Magical Christmas experience to help phase out Father Christmas visit for older primary school aged kids?

[Monvelo]

What are your magical Christmas suggestions for older primary school aged kids? Realistically, we are beyond the normal top end of Father Christmas ages as DD is almost 11 and ds8. Last year I all but told dd he's not real but it went soooo badly and she was sooooo upset, we are now back to keeping up the pretence and assuming she's logged it in her head for when she's ready. Younger ds is much less bothered and I'm almost hoping he'll bring DD round! Because of this I'm thinking to try to move from seeing a fake bearded dude down the local garden centre to more of a nice winter family experience that builds a new tradition to keep that magical Christmas feeling. I don't know what I'm asking for because I don't know what's out there, so thought I would ask on here! Any suggestions? I think they'll still want to see FC but perhaps that's one part of it not the whole. We are in Gloucestershire but willing to travel.

Unfortunately Longleat Santa is all sold out already! Madness...

Definitley a light walk or any great decorated attraction. I haven't look this year but normally the NT has some of their houses decorated, one did a Tudor Christmas one year, that was interesting on top of beautiful.
I personally hate the website but it may be worth looking up properties near you and see what they do.

We moved to ice skating around that age as well, we do it with friends in a large group followed by dinner or- if more local - pizza at one of our houses.

We carry on with all other things, decorating the house together, baking cookies, DD can decorate her room as well.
We do a carol concert since she is 4 years, can be big or small but it's a nice way to stop and relax for an afternoon/evening.

Light walks are great and lots of country houses do them now.

Pantomimes were popular with my dc at that age. Or a Christmas themed show or ballet.

if you come to London, there are walks online that take you round the best of the Christmas lights for free. And there are ice skating pop ups in several locations.

Maybe tell them in January, then they have an entire year to process the news

We went to a garden centre last year that had a VR experience where you were riding on Santa's sleigh. It was only £5 each and it was really funny, we really enjoyed it.

I didn't pay extra to meet the big guy and get a present but it was nice to do something festive and garden centres are always decorated like Christmas is never coming again.

We have also done local theatre shows and also theme park visits which are usually bloody freezing but good days out.

Kids are 13 and 15, it's always been Dunham Massey light trail for us (National Trust), ice skating, crafts, a nice lunch out Christmas eve. Sometime after the Christmas tree has gone up we'll go out for coffee and cake at the garden centre and the kids get to pick an ornament for the tree, we'll plan a meet up with friends or cousins and do something like a Christmas farm or Christmas market, or stay in and decorate gingerbread biscuits.
We enjoy trips to the cinema so I'll keep an eye out for special showings of Christmas films I know we like.
Taking each kid out separately to pick a gift for the other is quite nice as well, pop your Christmas jumpers on and hit a couple of shops (go early if you can!) and then stop for a hot chocolate before heading home.

Another vote here for Blenheim Palace Christmas lights or Kew Gardens light trail.

I didn't tell DS and DD, I think it just slowly dawned on them. My DM never told me and to be honest a little part of me still hopes he is real 😊.

A visit to westonbirt or sudeley castle to see the lights trail is a great Christmas visit instead of Father Christmas.

Steam train journey, as suggested by a PP. Father Christmas often does a tour of the train, although you would have to check!
Christmas Market. Some also offer ice skating, which might be fun too.

Another vote for Kew, it's lovely at Christmas

I still believe and I'm 53. There's a certain element to Christmas that we all believe in.

What about a wreath making workshop with your daughter? Lots of national trust places run them.
Or a trip to a Christmas market with hot chocolates etc.

My eldest still wanted to visit FC til he was 13 so you might have a few more visits especially as your youngest is only 8!

But now ours are all teenagers we go for Christmas afternoon tea.

Not quite what you asked for but Letters from Father Christmas is a lovely book for about this age - it is a collection of the amazing letters that JRR Tolkien wrote to his children on behalf of Father Christmas over the years. They're funny (all sorts of disasters happen and his letters keep getting interrupted by interjections from the North Polar Bear) and generally make me feel utterly inadequate as a parent.

But the reason I mention them is it's obvious, reading the letters, that this is someone putting love and imagination into imagining a fun, Christmassy story. I got the book for my son last year (he was 10 and clearly had rumbled FC), and I think it's a lovely introduction into holding onto the magic and fun of the myth, and helping other people to enjoy it, while recognising it's all made up.

How about the Christmas tree festival at Gloucester Cathedral?

Going to a garden centre (on a day Santa's not there) and getting them to choose a bauble each to go on your tree at home. You could make it a tradition every year.