What are you doing to make the best of Christmas for your dc’s?

[Littlemiss74]

Today was a busy day doing usual weekend jobs around house & putting up christmas decs. My dd was a bit tricky & I think she’s feeling a bit bored, normally this time of year is packed with activities and things to look forward to.
I’ve really struggled mentally this year especially as my DF is in a care home & I haven’t been able to see him & have been trying to support my mum who is struggling with it all. I’m finding it hard to feel festive. I would quite happily not bother with any of it but I have dc’s 8 & 13 so have to for them.

I just wondered if anyone had any ideas as to how I can make the next couple of weeks a bit more exciting for my dd especially as my brain has frozen and I just can’t think what to do seeing as we can’t go to the usual festive places. I feel like I’m letting her down as I just can’t get in the xmas mood.

I always take mine for a drive round the neighbourhood to see all the lights. There's certain houses that go all out every year. Going to do a gingerbread house too and some Christmas baking. Other than that Christmas movies with hot choc and popcorn. Maybe get them involved in wrapping presents? Or make some homemade decorations if they're into crafts?

Thank you they are all lovely ideas. I just feel like I need to get sorted before I can relax & with work being so busy I’m not organised with presents etc yet.

We're doing garden centers-a few have reindeer there or snowman/reindeer trails, lots of crafts, christmas baking, been into town tonight to see the lights and have a hot chocolate. Christmas films, lots of lights etc in our house/garden and a naughty elf to keep them excited!

So an alternative advent calendar. So, labels in a jar that have different festive activities on them. Stuff like, snuggle up with a Christmas movie and popcorn. Have a hot chocolate with marshmallows and squirty cream. Go for a winter walk and find something Christmassy from nature to bring home with you (like holly, or suchlike). It's what I've done with my DD, though she's only little (nearly 3), but you can switch up the activities to suit your kids.

DD11 - Christmas teepee sleepover with DSD with treats and games, making a homemade wreath, making a gingerbread house, late night walk with hot chocolate over the fields to look at the stars, Christmas pamper night, painting Christmassy rocks to leave around on our walks, home made place settings etc to make the table feel more festive with just the 6 of us

DD2 - gingerbread playdough, fake snow sensory tray, games with baubles eg posting, ball run etc (stops her yanking the tree to bits!), Christmas bath, she has a book advent so we have a Christmas story every day

Both - Christmas themed kitchen disco with party games, LOTS of movie nights, walks round town to see the lights, baking, card making, salt dough decorations, painting baubles

We will still miss the panto and the Christmas markets and the ice skating but I think it bothers me more than them. They just want our time and attention and they can have that in spades.

Oh I forgot - we did ice skating on the trampoline with shaving foam... I do not recommend that one! So much fun but a miracle noone broke a leg!

We're tier 2 so most open. We are seeing santa at garden centre. Again at the farm. And soft play. Went to local theme park for r their fesitivies. We'll walk round locally to see the Xmas lights..
Movie night.
Craft days.

Tbh it's pretty much the same for us as all the things bar 1 and the Xmas Market are still happening so we're quite lucky

In the house.
Salt dough decs
Playdoh
Painting
Making handprint Xmas cards.
Collecting leaves to paint.

Christmas decorate the dining room (always do that once the DC have broken up from school).
Help decorate the Christmas cake.
Make gingerbread men (I’ve got a couple of gingerbread kits from Sainsbury’s).
Put together a gingerbread house.
Ice skating (book it on the day)
(Weather permitting)
A Christmas Eve morning walk at a local country park. I’m hoping the cafe will be open to buy Christmas drinks and treats.
The Peter Rabbit Trail at our local National Trust. (Hopefully with PIL)

We booked to see a matinee performance of A Christmas Carol “at” the Old Vic theatre. It’s a live show streamed from the theatre and it was £10, for all three of us. Suitable for age 7/8+ I think, and for a proper theatre show (albeit not actually in person) I thought that was pretty good.

We will also do walks around National Trust places, baking, craft, movies. That sort of thing.

Following. Do you still do Xmas thing sbeteeen Xmas and new year?

We have several Xmas tree light trails around here and also national trust places are open. Walking in woods etc is atmospheric at this time of year but please remember 13 is a tricky age, I have one of those too!
Xmas music, films, Dec's up... Tasty snacks... Ginger bread house. M

Quite a few churches and other community groups near us are doing advent window trails so might be worth searching the internet to see if there is one near you - basically a map showing which houses have decorated windows, some are themed.

I have got a few things planned for us:
Christmas games afternoon with snacks (did yesterday actually, played The Very Merry Christmas game and Santa Banter - loads of fun)
virtual Carol service (one from York minster on Weds evening)
Walk in woods to collect Holly/greenery then home for hot choc (next weekend)
Baking gingerbread houses
Christmas lights trail at local national trust gardens
trip to garden centre to choose new tree decoration each (always do this, thankfully still open)
Streaming a live panto on 21st - going to set the lounge up like a theatre and have sweets and popcorn
Polar express afternoon with treats and hot choc
Christmas mocktail making evening

I am also super busy at work currently (NHS) so most events are at weekends or after I finish work (I'm off for a week after Friday yay!) I've put them all on our wall calendar in the hall so the dc know what is happening when and have something to look forward to.

We're a bit more low key than previous years. But we're doing:
Today: Putting up decorations and tree.
Next Weekend: Outdoor Covid secure Santa experience at local theme park.
They're both into crafts so I'm trying to do as much of that as possible.
Probably some baking, maybe a gingerbread house.