole singers - lots about in town
Christmas Eve church services - some are child friendly and have treats available - it’s quite festive
local library for Christmas crafts

Lovely idea for a thread.

I’ll add taking a walk or a drive to see Christmas lights. Even just a night time stroll around your own neighbourhood is a bit different.

You can work out when the international space station is visible over your area. With longer hours of darkness it’s easier to spot a few times in winter. I don’t recommend claiming that it’s Santa flying over though if you have dc with a tendency towards geekiness, or they’ll put you right.

And you can track Santa on Christmas Eve using norad

when the dc were small we did various paper decorations :
• tissue paper snowflakes on the windows
• use brown paper to make gingerbread paper dolls
• a washing line of Santa’s washing or elf clothes - again just get the dc to draw and colour in, and then cut them out and pay them up.

North Pole breakfast with the elf on the shelf

Making 'stained glass window' cookies with melted sweets

Home bargains for lots of cheap Xmas related crafty bits

Movie night with hot chocolate and Christmas popcorn ( I just mix melted white chocolate, green and red sprinkles, prestzels and green and red smarties) something like The Polar Express

Donate a toy - we got to Tesco and take a child's name ticket off the tree and pick the toy and wrap it together

Clear out old toys for the Elves to take to Santa to be reconditioned in his workshop.

Go out looking for Christmas lights

Make Christmas cards for family

Salt dough tree decorations

Salt dough tree decorations, we made up 3 small batches with different colour poster paint mixed into the dough, then mixed them roughly to make a marble pattern, rolled and used star shaped cutter. Last year we dried them in the oven, but the do dry at room temperature if you are patient.

Asda and The Works have £1 christmas craft kits

Make paperchains

Your local Christmas Lights Switch on event is probably completely free. Ours has a lantern parade another local one you can meet reindeer for free.

Tractor runs, santa vans etc also usually free, just find the route map so you know where to see it.

Check your town/parish Council website for details of free events.

Ice skating.
Carol service.
My local garden centre is usually a haven for all things festive, and could happily spend a couple of hours in there browsing. Followed by a visit to their cafe!
Make paper chains.
When my daughter was small, we used to make potato print wrapping paper using potatoes, paint and brown paper.
Choose something to put in the food bank at your local supermarket.
Get ready your glass of sherry/milk, rainbow dust and a carrot on Christmas Eve,

Some lovely ideas!

I vaguely remember making salt dough things in school. I’ll definitely be looking online for what I need to prep some dough!

Great reminder about tracking Santa on Christmas Eve. I have a feeling we’ll both be up late, too excited to sleep because I’m a big kid!

Nice idea!

Listen (and sing badly) to Christmas songs,

Make snowflakes

Handprint Xmas art like robins and snowmen

Decorate with stamps or just stickers picture handprint art some plain sheets of paper for wrapping presents in.

Torch walk in the dark

Homemade mincemeat (easier that it looks), then mince pies

I put paper, scissors and any glitter glue in a shoebox with some bluetack for making paper snowflakes. It comes out on those afternoons after school or at the weekend to make paper snowflakes for sticking in the windows. I also do a Lego challenge during the holiday. Last year was to make a nativity scene with our Lego & duplo. This year I am thinking best Santa sleigh.

I save a load of artificial flowers, sprigs of leaves over the years and let the DCs make arrangements and little decorations.

Bought a snowflake stencil wheel years ago, that's coming out for stenciling probably will get them to do nice pictures which won't involve arguments or someone's face being stencilled.

Loving the singing to Christmas songs @CatRatSplat might do that too and the Lego nativity @EcoCustard

@Leeds2 I like the food bank idea.

I'm so copying all these ideas 🌲

Christmas Eve pyjama showing of the Polar Express - tickets were only £3 each
An elf walk in a local forest
Making paper chains
The Christmas lights switch on
Decorating our own wrapping paper

Look around a garden centre, some are quite magical.

Go to a local school Christmas Fete

@YesItIsI please can you point me in the direction of the kit you bought?

Get a gingerbread house kit and make and decorate. I’ve never laid more than £5-7 for a kit but usually buy a few more sweets to add.

Go for a walk to look at Christmas lights and then come back home for a hot chocolate and marshmallows (or take with you in a flask)

My dcs are teens now but some of the things we have done over the years:
Advent book, wrapped up 24 winter/Christmas themed books and enjoyed unwrapping one each day. I used the library for the majority of them. This always ended with Twas the night before Christmas, which we still read now on Xmas Eve.

Make reindeer dust.

Baking, we still make Santa cookies (cranberry & white chocolate) they are really easy and you can freeze some of the dough so you can bake some on Xmas eve. Happy to share the recipe.

Make bird feeders.

We enjoy a walk round our local area looking at the Christmas lights followed by hot chocolate.

IggyAce I'd love the Santa cookie recipe please

@CantStandMeow here is a link to the recipe.

Such a brilliant thread! I will read all replies and take notes, thanks.

OP's DS is a bit young for this but for older children BBC R4 will be doing The Dark is Rising every night from the 20th Dec until end of month. I am planning to follow along with DS, preferably wrapped up in a blanket, with lights off and some candles lit to enhance the mood...

Not free, but cheap: Hobbycraft have Xmas crafting sessions for £5 per child.

@nova99 do you have photos of your North Pole breakfast x

My two (7 and 4) love torchlight tea time walks in the woods. There are local fairy woods we go to regularly but they look and feel totally different in the dark. It's especially good if there is a frost.
We read the Enid Blyton book covering all the Christmas traditions every December and try and do the same things, i.e when they bring in holly we do too.
We always make some sort of fudge. This year ds has found a grinch fudge recipe so we'll try that. We also dry apples and dip them in chocolate.
Christingle service at church. Also ours does a navitity one Sunday in Advent. The children all get dressed up and then afterwards there is food in the Church Hall.