Christmas Eve can be so enjoyable with children, reminding you of your own childhood memories of the festive season. There are a tonne of fun things to do with your Brisbane Kids on Christmas Eve, but here are a few that we think are especially great.
Bake Christmas goodies
Christmas Eve fun has to involve some preparation of festive food. You could get your Brisbane Kids to help you make and decorate a Gingerbread house to be eaten on Christmas Day or bake some fresh cookies for Santa. Christmas treats that donโt need cooking, like Rum Balls or baked goods that just need decorating are ideal for little Brisbane Kids to help out with.
Watch a special video from Santa
Every year, the Portable North Pole (PNP) creates personalised messages from Santa to your Brisbane Kids. Allowing you to customise with your childโs name, age, gift wish list and even if they have been โnaughtyโ or โniceโ, the PNP is sure to be a hit with the whole family! The videos change each year, so even cluey Brisbane Kids will continue to believe. Check out the Portable North Pole website at https://www.portablenorthpole.com/ and keep an eye on the PNP Facebook page for information about when the video will be available this year.
Relax with Christmas movies
Get into the Christmas spirit with some great Christmas movies โ The Polar Express, The Grinch, Home Alone and The Muppetโs Christmas Carol are terrific options for watching with Brisbane Kids. When the younger kids go to bed, you could move on to some funny Christmas movies like โ Elf, The Santa Clause movies, Christmas with the Kranks and Deck the Halls. If youโre after something more sentimental, try Itโs a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, The Christmas Shoes, A Christmas Story and White Christmas. We have put together a list of Every Christmas Movie Ever Made to help you choose.
Sing Christmas Carols
Singing carols can be a lot of fun with Brisbane Kids on Christmas Eve, especially kindy kids when they donโt quite get the words right! Choose some albums from our Must Have Christmas Albums list and gather the family for a sing-a-long. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra have recorded Christmas albums, or go for some contemporary kids artists like The Wiggles or Hi-5. Thereโs no better way to get in the festive mood than with some Christmas carols. For some instant Christmas Eve playlists, check out Brisbane Kids Radio on Spotify, or play directly from the app below. We have two lists – one with more traditional Christmas music, and the second containing NEW Christmas music from 2014 (including songs from Elsa and Anna from Frozen, and The Penguins of Madagascar).
Tour the Christmas lights
A growing festive ritual in many cities of Australia is adorning our homes in Christmas lights. Checking out the magnificent displays is definitely a fun thing to do with your Brisbane Kids on Christmas Eve, though be prepared for the crowds. Maps and lists of the best Christmas lights are put out annually and make it easy to find some great decorations close to home. Pack some snack and take the kids for a drive around the suburbs for a truly magical Christmas Eve excursion. Brisbane Kids publishes a list of fabulous Christmas light locations each year.
Hanging Christmas stockings
Hanging their own stockings on Christmas Eve can be such an exciting experience for Brisbane Kids. Stockings hung on Christmas Eve means that Santa will be here very soon, which brings it all home for Brisbane Kids after weeks of counting down to the big day. You donโt even need a fireplace for this, just a hook, string or something heavy to anchor the Christmas stocking in place.
Picnic dinner under the tree
After a day of watching movies, making yummy Christmas goodies and going out to see the festive light displays, who wants to cook dinner? Put together something that doesnโt take much preparation, throw a picnic blanket on the floor near the tree and let everyone help themselves for a relaxed Christmas Eve meal.
Look out for Santa
Brisbane Kids will have lots of fun on Christmas Eve tracking Santa on his travels using the Official Santa Tracker on http://www.noradsanta.org/ . Add to the joy by creating a Santa viewer earlier in the day to help with their search for Santa. โTelescopesโ can simply be made by decorating empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls. A bit of red paint, glitter and even cotton wool will make a great viewer for spotting Santa and his sleigh zooming through the sky on Christmas Eve.
Leave out a magic key for Santa
One of our favourite fun things to do with your Brisbane Kids on Christmas Eve is the magic key for Santa. Not many of us have chimneys here in Australia, which creates lots of worried questions about how Santa will get inside to leave his presents. Eliminate the concern by making a โmagicโ key for Santa by decorating an old key in paint and glitter. Attach the key to a piece of ribbon for Brisbane Kids to leave on the front doorknob on Christmas Eve so that Santa can easily let himself in. Older Brisbane Kids may even like to write and attach a note for the big man in the red suit.
A snack for Santa and food for the reindeer
Youโve already baked some goodies for Santa, but what about the reindeer? Create some reindeer food by combining rolled oats and glitter and let your Brisbane Kids out to sprinkle it on the lawn as a snack for the tired reindeer whilst they wait for Santa to drop off the pressies. The glitter helps the reindeer spot the food from far away, ensuring your house will not be missed on Santaโs rounds on Christmas Eve. Donโt forget the milk and snack for Santa to be left out just before Brisbane Kids get tucked into bed!
You might also like to check out our list of the coolest Christmas Traditions as a way to ensure the Christmas spirit rings loud and true for you and your family this Christmas Eve.
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