Weekend planner : Things to do with your family this week

As an antidote to the frenzied, commercial lead-up to Christmas, a great family tradition to start is an activities advent calendar. Write down 24 activities to do with your children from December 1 to Christmas Eve and put them in numbered envelopes strung up on a Christmas card holder (you could use tinsel and pegs), or in the pockets of a fabric advent calendar (you could decorate a 24-pocket shoe organiser). Keep most of the activities short and simple - things you can manage even when you are exhausted in the evenings - for example, watch a Christmassy film together, have hot chocolate with marshmallows, go for a walk to see a street where the residents go overboard with their house decorations, read a Christmas bedtime story, cut out paper snowflakes, have dinner by candlelight. Include activities you would do anyway, like decorating the Christmas tree or making mince pies, and any outings you have already planned, like a trip to an outdoor ice-rink or pantomime. You can even sneak in chores, such as donating old toys to a charity shop or delivering Christmas cards. Much more magical than 24 mouthfuls of chocolate.