Magical Christmas Ideas for Families
The festive season is about family and making magical Christmas memories. Here are some ideas for some family-friendly Christmas fun.
The kid’s winter break is finally here. Time to make some magical Christmas memories to cherish for a lifetime. We started our own family traditions by kicking off with a magical tour of Christmas lights around central London. Now that Lady Yeya is older, it was time for her to experience the joy of meeting Father Christmas. For more magical Christmas memories, it’s all about bright lights at Lightopia and a trip to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. So off we go for some Christmas fun!
Lightopia: The Palace of Lights at Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace comes alive with an explosion of colours with lights and lanterns at Lightopia for a very magical Christmas season.
We weren’t organised to snag tickets to see the dazzling Christmas light display at Kew Gardens. These highly-coveted tickets usually sell out by mid-July. Yes, I know! But lucky for us, there is a special Christmas light installation called Lightopia at Crystal Palace Park in south London. We were going to a kid’s party at Diddy Dinos and decided to make it a family day out with an evening of magical lights.
Lightopia is truly an explosion of rainbow colours. The 2km trail of magical lights is more than just classic Christmas scenes such as baubles, gingerbread houses, and angels. There are also various light installations including giant butterflies, flowers, and pandas. As an added bonus, there are also a dozen mythical creatures such as unicorns, dragons, and phoenix which the kids loved. Mid-way through the 2km trail, the main feature of Lightopia is a magical 3D mapping projection. The final stretch takes us around the boat lake. As a nod to Crystal Palace’s famous dinosaurs, Lightopia also has a section with animatronic dinosaurs. Perfect for the dinosaur-obsessed kiddo!
Overall, Lightopia is family-friendly and well-organised. There are food trucks, mulled wine stations, toilet facilities, and a small funfair at the entrance. Although the trail wasn’t paved, we managed fine with our Maclaren Techno XL thanks to the recent dry stretch of weather. Lightopia is definitely not your “traditional” Christmas white lights show; rather it is a kaleidoscope of colours for a very non-conventional, yet magical Christmas.
Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park
For a magical Christmas, Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park does not disappoint with entertainment for the whole family.
Long ago during our childless days, going to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was always a fun Christmas event. Together with friends, we would spend hours under the Bavarian tent, enjoying all the festive cheers and merriment. We haven’t been back to Winter Wonderland in years. But this year, we thought Lady Yeya would enjoy her maiden voyage to the ultimate Christmas market in London: Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park.
Thanks to a pre-booking system, we opted for the kid-friendly 10am session where crowds were manageable. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park is huge. It is essentially a big funfair meets Christmas market. There is an Ice Skating Rink, Magical Ice Kingdom, Ice Slide, Zippos Christmas Circus, and a massive Christmas market with rows of alpine chalets selling ornaments and gifts. Lady Yeya was mesmerised by the giant helter skelter, swing carousel, and endless number of funfair games.
For families, it is best to make a beeline to the kid-friendly Santa Land near the Red Gate. All the rides and games are age-appropriate for younger children. Kids can also visit Father Christmas at Santa’s Grotto, that is if you can brave the long queues! We took Lady Yeya on a few Christmas-themed rides including the “polar express” train and the Christmas tree baubles. However, she insisted on riding on the “classic” funfair rides – fire trucks and helicopters – just like her beloved Paw Patrol friends.
A visit to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland never disappoints for some classic Christmas fun.
Magical Santa’s Grotto at Ruxley Manor
A magical Christmas setting to meet Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus at Ruxley Manor.
Local SE London-based families rave about Santa’s Grotto at Ruxley Manor. It’s so popular that tickets sellout within hours. I can see why. Ruxley Manor, a family-owned business and garden centre in Sidcup, does a wonderful job putting together a beautiful Santa’s Grotto.
It’s a lovely curated experience starting with a visit to see Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in a small cosy barn. Here kids made a bag of “treats” to give to Rudolph on Christmas Eve. Then it was on to meet Mrs. Claus and her little helper Elves in her “ sewing workshop” where her helpers were busy making toys. All the children were given a green elf hat to decorate and take home. Finally, down Santa Claus Lane and into a magical room, Santa was waiting for us in his private library. The backdrop was gorgeous with a beautiful Christmas tree, giant nutcracker, and piles of gifts.
Lady Yeya sat across from Santa at his desk. Santa and Lady Yeya had the cutest conversation about if she was naughty or nice; and what was on her wishlist for Christmas. Santa even asked her if mum and dad had been naughty or nice! She told Santa that she will leave him cookies and some water on Christmas Eve. It was such a magical Christmas experience for Lady Yeya. Her face was filled with joy, knowing that Christmas was only a few sleeps away.
For a magical Christmas, there’s no better way than to see Christmas lights, a trip to a classic winter funfair, and see Father Christmas at Santa’s Grotto. What are your favourite activities for a magical Christmas holiday season? Only two more sleeps to go!
“Merry Christmas to all and to all good night”
