Christmas Activities

[travelmadmum23]

Hey, I'm looking for suggestions for activities during Nov/Dec. 2 children aged 11 & 12.

We used to enjoy family Christmases but due to a family falling out one year we now spend them on holiday. We are jetting off to Dubai on Xmas day but I'm wanting ideas on the run up to Christmas? I want to start enjoying them again as the last 5 years have been quite frankly awful.

Clay pigeon shooting. Our club does regular sessions for the 'younger members'.

I think you can book them on one session before needing to become members.

Very safe, great fun.

Iv never thought of this before! I'll make some local enquiries.

Thank you 😊

Will you be having a tree for the season? Going to chose one could be a Christmas tradition.
Steam train ride?
Make up a Christmas stocking for each other, bearing in mind any flight restrictions.
Any light shows near enough? Kew or a pineatum?
Visit to National Trust property or the like?
Do you like the traditional Christmas foods? If so baking or stir-up-sunday.
What do the children like to do?

Yes we will be decorating the house with a tree, lights and traditional decorations. I will bake anyway, possibly a meringue wreathe etc, apple strudel is a favourite. My girls are tweens so finding it more difficult to keep them entertained. We visited Beamish last year which we may do again. Possibly a ballet - my hubby and daughter love ballets and orchestras etc. I want to go to the local cathedrals carol singing event on 24th. I want to try and get the festive magic back but not really sure how.

I think the things you have mentioned here are ideal, and obviously work for your family. Maybe start a family diary, this on the 5th, this on the 16th - a sort of build up.
Do you have Christmas greenery? Collecting it can be a day out.
How long are you away for? Will you be back in time for a panto? Local am dram sometimes go on a bit longer into new year.

Oh this is right up my street. We do a Christmas activity every day of December. Some are super basic (1st is open advent calendar, every Friday is Christmas movie night) but it makes the build up so special and exciting!
Some ideas:
We go to a light show one evening
We go into town and walk around looking at the lights and have hot chocolate
We read Christmas stories under the tree and have hot chocolate
Picking and tree and decorating it
Dance party to festive music

bluesky45 said it better than I - it's the build up.
Making traditions, and discarding things that do not work.
You will get the magic back.

Visit a Christmas market
Ice skating
Bracing walk in the snow if it snows
Watching Christmas films at home or at the cinema if something on.
Go to a local Christingle service.

I noticed last year there are wreath making days etc at a local hotel. I may look into doing something like this. What traditions do you guys all have? I'll maybe make an effort to decorate the front of the house

Have a look at the cinema, there are live streams of some ballet and opera performances.
Usually the Nutcracker is on in December, and often on a Sunday afternoon.

We go to the theatre (National Theatre has a production of Ballet Shoes this year) and to see a ballet at the Royal Opera House (they're not doing Nutcracker this year, so I've booked Cindarella - there are £14 seats) and we go ice-skating at Somerset House, and we go to a pantomime. We also decorate the tree, make a wreath for the door, make gingerbread houses, (all your baking sounds amazing), make Christmas cards, go to church all through Advent and to Carol services (DS is a chorister), both children tend to take part in the church nativity play - oh, and I have special Christmas china which is only used Dec 1 (or first Sunday in Advent depending which comes first) to January 6, ie Epiphany, which we celebrate - and that marks the end. It is Royal Copenhagen Star Fluted and I love it. I also really really love Christmas....

Stir up Sunday
Going to get the tree
Panto, ballet, candlelight orchestra
Ice skating
Starbucks festive menu
Christmas movies at home or cinema
Christmas jumpers and pyjamas
Lessons and carols church service
Christmas disco at home with their friends (Spotify)

If you look on the Organised Christmas website, I think it's in the Holiday Grand Plan section, there is "Question week" - ignore the cleaning parts but the questions to ask yourself and your family are what you want. Sit down with the DCs and have a conversation about what they like or don't like about Christmas, what is meaningful to them, and get a discussion going on what they might like to do that's traditional or that they can make their own traditions from, or try once without committing to for evermore.

There is a printable on the OC site, and others to think about favourite movies to play, favourite music or books, foods etc - to me, it's not about filling it in religiously but questions to start the conversation in the family.

You might find they have a few ideas for new things, or some things they would like to do again that you used to.

Enjoy the exploration!

My children are a little younger but we do:

Christmas film nights with popcorn and hot chocolate
Illuminations at our local National trust place (brilliant for all ages)
Pantomime the Sunday before Christmas
Always looks for Christmas shows at the theatre- ballet would be great option for you
Christmas Eve our cinema plays the polar express and we watch that
Lots of winter walks