If you’re facing a Christmas with teenagers then you may well be scratching your head wondering how you will make it magical. Gone are the days of taking them to see Father Christmas and it’s unlikely a book advent will be well received, you won’t be invited to school to watch them in the nativity and persuading them to leave their bedrooms to look at Christmas lights is a battle that will suck all the magic out of the idea before you’ve even left the house. But don’t give up yet there are still loads of ways you can have a magical Christmas even with grumpy teenagers. Here are 7 Christmas activities for teenagers that we think they will love.
Gingerbread house competition
Teenagers generally love competitions, especially if it’s between siblings, so why not set up a gingerbread house competition. You could have it just immediate family or extend the invite to some friends or family members and have a small prize for the winner. If you are really ambitious you can get everyone to bake their own gingerbread but failing that grab a gingerbread house building kit, some extra sweets, icing and other decorations, set the timer and off you go. Then rope in a neighbour, or face time a relative or friend and get them to judge the best house without knowing who built which one.
Christmas Film Night
It’s unlikely you will manage to get your teenager to sit down and watch Arthur Christmas but they may be able to persuaded them to watch a comedy Christmas film like the Night Before (15) or the ever debatable (is it, isn’t it) Christmas, not so classic, Die Hard, especially if there are snacks involved.
Hot chocolate station
If you want to coax your teenager out of their bedroom and off their technology for a bit this Christmas then a hot chocolate station is a great way to do it. Grab some delicious hot chocolates, whipped cream, marshmallows and other toppings along with your festive mugs and watch as they magically appear.
Christmas Baking
Ok so our Christmas activities for teenagers list definitely has a strong theme of food and drink running through it, but if it works it works. If your teenager loves to bake then the possibilities are endless, chances are they will even have some ideas of their own but if your teenager isn’t normally interested then opt for quick and easy recipes that have a slight festive twist on them that you know they will want to eat. Maybe try slow cooker fudge, mince meet pinwheels or even go back to basics and pull out the chocolate slabs and rice crispies. Play some Christmas music, have a laugh and then maybe even share your bakes with the rest of the family by turning them into homemade gifts.
Ice Skating
Ice skating is fun at all ages and if you find a pop up outdoor rink that has Christmas music playing and hot chocolate or mulled wine to boot you’re on to a winner of a festive activity for teenagers.
Elf on the Shelf
Ok so this one seems like I have forgotten I’m writing about teenagers but bare with me. You have two options, if your teenager is the eldest then why not get them involved by asking them to take charge of the naughty little Elf and let them set him up for his siblings. Not only does this get them involved it also gets you out of doing it, winner! The second option, if you now only have teenagers why not keep the elf and just up the naughty behaviour, shock your teenager a little or even take it in turns to out do each other. It might not be the magic you remember from when they were 6 but the laughter of a teenager is so rare the sound of it is magical itself!
Shopping trip
Instead of getting your teenager to write out their Christmas list why don’t you get them to show you whilst making a day of it. Jump on a train to your nearest city and hit the shops, get them to show you the types of things they like and a few things that they would really love. Then hit the Christmas markets for some festive food and drink before heading back home. An afternoon of shopping in their favourite shops followed by hot chocolate and Christmas themed burgers and roasted marshmallows is definitely a Christmas activity your teenager will love.
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