How many Christmas days out and activities do you do with dc?

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How many Christmas days out and activities do you do with dc?

We have National trust membership, so always visit a property near us for their decs and lights and then when dd was younger would do a Father Christmas visit. That would be it for specifically Christmas outings. We take a stroll around our village to see all the lights. Not much else.

That's a really good question and I'm interested in this too. This year we've going to see Father Christmas in a grotto, panto, Christmas Carol theatre show, and Father Christmas story time event on Christmas eve. They've also had a sports club Christmas party.

I never did any. We all survived.

Visit to Father Christmas and we went to a light switch on - they also had school disco, Christmas plays, “fun swimming session”, Christmas parties.
we also did a nice day of decoration shopping and tree decorating. To be honest it seems more than enough and I’ve scaled it down from last year as my primary school age children are already exhausted.

What counts as a Christmas Day out? Like PP we have a national trust membership so go and do whatever Christmassy stuff they have on (we have quite a few good NT places near us). But we go to one most weekends anyway because DC enjoy it - so I guess we do a fair few Christmassy themed days but it's more just coincidental.
We have a charity Santa who comes round the local area on a sleigh pulled by a car so we see him when he comes down our road. And my in-laws took DD1 to a breakfast with Santa thing - we wouldn't have booked this but they wanted to take her so that was fine with us.
And the school has a Christmas fayre next week as well.

Nothing planned at the moment but DS1 has a fair few things with school / scouts and DS2 is too young. We did see a fantastic miniature village at a garden centre and stumbled across some carol singers when visiting a friend. Usually we do the local light switch on but we were away the weekend it was on. I didn't like any of the local theatre stuff, but we often do that. We just got a national trust card this year and I hadn't thought to visit the properties, so that's something we'll now do!

School christmas fayre last weekend, and a pantomine nearer Christmas.

Whatever we fancy, it depends what’s on. I wouldn’t be doing things for the sake of Christmas if we didn’t enjoy it, but if there are lots of good things on we will do them.

As per pp we will prob visit one or two NT sites in the run up to Christmas and see whatever lights etc they have. They have the village Christmas party this weekend.

Growing up we had a tradition of a family swim on Christmas eve so I'd like to continue that (my parents intention was to tire us out 😁)

Other than that we will prob do some family walks (kids ages 4 and 2 on their bikes), trips to local parks and bike tracks, Christmas films, that's probably it.

We went away for a weekend at the start of the month so did santas grottos and Christmas pottery painting whilst there.

We’ve done/ got planned-
Santa train ride
Christmas party at a play area
Breakfast with santa
Christmas arts and craft class
Small Christmas trail with some Christmas activities at the end
Visit to the garden centre
Reindeer feeding

School have done quite a few things, theve done a Christmas stay and play, Santa dash, Santa visit, Christmas disco, they are doing a nativity and a trip to the panto before they break up for Christmas.

I think swimming do a fun Christmas swim for the last lesson of the term too.

When DS was younger, we always did a santa visit at the garden centre.

Now, we still go to the garden centre to look at all the decorations etc.

Usually a local walk but probably doesn't count as christmassy.

Usually go on the steam train between Christmas and New year as they still have the train and stations decorated for Christmas. It goes to Haworth which is lovely too.

Other than that, not really anything. He does go to the village panto with school and they have Christmas dinner/jumper day etc.

We always really enjoy the Christmas holidays but usually want to just spend time together/with family and also unwind and do things at home. Just don't fancy having loads booked in.

School Xmas fair, family church carols and panto on NY Day. We were going to do local lights thing but it was cancelled due to storm last week.

Maybe we'll do a NT thing as we're members, but depends how tired I am and the weather. To be honest I don't think the dc are too bothered and we're all exhausted!

School carol concert X2.

Then crafts/biscuit/gingerbread house making at home.

We haven't done much at all this year. DS1 is 10, and too cynical for Santa visits. DS2 is 7 and isn't cynical, but never enjoyed them anyway. I found it hard to find decent alternatives locally. They both hate panto. I like a nice steam train visit and that was our tradition, but the prices have gone up so much I couldn't justify it.

We did a fantastic winter lights show in October - but too early to be for Christmas. We will go to the cinema and ice-skating before Xmas, probably swimming and bowling/lasertag between Xmas and new year. But we do these things fairly often anyway, they are not really "christmas" things.

We have:
2 Santa visits - one at a farm and one at a national trust type place
2 cinema visits (Elf and The Nutcracker)

We will also do a coast visit/walk at some point, walk round our estate to see all the houses with Christmas lights and Christingle church service on Christmas Eve

Santa out to the house.
Lunch with Santa.
Work has a Xmas party for the kids.
Nursery & school fayres.
Panto.
Going to see Xmas lights.
Visit to Garden centre.

We’ll likely go to the cinema for an evening out.

Mine are 15 and 17 and they’re not too interested in doing anything with me, dd went to London with her friends and ds is currently on school trip to Germany which includes multiple Christmas markets. We’re hosting a party on Christmas Eve.

When DD was younger, Santa visit (National Trust does good ones), ice skating with friends and carol concert.

She also had a Christmas party with her dance school.

When she got older light walk and ice skating (sometimes after Christmas). DH and I went alone to the concerts.
She had a Christmas camp or day out with the Explorers.

We’re doing/ have done:
Santa at the garden centre (paid thing)
festive lights trail
santa at church and church Xmas festival
school nativity x 2
school Xmas fair
pantomime with one set of grandparents
shorter Christmas show with the other set
drive round to a well decorated road
Xmas Eve carols at church

My DD is 22 so it's a bit different but we are going to see Mufasa on the 20th and she wants to go for a Subway afterwards. DH my DD's stepdad doesn't like the cinema or Subway so it's just us two.

DH goes out for a meal with his much older DD. They go to places more suitable for meat eaters but I like them to have that special meal together just the two of them anyway. It's a nice tradition.

We will probably just stick with this as she is autistic and I have arthritis and doing too many social activities can be tiring for us. don't know if her dad will do anything before he heads off to Spain for Christmas.

We used to do more when she was younger. Visiting Father Christmas, ice skating with her dad, pantomime.

This year just a panto and weekend in bluestone where we've booked an elf school thing and a show. I say 'just' but that's more than enough really.

Haven't managed to book onto a Santa visit this year but never mind.

Nothing paid for.
2 school carol concerts
church christingle
chirch carol service
local town carols on the square
walk round to see the local lighta
village Xmas fair.

kids are 11 and 10. Have never done anything paid for, I think it’s over commercialized twaddle most of the time.

Our local National Trust place charges members for their Christmas events - not even a discount - it really annoys me!

But we do a local panto and the DC go to the village panto too with Cubs/ Brownies. We usually go ice skating on Christmas Eve.

That's it really! Haven't done a Santa's grotto type thing since nursery.

DS is 2 and we have done/will do.

Santa’s grotto
Soft play Christmas party
breakfast with Santa
NT place to look at Christmas lights
Xmas fair with toddler rides
nursery Christmas party
nursery nativity