On the third day of parenting – entertaining family Christmas activities

For so many people Christmas means family.  It’s often a time when many families are able to spend more time at home together with school holidays, and some workplaces closing down for a week at Christmas. That’s one of the benefits I have at this workplace, it closes for Christmas so there’s no fighting over who gets the time off each year and who needs to cover the office.  The advent period is also a great time to do special things with family and friends as well.

Here’s some of the family Christmas activities we get up to, plus other ideas. All perfect for keeping a family occupied over the holiday period.

Advent

The best thing about Christmas is often the anticipation of the run up, especially if you have young children. Advent can be special even if you don’t go to town on the chocolate advent calendars.

Here’s fun things to do for families in the run up to Christmas:

• Make family advent calendars – add a chocolate coin to each pocket or drawer and a family activity. Or have an Advent book a day calendar
• Pick a real tree – either go somewhere to choose your own from the forest, or simply from a local shop or stall.
• Create a hot chocolate station with lots of sprinkles. You can even make hot chocolate in your slow cooker – have it ready and waiting for you on your return from tree picking
• Declutter the house – sell it to the kids as making space for Christmas
• Go to a Christingle or nativity service at a local church
• Go to a Christmas panto or ballet.
• Go to a Christmas music performance – we enjoyed the Snowman/Nutcracker at Coventry Cathedral last year and I still remember the Royal Albert Hall Carol singing event I went to as a child.
• Write Christmas lists
• Make your own Christmas cards – take Christmas photos of the family (try comedy photo booth style, or fun snow scene ones.  Find out how to make snow here, if there’s non where you live
• Try winter sports – ice skating outside is magical even in the day time, or try skiing or sledging on dry slopes
• Cook sweet chestnuts and crumpets over an open fire
• Read Christmas themed books
• Go to Christmas light displays – try National Trust, Garden Centres, local town centre tree switch ons
• Take the kids to see Father Christmas
• Decorate the house and tree
• Make a wreath for the front door using greenery picked up on a walk
• Go on a Christmas steam train ride
• Build a new Christmas display out of Lego each year

Christmas eve to boxing day

• Start new family traditions – new pyjamas, go to midnight mass, write a note to Santa and leave out sherry and mince pies.
• Sing Christmas carols
• Watch The Snowman and other Raymond Briggs based films
• Play board games
• Have a special breakfast – get the kids to help make it
• Go for a boxing day walk – arrange to meet up with neighbours
• Go to any pantos or shows post-Christmas

The best thing about Christmas is getting together with friends and family.   So make your own rules and fun, and start some new traditions you can repeat each year.

What Christmas family activities do you do each year?

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