Have a family outing
It may be a bit nippy, but the run-up to Christmas is a great time to go out with the kids. Taking them to a panto is the obvious thing to do - the kids will have a ball, and you'll get to laugh at the C-list celebs making fools of themselves on stage.
It's also worth checking whether there's an outdoor ice rink nearby. Most big cities set one up in the winter, and there's something wonderfully Christmassy about wrapping up in scarves and going for an early evening turn around the rink.
Christmas films
The cinema is also a perfect port of call during the Christmas break. The big festive film this year is set to be Fred Claus, which stars Vince Vaughn as Santa's ne'er do well brother. It's lightweight family fun with a heavyweight cast - we're talking Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz and Miranda Richardson, so there's plenty to interest adults as well as kids.
Also on offer is Enchanted, a feel-good Disney flick which combines CGI, live action and good old traditional 2D animation to tell the story of a fairy tale princess who finds herself trapped in our world. Plus it's got Julie Andrews, the most Christmassy actress ever.
There's still more escapism to be had with Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which stars Dustin Hoffman as the 243-year-old owner of the greatest and most magical toy shop in the world. It's like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but with toys instead of sweets, and is bound to blow your kids' minds, as well as giving you a couple of hours chill-out time!
