When you’re working in the run-up to Christmas and don’t finish work until a couple of days before it can be hard to feel Christmassy before the big day arrives. You’re so busy with work and are rushed off your feet spending your free time shopping for gifts and planning childcare for the holidays that you don’t give much thought to feeling festive. I never really feel the Christmas spirit until a few days before, but when you have kids you do find Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier!
I refuse to do anything Christmassy before December but I have started to plan a few things for the weekends leading up to Christmas. You have to get in early or there are no tickets left for anything.
If you need a bit of help feeling festive why not book some days out for you and the kids. Here are a few ideas for family days out to get you in the Christmas spirit…
Visit Santa’s Grotto
The obvious one is booking a visit to see Father Christmas. We’ve done a few different ones over the years but our favourite one is at a local garden centre where we’re going again this year. As well as Santa’s Grotto they have real reindeer which is actually Little H’s favourite part! Check out your local garden centres and shopping malls for Santa’s Grottos.
Go Ice Skating
We’ve been ice skating a few times on the weekends before Christmas and it definitely makes you feel all festive, especially with a hot chocolate to warm you up afterwards. We live near Bournemouth and they have a great outdoor ice rink every year, I’d love to go to London to go ice skating outside the Natural History Museum one year, that looks amazing!
Go to the Christmas Illuminations
I’ve booked for us to go to see the Festival of Light at Longleat on Christmas Eve which we’re all really excited about. It’s not cheap but we used our Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for the majority of it which is a good tip if you have some vouchers! If you’re not near Longleat I’ve also seen similar ads for the Magic Lantern Festival in London and The Lanterns at Chester Zoo.
See the local Christmas lights
If you live near a city or big town then a wander around of an evening to see the Christmas lights while you’re all wrapped up definitely makes you feel Christmassy. We also have a street in Poole where every house is completely covered in Christmas lights. So many people head over there in the weeks before Christmas that you can park anywhere near the road. It’s a good (and free!) way to spend an hour and join in the Christmas spirit. Check out the local paper or Facebook pages to see if there’s anything similar near you.
Go to A Pantomime
It might make me sound a bit like the Grinch. but I hate pantos! Kids love them though and going to see a panto does mean it’s nearly Christmas. So if you don’t mind the cheesy acting from has been soap stars then this might be an idea for you.
Visit a Christmas Market
We only have a small Christmas market in Bournemouth, but there’s a much bigger one in Winchester which we’ve been too a few times. A glass of mulled wine (or hot chocolate for the kids!) and buying a few Christmas knick-knacks is a good way to feel festive.
Buy Christmas Decorations
Every year Little H and I go to our local garden centre and look at all the Christmas decorations. They have the usual trees and lights, and also a scene with moving animals and a model train which all the kids love. I let Little H buy a new decoration for the tree and maybe some Christmas chocolates or sweets. It’s a fairly inexpensive way to get that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling.
I hope this has given you some ideas for a few family days out to get you in the Christmas spirit. Have you got anything booked for the run-up to Christmas?
You might also like my post from last year about creating your own family Christmas traditions.
So nice to create these Christmas traditions with your kids! They will never forget it!
So interesting. Thanks for sharing. Wish I were there… ?
What awesome ideas! My family and I will definitely be doing some of these!
Great suggestions! We love visiting Christmas markets and seeing all the pretty lights. Cant beat a good pants too! #DreamTeam x
Visiting the local Christmas lights a favourite tradition for us. I miss my son’s school carol concert now he is older though. That was always a big Christmas joy. #KCACOLS
These are all lovely ideas! We have booked to visit our local santas grotto soon. #kcacols
I love these ideas! Thank you!
So many lovely ideas! I keep saying that we will (eventually) go to the Longleat lights. I didn’t realise that Tescos did vouchers! Thanks for the tip. We might even see you there lol. #DreamTeam xx
All fab ideas. We recently visited a Winter Wonderland and went ice skating so that really put me in the Christmas spirit x
Marvelous ideas! I love to visit the Christmas market in my neck of the woods.
#KCACOLS
Lovely ideas! We went to the panto last night, it was lovely seeing the Christmas trees and lights in town as we were walking to the theatre. #KCACOLS
The memory making far surpasses the gifts long forgotten. Great post! #dreamteam xoxo
The panto is my favourite Christmas activity, great fun!
We’re trying to find a better pantomime this year. The one we went to was a total flop so hopefully, this year’s is more successful.
So many lovely ideas. The street with the lights sounds very cool. We have a street like that here that has massive bay windows with huge Christmas trees!
We have a street in Burnham on Sea that go all out at Christmas and it always looks lovely. you can do quite a few nice things that cost pretty much nothing ! #KCACOLS
These are great ways in which to get in the festive spirit #DreamTeam
Christmas markets and looking at all the local Christmas lights are on our to do list every year. Now my kids are older I do miss the trips to see father Christmas.
#KCACOLS
Some lovely Christmasy ideas, thanks for sharing! I can confirm the Magical lanterns are as magic as in the last 2 editions, if not even more! We’ve been yesterday and will wrap the article shortly 😉 Iceskating at NHM also amazing and even better than hot chocolate for mums, grab a mulled wine upstairs to soak in the views and festive vibes!
Ups forgot again the #kcacols tag!
I love your post!:) Seeing the lights definitely puts me in the mood for Christmas! It is one of my favorite things to do! ?
I love visiting all the neighborhoods around me and seeing the Christmas lights they put up! #DreamTeam
Back with blogger love, from #KCACOLS xoxo
I agree it can be hard to feel Christmassy when you are rushing about. I think visiting Christmas markets and going ice skating are magical things to do. Su #KCACOLS
We’re doing all these things apart from the pantomime. Our daughter is still a little bit too small, but next year we’re 100% taking her! 😀 xx #KCACOLS
I love Christmas and these ideas are fab! #KCACOLS
I love going round different christmas markets and visiting the garden centre to buy a new decoration, definitely gets me more in the mood! #KCACOLS
We always pick a new tree decoration from the local garden centre too! ☺️ I’m ready for Xmas but our 2nd baby is due in three weeks so I’m more focused on that. #KCACOLS
for us Christmas doesn’t really start until the tree goes up. that should be one of my missions next week #KCACOLS
Lovely ideas! We are off to a winter festival this weekend and Santa the following! I cant wait! #kcacols
I’m definitely one of those people who doesn’t start thinking about Christmas until December! I always create a list of presents, people to write cards to and a food shop list but nothing get ordered as a rule until we hit the 1st. Then its full on visiting Santa’s grotto and the Christmas market in town as well as wrapping all the presents and all of that stuff! Mia is at the age now where she is getting excited about Christmas and that’s really nice to see! 🙂
#KCACOLS
We’ve been meaning to go and see the Christmas lights in Central London but haven’t got round to doing it yet – hopefully soon. Great tips! Thank you for sharing #KCACOLS