Teens & Christmas

[MiasChoc]

How do you celebrate Christmas with teens? What traditions do you keep from their younger years and what new ones do you embrace?
What do young people find annoying and what is still magical to them?

I'll start. Made them home made advent calendars for a few years and realised that I ended up spending loads on them and that gifts at Christ become slightly less special as they got naice things in their calendars thought December. Now they get a Lindor chocolate one, that's it, even though dd1 hopes for a beauty advent calendar.

We still go carol singing late on 24th and Panto mid December. Presents under the tree and they still insist on food for Santa and reindeers in the chimney. Stockings on Christmas morning but stuck for what to fill hem with. They also meet with their closest friends on 24th to exchange presents.

Christmas movies and hankering down seem to be popular too. We also have a get together with friends on 27th each year.

My teens now help to make a gingerbread house. One year they did different ones and we did a competition. Last year they worked together on one large one.

They still get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve.
I too stopped making homemade advent calendars and they get to pick their chocolate one.
They make a gingerbread house.
We put the decs up together.

It’s getting harder as they get older , I still buy pyjamas and advent calendar’s.

Gingerbread house is a good idea, and board games seem to be popular, I'll see if the teens will engage with this.

I'm also thinking about other more grown up and perhaps socially responsible things, how to make Christmas more sustainable or volunteering. Has anyone done this?

I have 3 late teens. We all decorate our own mini gingerbread houses ( but at the same time).

They make their own advent calendars each year - some more creative than others. One year, Ds's was piece of A4 paper with 24 heros attached with sticky tape.

We all decorate the house/trees together.

We do a few games nights, board games and switch.

Visit Christmas market

Theatre

On Xmas eve we have a takeaway and then watch a couple of Xmas movies with hot chocolate and snacks. They'll also join in with baking things. In general, food keeps them interested!

Secret Santa

Light trail which the dogs come with us for (with their Xmas coats on) and a family dog walk on Boxing Day

Lie in on Xmas morning, then lots of presents and a lazy day with lots of food.

I honestly do pretty much all of the same traditions as from previous years as even though I have teens, I still have younger ones who make the magic so special.

We still always do a chocolate advent calendar, and we always buy new matching pyjamas. We also love to decorate a gingerbread house each every Christmas Eve.

On the day, it's always very early wake-up, and a Christmas themed breakfast before we open presents and set up for Christmas dinner. Always have crackers!! Then family will come over with cousins or we'll go to a family's house and that'll literally always happen.

I think the one thing we have abandoned is the milk and cookies and carrots thing. It just never really clicked or felt as magical as everything else.

DS still loves an advent calendar, he has just changed which one he wants. This year it's a Wera tool advent.

That's very cool!

I do the Dunhelm Christmas tree appeal where you get the tags and buy for children, animals or the elderly who don't have much at Xmas. A friend now gets her teens to do it too and have a nice time shopping as a family

Mid November we take teen DC to choose 30 chocolate advent calendars for the food bank - normally Morrison’s have an offer on.
Each teen is also given a budget to provide gifts for a local teen through the local authority. I think it’s a real eye opener for them.

So mine are 18 and nearly 12.
We love going to the cinema, always have an advent calander, xmas eve boxes, Christmas Movie nights, new pjs and Xmas bedding 🙂 Simple but festive 🎅

Love this idea and have looked up the Dunelm Appeal @BarbedButterfly

Oh we've done the Xmas toy appeal as well a few times. Where you buy a gift in B&M for a small child or teenager. Would like to do more charitable things. I also paid for Xmas lunch last year for the homeless at a restaurant nearby. Be nice to find something for an animal shelter this year where the boys can help also. Our cat is from Cats Protection, so it's very close to our heart.

@BarbedButterfly I didn't know about the Dunelm Appeal. I will definitely take DS there at half term

Mid teens. Mine do advent calendars, and a low key Dec 1st breakfast to open said calendars
I pack their decorations away separately so they can put their own ones on the tree, with mixed enthusiasm.
On Christmas Eve they make a gingerbread house (that nobody eats but the sweets get picked off) , and sleep together in ds’ room so they can wake each other up at silly o’clock for (nudge, wink) Santa.

Dd will do lots of ice skating, look at Christmas lights, visit a Christmas fair, and maybe a ballet. Ds will take a couple of walks but otherwise has very little interest. They get involved in charity appeals through school, ds is usually volunteering or on the organising committee for something.