5 Family Friendly, Christmas Activities in Edinburgh
08 Nov 2018
Alie’s top 5 Edinburgh Christmas Activities
Who else is counting down the days until Christmas? In our house Christmas is a big deal.
And so is Advent.
Last year we created an advent calendar with a different envelope each day. The contents ranged from treats and challenges through to activities and even sometimes words of wisdom. The idea being we did something as a family each day. So. Much. Fun… and if I’m honest also quite tricky to keep going at times, but so worth it.
Amazingly we pretty much managed them all (bar 1 as my daughter keeps reminding me we didn’t actually build the DIY Gingerbread House that sat in our cupboard for a few months – oops!)
With that in mind I’m always looking to what we can do as a family in the run up to Christmas. So here it is, my top 5 things to do in Edinburgh this Christmas time…
Alie x
1. Christmas at the Restoration Yard
This Christmas there is so much going on at Dalkeith Country Park that you need to get yourselves and the kids along there at least once.
From Pom Pom making with the kids, through to the festive cinema and of course the all important shopping, it’s literally the place to be.
Oh and word is you can even do breakfast with Santa
We’re huge fans of Restoration Yard and have already booked our tickets for the Late Night Shopping event.
2. Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair
This is a must for us as a family every year. We LOVE the Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping fair. There is so much to see and do. It’s on the weekend of Friday 30th November 2018 – Sunday 2nd December 2018 and it’s one that’s already in our diary.
Above all we can’t wait to see what the amazing Planet Flowers will create (check out what they did last year – Photo by the wonderful Ditte from First Light Weddings) and also our friends at Twenty-Seven will be there with their make your own baubles (always a hit with our kids).
See you there?
3. A truly Scandinavian Christmas
Morningside really is where it’s at this Christmas when it comes to gorgeous, local shopping. The recently opened and super lush Nordic Living by Biehl is launching their Nordic Christmas shop this November and we will definitely be there with bells on.
We’ve had a sneak peak of their Christmas styling at a recent shoot with them and we’re already wowed. The question is how much pretty can we fit into our house?
And just along the road is Spektakulär’s Christmas shop. It’s is looking gorgeous and so many perfect gift for kids and adults alike.
Spoilt for choice: local, independent and personal.
4. Winter Woodland Shoots by Blue Sky Photography
We love all things Narnia, which is why this year at Blue Sky we are so excited to be creating our own magical Winter Woodland in the studio.
With lampposts, snow, hot chocolate (and of course a taste or two of Turkish delight) we have created the perfect environment for your kids to have a ball while we photograph them.
From Thursday 22nd November through to Tuesday 27th November it’s the perfect gift this Christmas and a wonderful experience for your family. Yes I’m bias, but the truth is the kids will LOVE it.
And you’ll get to pick your favourite images and get some gifts organised for Christmas. Just think of all those brownie points from grandparents. Result.
5. Festive treats and eats
Advent isn’t advent without some festive treats and trust us we are all up for some festive treats. Here’s a couple we’ll be indulging in for sure (with and without the kids)
Our friends at Lucas are always a top hit with our kids. I am a firm believer that ice-cream is not just for summer. And with flavours from their Ferrero Rocher (Niels’ absolute favourite) through to their new award-winning Caramel Biscoff, there’s lots to try. Lucas will definitely be on our festive-must-do-list.
And then there’s Honeycomb & co. I mean we loved them before, but then they started doing Afternoon tea every day and we loved them even more. The bonus is for Hive Members you get 10% off your Afternoon tea as an early Christmas present.
You’re welcome!
Alie x