Kicking off the Christmas Holidays with the Kids

Kids make Christmas, so if you’re in charge of any little ones this year, you’ll no doubt be run ragged with the energy and excitement of the festive season. There’s no ignoring it, Christmas is well and truly upon us.

Which is why it makes sense to immerse yourself in seasonal spirit, and with this in mind, the busy Christmas elves at B&M have compiled a calendar of fun things for you and the kids to do in the run up to the big day.

Take a deep breath – things are about to get very festive...

15th – Watch a Christmas film

Let’s start off nice and slow. There’ll be lots of Christmas films on TV to choose from, so get the little ones assembled on the couch, with a blanket and some snacks and press play. Top choices include Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – you could even take this opportunity to take a quick snooze!

16th – Make a food basket for the local food bank

Christmas is all about giving, and there’s some people out there who need a little helping hand this time of year. Collecting tinned food and non-perishables with children will help them understand not only about helping other people, but also about how lucky they themselves are.

17th – Write Christmas cards

Reach out to friends and family by sending them Christmas cards. Children will love getting involved, even if it’s sealing the envelopes and sticking on the stamps. We’ve got a range of Christmas cards in-store, with some designs that little ones will love.

18th – Make Christmas cookies

Get busy in the kitchen and get baking. It might be messy, it might take over the entire kitchen, but you’ll have a lot of fun together making some delicious Christmassy biscuits. We recommend traditional gingerbread, but little ones might like good old chocolate chip cookies!

19th Dec – Make a Christmas treasure hunt

This is the perfect ploy to put your feet up – even if it’s for ten minutes. Get chocolate treats like these chocolate coins and hide them throughout the house (and the garden if it’s not too cold/wet!). Get your little ones to go and look for them. At this point, you make yourself a cup of tea and take a break from the chaos happening all around you!

20th Dec – Decorate the house

If you’ve not done this already, some homemade decorations are really easy to do. Paper chains, snowflakes and glitter-covered branches from outside are fun and simple. Pinterest.co.uk is your friend here - just make sure you’re stocked up on glue, paper and glitter.

21st Dec – Make a gingerbread house

It’s wonderful to have a traditional gingerbread house in the home over Christmas – use it as a decoration or eat it, the choice is yours! B&M have gingerbread houses that your can make, and little ones will love decorating them.

22nd Dec – Enjoy a hot chocolate – with ALL the trimmings

It’s cold and dark outside, so perfect weather to make hot chocolates for everyone. Of course, the drink isn’t complete without squirty cream and plenty of marshmallows, so get stocked up and serve them up in these brilliant Christmassy mugs.

23rd Dec – Go on a Christmas lights trip

Pack the kids in the car, give them blankets to keep them warm, put the Christmas tunes on and drive around your neighbourhood looking for the best Christmas light displays. Nothing will get you into the Christmas mood more! 

24th Dec – Go to a pantomime

As traditions go, the Christmas pantomime takes some beating. A trip to the theatre as darkness falls is so exciting for little ones and the interactivity of a pantomime - “Oh no he isn’t!” “Oh yes he is!” – is something will keep children enraptured for the full stretch of the show.

Do you have any good ideas for entertaining the kids over Christmas? Let us know by joining the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!