London - Christmas Children's Party

[IlanaK]

It was suggested today at the summer picnic at Coram Fields that a Christmas children's party would be a nice idea. I am more than happy to organise this but want to gage opinions first. Coram Fields would be a great venue again assuming we could get it. Here are some questions for you to answer or put suggestions if you are interested.

1. Venue - would Coram Fields suit everyone again or can you think of somewhere else?

2. Would you want to attend during the week or on a weekend?

3)I was thinking of a bring a dish or two party (sort of like today) and we would decorate the hall all christmassy and have christmas crackers for the kids, etc. Also maybe some inside christmassy activities such as art stuff, games etc. Is this ok?

4. WOuld anyone want it to be more multicultrural - a seasonal party? I am Jewish so I would certainly understand if people preferred this.

5. OK - the big question is cost. I know that today was free and people just made donations to Binkie as the hall cost £32. However, for a proper christmas party I think we would have to charge. My reason for this is partly the venue - if say 15 families came (about what came today I think), that is £2 per family for the venue. Also, there would be some cost for the crackers, decorations, etc. How would people feel about this?

Ok, so, this is just an idea at this stage, but if we want to do it I am guessing we have to book quickly. If people aren't interested, then I will not be insulted! However, I am happy to do it if people want to come.

What do you all think?????

Biketastic, thank you! Here is method (it's such a cheat it doesn't really merit being called recipe):

• frozen summer fruit from M&S or similar (I find 500g does 3 pints jelly, & 3 pints jelly does 20 helpings);

• veg jelly crystals (link to makers ). Planet Organic stock them & probably lots of similar places, but let me know if any difficulty. I think the raspberry flavour is best for this.

Er, defrost fruit, make up jelly, combine. Suggest you make it not earlier than day before party, though, as it doesn't keep - starts to go "fizzy" after a couple of days.

ks

.....va jouer avec tes tampons

Tu n'assisteras pas a la fete, Frenchgirl?
ks, je ne reconnais ni ta phrase, ni ton insulte . Je l'ignore!
What's French for stencils she says plaintively (not covered in Rabelais, Camus, Racine etc)

salut Marina, c'est la premiere fois que je regarde ce sujet, alors je ne sais pas si je peux venir! J'aimerai bien mais j'ai peur d'avoir a aller chez mes delicieux beaux-parents..... BOF......
On doit dire 'stencil' en francais aussi j'imagine....? Ou alors' application de peinture au travers d'un cache decoupe' !!!

ks, was that a nativity in France then? I bet you would have been very cute!!!!

ks you are better at french than me , it is pochoir!!!!!!!!!

not...Je crache sur vos tombeaux...
Dommage, Frenchgirl. Comme tu vois, il s'agit des invites de haute qualite. Et j'amene mes pochoirs Pere Noel et Homme de Neige...

Ilana - sorry not to have posted earlier. We (me, dd, d and dh for an hour or so) will definately be coming.
We will bring chicken and cold meats if that's OK?
Tigermoth, is your bubble machine a big one, or would you like a supplemental hand held one as well (only we have no mix left for it)

Gosh you lot have been busy on here! You lost me a bit in the french posts but I have tried to add any changes I saw to the list below.

Thanks binkie and charlicat for letting us know - and sorry we won't see you there.

Twinkie and Wills - this means you have been added to the confirmed list

Revised list:

Date and Time - December 18th from 12:30 to 4:30pm

Venue - Coram Fields near Russell Square tube station (large park and playground). We will be in the Band Room

Cost - £1 or £1.50 per family as the room costs £35 to hire

Families attending:

CONFIRMED:
IlanaK
Cori
prefernot
ks
sis
marina
tigermoth
arabica
biketastic
EvaD
welshmum
unicorn
motherinferior
billijo
hoxtonchick
skmoo
zinger
susies
piximon
merrygoround
yingers74
kazz33
sophable
Edam
twinkie
wills
prufrock

NOT CONFIRMED:
aelita
onlineid
JJ

waiting list - nickiey, maomao

Activities:

1. colouring festive pictures (Ilana)
2. card making with ks and marina 3)decorating biscuits with sis and binkie 4)pin the tail on the reindeer with marina
3. dancing to music with bubbles added (bubble machine - tigermoth) 7)pass the parcel with chocolates inside (Ilana) 8)story telling/singng session (Ilana, Arabica and prefernot)

Decorations - tigermoth (streamers) and cori. Biketastic lights.

Tidying up - arabica and biketastic and EvaD

Santa - Kazz33's dh (yippee!) Bring your own present wrapped and labled for your child and Santa will give them out (limit £5 spent per pressie).

Savoury Foods:

1. crips, breadsticks, other finger type crunchy food (IlanaK) (unicorn and tigermoth- crisps)
2. raw cut up veggies and dips, hummous, etc (biketastic - veggies and dips plus salad pots)(unicorn - veggies)
3. cold meats - salamis, ham, chicken, sausages, etc (motherinferior and EvaD- sausages) (prufrock - chicken and cold meats)
4. sandwhiches or rolls (welshmum - rolls) (EvaD - egg and ham sandwhiches)
5. cheese (prefernot)
6. falafal - marina
7. australian christmas food - cori
8. rice salad - meerygoround

Sweet foods:

1. mini cakes or a large cake (ks and pixiemom) (billijo - rice crispie cakes) (tigermoth - flapjacks)
2. biscuits (hoxtonchick)
3. chocolates or chocolate bars (skmoo)
4. jelly (biketastic)

drinks:

1. juice (apple juice carton - prefernot) (sis - squash) (Kazz33 - orange and apple juice)
2. soft drinks like cola
3. water (zinger)
4. non-alcoholic sparkling drinks - yingers

Paperplates, cups, etc - (prefernot, susies)

As you can see this is by no means a definative list as I am lacking in imagination. If you want to bring something not on the list, please do.

IlanaK,

Just wanted to say that you're doing a really great job organizing all this and staying on top of everything. Thank you for doing it!

Oops - forgot to confirm, but it now turns out I can't come so will have to cancel.

Sorry about that!

Hear hear Maomao, thanks for all your efforts Ilana.

JJ - thanks for letting us know. Nickiey - this means that you can come

I have sent off the cheque so there is no going back now! I am very excited!

Thanks for the praise too - it made me blush

Happily join you on the card making. DD1 will spend approx 5 secs doing it whilst dd2 will get completely immersed in attempting to cover herself in glue and glitter. Still have to persaude dh to come - he's shy.

I have to check out the availability of the bubble machine to make sure I can borrow it. Prufrock, I'll get back to you!

Sorry but we're going to have to pull out. Really annoyed with friend who waits 45 years to meet someone and then suddenly decides to get married on the 18th.(whole other thread!) We have to go. Hope it goes marvellously well.

Welshmum - thanks for letting us know. This now means that maomao can come. It also means we now have no waiting list. And as we still have not heard from a few people, chance are good that anyone else who wants to put their name forwad can come

PLease remember the deadline for confirming you are coming is the 19th of November. We still have many people who are not signed up for food or drink - please do this so we get an idea of what is coming.

Revised list:

Date and Time - December 18th from 12:30 to 4:30pm

Venue - Coram Fields near Russell Square tube station (large park and playground). We will be in the Band Room

Cost - £1 or £1.50 per family as the room costs £35 to hire

Families attending:

CONFIRMED:
IlanaK
Cori
prefernot
ks
sis
marina
tigermoth
arabica
biketastic
EvaD
unicorn
motherinferior
billijo
hoxtonchick
skmoo
zinger
susies
piximon
merrygoround
yingers74
kazz33
sophable
Edam
twinkie
wills
prufrock
nickiey
maomao

NOT CONFIRMED:
aelita
onlineid
JJ

Activities:

1. colouring festive pictures (Ilana)
2. card making with ks and marina and Wills 3)decorating biscuits with sis and binkie 4)pin the tail on the reindeer with marina
3. dancing to music with bubbles added (bubble machine - tigermoth) 7)pass the parcel with chocolates inside (Ilana) 8)story telling/singng session (Ilana, Arabica and prefernot)

Decorations - tigermoth (streamers) and cori. Biketastic lights.

Tidying up - arabica and biketastic and EvaD

Santa - Kazz33's dh (yippee!) Bring your own present wrapped and labled for your child and Santa will give them out (limit £5 spent per pressie).

Savoury Foods:

1. crips, breadsticks, other finger type crunchy food (IlanaK) (unicorn and tigermoth- crisps)
2. raw cut up veggies and dips, hummous, etc (biketastic - veggies and dips plus salad pots)(unicorn - veggies)
3. cold meats - salamis, ham, chicken, sausages, etc (motherinferior and EvaD- sausages) (prufrock - chicken and cold meats)
4. sandwhiches or rolls (EvaD - egg and ham sandwhiches)
5. cheese (prefernot)
6. falafal - marina
7. australian christmas food - cori
8. rice salad - meerygoround

Sweet foods:

1. mini cakes or a large cake (ks and pixiemom) (billijo - rice crispie cakes) (tigermoth - flapjacks)
2. biscuits (hoxtonchick)
3. chocolates or chocolate bars (skmoo)
4. jelly (biketastic)

drinks:

1. juice (apple juice carton - prefernot) (sis - squash) (Kazz33 - orange and apple juice)
2. soft drinks like cola
3. water (zinger)
4. non-alcoholic sparkling drinks - yingers

Paperplates, cups, etc - (prefernot, susies)

As you can see this is by no means a definative list as I am lacking in imagination. If you want to bring something not on the list, please do.

OK, just a reminder that the deadline for confirming is coming up on Friday. We still have a few who have not confirmed so if I don't hear from you by then, we will assume you are not coming and give the places to people on the waiting list.

Also, I reminder that I am off to AUstralia at the end of the week. I will still be able to log on once or twice, but not often. I will be back 1 week before the party so not much time to do anything then. If there are any major problems while I am gone and I do not log on, perhaps someone else could keep an eye on here?

I have not cheked in detail, but am pretty sure that some people have not signed up for food yet - please do!

Chcek the post below this for the full list.

Hi everyone! I am new to this site. Are we too late for the party? Can anyone give me more details, conditions, etc? My son is 20 months, is it ok?

Hi Katerina and welcome to Mumsnet. You are not too late for hte party at all. We currently have a full quota of 30 families due to attend. However, 3 people have not confirmed and only have until friday to do so. Chances are fairly good that at least one of them may no longer be coming so if you check back at the weekend, we may be able to add your name to the list.

If you scroll down just a little, there is full detai;s on the party and everything you need to know. Basically, it is for any London mumsnet families to meet up and have fun at a christmas party. There will be children of all ages - including babies.

If you have any questions, just post them here

Ilana, you are doing an amazing job with this thread. I trust you are going to have a fabulous time in Oz?