Christmas is a pretty magical time of the year for little minds that are brimming with excitement and imagination. Kids are eager to embrace the idea of Santa and his reindeer coming to deliver their presents, and everyone enjoys leaving out milk and a mince pie for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph. This year, we have an even more exciting idea to try, to help keep the wonderful magic of Christmas alive for your little ones!

Just follow this simple recipe to make magic reindeer food, then sprinkle it outside on Christmas Eve to help Santa’s reindeer find your home (and give them a tasty treat too)! This makes a great idea for a fun new Christmas tradition, or even a thoughtful and exciting gift for others!

Recipe for Magic Reindeer Food

INGREDIENTS

• 50g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
• Several pinches of red edible glitter / red sugar crystals
• Several pinches of green edible glitter / green sugar crystals

HOW TO MAKE MAGIC REINDEER FOOD

This is an easy, no-cook recipe that is ideal for the kids to help make! Just follow the simple steps below.

1. Roughly measure the rolled oats and pour into a mixing bowl. You can multiply the measurements by how many people you are making the reindeer food for.
2. Add the pinches of edible glitter or sugar crystals. These can be bought from most cake decorating departments and places like Spotlight. If you want to make your own edible glitter, head to sheknows.com for a really simple recipe using just sugar and food colouring.
3. Mix it all together and put it in a container. You can use a simple snap seal bag, or if it’s for a present, you can present it in a nice jar. You could even add a ‘Magic Reindeer food’ label to make it extra special.

FREE Printable Poem

The next step is to print out this free printable reindeer poem. Just click here for your copy! Then add this with your magic reindeer food to complete the gift.

Make the magic happen

On Christmas Eve, before bed, head out in the dark to your yard or outside area. Read the reindeer poem aloud, then sprinkle the magic reindeer food all around. If the moon isn’t bright, remember to take a torch too, so everyone can see the magical twinkly food that the reindeer will be able to spot from the sky to know where to go with their sleighful of presents!

It’s a lovely way to get kids involved and excited, and a fun new idea to add to your family Christmas traditions!

For other fun Christmas craft ideas, check out our ideas for Christmas Fun at Home. You may also like our post with 60 Christmas Traditions, and our ultimate Brisbane Kids Guide to Christmas. Have a very happy and magical Christmas!

The post How to Make Magic Reindeer Food appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Some of the best things happen at Christmas and for our family it is the gift of time. Time for cooking, time for play, time to instill traditions and memories. Colouring in and other Christmas activities that lead up to the Christmas can be as important as that day which is why we asked our illustrator to draw some colouring in templates, especially for Christmas, with an Australian Theme.

Click on this link to download and print them all  BK Christmas Colouring Sheets

The post Christmas Colouring Sheets themed with Australian Animals appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Jingle bells jingle bells…….. The joy on a child’s face when hearing such a wonderful sound at Christmas is priceless. But, instead of listening to the commercialised sound, why not create your own?

With numerous  apps and you tube clips available,  why not try these ideas and  see the joy on your children’s faces when they ‘hear’ Santa!

YOUTUBE Music that sounds like Santa’s Sleigh

From the sounds of Santa’s sleigh getting ready for take off to the sounds of the bells ringing on Santa’s sleigh, from the sleigh coming in for landing for toy delivery to Santa landing on the roof (with some very loud hoof steps!!) there is something for everyone!

Santa APPS

And in this day where you can find an APP for just about everything, why not have a look at some of these ones:

Talking Santa

Allows you to create fun Christmas Greetings that will warm the hearts of everyone!

Santa Tracker

Complete with special Santa sleigh sounds, this app will provide plenty of entertainment in the lead up to Christmas Day!

Santa’s Sleigh Ride

Join the ride with Santa and his reindeer who are involved in training for the annual Christmas Eve dash, complete with magical Christmas sounds.

Or of course, you could always grab a set of bells for an authentic, and old fashioned, sound of sleigh bells!

The post Music That Sounds Like Santa appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Finding the best Christmas Lights in Brisbane all depends on where you live, how much time you have and often how old your kids are. On the Brisbane Kids Christmas Lights list you will find Christmas Lights in Brisbane, Ipswich, Redcliffe Area, Logan City, Caboolture, South Brisbane, North Brisbane and West and East Brisbane.

Brisbane Kids Christmas Lights Map 2017

Christmas Lights Driving Map with 220 Christmas Light locations and growing.

A written list of all the lights on the Christmas Lights Map

North Brisbane Christmas Lights

Ipswich Christmas Lights

Brisbane West Christmas Lights

Brisbane East Christmas Lights

Redlands Christmas Lights 

South Brisbane Christmas Lights

How to find the best Christmas lights in Brisbane

The map will be updated on December 8th for the final time. Many lights especially those in competitions won’t be known for certain until then. 

• Use our map. It’s a google map so you will just be looking for yellow stars and heading to the ones close to you. There are so many competitions in each part of Brisbane now that we focused less on that and more on just listing the best for you!
• When the winners of all the competitions are announced we will go back and make the note on the lists but you should expect all lights to be pretty awesome.
• Wait until December 1st and then keep checking for updated lists. Christmas lights tend to go on from December 1st. If you head our prior or during rain you will likely be disappointed.

If you want to check out Christmas Lights in Brisbane but you don’t want to drive around in your car or go on a tour then you could head to one of the many Brisbane Christmas Markets and you will find many have a Christmas Tree with lots of lights, entertainment and more for kids in Brisbane.

PLEASE NOTE: Local residents have requested that, whilst everyone is warmly welcomed when visiting their Christmas lights, please do not obstruct driveways and be considerate to those that live in the area. Keep the area beautiful for other families to share in the joy and take any litter with you when you leave. We have been told that local councils are placing parking restrictions on some of the more popular locations this year, so please be aware of this to avoid a fine

Please submit your Christmas Lights listing by emailing info@brisbanekids.com.au.

Are you thinking of becoming a Brisbane Christmas Lights Elf?

If you are wondering how people get on a Christmas light list, it is all in the preparation. Some spend many years gathering a collection of Christmas decorations, often purchasing after the Christmas rush and using websites like HOME, Temple and Webster, Mumgo and other discount sites to add to their collections. Gumtree is another place to check out discounted Christmas lights, but buying from here will not ensure that the lights are safe.

If you are unsure about the safety of your Christmas light display, you should consider getting your local firies out to inspect and you may need to make sure you have proper equipment that separates the lights from your main power source. These are all questions for a professional and if you are looking to have an extreme Christmas lights display, then calling an electrician first for advice may be worthwhile.

To anyone who takes the time to set up Christmas Lights: You should know that you are honouring the spirit of Christmas and keeping it alive for Brisbane Kids everywhere. Driving around and looking at the lights is a tradition for many families and, for us as a family, we really enjoy playing the spot the Christmas lights as we drive around on our way to the bigger displays like yours. Thank you so much for both viewing this list and taking the time to submit your lights, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas in Brisbane with Kids. 

NOTE: These Brisbane Christmas light locations have been sourced from direct emails sent to Brisbane Kids, as well as 4KQ, river 949, The Times, Quest, Redland City Bulletin, and various individual Facebook pages belonging to locations with large light displays as well as Facebook groups. If for any reason the Christmas Lights have been entered incorrectly just let us know. 

The post Christmas Lights Brisbane 2017 appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

There’s something magical about twinkling lights. Combine them with an animated Santa, Christmas decorations and music and you’ll capture the imaginations of Brisbane kids and adults alike. As the Christmas light displays get bigger and better each year, it can be a little daunting navigating unfamiliar suburbs with excited family members in the car. That’s why we compiled a list of the best Christmas lights bus tours in Brisbane, as well as some festive cruises that will ferry you and your family around to see the Christmas sights this season. Bring your camera and prepare to be dazzled!

Christmas lights bus tours in Brisbane

Brisbane City Council’s popular Christmas lights bus tours in Brisbane on the evenings of 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd December 2017. Tours commence at 6.45pm and conclude at 9.45pm nightly. There are four tours:

• City – meet at Anzac Square, Ann Street, City
• Northern Suburbs – meet st Westfield Chermside, Gympie Rd & Hamilton Rd, Chermside
• Western Suburbs – meet at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, 322 Moggil Road, Indooroopilly
• Eastern Suburbs – meet at Westfield Carindale, Creek Road, Carindale
• Southern Suburbs – meet at Westfield Garden City, Logan Road, Upper Mt Gravatt

Tour cost is $51.10 per family ( 2 adults and 2 kids), $22.45 per adult and $11.20 per concession or child aged 14- 4 years. Tickets can be purchased in advance through ticketek, and cannot be bought on the bus. The tour includes toilet and refreshment stops, and you can take your own food and drinks.

Christmas Lights 2017 Kangaroo Bus Tours  Another option for those on Brisbane’s north side is the Kangaroo Bus Lines Christmas lights tour. Running on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th December, the tour includes a light supper prior to departure. For more info, or to make a booking, visit their website. Cost is $39 per adult, $29 per child and $99 per family ( 2 adults and 2 kids). Bookings close 8th December. For more information visit their website.

Ipswich City Council will run Christmas lights tours on Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th December. The tour includes commentary, a comfort stop and a light supper. Tours depart from the Ipswich City Council car park (45 Roderick Street, Ipswich). Meeting time is 6.45pm for a 7.00pm departure, returning by approximately 9.30pm. Tour costs $20 per adult and $15 per concession or child. To make a booking, visit their website.

Do it yourself Christmas lights bus tours

Of course, you can always pile the kids into mum or dad’s taxi and conduct the Christmas lights tour yourself! Turn up the Christmas carols, pack some Christmas munchies and visit these locations that we’ve scoped out for you on our up to date list.

Christmas lights boat cruises

Kooaburra River Queens offer a three hour Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner cruise, which includes dinner, live entertainment, and, of course, beautiful views of the Christmas and city lights. Find out more or make a booking here.

Have we missed a bus or boat tour? Let us know about it in the comments below! For more Christmas events, check out our events calendar.

The post Christmas Lights Bus Tours In Brisbane 2017 appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Christmas is a pretty magical time of the year for little minds that are brimming with excitement and imagination. Kids are eager to embrace the idea of Santa and his reindeer coming to deliver their presents, and everyone enjoys leaving out milk and a mince pie for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph. This year, we have an even more exciting idea to try, to help keep the wonderful magic of Christmas alive for your little ones!

Just follow this simple recipe to make magic reindeer food, then sprinkle it outside on Christmas Eve to help Santa’s reindeer find your home (and give them a tasty treat too)! This makes a great idea for a fun new Christmas tradition, or even a thoughtful and exciting gift for others!

Recipe for Magic Reindeer Food

INGREDIENTS

• 50g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
• Several pinches of red edible glitter / red sugar crystals
• Several pinches of green edible glitter / green sugar crystals

HOW TO MAKE MAGIC REINDEER FOOD

This is an easy, no-cook recipe that is ideal for the kids to help make! Just follow the simple steps below.

1. Roughly measure the rolled oats and pour into a mixing bowl. You can multiply the measurements by how many people you are making the reindeer food for.
2. Add the pinches of edible glitter or sugar crystals. These can be bought from most cake decorating departments and places like Spotlight. If you want to make your own edible glitter, head to sheknows.com for a really simple recipe using just sugar and food colouring.
3. Mix it all together and put it in a container. You can use a simple snap seal bag, or if it’s for a present, you can present it in a nice jar. You could even add a ‘Magic Reindeer food’ label to make it extra special.

FREE Printable Poem

The next step is to print out this free printable reindeer poem. Just click here for your copy! Then add this with your magic reindeer food to complete the gift.

Make the magic happen

On Christmas Eve, before bed, head out in the dark to your yard or outside area. Read the reindeer poem aloud, then sprinkle the magic reindeer food all around. If the moon isn’t bright, remember to take a torch too, so everyone can see the magical twinkly food that the reindeer will be able to spot from the sky to know where to go with their sleighful of presents!

It’s a lovely way to get kids involved and excited, and a fun new idea to add to your family Christmas traditions!

For other fun Christmas craft ideas, check out our ideas for Christmas Fun at Home. You may also like our post with 60 Christmas Traditions, and our ultimate Brisbane Kids Guide to Christmas. Have a very happy and magical Christmas!

The post How to Make Magic Reindeer Food appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Finding Christmas presents and birthday gifts for kids who have everything can be difficult. If it is your niece or nephew perhaps you haven’t been to their house to what they already have, or maybe you just had your fourth boy and your house is filled to the brim with toys and you don’t need anymore. Wait until you reach the age when toys don’t even matter and all they want is the latest gaming technology or money. This list is for all these reasons and more. It’s not a gift list about brands and you won’t even find a mention of Lego. Instead, we have created for you what we hope will be a timeless list of present ideas that will cater for babies right through to teenagers. We hope that this Christmas or birthday gift list is as relevant today as it will be in 50 years time.

Non-Toy Christmas trend

We think toys are important to children, so this is not a list about not buying toys for Christmas. An opinion piece written by Latrobe University says, “Play is not limited to any one setting or one product or type of product. The potential for play is anywhere and at anytime”, and “The potential to improve the learning, reading, and experiential processes through play, toys, and games is great”. And we agree.  Toys and play matter.

Timeless gift ideas

• Fishing rod and kit
• A Magazine Subscription
• Nightlight (they aren’t just for babies)

  image courtesy of www.http://www.mynightlight.com.au/

• Two man tent
• Circuitry kit
• Musical Instruments (ukulele, harmonica, electric keyboard, xylophone)
• Finger puppets
• A loom set
• Kaleidoscope
• Craft supplies
• Magician kit
• Pool toys
• Etcha Sketch
• World globe
• Dress ups
• Flower Press
• Hoola hoop
• Tea set
• Doll House
• Child Sponsorship
• Cricket Set
• A fish and fish tank
• Journal
• Sewing machine
• A snow globe
• Jack in the box
• A torch
• kayak
• Skipping rope
• Lava lamp
• A hamper of goodies (like a quality party bad in an old school basket wrapped in celophane
• Marbles
• Experiences
• Camera
• Kinetic sand
• Trampoline
• Pick up sticks
• A terrarium

  Credit for image and this gorgeous Terrarium http://www.thesoulpantry.com.au/

• boogie board
• A big world map for their wall
• A watch
• Piggy bank
• Stationery
• A cookbook
• Bean bag
• Bunch of flowers (special for tween/teens)
• I-tunes voucher
• Tee-pee
• Basketball hoop
• Chess Set
• a slip n slide
• Bubble blowing machine
• Binoculars
• Science Experiments
• Music Player
• Sunglasses
• Play Dough and playdough tools
• A multi tool
• Walkie Talkies
• Sand pit
• Rollerskates
• Telescope
• Microscope
• Indoor bowling pins
• Ant farm
• Popcorn maker
• Puzzles
• Scooter
• Bug catcher
• Origami or Paper plane kit
• Season Passes to zoo
• Rock tumbling kit
• outdoor chalk
• A yoyo
• Craft box subscription
• Air drying clay
• Where’s Wally books
• Metal detector
• Their first wallet
• A fossil
• Fun t-shirt

  This cool shirt is made by https://www.themountain.com/ google for Australian stockists

• Paint supplies
• Board games
• A compass
• Soccer ball or other ball
• Horse riding lessons
• Rubix cube
• A gardening package
• A tool set (tool belt + hammer and nails)
• Jewellery making kit
• Metal detector

If you can think of anything else we should add to our gift list then please note it in comments below.

Reference:  Auerbach, Stevanne, Smart Play/Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High P.Q. California: Educational Insights, 2004.

The post 90 Present Ideas for Kids who have everything appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Getting kids playing outside is not as easy as it used to be, thanks to the pull of computer games, devices and other indoor pursuits. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 50 toys that will keep the kids entertained for hours outdoors, while they soak up the fresh air and Vitamin D. Christmas is saved!

Outside water play

Christmas in Australia is hot enough to fry and egg on a slippery dip, and so kids will love these toys to cool off with:

1. Blow up pool – remember that pool fencing regulations may apply to some pools, depending on depth
2. Water play table – fishing games, water wheels and sail boats feature in these tables of fun
3. Sprinkler – an oldie but a goodie, there are so many variations of the humble water sprinkler
4. Slip ‘n’ slide – everyone’s back yard favourite
5. Pool toys – if you have a pool, there are oodles of noodles, water guns and other toys that can extend the pool time fun
6. Beach toys – buckets and spades, beach balls, toy trucks are all old-fashioned toys which have maintained their appeal today

Outside role play

7. Cubby house – whether you build your own or purchase a pre-constructed one, a cubby house will provide hours of fun for kids of all ages
8. Tree house – this is the stuff that kids’ dreams are made of; a tree house will make any kids’ year!
9. Costume box – a weather proof box that is full of costumes is a great game starter for kids
10. Tent or tepee – this is a gift that will grow with your kids
11. Astronomy set – learn all about space and study the stars together

Outside sport play

12. Obstacle course – great for developing kids’ gross motor skills
13. Cricket set – because backyard cricket competitions are a must at Christmas time!
14. Soccer ball and goals – a great gift for a little soccer star
15. Basketball or netball hoop – get one that has an adjustable height, so it can grow with your kids
16. Totem tennis – fun for the beach, camping and the backyard
17. Handball – challenge your kids to a game!
18. Golf Set / Mini Golf – develop hand eye coordination with this game for all ages
19. Fishing rod and fishing net – catching guppies in the creek is a lovely childhood pastime
20. Boogie boards, surfboards – beach holidays are calling!

Outside messy play

21. Sandpit – bring a bit of the beach to your backyard
22. Gardening tools – gardening is a rewarding and educational hobby for kids
23. Outdoor kitchen – a perfect complement to the sand pit
24. Painting and craft – easels, paints and brushes, sketch pads, pencils… the possibilities are endless!
25. Flower press – a lovely gift to accompany a gardening set
26. Collection box – kids love to collect rocks, feathers, insects

Outside active play

27. Monkey bars – great for building upper body strength
28. Swing set – a traditional swing set or even a tyre swing are always popular
29. Climbing frame – for kids who love to climb
30. Trampoline – almost an essential part of every childhood
31. Hula hoop – kids will be so pleased with themselves when they master this skill
32. Jumping castle – these have become more affordable in recent years
33. Bicycle and helmet – don’t forget the spokey dokeys!
34. Pogo Stick – not as easy as it looks
35. Go Cart – race your siblings and friends
36. Scooter
37. Kite
38. Remote control plane or car
39. Drone
40. Ring Toss
41. Croquet
42. Boules
43. Giant Yard Games – giant Connect 4 or Giant Noughts and Crosses are great fun!
44. See Saw
45. Frisbee

Outside play stocking stuffers

46. Bubbles – bubble machine, bubble mixture, bubble wands = hours of bubble fun
47. Skipping rope – a simple gift that provides plenty of exercise
48. Elastics – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, inside, outside, inside, out!
49. YoYo – teach the kids some of the cool tricks you knew as a child
50. Chalk – chalk on the driveway is a simple delight of childhood and a great stocking stuffer

We also have this great list of gift ideas for kids that have everything!

The post Christmas Gift Ideas For Outdoor Play appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Christmas is the biggest holiday on any Brisbane Kid’s calendar and from the family get together to the almighty Christmas lunch – there are just so many wonderful things that combine to make Christmas such a memorable day.

If you are lucky enough to host Christmas this year, why not consider having an Australian theme?  After all, there are only so many “Winter Wonderland” years you can have!  But don’t worry, I’m not talking about a thong and sarong type of party.  It is Christmas after all, so I appreciate it has to look beautiful!

Below are some quick, simple ways to really enhance an Aussie themed Christmas Day.

A Chic Colour Theme

As you pull out the Christmas tree, thoughts usually wander to what colour scheme you might have this year.  No doubt you will want it to look magical but also very chic and if you are going with the Australian theme then the classic green and gold combination is perfect!  Think glass (or plastic) green and golden baubles, lots of golden tinted fairy lights and with the traditional green tree your already halfway there!  To make the look extra authentic you could even incorporate those colours into your gift wrapping!

The Aussie Themed Christmas Gifts

Now for the gifts! If you are entertaining the masses and your family like to keep gifts low key or you do more of a “secret santa” idea, you could incorporate this idea too!  Why not give everyone a list of some ideas including: a beach umbrella, a small esky, beach toys, pool toys, bbq tools, Australian puzzles or books, recipe books or a native plant? And for the kids, things like Australian-themed toys or puppets, Aussie stuffed toy animals, Ugg boots, a tent, camping gear, swimming togs or a gift card to the local zoo or theme park!

Food, Glorious Food!

Oh, the food!  There is always an incredible amount of food!  Some Australian-themed foods are obvious winners at Christmas like prawns, pavlova and Lamingtons but why not mix it up and re-invent some of our amazing favourites, such as macadamia and mango ice creams or the classic (and very easy) hamburgers with beetroot and pineapple! That’s about as Aussie as you can get!

Fun and Games

What’s Christmas without some fun and games, especially as they are always a really easy way to keep everyone entertained and the little ones (or the oldies) out of mischief?  You could do a “pass the parcel” and inside each layer have Australian jokes or riddles or you could make bon bons and fill each one with funny Australian key rings – something silly but worthwhile! Why not set up some games like Two Up or backyard cricket or even have an Australian Quiz with the winner taking home a meat pie pack or something similar in the Aussie theme?

Aussie Themed Christmas Fun for Kids

Kids love getting into the Christmas spirit – especially if they can get a little crafty and messy.  Here are a few fun Aussie Christmas activities the kids could really get their hands into.

Christmas Thong Decorations

Whilst you go about putting together the elegant fairy-lit green and gold centerpieces, the kids may have a ball creating some quirky Australian thong decorations like these ones found on childcarelounge.com.  Some simple crafting for them and maybe a fun gift idea for any guests?

Sandman Anyone?

Let’s face it, for most of us in Australia, the only white stuff we’re going to see this Christmas is sand. So if you have a sandpit in the backyard why not encourage the kids to build a Sandman instead – like these ones found on I’m Ash?

Aussie Animal Candy Cane Holders

Kids will love these cute Aussie animal candy cane holders and will no doubt be kept busy with scissors and sticky tape as they create them.  You can get the FREE printables from Mother Natured.

Our great country is one to be proud of and our Australian traditions can be a lot of fun to play with at Christmas. This year, why not consider going all out and put together an amazing, Aussie themed Christmas of your own?

To continue the Aussie theme this Christmas, download some of these gorgeous Australian Animal Colouring Sheets for the kids. And for the child who has everything, be inspired by these 90 present ideas that are a little bit different.

The post How to Host the Perfect Aussie Themed Christmas appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

I know what you are thinking, catching Santa in the act!? Do we expect you to stay up all night long?? NO! And imagine you snoozed off for a minute and you missed him! Catching Santa in the act on your mobile phone (Iphone or Android), with a photo is easier than you think and there are lots of different ways thanks to technology.

Option 1. Catch Santa in the Act on Video

This means lots of memory on your phone, a tripod and setting continuous video. You could probably use Zapier or IFFT to automatically send your videos to dropbox or the like OR you could set your own personal alarm a couple of times and come out and download what you have and repeat. Then go back the next day and find out when he got in and then use a program like iMovie to snip the sections so you can just capture that moment.

Option 2. Use the app Santa Tracker

Where is Santa Claus, (it is free with in-app purchases) – it isn’t really Santa but it will be a realistic version of him. This app also tracks Santa. (premium version $1.49 has no ads). You simply take a photo of your tree and Santa is placed in front.

Option 3. Use the app Catch Santa Clause in my house for Christmas

(free with in-app purchases) You simply take a photo of your tree and Santa is placed in front.

Option 4: Use Pic monkey

You would have to upload your the of your Christmas tree to your PC or mac first and then cut out a pic of Santa and superimpose him over your picture – warning this could look fake.

So that is it! 4 easy options for catching Santa in the act.

The post Catch Santa In The Act On Your mobile phone appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre will be a hub of excitement this year when Christmas kicks off with Santa’s arrival!

This year, you’ll be able to join Santa’s ultimate Christmas parade where he’ll be accompanied by puppies, dancing koalas, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol!

Watch them march through centre to live music and wonder at the magic of a first-to-Brisbane, Queensland inspired Santa World which will make you ooh-and-aah with excitement. After the parade finishes at 11am, Santa will be ready to take his place on his throne and take FREE digital pictures with all the Brisbane Kids, so make sure you stick around to get the ultimate Christmas experience!

For more information visit indooroopillyshopping.com.au/events.

Santa’s Arrival at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre

When: Saturday 10th November

Time: 10am – 11am

Where: Starts Level 1, near Coles

Price: FREE

Bookings: Not required

Santa World at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre

This year, Brisbane’s ultimate Santa World can be found at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. As a first-to-Brisbane, this Santa world is a Queensland-inspired wonderland of lights, animatronics, baubles, florals and of course, a sprinkling of magic. With waving koalas and surprises around every corner, this FREE Santa World experience should not be missed!

Location: Level 1, Outside Woolworths

Dates: 10th November – 24th December

Booking: Not required

Price: FREE

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre’s FREE Santa Photos

You asked and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre delivered! This year, come down to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre’s magical Santa World and make Christmas even merrier with a free digital photo with Santa! You’ll be able to share your digital photo with all your Facebook and Instagram friends and purchase a printed version as an option.

Location: Level 1, Outside Woolworths

Dates: 10th November – 24th December

Booking: Sign up on the day

Price: FREE digital photo

With heaps more activities through November and December for the whole family to enjoy, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in 2018, really is the home of Brisbane’s Merriest Christmas. Find out more at indooroopillyshopping.com.au/events.

The post Santa Claus is coming to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre! appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

It’s no secret that Brisbane Kids loves Christmas — the fun, excitement, special family time and cherished traditions. Yet we do recognise that the festive season can be a busy and expensive time for those with kids. So we’ve pulled together this great collection of Christmas hacks to save you time and money this silly season! You may even help the environment too!

1. Ping Pong Ball Lights

Why not create your own Christmas decorations like these awesome white or coloured Christmas lights made using ping pong balls? For full instructions visit advancedmischief.com.

2. Eco Bows

We love ideas that combine saving money with reusing and recycling items, especially when you can create something as beautiful as these eco-friendly gift bows made from old magazines. Visit wholeliving.com to find out how to make your own.

3. Easy Light Hanging

Here’s a great idea from The Family Handyman for using cable ties to hang up Christmas lights on bannisters, deck rails or anywhere!

4. DIY Gift Tags

Recycle last year’s Christmas cards to make you own festive gift tags, like these ones seen on milomade.co.uk.

5. LED Snowmen

These DIY snowmen found on Pinterest can be easily made from LED tealights.

6. Alternative Tree

If you don’t have the space or time to put up a real Christmas tree, why not make a great alternative, like this brilliant fairy light wall decoration see on Pinterest?

7. Printable Tags

Be sure to check out HeyLook for these FREE printable gift tags!

8. DIY Christmas Cards

We love these gorgeous DIY Christmas cards made from recycled paper that we found on Crafting a Green World. Why not make your Christmas greener and save money this year by following their idea of agreeing to do a handmade card swap with other families rather than sending bought cards.

9. Gingerbread Decorations

You can make your own Christmas decorations like these really cute Gingerbread men found on Swanky Decors. It includes a full recipe and instructions for making these or other festive shapes to put on the tree or hang as garlands, and they will last for years!

10. Christmas Tree Napkins

Check out Handimania for the full tutorial on how to fold these Christmas tree napkins for an easy way to create a festive table setting.

11. Recycle Gift Wrap

You would never think this beautiful gift wrap could be made from crisp packets! Visit marthastewart.com to find out how.

12. DIY Olaf

Is your child Frozen obsessed? Don’t spend a fortune on merchandise, just visit onecreativemommy.com to learn how to make your own Olaf from a sock!

13. Candy Cane Placecards

You can make your own festive placecard holders for all your Christmas dinner guests by simply sticking two candy canes together (found here).

14. Wrapping Paper Cuff

Keep your wrapping paper tidy by making a simple cuff out of cut up toilet paper rolls, seen on Joy Astle.

15. DIY Gifts

Need a small gift for teachers, friends or stocking fillers? Then why not check out this page for how to make these cute DIY reindeer hot chocolate gifts?

16. Bauble Storage

When it’s time to pack away the Christmas things, iheart organizing has this great idea for storing baubles safely in egg cartons.

17. Tree Wrap!

This Pinterest idea has to be our favourite Christmas hack of all! Simply wrap your tree in cling wrap when Christmas is over, and it will be ready decorated and creepy crawlie free for next year!

For more great Christmas hacks, check out our Pinterest board here. You may also like our Coolest Ideas for an Australian-themed Christmas, and be sure to visit the Brisbane Kids Guide to Christmas for great Christmas activities, events and ideas.

The post 17 Cool Christmas Hacks to Save Time, Money or the Environment! appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

So, we decided it might be a good idea to make a list of ALL the Christmas movies ever made so that you could sit down with a bucket or two of popcorn, put your feet up and get into the festive spirit as you work your way through the list.  After scouring the internet and beyond and compiling a list of what we believe is every Christmas movie (or Christmas-related movie) ever made though we have decided you will be better off buying shares in popcorn and may have to take an early retirement if you plan to watch them all!!!  I mean, seriously, how many movies do we really need that feature the jolly season Mr. Movie Producer?

This list is by no means complete but is more than an eyeful to start with – and we do plan to continue to grow it a well.  I mean, I’m not retired yet so I haven’t watched them all but might start slowing going through them over the next, say, 10 years.  The plan is to update this and if you have some additions please comment and we will make sure we have it.

So if you’re up for a challenge or just looking for some new Christmas movie material then please, be my guest, and check out the list below of nearly every Christmas-related movie ever made.  Its in chronological order with animated and horror ones in separate lists or just use our handy table of contents. Ho Ho Ho!

Family Christmas Movies

Christmas Carol, A (1908) – Silent Film adaption of the Charles Dickens novel about a bitter old miser who gets a chance for redemption when visited by three ghosts of Christmas past.

Trap for Santa Claus, A (1909) – The children set a trap for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Carol, A (1910) – Silent Film directed by Thomas A. Edison

Scrooge (1913) – directed by Leedham Bantock

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1914) – A boy rides in Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve.

Christus, The (1916) – The story of Christ

The Right to Be Happy (1916) – A version of “A Christmas Carol”

Christmas Carol, A (1917)

My Little Boy (1917)

Night Before Christmas, The (1926)

Babes in Toyland (1934)

Bright Eyes (1934) – An orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.

Lemon Drop Kid, The (1934)

Scrooge (1935) – In the night, Scrooge is visited by spirits of another colour. Straightforward adaptation of Dickens

Heidi (1937) – An orphan girl gets put in her grandfather’s care, then later gets retaken and delivered as a companion for an injured girl.

Christmas Carol, A (1938) – Directed by Edwin L. Marlin

Beyond Tomorrow / Beyond Christmas (1940) – The ghosts of three industrialists return to earth to help reunite a young couple whom they initially brought together.

Remember the Night (1940) – Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting.

Christmas in July (1940) – A man’s co-workers trick him into thinking he won $25,000

Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1941) – When a critic slips on the steps of a businessman’s home and breaks his hip, he takes over the house indefinitely.

Meet John Doe (1941) – A man needing money agrees to impersonate a protester who says he will commit suicide on Christmas Eve.

Penny Serenade (1941) – A couple’s big dreams give way to a life full of unexpected sadness and unexpected joy.

Holiday Inn (1942) – Two men vie for the attention of a beautiful performer at Christmas

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) – A family is devastated when they have to leave St Louis

Since You Went Away (1944) – While her husband is away during World War II, Anne copes with problems on the home front.

I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) – A solider and a prisoner meet at Christmas and fall in love

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.

Bells of St. Mary’s, The (1945) – At a big city Catholic school, Father O’Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – An angel shows a businessman what life would be like if he never existed.

Bishop’s Wife, The (1947) – A bishop trying to get a new cathedral built prays for guidance. An angel arrives, but his guidance isn’t about fundraising.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – An old man claims to be Santa and a lawyer defends him in court to keep him from being institutionalised.

Bush Christmas (1947 & 1983) – In Australia, five children pursue horse thieves through the mountains.

Christmas Eve (1947) – A woman searches for her adopted sons for a Christmas reunion

3 Godfathers (1948) – Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby and swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert.

Miracle of the Bells, The (1948) – An agent is determined to a film released that stars his dead actress  by getting all the churches to ring their bells.

Home for Christmas (1949)

Holiday Affair (1949) – The Christmas-season romance of a young widow and a sales clerk who (thanks to her) is unemployed.

Mr. Soft Touch (1949) – Just before Christmas, a returning WWII war hero, comes home to learn that a gangster has taken over his nightclub and murdered his partner.

Christmas Carol, A (Scrooge) (1951) – An old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by ghosts on Christmas Eve.

Lemon Drop Kid, The (1951)

Heidi (1952)

O. Henry’s Full House (1952)

Holly and the Ivy, The (1952) – A minister and his family reunited at Christmas time.

Christmas Carol, A (1954) – directed by Ralph Levy (TV)

White Christmas (1954) – Two acts team up romantically and try to save their inn.

Every Day Except Christmas (1957)

Santa Claus (1959) – Santa Claus must defeat the evil machinations of the devil Pitch to ruin Xmas.

Babes in Toyland (1961) – Fun with Mother Goose nursery rhyme characters.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962) – Mr Magoo’s animated version of Dickens’ timeless classic “A Christmas Carol.”

Carol for Another Christmas (1964) directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (TV)

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) – The Martians kidnap Santa because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents.

Carol for Another Christmas (1964) (TV) – A man mourning his son is visited by three ghosts.

Heidi (1965)

Christmas That Almost Wasn’t, The (1966) – Sam Whipple receives a visit from Santa who needs help.

A Christmas Memory (1966) (TV) – Adaptation of Truman Capote’s reminiscence about his childhood best friend.

Heidi (1968) (TV)

Christmas Tree, The (1969) – When a son is given 6 months to live his father does everything to make them the best ones he has ever.

J.T. (1969) (TV) – Troubled inner-city youngster adopts a stray cat for Christmas.

Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969) (TV) – Over the Christmas holidays in a small New England college town, a man and a woman share a brief interlude.

Scrooge (1970) – A musical re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale.

Homecoming – A Christmas Story, The (1971) (TV) – A family is preparing for Christmas and they get concerned when the father is late coming home.

A Christmas Carol (1972) – directed by Richard Williams

House Without a Christmas Tree, The (1972) (TV) – A young girl wants a Christmas tree but her father doesn’t.

Dream for Christmas, A (1973) (TV) – A minister is assigned to a poor church that is scheduled for demolition

Miracle on 34th Street (1973) (TV) – An old man claims to be Santa and a lawyer defends him in court to keep him from being institutionalised.

Miracle on 34th Street (1973) (TV) – Remake of the classic tale.

Young Pioneers’ Christmas (1976) (TV) – A young couple and their neighbours celebrate Christmas.

Gathering, The (1977) (TV) – A dying father pulls his torn family together for a last Christmas.

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) (TV) – A poor otter family risks everything for the chance to win the cash prize of a talent contest for Christmas.

A Christmas Carol (1977) (TV) – directed by Moira Armstrong

Christmas Miracle in Caulfield, U.S.A. (1977) (TV) – Based on the true story of coal miners who became trapped underground in a cave-in on Christmas Eve, 1951.

It Happened One Christmas (1977) (TV) – An angel is sent to Earth to show a despairing woman that the world is a better place because she is in it.

Sunshine Christmas (1977) (TV) – A musician decides to take his adopted daughter to his home in Texas to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Man in the Santa Claus Suit, The (1978) (TV) – Three men’s lives are changed when they use a hired Santa suit.

Christmas to Remember, A (1978) (TV) – A city-bred boy learns a lot when he goes and lives with his grandparents on their farm.

The Gift of Love (1978) (TV) – A story of two people, from totally different backgrounds and social status.

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) – Big Bird worries when Oscar tells him that if Santa Claus can’t fit down the chimney on Christmas Eve

The Nativity (1978) (TV) – Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Rich Little’s Christmas Carol (1978) – Rich Little’s one-man show based on “A Christmas Carol”

U.F.O. Blue Christmas (1979)

Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) (TV) – Seasonal sequel to Lillies Of The Field.

A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978) (TV) – Leslie Uggams is celebrating Christmas on Sesame Street.

American Christmas Carol (1979) (TV) – Starring Henry Winkler – based on Charles Dickens’ popular book A Christmas Carol.

Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) (TV) – An ex-soldier builds an orphanage and school for children

Gathering, Part II, The (1979) (TV) – Kate’s children come together at Christmas to protect her from a suitor  who may be after her late husband’s company.

Mr. Krueger’s Christmas (1980) (TV) – An elderly widower relies on his daydreams and faith to get through a lonely Christmas.

Christmas Mountain (1980) – an aging saddletramp discovers the spirit of Christmas

Christmas Without Snow, A (1980) (TV) – A divorced woman moves to a new city with her child, trying to build her life again.

Mr. Krueger’s Christmas (1980) (TV) – A widowed apartment janitor daydreams to escape his lonely life.

The Monster’s Christmas (1981) (TV) – A little girl helps a monster from her book defeat an evil witch.

Nutcracker (1982)

Christmas Story, A (1983) – Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940s.

Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) (TV) – Grace inherits the job of running her church’s Christmas pageant.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) – A British soldier in a Japanese prison camp.

Trading Places (1983) – A investor and a con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Gift of Love: A Christmas Story, The (1983) (TV) – A sick mother dreams of returning to her homeland.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (1984) (TV) – A grandfather who dies makes a deal to return to Earth for a week to show his grandson a real white Christmas.

Christmas Carol, A (1984) (TV) – Directed by Clive Donner

Comfort and Joy (1984) – A comedy about a radio host, two Italian families and the rights to who can sell ice-cream where.

Night They Saved Christmas, The (1984) (TV) – Santa’s home is in jeopardy as an oil company blasts for oil.

Fourth Wise Man, The (1985) (TV) – The story of Artaban, the fourth Magi, who spends his life looking for Jesus his King.

Santa Claus, The Movie (1985) – How Santa came to be and an elf and toy manufacturer who try to eliminate him.

One Magic Christmas (1985) – An angel must show a mother the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Gift, The (1986) (TV) – A widowed New York City architect and his young daughter take a Christmas vacation and end up in a small mystical town in Colorado where everyone belives in Santa Claus.

Babes in Toyland (TV) (1986)

Christmas Snow (1986) (TV) – A heart-warming story about faith, hope and restoration with a silver lining.

Christmas Eve (1986) (TV) – A wealthy elderly woman searches for her grandchildren before she dies

Christmas Star, The (1986) (TV) – two neighborhood children believe an escaped convict is the real Santa Claus.

Nutcracker, The Motion Picture (1986) – The first time this holiday classic was made for the big screen.

Smoky Mountain Christmas, A (1986) (TV) – A country/western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman–and a witch.

John Grin’s Christmas Carol (1986) (TV) – African-American businessman is shown the spirit of Christmas by three ghosts

Christmas Snow (1986) (TV) – A heart-warming story about faith, hope and restoration with a silver lining.

Bushfire Moon (The Christmas Visitor) (1987) (TV) – In the Australian outback, a small boy determines to see that a nasty, curmudgeonly miser gets the Christmas spirit.

Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story (1978) (TV) – Popular screen pooch meets Kris Kringle while preparing for a Christmas parade in Switzerland.

Gremlins (1984) – There are only 3 rules – No water, no food after midnight, and no bright light…

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) (TV) – Kermit and his friends spend Christmas staging a surprise visit to Fozzie Bear’s mother’s farm.

A Mouse, A Mystery and Me (1987) (TV) – A mystery-writing mouse spends Christmas Eve tracking down a missing Santa.

Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987) (TV) – Two truck-driving brothers are hired to deliver Christmas presents and one huge surprise.

Hobo’s Christmas, A (1987) (TV) – An old hobo finds the family he walked out on 20 years before.

Three Kings (1987) (TV) – Three mental hospital patients escape from a Christmas pageant.

Christmas Wife, The (1988) (TV) – A widower not wanting to face his first Christmas alone responds to an ad for “social introductions”.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988) (TV) – Pleasant Ebenezer Blackadder is turned into a cruel and witty miser after seeing visions of his ancestors and descendants.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) – Ernest helps Santa Claus as he searches for his successor.

Roots: The Gift (1988) (TV) – Two men accompany their owner to another plantation at Christmas time and they learn that the son of the owner helps slaves escape.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1988) (TV) – A family try to have a good family Christmas, despite World War 2.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) (TV) – Ernest helps Santa Claus as he searches for his successor.

Very Brady Christmas, A (1988) (TV) – Christmas with the Brady Bunch.

Scrooged (1988) – A selfish TV executive gets haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.

It Nearly Wasn’t Christmas (1989) (TV) – A disillusioned Santa quits Christmas and it takes a little girl to make him realise how much people still need him.

Ghostbusters II (1989) – The staff of Ghostbusters revive the business.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.

Prancer (1989) – A young girl who believes in Santa finds an injured reindeer and thinks it is Prancer.

Home Alone (1990) – A boy who is left at home by mistake at Christmas must defend his home from burglars.

Christmas Toy, The (1990) (TV) – When no people are around, the toys still play in the playroom.

Kid Who Loved Christmas, The (1990) (TV) – A father and son who both have the same Christmas wish – to be together.

Mom for Christmas, A (1990) (TV) – A girl who wants a mom for the Christmas holidays gets her wish when a mannequin comes to life.

The Best Christmas Ever (1990) (TV) –

Home for Christmas (1990) (TV) – A thief befriends a young boy at Christmas. Guess Who’s Coming for Christmas? (1990) (TV) – a stranger who claims to be an alien befriends the town eccentric.

Bernard and the Genie (1991) (TV) – Bernard Bottle discovers a genie in an old bottle.

Midnight Clear, A (1991) – An rival squads during the war put their differences aside and spend Christmas together.

Christmas on Division Street (1991) (TV) – A good-natured homeless man and an ill-tempered student become good friends.

La Pastorela (1991) (TV)

Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991) (TV) – A writer must answer a little girl’s question about whether Santa Claus really exists.

All I Want for Christmas (1991) – A story about two children who are intent on spending Christmas with their parents and grandmother. As they embark on their adventure, almost nothing goes exactly as they planned.

Christmas in Connecticut (TV) (1992) – A famous TV chef must hide the fact she cant cook from the viewers in a live taping of her show at Christmas.

Christmas Stallion, The (1992) (TV) – When a girl’s grandfather dies her uncle must either sell the farm to a greedy land developer, or allow her to keep it.

The Elf Who Saved Christmas (1992) (TV short) – Mrs Buzzard has put a spell on the mailbox, making Santa think that nobody believes in Christmas. It’s up to Toby the tiny mailroom elf to find all the missing letters and make Santa see the truth.

Muppet Christmas Carol, The (1992) – The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale “A Christmas Carol”

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – A sequel to Home Alone, but this time Kevin and the burglars are in New York.

Christmas Vacation ’91 (1992)

To Grandmother’s House We Go (1992) (TV) – The Olsen twins go on an exciting adventure to grandmother’s house

Nutcracker, The (1993) – A little girl dreams her toys come to life and her beloved nutcracker toy does too to save her.

Heidi (1993) (TV)

Look Who’s Talking Now (1993) – Its Christmas time and James and Molly along with their family and pets are dealing with James’ new job and Molly’s lack of one.

Santa Clause, The (1994) – When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.

Trapped in Paradise (1994) – Residents of a Pennsylvania town foil three brothers’ plan to rob a bank on Christmas Eve.

One Christmas (1994) (TV) – A young man is sent to visit his estranged father for Christmas.

Night Before Christmas, The (1994) – Two brothers who hate each other are going to spend Christmas with their mother.

Christmas Romance, A (1994) (TV) – A widowed mother with financial woes comes to the aid of a bill collector who crashes his car in a snowstorm.

Miracle on 34th Street (1994) – A department store Santa is convinced he is the real thing and convinces a little girl too.

Mixed Nuts (1994) – A crisis hotline business has one crazy night during the Christmas holidays.

The Ref (1994) – A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

Home for the Holidays (1995) – A woman needs to face spending Christmas with her family and their crazy antics

Christmas Box, The (1995) (TV) – A ski-shop owner reluctantly moves himself, his wife, and his daughter in to an estate as live-in help for an elderly widow.

Ebbie (1995) (TV) – an updated retelling of ‘A Christmas Carol’ involving a business woman who learns the true meaning of Christmas

A Holiday to Remember (1995) (TV) – Carolyn is leaving the big city with her daughter Jordi for her childhood village, deep in the forest.

The Associate (1996) – A comedy about breaking prejudices and making it on Wall Street.

Unlikely Angel (1996) (TV) – A singer must work with St Peter to earn her wings at Christmas by re-uniting a family.

Jingle All the Way (1996) – A father decides to dream the impossible; to get a Turbo Man action figure for his son just before Christmas.

Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) (TV) – Santa’s wife ends up in New York in the early 1900s near Christmas.

The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue (1996) (TV) – Three children try to convince the president to release their wrongly convicted dad from prison in time for Christmas

Christmas Every Day (1996) (TV) – A teenager is made to re-live Christmas Day over and over again.

Elmo Saves Christmas (1996) (TV) – Elmo wishes that it would be Christmas every day

A Christmas Memory (1997)

Borrowed Hearts (1997) – A wealthy man pays a single mother and daughter to be his family for Christmas.

Vendetta: A Christmas Story (1997) (TV) – Santa gets involved with the wrong people.

The Christmas List (1997) (TV) – A woman learns the lesson “be careful what you wish for”.

Prancer Returns (1998)

Like Father, Like Santa (1998) (TV) – A ruthless toy tycoon travels to the North Pole to put an end to his biggest rival.

Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish (1998) (TV) – Richie Rich gets blamed for spoiling Christmas.

The Christmas Wish (1998) (TV) – A businessman tries to uncover a family secret for his grandmother.

A Chance of Snow (1998) (TV) – A divorced couple get snowed in at Christmas.

A Christmas Carol (1999) (TV)

Must Be Santa (1999) (TV) – Santa must pass his powers on to his chosen successor, but mistakenly passes them on to an ex con.

Ms. Scrooge (1999) (TV) – A different twist on Charles Dickens classic starring Cicely Tyson.

The Greatest Store in the World (1999) (TV) – A woman and her daughters take up residence in the best department store in London.

Barney’s Night Before Christmas (1999) – Barney and friends take a trip to the Norh Pole to meet Santa

A Season for Miracles (1999) (TV) – A homeless woman and her niece and nephew attempt to outrun the authorities during the holiday season.

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) – Big budget remake of the classic cartoon about a creature intent on stealing Christmas.

Once Upon A Christmas (2000) (TV) – Santa’s daughter tries to change a family so they are no longer on the Naughty list

Special Delivery (2000) (TV) – A courier botches the delivery of a baby to its new parents in time for Christmas.

The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) (TV) – A girl steals a weather machine from Santa Claus to make it snow on Christmas Day

Santa Who? (2000) (TV) – Santa suffers an amnesia attack shortly before Christmas.

The Christmas Secret (2000) (TV) (AKA Flight of the Reindeer) – A scientist sets out to prove that reindeer can fly.

Call Me Claus (2001) (TV) – Santa grooms a businesswoman to be his replacement.

Three Days (2001) (TV) – An angel offers a literary agent a chance to relive the last three days of his wife’s life.

‘Twas the Night (2001) (TV) – A boy and his uncle almost ruin Christmas when they decide to take Santa’s new high-tech sleigh for a joyride.

The Sons of Mistletoe (2001) (TV) – A foster home for boys is in danger of being closed when its benefactor dies.

Twice Upon a Christmas (2001) (TV) – Santa’s daughter has lost her memory.

Santa Clause 2, The (2002) – Scott Calvin has been a humble Santa Claus for nearly ten years, but it might come to an end if he doesn’t find a Mrs. Claus.

Silent Night (2002) (TV) – A German mother and her son seek refuge in a cabin on the war front.

Christmas Rush (2002) (TV) – One cop is taking matters into his own hands.

Santa, Jr. (2002) (TV) – Santa’s son is held under house arrest two days before Christmas.

Mary Christmas (2002) (TV) – Widower’s young daughter asks Santa for a new mother.

The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002) (TV) –  A man figures out a way to keep Christmas alive after the war threatens to take it away in his name.

It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) – On Christmas Eve, an angel petitions God to send help for Kermit the Frog

Home Alone 4 (2002) (TV) – A TV sequel to the theatrical original.

Mr. St. Nick (2002) (TV) – An aging Santa Claus must convince his son to take over his job.

The Christmas Shoes (2002) (TV) – A young boy tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for his dying mother.

A Christmas Visitor (2002) (TV) – A family decides not to celebrate Christmas for 11 years after their son dies.

Elmo’s World: Happy Holidays (2002) – What present will Elmo give his goldfish, Dorothy?

Stealing Christmas (2003) (TV) – A criminal hides in a small town and takes a job as a Santa.

Picking Up and Dropping Off (2003) – A divorced father and a divorced mother start to meet at Denver airport when picking up and sending off their children.

Comfort and Joy (2003) (TV) – Single businesswoman wakes up married and a mother after a car accident.

A Carol Christmas (2003) (TV) – A modern, comic re-telling of “A Christmas Carol”.

Eloise at Christmastime (2003) – Eloise insists on helping with Christmas.

Elf (2003) – A tall elf goes in search of his true identity

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure (2003) (TV) – Though Eddie’s fired right at Christmas, his boss sends him and his family on a South Pacific vacation.

A Boyfriend for Christmas (2004) (TV) – Santa plays matchmaker and sets up a young couple for Christmas.

Christmas Carol, A (2004) – The stage production adapted for television starring Kelsey Grammer and Jason Alexander

Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004) (TV) – A wealthy girl visits an orphanage during the holiday season, and tries to house them.

Christmas Child (2004) – A life-sized nativity leads a man to learn about his past and lost family.

Naughty or Nice (2004) (TV) – A boy dying of cancer forces a radio shock jock to be nice for a day.

Christmas With the Kranks (2004) – Parents need to pull off Christmas last minute when their daughter decides to come home for it.

Noel (2004) – Five New Yorkers come together on Christmas Eve, seeking a miracle

Snow (2004) (TV) – With only three days before Christmas, Nick Snowden needs to rescue a young reindeer from a zoo.

Red Boots for Christmas (2004) (TV) – A bitter shoemaker gets a visit from an angel shortly before Christmas.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve (2004) (TV) – A dying man has 12 days (12 chances) to achieve the “perfect” Christmas.

Eve’s Christmas (2004) (TV) – A wealthy and successful career woman gets a second chance in life with a magical wish.

Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) (TV) – A career woman and single mother is wooed by Santa’s son.

Surviving Christmas (2004) – A lonely, obnoxious young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him.

Christmas at Water’s Edge (2004) (TV) – An Angel teams with spoiled college coed to organize Christmas concert at community youth center.

The Family Stone (2005) – An uptight businesswoman attends her partners’ free-spirited family’s Christmas celebration.

Recipe for a Perfect Christmas (2005) (TV) – A struggling chef agrees to date a food critic’s mother.

Three Wise Guys (2005) (TV) – Three Gangsters are hired as hitmen during the Christmas season.

His and Her Christmas (2005) (TV) – Two journalists compete to keep their jobs.

Crazy for Christmas (2005) (TV) – A female limousine driver takes an eccentric elderly rich man around town on Christmas Eve.

Christmas In Boston (2005) (TV) – Two pen pals meet up in Boston at Christmas.

Chasing Christmas (2005) TV – A bitter and burned-out Ghost of Christmas Past decides to go AWOL while on a “mission”.

The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005) (TV) – A girl uses dogs to teach people about the true meaning of Christmas during the Depression.

Meet the Santas (2005) (TV) – Beth’s postponed wedding has to be rescheduled for Xmas eve

Deck the Halls (2005) (TV) – Amother and her son come to believe their new neighbor may be Santa Claus.

Joyeux Noel (2005) – Its Christmas during WWI and the French, German and Scottish get to know the men who live on the other side of the war.

A Home for the Holidays (2005) (TV) – A woman struggles to adopt her orphaned relatives.

Deck the Halls (2006) – Two neighbors fight after one of them lights his house up so brightly that it can be seen from space.

Hogfather (2006) (TV) – It’s Hogswatch on the Discworld and the Hogfather has gone missing

A Christmas Wedding (2006) (TV) – 2 people who meet on Christmas Day plan to marry on Christmas Day two years later.

The Nativity Story (2006) – A drama following  Mary and Joseph’s life when they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.

Santa Baby (2006) (TV) – Mary returns to the North Pole to take over for her dad, Santa.

The Christmas Card (2006) (TV) – US soldier visits the town from where an inspirational Christmas card was sent to him.

Christmas Do-Over (2006) (TV) – A man has to re-live Christmas Day over and over again.

Unaccompanied Minors (2006) – A group of kids bond while snowed in at an airport during the holiday season

A Sesame Street Christmas Carol (2006) (TV) – Oscar the Grouch is visited by three ghosts in an attempt to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.

Santa Clause 3, The (2006) – Santa needs to keep his new family happy and stop Jack Frost from taking over Christmas.

The Holiday (2006) – Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other’s countries.

Road to Christmas (2006) (TV) – A high-powered photographer gets a lift from a widower and his daughter.

A Dad for Christmas (2006) (TV) – A young man brings his baby to his grandmothers for Christmas.

The Year Without a Santa Clause (2006) (TV) – A young man helps Santa rediscover the meaning of Christmas after the jolly man in red becomes disgruntled and decides to take a year off.

Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (2007) (TV) – Sesame Street characters help Elmo count down the days leading up to Christmas.

A Christmas Too Many (2007) (TV) – A Hollywood legend invites her not so normal family home for the holidays.

A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007) – Dennis tries to inject his grinchy neighbor Mr. Wilson with the holiday spirit

This Christmas (2007) (TV) – Whitfield family’s first holiday together in four years.

A Grandpa for Christmas (2007) (TV) – A grandfather and granddaughter develop a close bond when her mother is hospitalised.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (2007) (TV) – A boy and his widowed mother commission a grumpy woodcarver to carve a nativity set.

Christmas Caper (2007) (TV) – A Grinch-like thief retreats to her hometown for Christmas.

Holiday in Handcuffs (2007) (TV) – A struggling artist working as waitress kidnaps one of her customers.

Moonlight and Mistletoe (2007) (TV) – A man runs a year-round Santa Town.

Snowglobe (2007) (TV) – A woman discovers a Christmas-themed dream world inside a magical snow globe.

The Family Holiday (2007) (TV) – A selfish con-man must show that he can be a family man to inherit his uncle’s estate.

Fred Claus (2007) – Santa’s bitter older brother is forced to move to the North Pole.

Christmas Story (2007) – The touching story of how Santa Claus came to be Santa. beginning with a boy (Nikolas) left alone after his parents fell through the ice in the night to take his sibling to a doctor. He later lived with a man that made toys.

A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) (TV) – Gonzo accidentally diverts three letters to Santa

The Christmas Cottage (2008) (TV) – A look at the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade’s painting The Christmas Cottage

Four Holidays (2008) – A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.

Will You Merry Me? (2008) (TV) – A couple learn the hardest part about getting married might be dealing with each other’s in-laws.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008) (TV) – A Retired policeman attempts to kindle romance between his daughter and a visiting chef.

Christmas Town (2008) (TV) – A single mom visits her estranged father for Christmas

Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008) (TV) – Nick walks through a magical mirror and ends up with amnesia.

Christmas in Wonderland (2009) (TV) – Two children find a bag full of counterfeit money and Santa too.

The National Tree (2009) (TV) – A teenager has his Sitka Spruce tree chosen to be planted outside the White House as the new national Christmas Tree.

The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009) (TV) – When two burglars set out to break into his owner’s home Zeus seizes the chance to be a hero.

Santa Buddies (2009) (TV) – Santa’s puppy needs to get back in order to save Christmas.

Mrs. Miracle (2009) (TV) – Widower Seth Webster finds the perfect housekeeper to help him with his unruly six year old twin sons.

Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe (2009) (TV) – Santa needs his daughter, Mary Class’ help again.

Christmas Cupid (2010) (TV) – Sloane is a beautiful, stylish woman on the fast track to success in her public relations firm when a starlet client dies.

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (2010) (TV) – Can Zeus solve the crime, save Bella and hit the slopes, all in time for Christmas Day?

The Search for Santa Paws (2010) (TV) – Magic dogs and an elf team up with two children to rescue Santa who has lost his memory.

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas (2010) – Santa sets off on his Christmas duties a day early and runs into trouble.

Mrs Miracle 2: Miracle in Manhattan (2010) (TV) – No one celebrates the holidays like Emily Merkle – or Mrs. Miracle as she is known by some.

Christmas with a Capital C (2010) (TV) – Small Alaska town erupts into conflict over public Nativity scene.

Christmas Mail (2010) (TV) – A postal worker falls for a woman who answers letter for Santa.

November Christmas (2010) (TV) – A father tries to provide an early Christmas for his seriously-ill young daughter.

The Santa Suit (2010) (TV) – A greedy Toy CEO gets transformed to look like a department store Santa.

A Christmas Kiss (2011) (TV) – A Christmas romance.

Christmas Spirit (2011) (TV) – A cynical youth whose mother is about to lose her job right before the holidays is visited by a magical Christmas spirit.

The Custom Mary (2011) – The story of two preachers and a scientist, who discover two drops of Jesus Christ’s blood.

Mandie and the Forgotten Christmas (2011) (TV) – Mandie stumbles upon the mystery of a long forgotten Christmas.

Lucky Christmas (2011) (TV) – A terminally unlucky single mother wonders if she will ever be lucky as Christmas approaches.

A Dog’s Christmas Miracle (2011) (TV) – A mischievous puppy is determined to break-up her devoted “mummy’s” new relationship.

Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure (2011) (TV) – A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa’s sleigh.

Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! (2011) (TV) – Chaos strikes when a woman and her daughter get separated from their family during the holidays.

A Christmas Story 2 (2012) (TV) – Ralphie Parker schemes to acquire a car for Christmas

A Christmas Wish (2012) (TV) – A single mum prays for miracle when she and her children are left penniless.

A Fairly Odd Christmas (2012) (TV) – Timmy Turner been going overboard with his wish granting.

Home Alone 5 (2012) (TV)

Naughty or Nice (2012) (TV) – Holiday humbug Krissy Kringle receives a special delivery intended for Santa Claus.

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012) – The playful Santa pups stow away in Mrs Claus’ sled and get into all sorts of mischief.

Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas  (2012) – A Jewish boy on his way to sunny Florida trades airline tickets with a boy on his way to snowy Christmastown.

The 12 Dogs of Christmas 2: Great Puppy Rescue (2012) (TV) – The dogs of Doverville are in trouble again

Home & Alone For Christmas (aka 3 Day Test) (2012) (TV) – Martin surprises the wife and kids with a little experiment-he locks them in their own home with no power, no heat, no running water, and absolutely no contact with the world outside!

Guess who’s coming to Christmas (2013)

Christmas Spirit (2013) (TV)

The Christmas Star (2013) (TV) – With the help of his two precocious kids, a widower reconnects with his high school sweetheart

A Madea Christmas (2013) – Madea gets coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas

White Reindeer (2013) – Christmastime is looking swell for pretty, unassuming real-estate-agent Suzanne Barrington.

Santa Claws (2014) – All Tommy wants for Christmas is a kitten, but Santa is allergic. When Santa changes his mind because Tommy has been so good a whole litter of kittens find their way into Santa’s sack, giving him a huge allergic reaction.

Animated Christmas Movies

The Night Before Christmas (1906) – An animated look at the activity happening the night before Christmas.

Shanty Where Santa Claus Lives, The (1933) – Animated short.  Santa takes an orphaned boy to his workshop.

Night Before Christmas, The (1933) – Animated short.

Pups’ Christmas, The (1936) – Animated short.  Christmas morning, and two puppies (and their children) are up early.

Christmas Comes but Once a Year (1936) – An inventor aims to give orphaned children new toys after theirs break.

Captain’s Christmas, The (1938) – The Captain is playing Santa; John and his henchmen stick him up and take over, but John breaks all the toys. They go into town and sing, so badly that people throw things at them to get them to to stop.

Night Before Christmas, The (1941) – Tom and Jerry short.

Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952) – Animated short.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) (TV) – A misfit reindeer and his friends look for a place that will accept them.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas.

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) (TV) – A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.

The Little Drummer Boy (1968) (TV) – An orphan drummer boy finds his life changed forever when he meets three wise men.

Frosty the Snowman (1969) (TV) – A living snowman and a little girl struggle to elude a greedy magician who is after the snowman’s magic hat.

Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) (TV) – A mailman reveals the origin of Santa Claus.

The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (1973) (TV) – Ted gets curious about Christmas so he learns the meaning from Santa Claus himself.

A Very Merry Cricket (1973) (TV) – Short.  Harry and Tucker decide to ask Chester to come back to revive the holiday’s true spirit.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (1974) (TV) – A little girl writes to the editor of a newspaper concerning the existence of Santa Claus

Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974) – A town learns that Santa Claus has struck it off his delivery schedule due to an insulting letter

Year Without a Santa Claus, The (1974) (TV) – Mrs. Claus and the Elves try to stop Santa from skipping Christmas.

Story of the First Christmas Snow, The (1975) (TV) – A blind young shepherd is taken in by some kindly nuns.

Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976) (TV) – Rudolph must find Happy before midnight.

The Little Drummer Boy Book II (1976) (TV) – Aaron, the drummer boy, struggles to protect a bellmaker’s great silver bells from seizure by Roman soldiers.

The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Nestor (1977) (TV) –  An outcast donkey with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.

A Cosmic Christmas (1977) (TV) – Short.  Three aliens come to Earth to discover the true meaning of Christmas.

The Fat Albert Christmas Special (1977) (TV) – Short.  Fat Albert and friends rehearse their play for Christmas with some interruptions.

Stingiest Man in Town, The (1978) (TV)

Jack Frost (1979) (TV) – The Groundhog tells the story of how Jack Frost once became human and helped a knight win his lady love.

Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979) (TV) – Rudolph and Frosty vs evil Winterbolt.

The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree (1979) (TV) – Papa Bear and the cubs search the woods for the perfect Christmas tree

Pinocchio’s Christmas (1980) (TV) – Pinocchio’s first Christmas

A Chipmunk Christmas (1981) (TV) – Swept up in a holiday mood, Alvin gives away his cherished harmonica to a sick little boy.

The Snowman (1982) – A snowman comes to life at night and takes a small boy to meet Santa.

Ziggy’s Gift (1982) (TV) – Short.  Ziggy gets a job to be a street Santa on Christmas Eve

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1984) – Walt Disney’s interpretation of Charles Dickens’ famous tale

Life & Adventures of Santa Claus, The (1985) (TV) – A forest being tells his Council the story of Santa Claus to explain why he deserves to made immortal.

A Garfield Christmas (1987) – Short. Garfield goes to Jon’s grandmother’s house for Christmas.

Will Vinton’s A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987) – Two hosting prehistoric dinosaurs guide you along a typical small town’s Christmas choral celebration.

A Wish for Wings That Work (1991) (TV) – Opus the Penguin struggles to achieve his seemingly impossible dream to be able to fly.

Father Christmas (1991) – Short.  Father Christmas on vacation and on the job.

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (1991) – Short.

Frosty Returns (1992) (TV) – Short.  The continuing exploits of the famous snowman

Nightmare Before Christmas, The (1993) – The king of Halloweentown discovers Christmas Town but doesn’t quite understand the concept.

The Bears Who Saved Christmas (1994) (TV)

A Different Kind of Christmas (1996) (TV) – After the death of his wife, a father starts to act like Santa Claus.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) – Belle prepares the castle for Christmas against Beast’s wishes

Christmas Carol, A (1997) – Feature-length animated musical with the voice of Whoopi Goldberg

Annabelle’s Wish (1997) – A mute boy and a calf with the ability to speak form a deep friendship

Buster & Chauncey’s Silent Night (1998) – Animated story about the creation of the song “Silent Night”.

The Wish that Changed Christmas (1998) – Ivy, an orphan wants a grandmother and a doll for Christmas.

Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) – A dog believes he can replace a hurt reindeer.

Arthur’s Perfect Christmas (2000) – Arthur and friends prepare to make the best Christmas ever.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2000) The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas

Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000) – Kibosh, supreme ruler of all ghosts, decrees that casper must scare at least one person before Christmas Day

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (2000) – A human orphan raised the Faire Folke becomes the benefactor of all human children.

A Diva’s Christmas Carol (2000) (TV) – A very nasty pop singer who gets a reality check by three Christmas spirits.

Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) – Anything is possible, as long as you are brave.

Christmas Carol The Musical, A (2004) (TV)

Polar Express, The (2004) – On Christmas Eve, a doubting boy boards a magical train that’s headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus’ home.

Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006) – Another adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol featuring Daffy Duck.

Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes (2006) – Holly Hobbie celebrates Christmas together with the “Hey Girls”

Toot and Puddle: I’ll Be Home for Christmas (2006) – Toot visits his Aunt Peg to celebrate her 100th birthday, while Puddle stays home

Christmas Is Here Again (2007) – A musical animated tale that follows the exciting journey of a young orphan girl.

Shrek the Halls (2007) – Short.  An animated TV special that features the Shrek characters

Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008) – Another adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol featuring Barbie and friends.

The Flight Before Christmas (2008) – A young reindeer who suffers from vertigo learns to overcome his fear.

A Miser Brothers’ Christmas (2008) (TV) – Santa’s new chief mechanic creates a speedy, new sleigh for Christmas.

A Christmas Tale (2008) – When the matriarch becomes in need of a transplant a whole family is forced to come together, just in time for Christmas.

Santa Buddies (2009) A fun Christmas adventure featuring actual dogs who are on a mission to save the power of Christmas

Christmas Carol, A (2009) – A 3D CGI version of Charles Dickens famous story starring Jim Carey

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009) Curious George struggling with the idea of gift giving

Yes, Virginia (2009) (TV) – Short.  A little girl writes to the editor of a newspaper concerning the existence of Santa Claus

Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010) – Po is hosting the annual winter holiday feast.

The search for Santa Paws (2010) Another real dog movie on another mission to save Christmas

Arthur Christmas (2011) – Santa’s clumsy son Arthur goes on a mission to save one child’s Christmas.

Barbie: A Perfect Christmas (2011) – When the snow forces them to cancel their much-anticipated trip to Manhattan, Barbie and her sisters discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special (2011) This is a short film where sid is placed on the naughty list and seeks to redeem himself with Santa

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (2011) A smurf version of the Christmas Carol

Niko 2: Little Brother, Big Trouble (2012) – Niko the reindeer must deal with his mom getting re-married

Rise of the Guardians (2012) Holidays Icons do their best to defend childhood and all the magic that comes with it. A Wonderful visual animated movie.

Frozen: (2013) 2 princesses along with a funny snowman and other delightful characters work to release a wintery spell placed over the kingdom.

Arthur Christmas (2013) A funny UK 3D animated film that also explains how Santa actually manages to deliver all his gifts

The Star (2017) An animated adventure featuring a donkey off an adventure to follow his dreams

Just released Elliot the Littlest Reindeer (2018) an animated film about a miniature horse has 3 days to fulfill his lifelong dream of earning a spot on Santa’s team

Just released The Grinch (2018) a wonderful modern remake of the Grinch but much more child-friendly- a really wonderful movie

Just released The Nutcracker and the Four Realms A wonderful movie revolving around a key that causes a girl to fall into a magical parallel world.

Adult Christmas Movies

Christmas Burglars, The (1908)

Bad Man’s Christmas Gift, The (1910)

The Night Before Christmas (1912) – Short film. On the night before Christmas, a desperate man will go to desperate measures.

Christmas Holiday (1944) – A young femme fatale-type woman realizes that the wealthy man she married is an incorrigible wastrel.

Christmas Kid, The (1967) – Follows the troubled life of a boy born on Christmas Day.

Home for the Holidays (1972) (TV) – Horror film about an elderly man who summons his children home for Christmas and tells them he thinks his new wife is poisoning him.

Silent Night, Bloody Night (1973) – A man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home.

Black Christmas (1974 / 2006) – An escaped maniac returns to his childhood home on Christmas Eve.

You Better Watch Out (1980) – A psycho in a Santa suit gets to decide who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II (1987) – Ricky, the brother of the killer in the first film, talks to a psychiatrist about how he became a brutal killer after his brother died.

Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984) – A horror film about a killer dressed as Santa who is murdering people at Christmas time.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) – A young tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa

Die Hard (1988) – An off duty police officer is the only one who can save a building-full of Christmas party guests from terrorists.

Silent Night, Deadly Night III – Better Watch Out! (1989) – The “Santa Claus Killer” has been brought back to life by a crazed scientist.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990) – A reporter investigating the bizarre death of a woman

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1992) – An old toy maker and his son make killer toys designed to kill their owners, kids.

Reckless (1995) – On Christmas Eve, a regretful husband admits to his wife that he has hired a contract killer to take her out.

Countdown (1996) – A man falls obsessively in love with a Japanese girl and murders men who show her attention.

Love Actually (2003) – Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives over Christmas

Bad Santa (2003) – A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.

The Night Before (2013) 3 guys trying to reclaim their Christmas traditions of their youth (starring Seth Rogin)

Office Christmas Party (2016) Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman are hilarious in this Christmas movie where an office Christmas party gets out of control

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) 3 bad moms with their even worse mothers- what could go wrong at Christmas time?

The post Every Christmas movie EVER MADE…..well, almost! appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

Roma Street Parklands is once again delivering one of the greatest light shows in Brisbane. Enjoy an extraordinary garden filled with twinkling lights and illuminated plant life with the wonderful Roma Street Christmas Lights, or otherwise known as the enchanted garden.

The Enchanted Garden

What we love about the event organisers of Roma Street Parklands is that they listened to your feedback and this year there will be no queueing for entry. Simply rock up in your best Christmas Lights viewing gear and enjoy the spectacular Christmas night garden. It is hard to explain what to expect but I can imagine from a child’s point of view. The thrill of being in a night garden combined with the ambience that comes from the twinkling of Christmas lights across the lovely weeping willows makes for quite a memory.

The Enchanted Garden

Roma Street Christmas Lights

Entry is free into the Enchanted Garden so you can imagine it does get quite busy but the lack of queuing has now made it more a fluid experience. The Enchanted Garden is operating from 7 to 19 December and entry is free for everyone (pets aren’t invited). It’s open from 6.30pm to 10pm nightly, with last entry at 9.45pm.

Safety considerations

Roma Street Parklands is a wonderful city treasure, meandering walks through pristine gardens with both rare native and exotic plants. It’s important to keep the kids off the gardens as you view the illuminated gardens and stop them from touching any of the displays. There are some strobe lights if this is a concern for you. It is pram and wheelchair friendly.

Getting to Roma Street Parklands

There is limited parking at Roma Street Parklands and even less so over the busy Christmas period. It would be wise to consider making a big family night of it and catching public transport (we will give you some additional ideas below on how you can fill your night with other Christmas fun). If you do wish to drive then you may want to try booking a car space via secure parking to ensure you have a park somewhere in the city.

Other Christmas activities you could do in the city

Brisbane City is literally a hive of Christmas activity. The first thing you should do is check our calendar to see if there are any specific events or one-off night markets. Otherwise, this is our list of go-to things to do in the city over Christmas

• Walk through King George Square and marvel at the incredible Brisbane City Christmas Tree
• In the same location, the City Hall Lights comes alight every 15 minutes as part of the Gold Lotto City Hall Lights. They begin at 7.30pm each night leading up to Christmas
• The Christmas Parade thanks to David Jones is on every single night from the 14th December- 23rd from 7pm. Advice from the Brisbane Kids Team is to arrive much earlier than this to reserve a good spot. They walk through the Queen Street Mall through to King George Square.
• Every single day from the 14th-23rd of December there will be Christmas Markets on in the evening at South Bank from 4.30pm-8.30pm. We love the idea of buying and gifting local!
• Take the kids to see the Myer Christmas Windows, located in the Queen Street Mall, you can just rock up any time with lights on until 1am (obviously all parents are home in bed well prior to that)

The David Jones Christmas Parade

Christmas traditions and building memories with your children will always matter far more than the gifts received. So put aside an afternoon and evening and make an adventure out it. Plan it out and get them involved and enjoy making memories in Brisbane with your kids. We hope you love the Roma Street Christmas Lights as much as we do and if you have any feedback about the Enchanted Gardens we would love to hear about it below in the comments.

The post Roma Street Christmas Lights appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

The best Christmas celebrations are the ones in which we are surrounded by all of the people we love the most.  Our family, our friends and, if we are lucky, an abundance of excited and energetic little children, most of who are bursting with anticipation of what the day (and presents) may hold.  A great way to channel this energy into something that will keep the kids happy but busy too is to set up a few fun and easy Christmas games for them to play throughout the day.

List of Christmas Party Games

These games don’t take long to put together but can mean hours of laughter and entertainment – for the adults as much as the kids too!  Below are some fantastic and simple Christmas games that you can get your kids to play this silly season.

Santa’s trip list

This is a great starter game and one that can be played around the dinner table if kids are getting a little bit restless waiting for their food.  Let them know that Santa is planning a trip (you decide the destination) and he will be taking his sleigh and reindeers.  The kids need to help him plan a list of all the things he needs to take and one at a time they need to call out an item to add to the list.  The twist?  They need to do so in alphabetical order.  So the first child will need to think of something starting with ‘A’, the second child ‘B’ until they have got all the way to the end of the alphabet.

Christmas elf scavenger hunt

What kids don’t love a good scavenger hunt?  Let the children know that some of the presents have gone missing and if, as a team, they can find all of the missing gifts then they can open the one that is filled amongst them.  Give the children a list of what they need to find (a small white box with green bow, 3 x large blue wrapped boxes, a flat package wrapped in newspaper etc etc etc) and then send them on their merry way.  When they have finally found all of the items they can get their reward present to open – and maybe fill this with colour-in sheets and some small sweets….another activity reward at the end!

Snowman drawing blindfolded

This is actually so simple and yet can have some pretty hilarious results!  It’s also a fantastic one to do with ALL your guests – not just the kids.  Give each person a paper plate and a pencil and ask them to put the paper plate on top of their head.  Then, with the plate still there, they need to draw their best snowman on it, obviously without looking.  You can make it harder by asking them draw an item or body part at a time.  The one that looks the best at the end wins a prize!

What’s in the stocking?

Grab a stocking and fill it with a whole range of different items and gifts then, one at a time, get the children to come up and guess what items might be in there only by feeling the stocking.  Things like pinecones and Christmas baubles are great ones to add in as they are easy to guess when felt.  By adding some easy and some hard in it will get the kids excited but also challenge them too.

Christmas word scrabble

This is another fun game that everyone can do and is a unique item to add at each table setting for guests to be entertainment by when they sit down.  Think of 10 Christmas or holiday words (length and difficulty relevant to the age of the receiver) and then scramble the letters around for each. Put the newly scrambled words in a list and see who can complete theirs first by working out what each of their words really are.

Alternatively, give each guest a small bag with actual letters cut out from words in it.  The guest then need to see how many Christmas or holiday words they can make from the letters provided and write them down.  Winner is the person that guesses the most.

Xmas Cookie Decorating

Not really a game but the perfect Christmas kids activity is to set up a pile of Christmas cookies that haven’t yet been iced.  In the centre of the table layout bowls with different coloured icings as well as ones filled with decorative topping options – like sprinkles, silver balls, smarties etc.  Then, let the children decorate their own cookie. There can be prizes for the most colourful, the craziest, the prettiest and the messiest.  The kids will have just as much fun decorating their own cookie as they will eating it at the end!

Helping hands gift wrap

This game is one for older children as it can be a little bit more challenging and requires a fair amount of team work and patience.  Get kids into pairs and then get them to stand side-by-side, holding hands.  Tie the hands together that are held together.  Give each team an empty box (same size) and some gift wrapping materials (paper, sticky tape etc).  The team then have to work together, using only their free hands, to wrap the gift.  This is more difficult then it sounds and the winner is the first team to successfully wrap their present neatly!

Pop goes the snowman

Before the event, create enough little ‘balloon snowmen’ so that you can have one for each child participating.  The ‘snowmen’ are made up of three small balloons that are blown up and taped together with a small face on each.  Put the kids into two teams lined up behind a chair each and fill a container for each team with enough snowman so that each child has one.  On the word ‘go’ children must, one at a time, get a snowman balloon from the container, put it on the chair and sit on it to make it pop.  All three balloons of the snowman must pop before the next child in the team can have their go.  The winning team is the one that manages to pop all their snowmen first.

Sweet mittens

Have you ever tried to unwrap a sweet with mittens on?  It isn’t easy!  In teams, get the kids to one at a time put on a pair of mittens, grab a sweet from a bowl and unwrap it.  When they have succeeded they can eat it and then pass the mittens on to the next person in their team.  The first team to all have a sweet in their mouth wins!

Bowl the snowman

Very much like tenpin bowling except all you need to have fun with this game are some white paper cups and a pair of rolled up socks!  Decorate about 10 paper cups so that when turned upside down they look like a snowman.  These cups can then be stacked or laid out like a tenpin bowling set and kids can take turns trying to knock down as many as they can by rolling their ‘snowball’ sock at them.

Jiggle bell toss

Another simple game that only requires some small paper cups or bowls and a few packets of mini bells.  Kids can take turns to toss 10 bells into the paper cups / bowls and the winner is the person that gets the most in.  Change the level of difficulty depending on the age of the kids by having the cups further away and smaller for older children or the opposite for younger kids.

Christmas charades

Always a party favourite, have the kids play charades from a list of Christmas-themed words.  In teams, children need to pick out a word from a jar that is filled with them and then get others to guess their word by only doing actions that relate to it and by not speaking at all.

Blow the snowball

Literally, all you need for this game is a bag of cotton wool balls and a bag of straws.  Line kids up along the floor with a cotton ball and straw each and put a line of tape down a few metres away from them as the ‘finish line’.  On word ‘go’ kids need to blow their ‘snowball’ as quickly as they can to the finish line.  The winner is the one whose snowball crosses the line first!

Guess the ornament amount

Much like the much-loved lolly jar guessing game, this one involves a small Christmas tree that is filled with tiny Christmas baubles.  Kids are asked to look at the tree and have a guess at how many baubles are on it.  The one who guesses the closest is the winner!

Christmas doesn’t have to just be about waiting around to eat and open presents.  These fun Christmas games and activities not only entertain the kids and adults who are participating but they are a great way to bring families together and, after all, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?  Why don’t you try a few out at your next party?

The post Christmas Party Games for Kids appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

You can’t beat a great Christmas song to get you in the Christmas spirit. They’re great to have on in the background while you put up the Christmas decorations, play in the car during long road trips to visit family, and dance around to on Christmas Day! If you’re looking for Christmas songs that kids love, then look no further than the list below. From traditional songs to movie favourites and everything else in between, we’re pretty sure we’ve covered all bases with this list.

Songs that kids especially love are highlighted in bold below, and all the other classics and modern favourites are there too!

• A Carolling We Go
• A Cradle in Bethlehem
• A Child This Day is Born
• A Christmas Wish
• A Holly Jolly Christmas
• A Perfect Christmas
• All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
• All I Want for Christmas (Is You)
• All Through the Night
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Angels from the Realms of Glory
• Ave Maria
• Away in a Manger
• Baby It’s Cold Outside
• Baby’s First Christmas
• Believe
• Blue Christmas
• Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
• Carolling, Carolling
• Christ Is Born
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas is Coming
• Christmas Time is Here
• Christmas Won’t Be the Same This Year
• Christmas Won’t Be the Same Without You
• Christmas Wrapping
• Deck the Halls
• Ding Dong Merrily on High
• Do They Know It’s Christmas?
• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Driving Home for Christmas
• Feliz Navidad
• Frosty the Snowman
• Gabriel’s Message
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• Good Christian Men Rejoice
• Good King Wenceslas
• Go Tell it on the Mountain
• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
• Halleluja
• Happy Xmas (Was Is Over)
• Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
• (Have a) Holly Jolly Christmas
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• Here Comes Santa Claus
• Here We Come A-wassailing
• I Can Hear the Sleigh Bells Ringing
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• Infant Holy, Infant lowly
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
• I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
• It’s Christmas Time All Over the World
• It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
• I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
• I Wonder as I Wander
• Jingle Bells
• Jingle Bell Rock
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
• Joy to the World
• Last Christmas
• Let it Snow
• Little Christmas Tree
• Little Donkey
• Little Drummer Boy
• Little Saint Nick
• Marshmallow World
• Mary, Did You Know?
• Mary Had a Baby
• Mary’s Boy Child
• Merry Christmas, Baby
• Merry Christmas, Darling
• Merry Christmas, Everybody
• O Christmas Tree
• O Come All Ye Faithful
• O Come Little Children
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• O Fir Tree Dark
• O Holy Night
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• O Tannenbaum
• Once in Royal David’s City
• Peace on Earth
• Ring Merry Bells
• Ring The Bells
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
• Run Rudolph Run
• Santa Baby
• Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
• Silent Night, Holy Night
• Silver Bells
• Sleigh Ride
• Snoopy’s Christmas
• Snow
• Someday at Christmas
• Step Into Christmas
• Suzy Snowflake
• That Christmas Feeling
• The Carol of the Bells
• The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
• The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)
• The Babe of Bethlehem
• The First Noel
• The Holly and the Ivy
• The Twelve Days of Christmas
• The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
• Toyland
• Two Thousand Miles
• Up on the Housetop
• We Three Kings
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• What Child Is This?
• While Shepherds Watched
• White Christmas
• When a Child is Born
• When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney
• Winter Wonderland
• Wonderful Christmastime

Are we missing anything from the list? If you spotted anything missing, let us know in the comments!

Be sure to check out our full Brisbane Kids Guide to Christmas for Christmas Carols, Free Activities, Christmas Lights and more!

The post Every Christmas Song Ever Written for Kids appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

In households all around the world, as children sleep soundly in their beds in the lead-up to Christmas, a small and VERY cheeky elf comes to life! This elf might look like one of Santa’s little helpers, but he’s actually on a mission to cause as much festive mayhem as possible — much to the delight of expectant kids!

Each night, the elf finds new ways of revelling in the joys of Christmastime, with little regard for the usual household rules by which children must abide. If you have an elf and he’s looking for new ways of getting into mischief (as they typically are), check out these ideas below! You won’t believe some of the things this writer and her sisters caught their elves doing!

So Angelic!

If your elf can find a bag of flour, he will love making snow angels for your kids!

Uh Oh!

Let’s hope no one is desperate in this house — the elf covered the whole toilet in wrapping paper!

And They’re Off!

This elf instigated a race with the other toy cars.

Family Portraits

Normal family photos can be pretty boring, unless you have some coloured pens at hand to brighten them up with some festive finishing touches!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

This elf raided the fruit basket and the kids’ sweets box to make a crazy Christmas tree.

White Christmas

Elves love using whatever they can find to spread joyful yuletide messages to one and all!

Midnight Feast

We’ve all been there … It’s late at night, the kids are sleeping, their bag of chocolates is calling to us from the fridge …

Bungee Time

Some elves enjoy extreme sports, like cardboard tube stair rolling!

Doctor in the House?

When these cuddly toys got sick, it was elf on the shelf to the rescue!

Frosty the Snowman

No snow? No worries! An elf can just as easily make a snowman out of toilet paper and a crazy imagination!

We Saw One Ship Come Sailing In

This elf made a pond in the bathroom sink and enjoyed a spot of fishing.

An Eggcellent Surprise

We caught this elf in the fridge, drawing crazy faces on the eggs!

Decorating the Tree

Elves love to help with the Christmas decorations. This one thought that he could improve the look of the boring old Christmas tree with some fake snow!

’Twas the Night Before Christmas

Everyone loves to be read a great Christmas story at bedtime, including the toys!

Naughty or Nice?

This elf wrote a gentle reminder to the kids using toothpaste. Do you think he’s on the naughty list of the nice list this year?

Kitchen Raider

Elves can be pretty ingenious. They may be small, but they can get into anything, especially with the help of some building blocks.

Doodles

Everyone needs their toilet paper brightening up at Christmas, don’t they?

Sleigh Ride

This elf stole Santa’s sleigh, went for a joyride and had a very sad run-in with a snowman.

No Cheating!

When the kids go to sleep, elves love to play board games with the other toys. We just hope this cheeky one plays fair!

For more festive fun, check out Brisbane Kids Guide to Christmas!

The post Easy and Awesome Elf on the Shelf Ideas! appeared first on Brisbane Kids.

As the year draws to a close and our minds inevitably turn to the festive season one of the first items to be discussed amongst family and friends is what our plans are for Christmas Day Lunch.  Brisbane has a range of different family-friendly places that are open for Christmas Day lunch and will take all the stress out of worrying about the organising, cooking and cleaning.

With an endless list of options, you can choose between a buffet-style, set menu, in a restaurant, by the river or even on the river and the best thing is a simple phone call and booking is all that you need to organise!  

Many of the venues also include festive extras like carolers, Santa visits and even kids for kids.  These extras change from year to year but the below places are well known for hosting incredible family Christmas lunches in Brisbane. 

Places that offer Christmas Lunch in Brisbane

Gambaro Seafood Restaurant 

As most Aussie Christmas spreads usually includes our world-famous seafood then where better to dine than at one of our most popular and award-winning seafood restaurants?  Gambaro Seafood Restaurant’s Christmas Lunch is everything you expect it to be.  Usually, a multi-course menu that is laden with fresh seafood options, the famous lunch also comes with a beverage package and, if past years are anything to go by, a visit from Santa and carol singers too.  You can check out their last years Christmas Lunch menu here and to make a booking call their events team on 07 3369 9500. Located at 33 Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace

Sofitel 

Enjoy your Christmas lunch in style and with a view to match.  With two lunchtime festive options, you can choose between celebrating in the Thyme Restaurant or, if you are feeling particularly fancy, the Ballroom Le Grande.  At lunchtime, enjoy live entertainment, children’s entertainment and of course Santa Claus will be visiting children with a special gift! Christmas Day Lunch includes free-flowing French sparkling wine, a selection of house wine, beer, soft drinks and juice.  Oh, and a visit from Santa too!  Contact the hotel on 3835 3535. Located at 249 Turbot Street, Brisbane

Il Centro

Situated right in the heart of the city, and with views over the Brisbane River, Il Centro is an Italian-lovers delight.  Boasting a fine balance of casual yet elegant al fresco and indoor dining with a modern Italian flavour, the Il Centro Christmas Lunch menu usually offers up both traditional and contemporary Italian delights as well a few little surprises as well.  Keep an eye out for their Christmas menu on their ‘whats on‘ page and to make further enquiries call the restaurant on 07 3221 6090. Located at 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane City

Black Fire

Black Fire in Brisbane serves a predominantly Spanish menu specialising in whole roasted meats, pinchos and tapas which is centred around organic and free-range produce.  Their Christmas Celebration menu promises to offer you a selection of these plus desserts to enjoy with your family on Christmas Day.  Bookings can be made by calling the restaurant on 07 3013 0058. Located at 74 Albert Street, Brisbane City

The Glen Hotel 

The Glen Hotel caters extremely well for big families who are keen to enjoy a long, delicious warm lunch without having to worry about children getting tired or bored.  The large adventure playground, as well as a visit from the man in red, will keep the kids easily entertained so parents can relax after the full hot and cold buffet and make use of the drinks package on offer.  On-site hotel rooms (with use of the pool) are also available to book should you have family coming from out of town or if you want to make a full day of it.  You can enquire about a Christmas lunch booking via their celebrations page or contact them directly on 07 3270 6666. Located at 24 Gaskell Street, Eight Mile Plains

Vintaged Bar and Grill at the Hilton

With fresh local produce and traditional favourites like a roast turkey and Christmas pudding, the Hilton’s Vintage Bar and Grill Christmas lunch menu will gift you with something to please everyone.  With multiple options to choose from in each of the three courses offered patrons will delight in their choices of main and then indulge themselves fully in the dessert buffet to finish it off.  With a glass of something sparkling on arrival and a children’s menu as well, bookings are essential and can be organised by calling the restaurant on 07 3231 3265. Located Level 6, 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane City

The Stamford Plaza

Another hot spot with a beautiful location is The Stamford Plaza, which is located close by the Brisbane River and right by the beautiful botanical gardens.  Each Christmas they celebrate with a buffet lunch featuring some of the freshest seafood, traditional roasts and delicate desserts as well.  Guests can also enjoy a 3-hour beverage package, carolers and a visit from Santa with a sack full off gifts!  Keep an eye on the website for booking details or you can contact the restaurant on 07 3221 1999. Located Corner of Margaret & Edward Streets, Brisbane

Three Blue Ducks  

New to its Brisbane location but with a big following down south in Byron and Sydney where it originated, the Three Blue Ducks offer modern Australian food and pride themselves on the sustainable, ethical, seasonal and locally sourced produce that dictates their menu.  With a less white tablecloth dining and more come-as-you-are kind of vibe, the Christmas Lunch buffet at Three Blue Ducks offers fresh produce, delightful desserts and sweeping views over the Brisbane River.  You can find out more and book your Christmas Lunch by contacting the guys on 07 3556 8833. Located at Level 3, W Brisbane, 81 North Quay, Brisbane

The Regatta Hotel  

This beautiful vintage Queenslander and well know landmark in the suburb of Toowong sits right opposite the Brisbane River.  Each year it hosts an annual Christmas lunch in its award-winning Boatshed restaurant complete with four courses and a 3 hour beverage package to boot!  You can expect traditional Christmas flavours including, Roast Turkey, Beef Wellington and fresh local prawns as well as some delicious desserts as well.  If you are after a more endless affair then the seafood buffet lunch option offered upstairs on Level 1 may be more to your liking.  You can find out more information on their website or give them a call on 07 3871 9595.  Located at 543 Coronation Drive Toowong

The Marriott Hotel

The Marriott Hotel, situated in the heart of Brisbane City, offers a deluxe Christmas buffet lunch menu with 3 hour beverage package in both it’s Grand Ballroom and Motion Restaurant.  With different prices for adults, teenagers and kids (infants below 3 years are free) the buffet features an array of fresh hot and cold seafood, a carving station of succulent roast meats, gourmet salads and an abundance of decadent desserts.  Bookings can be made by contacting the hotel directly on 07 3303 8000. Located at 515 Queen Street, Brisbane

River Quay Fish 

It spells it out in its name and the menu is no different.  Its all about fish at River Quay Fish and at Christmas the restaurant opens its doors with a festive Christmas lunch menu that features the popular ocean dwellers as well as some more traditional fares too.  With sweeping city views, the restaurant offers a four-course spread and a Christmas kids menu too.  Booking will be essential so keep an eye out on their website or contact them on (07) 3844 3993 to find out more details about what is on the menu this festive season. Located at River Quay, Sidon Street, South Bank

Kookaburra Showboat Cruises  

Why celebrate by the water this Christmas Day when you can enjoy your festive feast ON the water instead?  Kookaburra Showboat cruiser allows you to enjoy your Christmas lunch as you cruise gently past the beautiful botanic gardens, kangaroo point cliffs, maritime museum, Southbank precinct, the Brisbane wheel and many more of the city’s sensational attractions. Choose between either a full buffet spread and drinks package on the traditional Kookaburra Queen paddle steamer or a Table d’hôte option aboard the Voyager, with a three-course buffet, served to you at your table with spectacular fanfare.  Both options include free soft drink, juice, sparkling and selected beer with kid’s prices and discounts for students and pensioners too.  You can check out more information on their Christmas lunch cruises here or contact the Kookaburra Showboat Cruises on 07 3221 1300. Located at Eagle Street Pier, 1 Eagle St, Brisbane

Treasury Hotel

If you are after a spectacular festive lunch menu featuring the freshest locally-sourced seafood, quintessential Australian BBQ meats, international cuisines, salad bar, a dessert extravaganza and all your traditional Christmas favourites then look no further than the Treasury Hotel’s Grand Buffet Lunch.  Along with all the food you can also expect roaming carollers, gifts for children up to 12 years old – plus a visit from the man in red himself!  The lunch bookings sell out fast so keep an eye on their events page or contact the hotel directly on 07 3306 8888 for more information.  Keep an eye out for Spring sales on their Christmas booking prices too! Located at 130 William Street, Brisbane

Lennons Restaurant & Bar 

Situated underneath Next Hotel in Brisbane City, Lennons Restaurant and Bar offers a three-course Christmas Lunch menu, with a separate menu (and price) for kids.  Nuggets, fish and sliders are popular options for the kids while adults will have options including local seafood and traditional turkey dishes.  With a drink on arrival included as well as a gift from Santa for the kids, let the staff at Lennon’s do the hard work for you instead!  Christmas lunch details can be found here or you can call them on 07 3222 3283. Located at Level 2-72 Queen Street, Brisbane

C’est Bon 

If you are after a more intimate setting and with a little more French flair then C’est Bon’s Christmas menu may be more to your liking.  Although known to serve enticing 7-course menus, there are always smaller kids menus available for the day as well.  You can find out more information on their website event page or by calling them direct on 07 3891 2008. Located at 609/611 Stanley St, Woolloongabba

The Euro 

Going one step further, The Euro, a very contemporary restaurant in Brisbane City offers a decadent 5 course lunch, a children’s Christmas lunch menu and also a vegetarian Christmas lunch menu for its guests.  Keep an eye on their website for further details or contact them direct on 07 3229 3686 to make a booking. Located at 181 Mary St, Brisbane City

Rydges

Right in the heart of Southbank, Rydges Hotel offers a traditional seafood and meat Christmas Day buffet as well as an all-inclusive beverage package too.  With visits from the man in red and a live band to get the atmosphere jolly your family could enjoy the festivities without even lifting a finger!  Call the hotel directly to get further information and to book on 07 3364 0800. Located at 9 Glenelg St, South Brisbane

Mecure Hotel 

You and your family can enjoy a full seafood buffet this Christmas in the luxurious Grand Chelsea Ballroom at the Mecure Hotel.  Complete with all the trimmings, there are different prices depending on your age, festive music and visits from Santa as well.  To book, call 07 3237 2454. This is their 2019 Christmas menu and booking details https://www.mercurebrisbane.com.au/christmasday2019.html Located at 85–87 North Quay, Brisbane. 

Costs

The cost of getting someone else to prepare and serve your family Christmas Lunch can be expensive and it depends on where you go, what type of menu you go with and how many family members you are paying for as to how much your final bill will amount to.  Whether you choose buffet or a la carte, table service or a drink package – costs can vary from $20 – $200 per person!  Still, when you consider all the planning, groceries, decorations, set up and logistics of hosting the day yourself, not to mention the fact you are usually run off your feet and left to clean up at the end.

Get in quick!

With all of these places offering multiple courses and delicious fresh produce, one thing is certain if you want to have Christmas Lunch in Brisbane. If you decide you want to have Christmas Lunch out, then you best you will want to book in quick!  Having someone else take the hard work out of the day so that everyone can relax is a very popular option and so these Christmas Day lunches tend to book out fast.  Keep an eye out for early bird specials too.  Many offer discounts or even complimentary items if you book by a certain date.

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If you ever had a “real” Christmas tree growing up, you’ll know that the smell of fresh pine evokes happy, festive memories. At the Granite Belt Christmas Farm, walking through their fields of Christmas trees is sure to bring those memories flooding back.

The farm, which is run by locals Brad and Katrina Fraser (along with their two children) is the only Christmas tree farm in Queensland that is open to the public. An annual family visit would make a lovely Christmas tradition, and help boost the economy of rural Queensland. 

Things to do at Granite Belt Christmas Farm

The Granite Belt Christmas Farm hosts various events throughout the year, such as their annual Christmas in July picnic, so keep an eye on their events calendar for details. In addition, you can buy a real Christmas tree, feed Santa’s animals, visit their Christmas gift shop or enjoy a coffee or Belgian hot chocolate.

Choose a Christmas tree to take home

Families are welcome to walk through the avenues of trees and choose one to take home. The cost of the tree depends on its height and whether you require netting to transport it. The main harvest weekend is to be held on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December in 2019 between 9 am and 4 pm each day.

During the harvest weekend, there will be all-day BBQs, face painting and visits from Santa. If you miss the harvest weekend, you can still visit the farm between 1st December and 23rd December from 9 am until 4 pm to choose your real Christmas tree.

The farm grows more than 10 000 Christmas trees which are shaped four times per year, so you’re bound to find one that is just right for your home.

Feed the Christmas animals

Admission to the Granite Belt Christmas Farm is free, and for just $2 you can buy a bucket of animal food to offer to the Christmas animals, including reindeer, donkeys, goats, sheep, ducks and chickens.

There’s plenty of wide-open spaces here for the kids to run around on this family-friendly farm, as well as plenty of Christmas themed paraphernalia to keep kids interested or to use as a photo prop. And although Christmas trees can only be purchased during December, the farm is open to visitors year-round, Wednesday to Sunday from 9 am until 4 pm (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). 

Visit the Mistletoe Christmas store

 Stepping into the Mistletoe Christmas store you’ll find a wonderland of Christmas decorations, cards, ornaments and gifts. There’s also vintage collectables, jewellery, scarves, homewares and cookbooks. For the kids, there is a “Children’s Winter in Wonderland” book corner.

But undoubtedly the best thing about the Mistletoe Christmas Store is the large range of home-made, hand-crafted Christmas treats and chocolates. Chocolate lovers will rejoice at the Signature Chocolate Slabs with flavours like “Festive Midnight Snack” (Belgian chocolate oozing with caramel and lightly salted pretzels), or “The Perfect Crunch” (Belgian milk chocolate bound with honeycomb, topped with popcorn, caramel and salt flakes). There’s plenty of other drool-worthy options too, including rocky road, Turkish delight and “Rudolph’s magic freckles”.

Indulge with a Belgian hot chocolate

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