Christmas 2023 events - have you booked anything?

[CollieWobbles2023]

A Christmas 2023 event near me was advertised last weekend and tickets were released. It's already sold out!!

I was just wondering if anyone has already booked their Christmas treats and days out? And if so, what did you book?

I know it's June. I'm aware of the months of the year.

My husband has just upped and left and I'm having to budget from now to afford Christmas and I'd love to make sure my DC have a lovely day out somewhere despite what has happened 😊 (I'm thinking ice skating!)

I mean EX husband. I'm not used to saying that :/

Me! I've booked our panto for this year. DS1 is mad on pirates and the local one is Peter Pan!

I'm undecided on a light trail. We usually do Kew but did one closer to home last year. Logistically much better but I did miss London... Am on the early bird list for the local one as tix not released yet.

Not sure on where to go for Santa this year. I'd love to do a heritage steamline train but they are soooo expensive and the panto already put me back well over £100

Not yet. Looked but tickets not yet available but on my radar!

Yes! We booked FC at our local farm weeks ago. Debating the watercress line but it's so expensive. Did the lights at Bedgebury last year which was great, so may look at that again.

We love the light trails but our National Trust have now separated the events meaning you have to pay even if you're a member :(

I'm keeping an eye out for other events. Panto is a good idea!!

I haven't looked at anything this year as the carol concert I enjoy won't go on sale until October at least.

But when dd was small, we used to go on a steam train trip every second year. Tickets went on sale in late June/early July and were sold out very quickly. So I used to have to be vigilant for those.

We managed to visit "Green Santa" once, which was a very good experience in a stately home where you visited Santa by going through the wardrobe (a la Narnia) and came home with a tree which DC planted with Santa and having met his hedgehog sleeping (hibernating) in the compost barrel. That also needed to be booked months ahead to get a weekend time (it was 90 minutes from home).

And if we wanted to do an extended family trip to Panto (we did that a couple of times), we had to book in spring and cross fingers we'd got the number of tickets right as none of our extended families liked to plan that far ahead. But we were limited to certain weekends we could go "down home".

Lots of my friends and family couldn't understand this, but a few in similar circumstances (working FT, wanting specific things etc), did the same. Book well ahead and just put away the tickets quietly and say nothing until much closer to December.

Anyone have any ideas what I could do with tweens that is magical?!

We will be going to piglets near york for their Xmas event. It's amazing. Tickets usually go on sale 6am early September and weekend ones sell out in minutes

Good question! One of mine is a tween!

Blenheim Palace looks fab but so expensive ditto the Harry Potter studios.

I saw the Harry Potter Christmas Studio thing - looks amazing!

My friend did that last year and absolutely raved about it.

We’ve got tickets for a light display and a local steam train booked. We’re going to CP in December and will book a slot for meeting Father Christmas when bookings open. We’ll be going to our local church for their carol service and we’ve confirmed where we’ll be over Christmas.

Anyone have any ideas what I could do with tweens that is magical?! Are you anywhere near London? Elf the Musical is on at the Dominion Theatre from the middle of November. There’s an after dark Christmas lights bus tour. Hampton Court Palace ice rink (or Somerset House). Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is ok. Chessington are doing a load of Christmas stuff. Outdoor cinemas are quite good, especially when wrapped up warm with hot chocolate. Or cinemas often have older films playing. A festive scavenger hunt?

The watercress line is exactly the one I'm talking about! So expensive. I think we'll head to our usual farm.

I do a festive afternoon tea every year, might tweens enjoy something like that?! No idea as I take my 5 and 2 year old, but they are always the youngest there!

I also took DD on the Polar Express about 4 years ago at Christmas and we both loved that.

Booked Lapland UK the day they released the tickets (just checked: March 20th) and it sold out within hours.
Not booked anything else, still recovering from the expense of the above. It's absolutely extortionate but I figured it's a total one-off.

Also a new-ishly single parent and money is extremely tight, but I can just about manage it and felt like my kids really deserved something extra this year.

No, but I’ve been looking, can’t see anything I want to book though.

Last year we went to see Elf the musical and did a Santa experience but looking for a different experience this year.

Last year DD and I went to the ABBA Voyage in late November, it was brilliant and I’d certainly go again, it was close to £200 with insurance etc. My DD is 20yo so not little or tween.

Cinema trip if there’s a good festive film (Violent Night last year) and dinner somewhere.
I did try to organise a special breakfast or afternoon tea on the first Friday but ended up doing a big vegetarian brunch instead.
Our local cinema used to show old Christmas films like A Christmas Carol or Elf .

I quite fancy one of the Open Top Bus Tours round the London lights

I have booked Lapland UK for the first time and will probably go ice skating once or twice just in local city.

I’ve booked Lapland UK for the afternoon they break up from school. So excited. It’s our 2nd visit (last time was 2021).

Waiting for Watercress Line tickets go on sale. I procrastinated last year and missed out on getting tickets.

We usually go to the Kew lights. It’s lovely, but a bit of a faff driving there. I’ve just looked at tickets and it’s £98.50 for 4 tickets and parking. We’ll skip it this year.

Last year we went to Winter Wonderland after avoiding it for years!! It was actually good fun and better than I’d expected.

Quite a bit thinking about it, Elf the musical tickets, Kew Gardens, Disney on ice, Pantomime.
We went on the Watercress line illuminated train last year and that was great fun, won’t do it this year but will go again.

@OneFamily do you remember when you booked tickets for Watercress line please? I can’t seem to sign up for notifications when tickets go live

@ChristmasCwtch just checked, it was August 18th, I booked immediately they released as we wanted a compartment and they do sell quickly. The regular seating I should imagine slightly more festive but we liked being on our own. Such a fun thing to do.

Thanks @OneFamily 😊❤️🚂

I’ve booked Christmas Eve panto and polar express! The only other things I’ll book are ice skating and garden centre Santa, but not until Autumn.

I just booked Elf the musical! So excited 😆 I’m feeling Christmassy now even though it’s 25 degrees!