In the morning, only let your children open a stocking or a couple of small gifts. Encouraging to open things throughout the day (and even into Boxing Day too) not only keeps the excitement going, but keeps their interest in each present a little longer.
For even more fun why not try a Christmas Present Hunt? Hide presents around the house (and even garden) for your children to find. If you’re feeling really creative you could create a treasure hunt with clues! If you cant quite face any preparation, hide a set number of items around the house, such as 10 chocolate coins, 5 reindeer statues etc to find!
Get creative with your Christmas breakfast! There are some brilliant ideas on Pinterest to get you started… or even better get your children to create their own Christmas trees from fruit or reindeer pancakes! Have a look at more North Pole Breakfast ideas here. You might not want to do all the food with a Christmas Dinner looming, but decorations and activities are key!
Make sure that you plan some times in advance- you don’t want to ring people when they’re in the middle of stuffing their turkey! If you have other friends and family with children, use the time to play some games. One of the best ones is shouting out an object that you have in the house, and the first person to return to the screen with that object gets a point. My daughter LOVES playing this!! Dust off all those quiz skills that you gained during lockdown and do a HUGE family quiz! After some more inspiration for virtual games? Have a look at these 10 easy games you can play with family! For ideas on ways to connect with friends and families, see this post.
Christmas Day doesn’t have to be all about good food, make sure you have a great selection of drinks too! Read the BBC Good Food’s List of Christmas Cocktails and Mocktails (yes, get the kids involved too)…. and you could even get them to help mix their own mocktails!
Is it only second cousin Jonny who likes those spuds? Great, no need to make them. This Christmas treat yourself with things that YOU want to eat. There’s no judgement, no rules. Are Baked Beans the only vegetable your children will eat? Great- serve them up to accompany the Turkey. Does everyone prefer ice cream to anything else for dessert? No need for that Christmas Pudding. Get out your family favourites, and RELAX. This year’s Christmas Dinner is no different to a Family Sunday Dinner. If you want to mix it up a bit, how about these alternative Christmas Dinner ideas.
Lots of entertainment companies are offering tailored recorded messages, such as this one! Or even better, some entertainment companies are offering personalised virtual parties, like this one!
Make sure that you enjoy your family time with some standard festive family activities;
Put some ideas on notes in a jar, on balloons, or put some down on a big poster and get creative! What are some easy & fun activities that you can do in the next month, few months, or even year ahead? Go swimming, picnic in the park, trip to an ice-cream parlour?
Wrap up warm for some time in the garden. Build a fire and toast some marshmallows, snuggle under blankets and look at the stars, enjoy some mulled wine or grapefruit juice… or just wrap the kids and let them play outside for a bit! And keep your fingers crossed that it snows- because there are loads of fun outdoor activities that you can enjoy with snow and ice!
Christmas Music, Flashing lights, Kareoke (?!?) and a nice long list of Christmas Games for children that you could play too! Sprinkle in some extra fun with a bubble machine, party poppers and streamers! For the more competitive amongst you, Wii games, a gingerbread house building competition, a Christmas themed sports day or even board game tournaments.
Just because it’s your household, you can still keep things special. Get out that special dress that you save for Christmas. Save your Christmas jumpers and cosy PJs for the rest of the day.
One the Turkey’s in the oven… take advantage of not hosting by getting out for some fresh air. Get wrapped up and get outside on your favourite family walk! Dont forget a flask of mulled wine and some mince pies. For ideas for family walks around Leeds, have a look at this page! And remember in these times local communities pull together- there’s no doubt a Festive Trail or some fantastic street lights to enjoy. If you live in Leeds have a look here at our suggestions.
Many local pubs open for a few hours on Christmas Day for drinks. It’s a great place to feel festive and soak in the merry atmosphere!
Find out the times of your local church services. Most churches often offer a children’s service on Christmas Eve. Often children are encouraged to dress up as characters from the nativity, and they are usually very interactive with all your favourite children’s carols!