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?????

yingers, there's no alcohol allowed. Having said that at dd's party there recently a friend smuggled some red wine in in a plastic bottle which we stashed on a high shelf away from small hands and it did make the afternoon go with a bit more of a fizz.

Ilana, did you get my earlier text about the sack for Santa and my lack of paper plates cups after all?

oops okay then will perhaps get some of those sparkling fruit/grape non alcoholic drinks then!

And tah for heads up prefernot!

prefernot - a sack from work would be great - thanks. AS to the paperplate situation, there are still a few people that have not signed themselves up to anything - perhaps someone could volunteer for this? A pack of really cheapy ones would be fine.

Thanks kazz for volunteering for juice. Yingers - those sparkling non-alcoholic drinks would be great. I think it would be nice to have some drinks just for the adults. I will add you both to the list next time I update it.

we can bring paper plates and cups, visit a wholesaler regulary, How many do we need, and what about napkins?

Just a reminder that the deadline for confirming if you are coming is the 19th of November. We still have a few not confirmed.

Cori - not sure how many we need, but thanks for offering. We are 30 families so I would guess quite a few plates. Perhaps kitchen roll would be cheaper than proper napkins?

Hi everyone,
Thanks for keeping me on the list - I've been away and offline for a while. As I am under lots of (exciting) pressure at work I'm a very infrequent visitor to MN these days, and I'd like my place to go to those who are in more regular MN contact. I'm also tending to be a bit unreliable atm due to work and home juggling, so would not want to waste a space. Hope it goes really well - it sounds great! XXXXX Blu

Blu - thanks for updating us. It is a shame that you are not coming, but I appreciate you giving up your place to someone else.

Sophable _ you were next on the waiting list so I have added you to the confirmed list. PLease let me know if you do not still want the place.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE everyone add yourself to the list for food/drink so that we know what you are bringing! And also confirm whether or not you are 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
binkie
marina
tigermoth
arabica
biketastic
EvaD
welshmum
unicorn
motherinferior
billijo
hoxtonchick
skmoo
zinger
susies
piximon
merrygoround
yingers74
kazz33
sophable

NOT CONFIRMED:
aelita
prufrock
onlineid
JJ
Edam
charliecatthenonsmoker

waiting list - twinkie, wills, 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)
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 (binkie)

drinks:

1. juice (apple juice carton - prefernot) (sis - squash)
2. soft drinks like cola
3. water (zinger)

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.

Oops, forgot to update the food list so here it is again:

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
binkie
marina
tigermoth
arabica
biketastic
EvaD
welshmum
unicorn
motherinferior
billijo
hoxtonchick
skmoo
zinger
susies
piximon
merrygoround
yingers74
kazz33
sophable

NOT CONFIRMED:
aelita
prufrock
onlineid
JJ
Edam
charliecatthenonsmoker

waiting list - twinkie, wills, 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)
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 (binkie)

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.

Ilana, I might be able to find out if Charliecat's still interested. I'll try to snaffle a sack from work next week then

Hi Ilana, yes, we'll be there! (Edam plus dh plus ds). Anything we can bring/do to help ? brain too numb to think coherently about your list but if you want to give me a task, feel free

have just had e-mail from friend in Japan visiting London for just that w/e, so I think we should bow out

ambivalent icon - as there are SO many people I was looking forward to seeing at the party, but haven't seen friend for 5 years

I know it will be fabulous, and should anyone want to take over as jellymeister, let me know & I'll do link to easypeasy recipe

Im going to duck out as i havent even had time to check the net to see where the blooming heck your all gonna be so the chances of me actually getting there are very slim indeed!
Hope you all have a fab time and im gonna sorely regret this when I see the piccys

Gosh does that mean I can come?

Looking forward to Christmas ks. Don't think I would know what to say to me either

i could try the jelly- we have been invited to jelly and ice cream party at the weekend, and don;t know how to broach the vegetarian thingy. People don't seem to undewrstand that normal jelly is animal and sugar (YUK). So i could practice your jelly thingy, binkie, if you post the recipe.
wills, have also seen your thread and ((hug)) to you.
KS, i have missed your pedancy posts, glad to see another grammar freak around.

in fact it is melted animal - eurg

Attention, Madame ks! Je crache sur ta collection infecte de tampons de Noel (yes, really...I think...I love the way some French words transfer into English but stand ready to be corrected)
Wills, you could come and help us with the Christmas card-making. Obviously sorry that others have had to drop out but really hope to see you there and meet the dds at last...

we could pin the cut of meat onto the reindeer, not just the tail.
Rump steak anyone?