Christmas Eve

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Khurley

New Member
I'm looking for new ideas for this Christmas Eve. We usually take our kids now 5 and 3 to see the tree in DC and then we have lunch in town. We would like to try something new this year and I was wondering if other people have ideas for something fun to do.

Thanks!
 
Elle

Elle

Happy Camper!
All of these are about a 3 hour drive so you may want to make more than a day out of it


Christmas in Hershey
Hershey Park is open with limited rides and special holiday events. Chocolate World is free - my kids enjoy the 3D movie and factory tour ride - last month we did the special Christmas Trolley Tour - Santa hops on board with his list of naughty and nice and hands out a special present to the kids. Their Sweet Lights is an awesome drive through light display.


Dutch Wonderland
never been here but seems to be like Hershey Park - limited rides open with special holiday events.


Great Wolf Lodge
December 6 - 24
Went here this past weekend for their Snowland event - awesome indoor water park fun with from their website -

What do you get when you combine a glittering, winter wonderland with a wet and wild waterpark? Snowland! Our exclusive winter holiday event. It's one of our favorites! A holiday event about so much more than just decorations. It's a year-end celebration which brings busy kids, parents, grandparents, and the whole family back together in a setting which invites you to have fun, relax, and rediscover all the joys of family. Snowland, a GREAT family tradition just in time for the holidays.

Saturday December 6th is Santa's arrival and Tree Lighting ceremony from 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m. Join us as we kick off our Snowland event. Children can meet with Santa after the Tree Lighting ceremony.
We are sponsoring Toys for Tots this year. We will take donations of new unwrapped toys from December 6th-December 18th. Help us in sharing the Holiday cheer with underprivileged children.
On Saturday December 20th we have our Polar Bear race in the Water Park at 8:30p.m. All suites are automatically entered and you must be present to win. We will award first through third place.


Bull Run Festival of Lights
We camped here last year Thanksgiving weekend. Was a lot of fun. Historical battlegrounds nearby and a drive through light display with a carnival and ice skating ring at the end. Coupon on the website.
 
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migtig

migtig

aka Mrs. Giant
:lol: Okay mine are stupid, but they are what my single dad did with me.

One was "reindeer" hunting/tracking. As an adult, I see it was an opportunity to wear me out so I'd sleep hard that night, but :shrug: I still think it was a great time. Think "Easter egg Hunt" meets Christmas.

And your kids are probably too young for this one (and its probably not a good idea), but my dad used to play cards with me until midnight and I'd get to open a present, before heading to bed. Every year until he passed we'd play cards X-mas eve. I really miss that. :stupid:
 
K

Kain99

Guest
I think you should stick with tradition. You have no idea how important these traditions can be to kids.
 
K

Khurley

New Member
I was thinking of taking the kids to see the tree in DC one day while they are off of school so it won't be as crwoded. It's nice to be lucky enough to have it so close.

The ideas are great - I love to hear what other folks are doing with their kids.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
We go to Christmas Eve services at our church, hunt down the one fast food restaurant that's still open and then head home to spread out the "reindeer food" on our front yard.


BTW- Reindeer food is dry oatmeal with glitter mixed in so the reindeers will see if as they fly over.


We also track Santa using Index Page
My kids enjoy seeing where he is and how close to Maryland he is getting.
 
K

ketelone

Guest
RareBreed said:
We go to Christmas Eve services at our church, hunt down the one fast food restaurant that's still open and then head home to spread out the "reindeer food" on our front yard.


BTW- Reindeer food is dry oatmeal with glitter mixed in so the reindeers will see if as they fly over.


We also track Santa using Index Page
My kids enjoy seeing where he is and how close to Maryland he is getting.
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OMG!! I didn't think anybody else did that. I tell people that I do that with my kids and they look at me like I am crazy! Are you from the south? Maybe it is a southern thing.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
ketelone said:
OMG!! I didn't think anybody else did that. I tell people that I do that with my kids and they look at me like I am crazy! Are you from the south? Maybe it is a southern thing.
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Our day-care provider made it one year with our oldest years ago and we've picked up the tradition. We make extra for the two little girls who live near us whose mom believes that Christmas is ONLY about Jesus Christ and not the wonderment of a child's imagination.

This lady tried to tell my 7 yr old that there was no Santa. I went over to her house and told her that it was fine for her to ruin her kid's Christmas by revealing that there is no Santa but not to ruin it for my kids. Luckily my son didn't believe her. He told me that there is no way parents could be Santa because they can't afford all the gifts that "arrive" under the tree on Christmas Day.
 
K

ketelone

Guest
RareBreed said:
Our day-care provider made it one year with our oldest years ago and we've picked up the tradition. We make extra for the two little girls who live near us whose mom believes that Christmas is ONLY about Jesus Christ and not the wonderment of a child's imagination.

This lady tried to tell my 7 yr old that there was no Santa. I went over to her house and told her that it was fine for her to ruin her kid's Christmas by revealing that there is no Santa but not to ruin it for my kids. Luckily my son didn't believe her. He told me that there is no way parents could be Santa because they can't afford all the gifts that "arrive" under the tree on Christmas Day.
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Classic! Love it! Sounds like your neighbor is a scrooge! We just get very odd looks from our neighbors on Christmas Eve because we are out in the yard sprinkling oatmeal and glitter all over the place. We always pray for either rain or wind Christmas Eve though so the kids think the reindeers actually ate it.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
ketelone said:
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Classic! Love it! Sounds like your neighbor is a scrooge! We just get very odd looks from our neighbors on Christmas Eve because we are out in the yard sprinkling oatmeal and glitter all over the place. We always pray for either rain or wind Christmas Eve though so the kids think the reindeers actually ate it.
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My husband and I go out after the kids are asleep and rake it around so it looks like most of it has been eaten.
 
K

ketelone

Guest
RareBreed said:
My husband and I go out after the kids are asleep and rake it around so it looks like most of it has been eaten.
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We do that if it doesn't rain or if it is not windy. We just don't like to go out in th cold and do it.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
ketelone said:
[/B]

Classic! Love it! Sounds like your neighbor is a scrooge! We just get very odd looks from our neighbors on Christmas Eve because we are out in the yard sprinkling oatmeal and glitter all over the place. We always pray for either rain or wind Christmas Eve though so the kids think the reindeers actually ate it.
Click to expand...

She's like that year round. She complains to me because her daughter sees my son in his soccer/basketball uniform and whines to her about wanting to play. She says that us decorating our house for different holidays guilts her into having to do it too because her kids are on her that our house is decorated, why isn't theirs? Heck, she even got mad at me because we got a dog. :ohwell: I wasn't aware that I had to check with her before making any decisions, just to make sure it was ok. :rolleyes:
 
K

ketelone

Guest
RareBreed said:
She's like that year round. She complains to me because her daughter sees my son in his soccer/basketball uniform and whines to her about wanting to play. She says that us decorating our house for different holidays guilts her into having to do it too because her kids are on her that our house is decorated, why isn't theirs? Heck, she even got mad at me because we got a dog. :ohwell: I wasn't aware that I had to check with her before making any decisions, just to make sure it was ok. :rolleyes:
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Sounds like neighbor has issues. That would just fuel the fire for me. I would go all out at EVERY holiday. I mean National Lampoons Christmas Vacation style!!!
 
AnnieC

AnnieC

New Member
migtig said:
:lol: Okay mine are stupid, but they are what my single dad did with me.

One was "reindeer" hunting/tracking. As an adult, I see it was an opportunity to wear me out so I'd sleep hard that night, but :shrug: I still think it was a great time. Think "Easter egg Hunt" meets Christmas.

And your kids are probably too young for this one (and its probably not a good idea), but my dad used to play cards with me until midnight and I'd get to open a present, before heading to bed. Every year until he passed we'd play cards X-mas eve. I really miss that. :stupid:
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awwwww..thats not stupid..thats very sweet....I hope you leave the deck of cards out for him every xmas eve.
Merry Christmas :huggy:
 
theArtistFormerlyKnownAs

theArtistFormerlyKnownAs

Well-Known Member
Awesome traditions guys :clap:
We don't do anything too fancy but mom always got sis and I a new pair of pajamas wear that night (it was a wrapped gift, but we always got that :lol:), then we'd sometimes watch a christmas movie as we got older, and Dad always read The Night Before Christmas to everyone. :yahoo:
 
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