Frugal christmas activities

[sunshineandkindle]

Please could you help with some frugal/ free/ cheap Xmas activities with 1 7 year old and 1 teenager?

We look for thr xmas lights in the car every year. I'm going to make paper chains.

Please help as money is tight!
Thank you x

Christmas movie night.

Xmas movie night
carols at local church
winter walk and gather stuff for wreath or garlands
hot chocolate
xmas jigsaw
games night

Making mince pies? Does require ingredients of course.

Gather ivy for decorations? Holly too if there’s any around but ivy is easier.

A Christmas treasure hunt - make a list of things (sleigh, holly, robin etc) and hunt for them in the shop window displays

Some great ideas here and I l love number three: https://www.frugalmum.co.uk/budget-family-christmas-without-money/

Hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Baking Christmas themed treats.
Local garden centre to see decorations and displays.
Our libraries do lots of Christmassy activities, mostly aimed at younger kids but there is some stuff for older ones too.
Local light switch on or light trail.
Wintery walks.
Making their own Christmas cards. Sounds childish but can be made more grown up using watercolours and different materials.
Movies and popcorn.

We go and forage things from the woods to make our own wreaths and table decorations, the only bit I buy in the wire wreath frame (a couple £ from the florist). Holly and mistletoe are pretty easy to find.

Baking….though my older DC’s are not that keen on this now.

Christmas jigsaws or board games (charity shops are full of these).

I can remember wanting to make eggnog when I was a teen after watching lots of American Christmas films, so my mum let us make some…….it wasn’t worth it but it’s something I remember doing and enjoying.

Make paper snowflakes
Play Christmas themed heads bodies and legs /consequences
Carol service
Look for local events like lantern parades /Christmas carnivals etc
Christmas biscuits decorating - rich tea biscuits, icing sugar and Christmassy decorations

Help out at Christmas events (eg school fair, can't be spending money if you are on a stall, volunteer to help out at local events)

Listen to the Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve on the radio with some candles. So magical.

Mince Pie Bake Off - who can make the best ones?

Invite friends over for board games evening - get them to bring some of their games. Probably best to set expectations about level of catering (eg I've got a bottle of wine, a 6 pack of diet coke and I'll buy some crisps)

Find some YouTube videos about how to make your own Christmas Cards

You Tube Christmas Karaeoke - could be fun?

Go Swimming - not very Christmassy but it's so quiet this time of year, you'll have your own private pool!

Events at Shopping Centres - ones near me have got juggling elves one day, JiveSwing, free face painting on different days.

Libraries and Museums do free events too. We have Gingerbread House event at one of ours. Pick up some Xmassy books from the library for some cosy reading time. Philup Pullman maybe?

Bake some Xmas shaped cookies and ice.
Bake cup cakes and ice with themed butter cream.
Xmas movie and thread popcorn for tree. Eat some too of course.
Make a gingerbread house. It takes ages to do well together.
Decorat Xmas tree.
Go on to YouTube and make a few Xmas decorations.
Do a hot chocolate station with sprinkles, chocolate stirers and mini marshmallows which are cheap at Aldi. We go on a walk first to look at local lights then come back to hot chocolate.
Pick some small branches and spray paint silver and make festive display with Holly and Ivy.
Play cheesy Xmas music and song along.

Get the bus into town and have a look at the Christmas lights

A few churches around us seem to be doing Christmas Tree festivals in the run up to Christmas, displaying twenty or thirty trees all decorated by local groups in lots of different styles. It's nice to go along just as it's starting to get dark, it's all lit up and cosy, and I think it's a fun festive thing to do. Often they'll be selling teas and coffees and jars of jam, or would welcome a small donation, but essentially free and very Christmassy.

@XmasDemonyou might find this thread interesting and helpful? 💕🎄

Christmas charades!
We went to the Christmas market but I took a flask of hot chocolate!

I personally couldn’t draw stickmen but I watched Sara Davis Christmas craft off and I think I could have made some of the things on there. It’s really interesting. You might get some ideas on it as gifts or decorations.

All of these & get some posca pens & decorate your windows, DS & I did ours today, they was off easily. You can free hand or use a template, loads available online for free

Get some butchers paper and diy wrapping paper by making a potato printer into the shape of a star.

Visit the charity shops and look for puzzles and Christmas books to do at home

learn all the Christmas carols then go to a concert at church

Look at local events for Christmas light switch-ons, carol singing etc, in your local area.

Dry out orange slices in a low oven to make decorations.

Bake cookies or other biscuits.

Make a cosy den and watch a Christmassy film.

Have a lovely time

Art straws (get a box that comes with an instruction book). Loved these - you can work your way up from easy stuff to more complicated.

Origami. Lots of instructions and videos available free online (try here). Proper origami paper is worth it for fiddly stuff (it folds more precisely because thin yet strong), but unless your kids get really into it, copier paper or wrapping paper will be fine. Loads of advice here.

Both can be done at different levels, so good for kids of different ages, and in bouts. No glue, paint etc. so easy to tidy away.

Lots of time outdoors - a daily photography challenge could provide an objective or motivation to liven up walks if a smartphone is available. If you are into nature have a go at the New Year Plant Hunt.

We've never had the money for expensive festive days out so we do local garden centres, baking gingerbread men,mince pies and Christmas cookies.
A local NT place has carols in the courtyard and often has a festive treasure hunt for a few pounds per child.
See what your local church has on ours does a christmas craft afternoon and a carol service.
We have a christmas tree festival in our town its really festive and one of the things I most look forward too.
Like others have said christmas lights switch on, christmas crafts at home, a wintery walk collecting ivy etc then home for hot choc and a christmas film. Festive afternoon tea at home with friends. There's so much you can do for free or very cheap to enjoy the run up to christmas I've never felt the need for expensive days out at this time of year and the dc never complain.

I like the idea about spray painting tree twigs silver to arrange in a vase, thats a totally do- able idea for a lovely decoration

I think just walking around Xmas markets even if you're not buying anything but just stop to eat or have a coffee is a nice thing to do

Rather than drive, wrap up warm, take a mug of hot chocolate and walk around the neighborhood looking for lights. Christmas movie when you get back.

Collect pine cones, brush or spray with glue and sprinkle on glitter. Either use as a tree decoration as a bauble or add several together with ribbons to make a table centrepiece.

Make pomanders https://ngs.org.uk/orange-and-clove-pomanders/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=6536524493&gbraid=0AAAAADrboB3o9n5yZ9xefoXbbWnndmnTO&gclid=CjwKCAiA_orJBhBNEiwABkdmjDLtr3JuCLXCLekD_CW8i6xlUSE3-61YCpUEwX4Jt4o-kZRzmzpSsRoCQv8QAvD_BwE

Ginerbread

Lots of great suggestions so far on here so I won't repeat but wanted to add that, as cliché as it sounds, kids do really value the time together and so doing cheap/free things will be just as nice as doing more expensive stuff.

We always watch Christmas films together which is lovely.

Nice walks and then back home for warm drinks. I take a drink and snacks for ds to avoid buying.

In previous years, we have always done a 'party' tea - just me, DH and DS (11), at home followed by a Christmas film. This year, I am in the fortunate position of being able to afford a meal out on Christmas eve - I suggested it and both DH and DS were outraged 😂 they would far rather stick to our usual plans (so we are!).

My son has also enjoyed things like playing board games with us/grandparents.

I hope you all have a lovely time!