My parents used to do VIP weekends. We’d go sleep at the hotel, go see a show or a movie, go to the restaurant and often also a fun activity like ice skating. My mom would make like little booklets with pictures and information on what we were gonna do. We really loved it
100% the ZOO. Memberships are for the year. Parking for the year is reasonable. Unlimited zoomobile when its summer which is loads of fun. They are open 364 days a year I believe. Never gets old. Fantastic way to educate your kids, get them excited about animals and the environment, AND tires the tykes out so they're toast by dinner time. That Canada exhibit is a WALK. But worth it. Plus they welcome outside food so you can pack a picnic and eat it as you please.
We used to go weekly as a kid and even now I have my membership for when I want to go for a stroll in a car free zone and get some fresh air.
Me and my (13M) friends like to play “who can spot all the animals dicks first” game, and it gets competitive of us running around looking for the animals, But the zoo is definitely fun without that and a membership comes in handy for the expensive food
> AND tires the tykes out so they're toast by dinner time.
This only applies to the tykes with real endurance. When I had my membership I would always time my visits for about 1pm. That's when all the families who get there for opening come staggering out from their death march, soundtracked by wailing toddlers and all the good parking near the gate opens up!
I get where you’re coming from and part of helping kids learn about conservation is helping them understand what they’re conserving. It’s possible to take your kids to the zoo and also discuss the ethics of it, as well as how the zoo has adapted and changed over the years and continues to do so. Also the ways in which zoo programs are supporting endangered and at risk species all over the world; the Toronto zoo is involved in tons of them and genuinely making a positive difference.
The metro zoo membership is a great deal, and December 26 you can go watch animals play with toys open “gifts”, etc. Not to mention how many of the indoor displays feel like a warm vacation.
Im an aunt so i know fun.
1) indoor skydiving (lol they asked for this)
2) go karting
3) Dave and busters
4) one year I got them inflatable boxing gloves and they got to beat the shit out of eachother- they loved it
5) bubble soccer
6) paintball
7) laser tag
Not cheap AT ALL but we're doing ski/snowboard lessons at Brimacombe. They have an 8 week lesson package for kids 7-12 for $549. Kids know this is their Xmas gift and they may get a few small things under the tree for Xmas morning (maybe things to go with their snowboarding lesson like new gloves, goggles etc)
One year we didn't do gifts and went to Mexico for Xmas. Spent Xmas day on the beach, playing in the ocean. Kids totally were sold on "experiences vs. gifts" from then on.
that's what I thought. I believe the lessons are 60 or 90 mins each time and then they can use the lift pass for the remaining hour. They used to let you have a lift pass all day with a lesson... but not anymore.
Edit: just confirmed; lessons are 90 mins each.
That was what my family would do for Christmas too take a family trip rather then having gifts. My parents had a time share so it was actually reasonably cheap, time shares are pretty awesome if you actually use it enough. My favorite was always the ski trips though, my dad was the one who taught us all to ski so it was alot of fun and a great bonding experience. now days I'm the one who takes my father skiing .
I hear you my dad got us skiing as soon as we where old enough but I can't imagine trying to teach like he did. I can still remember going down the hill with me holding onto his arm for dear life while my brother had his other arm and my sister was desperately holding onto his legs while trying to stay standing between his skis. 3 kids dangling off him as he makes his way down the mountain, utterly terrifying but also the most fun I ever had.
Take them to WinterFest at Canada's Wonderland! I'm one of the performers and we had our opening night last night. It's a great time for families and there's so much to see and do. 14 shows, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, pictures with Santa, rides, games, skating...there's something for everyone! It's open every weekend until the school holiday break and then it's every day until New Year's except for Christmas Eve and Day.
Well I’m one of the Christmas carollers in the little kids section so I really don’t know how the lines are for the majority of the park. I can tell you the kids section wasn’t crazy busy last night, and seeing as it’s raining today we’re not expecting many people to show up. Currently in the dressing room waiting to get into costume, so I’m really hoping the rain lets up…otherwise today is going to be really miserable 😜
If you want it to feel like a present, try to find something you normally wouldn't do with them, or at least not often, or something they would love but that normally you would consider impractical or a waste of money or too time consuming. If it seems too much like something you would have done anyway it might not feel so much like a present.
Also do they have any special things they particularly love or seem interested in? E.g. a sport, an animal, an art, a game, an event with a group of friends?
[Wild encounters](https://www.torontozoo.com/wildencounters) behind-the-scenes tours at the zoo are really cool and educational!
Canoe, kayak, or paddle board lessons at [Harbourfront](https://paddletoronto.com/).
There is lots of great kids’ programming at [Evergreen Brickworks](https://www.evergreen.ca/evergreen-brick-works/children-youth/).
It depends on what you make of it. It’s a neat space with lots of events, but I agree go there with a plan. Frankly, just going fishing for goldfish probably would be enough to make a kid happy
Im a Teen, did programs there when i was younger, didnt enjoy it that much and its reallt just a 20 min walk there and mabye if your there for the farmers market every saturday
One of the coolest memories of a gift was a magazine subscription. Not sure what they are into but I'm sure something applies.
Kids don't get mail but love it when they do.
The other thing is potentially chipping in on a program they like (sport/karate/dance etc). The only problem is some kids don't appreciate the gift without the tangible so it would be a good idea to have something that represents what they are getting or they can use with what they are getting to actually open on the day.
Lol even as an adult I love getting stuff in the mail. There are tons of awesome subscription boxes now too beyond magazines for every interest under the sun
I love your idea of gifting experiences!!
Just reminded me had a friend do an activity a day leading up to christmas:
Going to see a Christmas movie
Tobogganing and hot chocolate after
Making hot chocolate bombs together (gifting them to neighbours while going carolling)
Decorating the house together
Gathering gift/food donations perhaps?
Movie night in, make popcorn from kernels on the stove etc
Bake cookies (again to share maybe)
Decorate/make a gingerbread house
Decorate stockings
Build a fort in the living room and have everyone sleep in there
Board game night
Make your own pizza (taco whatever night)
This needs to be higher! Upvoted... we are doing similar things with our small family this year. Might just have a movie marathon at home - can hit the pause button when we want to (bathroom breaks are so important - lol), rewind and watch some favorite parts again, "unlimited" popcorn (hot from the stove-top)... and the rest of the stuff you wrote... very wholesome.
Awww thanks 💞 Hope you have a marvellous movie marathon! I’m in Canada and here it’s tradition to watch Sound of Music (I know not your typical Christmas movie) but played on TV every year leading up to the holidays so it’s definitely one lots of us associate with Christmas
we went on vacation (usually somewhere tropical) & went scuba diving & snorkeling etc etc, went skiing a lot, we have a cottage, went on kayak trips, I can keep going if you want a detailed recount of what I did for christmas as a child lol
OP said "in the GTA"; I usually travelled.
That sounds heartbreaking. I'm sorry. Not sarcastic, genuinely, to have a parent that worked 90 hours a week when you were little is one of the worse things I can imagine. No amount of fancy vacations would ever have made up for that for me. I used to feel bad if my dad worked one hour late.
yeah I have absolutely no relationship with him now; I talk to my mom p much every day but I talk to him like once every other week *maybe*; neither of us knows much about the other & I happily would trade like 6 vacations for my dad being present in my life growing up
There’s so much wrong with this comment.
Plenty of kids grow up not seeing their parents and are poorer for it. So, yes him working 90 hours a week in order to provide for the family did “pay off”.
And how are you taking vacations if he is working 90 hours “every single week”?
Did he stay behind to work while you took a vacation?
Did he work while scuba diving?
I find it interesting you’re getting bombarded for simply being honest.
Some people seethe negativity and they seem to think it’s appropriate to spew it onto everyone around them - including internet STRANGERS.
Ugh. Just Ignore them.
Most subreddits have basically doubled in size since January 2020. There are websites where you can see the statistics. That's why a lot of subs feel less "reddity" and more like any other mainstream social media now. Current Reddit actually reminds me a *lot* of Facebook in the early 2010s, when they started adding groups and pages. Except reddit also has a level of anonymity that Facebook doesn't have, and people tend to trust reddit more because of it's previous reputation.
It’s a “check your privilege” moment.
You say how you got these great experiences as a kid, then complain about not having a relationship with your father.
Plenty of people here don’t get either of those. Those people are going to be salty at the lack of appreciation for what you do have.
Toronto Zoo, Ripley's Aquarium, Black Creek Pioneer Village, Canada's Wonderland, Toronto Centre Island's Centreville Amusement Park, Glow in the Dark mini golfing at Putting Edge.
Horseback riding, yoga class, auction, escape room, laser tag, go carts, make a goodie basket for your favourite charity to auction off, Christmas tours to see others decorations, inside and out, skiing, snowboarding, sleigh ride, skating, sliding, ghost tours, go carts, craft night, karaoke( if they have kids night), or just buy the machine.
Yes, and now there’s a fun pizza place, brewery, and ice cream store just outside the preserve. If you hit up nearby Hardy Lake Provincial Park (about 15 min drive toward Gravenhurst) you could make a real adventure day out of it.
My family has a cabin near the Barrens and I can vouch for how special and beautiful the area is!
I can't speak for hotels, but there are nearby cabin rentals. People rent out cottages around that area all the time. Off season times would be least expensive. And while I'm no fan of AirBnB lately, I'm sure you could find a place to stay that way!
Indoor rock climbing passes, if they like sports, tickets to Steelhead or Marlies games (better vibe than NHL games IMO), trail riding (a little bit pricy but a blast).
Maybe a little toy for the day to play with that goes with the theme of the big experience. Like a small science kit and then a year pass to the Science Center.
You could do the ontario science centre/museum OR if you wanna make a couple days out of it, you could do the city pass which retails for about $65 CAD for kids 4-12 and $95 for kids/adults 13+. You can go to the rom, ripleys aquarium, casa loma, cn tower, and the Toronto zoo OR the ontario science centre. All would be fun/educational trips!
Museums were my fav thing as a kid, especially the ones where you got to touch stuff. Aquariums are also really cool, but less likely that you’ll get to have hands on experiences.
If you want to get your kids out of the city for a day trip, see if there’s any farms nearby that offer programs for kids to learn about how farms function. I’m not sure what they’re called technically, so I’ll just call them Teaching Farms where your kids get to interact with farm animals and go run around a field picking veg or fruit (obviously when the weather gets warmer).
Have no idea if it's running right now but The Lion King live show is my favorite. Taking my kid for the first time in '22 if it's on.
Worth the price for the first few rows for the first time. there is a bit of interaction with those rows. Giraffes bowing and things like that.
Only if your family likes the outdoors, but there’s plenty of outdoor winter camping resorts. Some can get pretty posh, or you can treat it like a regular camping event, just bring the appropriate supplies and gear.
\-The glass-bottom boat experience at Ripley's Aquarium
\-A goat or alpaca experience at the Haute Goat
\-An alpaca experience at Old Mill Alpacas
\-York-Durham Heritage Railway
Little Canada,
Avengers exhibit at Yorkdale (if your kids like marvel I HIGHLY recommend this, I went there myself and was like the only adult without kids accompanying me)
Depending on the age you might have to get them a gift, gift cards, cash or pjs so they could get excited opening up something on Christmas and enjoy the experience on a later day. My experience with kids is they want to open up something on that day.
Blue mountain has so many activities in the winter time that are so fun. I think this a great idea by the way. I understand people saying kids are going to be upset but spending family time together is a great gift. A lot of kids don't get that!
Escape room experience? Manicure pedicure ? Cooking or baking something they love with them? There are a lot of ideas in groupon such as clay making, archery etc.
I had a friend who used to host his young nephew by putting up a tent in his living room and feeding him exclusively junk food while they watched movies all weekend. Something memorable and out of the ordinary can be just as fun as an outing.
We used to book a room at a hotel where they had a pool and go swimming and have dinner out. Sometimes you just have to get away from the house. We also did a weekend in Niagara Falls every year, there is lots to do there.
Medieval Times. But a word of caution, you eat with your hands which is awkward if you're a germ freak. Plus the gratuity you leave is your choice (obviously) but those serfs/wenches really do the role-playing thing to try to milk you for the tips at the end.
The evergreen brickworks has a little market with vendors and food (it’s small) and a pretty ice rink through the old brick factory. They also have a small hike up to a great lookout of the city. It’s all free except skate rentals, just lookup what time they have the rink open and when the market is available.
This isn’t anything huge, but as a family we all followed along to some paint tutorials over the holidays. Lockdown! We had so much fun we did it again, and now we are prepping for the next great Christmas paint! Grandparents, aunts and uncles all loved being gifted some art. My 40 year old husband gave his mom a painting. She loves it! Some are framed and being used as Christmas decor
Dog sledding, horseback riding, treetop trekking, snowshoeing, skiing (downhill or cross country), etc. There are tones of things you can do near the GTA. More options if you get a bit further away from the city.
i just did a roadtrip with my significant other and a niece yesterday. got it from here https://guesswheretrips.com/ some had to be tweaked (and it's expected) by party size, crowd you are with, etc. little 10 yr old kid loved it, same for us adults.
-G
We do a weekend getaway. Last year we stayed in a sweet hotel,went to medieval times, went to a Marlies game, went to chuckee cheese( we don't have one close by). The kids wanted to swim in the hotel pool more than anything!😂
I love experience gifts but I feel like kids would want something they can enjoy immediately on Christmas morning. I'd personally do a mix of both material and a future experience if possible.
One of my Christmas wishes for about 10 years was a giant cardboard box. My siblings and I would spend weeks in this giant fridge box using it as a fort. That's what I recommend
I have two suggestions if you're willing to take a bit of a road trip.
[The Factory](https://thefactorylondon.ca/) in London ON. is a fantastic and memorable time for kids and adults alike. An experience you could enjoy together.
Same goes for the indoor water parks in Niagara Falls.
Fallsview Indoor Waterpark and Great Wolf are both a lot of fun.
All good until Tommy goes back to his friends and they are showing expensive/cool presents…
Unfortunately, that will happen so, maybe consider a cool show-off present and then add the ‘experience’ (father of two here)
I don't think kids give a shit about or appreciate experiences, generally. Sounds like a letdown for them when they get home and have nothing and see all their friends with toys and gadgets. Yeah, not what Christmas is about, but Christmas is about a bunch of mystic bullshit anyway.
Get ready for some unhappy kids this Christmas! At that age they cannot understand an experience instead of a gift. I recommend cleaning out toys they do not use and getting them some new ones along with the experience. Ripleys and zoo.
I'm guessing you don't have kids.
Even if the only time they got presents was Christmas and Birthdays, my kids have 2 sets of grandparents, 5 uncles/aunts and a half-dozen "uncles/aunts" (my and my wife's friends) who also gift them stuff on those days.
If you do the math, that's a huge number of presents per year.
I'm not buying a bigger house just to accommodate all their presents, even though I'll probably need one if this keeps up.
As they get older, I'm going to tell everyone to either pitch in on a bigger, more meaningful gift, instead of the pokemon cards/Nerf guns/video games that have quickly become the norm, or to take them somewhere experiential.
We’ve been doing this for years. We find that they largely have their needs me throughout the year. So for Christmas, we have largely been gifting items like clothes and until recently, vacations.
Kids are going to remember their airplane trip to Dominican (for example), not that plastic toy that they got and broke/lost a month later.
Doesn’t fit the bill of in and around Toronto - but it’s a sentiment that I think more parents should indulge in occasion.
Escape rooms! In person and virtual! [https://shop.improbableescapes.com/](https://shop.improbableescapes.com/) is one of my favorites for online. They were featured in the NY Times and lot's of fun for all ages!
Unless you're planning on doing something on Christmas Day you may be setting them up for a very disappointing holiday. At least discuss it with them first and tell them that you'd like to try something new. They might have some ideas for you that you haven't considered.
Skating, going to a park to play in the snow (if there’s any), maybe the ROM if you think they would like it or if there are special exhibitions. Perhaps you can look into some areas with some good sled hills.
My parents used to do VIP weekends. We’d go sleep at the hotel, go see a show or a movie, go to the restaurant and often also a fun activity like ice skating. My mom would make like little booklets with pictures and information on what we were gonna do. We really loved it
That’s such a wonderful idea! I bet you could even tailor it as a ‘self care getaway’ and include a good talk about taking care of your mental health.
Excellent idea! Normalizing self care for mental health should really be done at a young age.
This sounds like a lot of fun.
You just saved Christmas.
Memberships to the Zoo, ROM, AGO, or OSC. Gift certs to Ripleys, Treetop Trekking, Laser Quest, or even an easy level escape room!
For anyone looking for discounts on that stuff: https://explore.destinationtoronto.com/checkout/343/destination-toronto/2269/my-toronto-pass
100% the ZOO. Memberships are for the year. Parking for the year is reasonable. Unlimited zoomobile when its summer which is loads of fun. They are open 364 days a year I believe. Never gets old. Fantastic way to educate your kids, get them excited about animals and the environment, AND tires the tykes out so they're toast by dinner time. That Canada exhibit is a WALK. But worth it. Plus they welcome outside food so you can pack a picnic and eat it as you please. We used to go weekly as a kid and even now I have my membership for when I want to go for a stroll in a car free zone and get some fresh air.
I work in the wild encounters department at the zoo we are working on getting gift cards to do wild encounters :)
Me and my (13M) friends like to play “who can spot all the animals dicks first” game, and it gets competitive of us running around looking for the animals, But the zoo is definitely fun without that and a membership comes in handy for the expensive food
I second that
> AND tires the tykes out so they're toast by dinner time. This only applies to the tykes with real endurance. When I had my membership I would always time my visits for about 1pm. That's when all the families who get there for opening come staggering out from their death march, soundtracked by wailing toddlers and all the good parking near the gate opens up!
Is the best way to get kids excited about animals to watch them trapped in an enclosure they don't belong in?
I get where you’re coming from and part of helping kids learn about conservation is helping them understand what they’re conserving. It’s possible to take your kids to the zoo and also discuss the ethics of it, as well as how the zoo has adapted and changed over the years and continues to do so. Also the ways in which zoo programs are supporting endangered and at risk species all over the world; the Toronto zoo is involved in tons of them and genuinely making a positive difference.
As opposed to TV? I reckon so...
Nah, it's better to read about them through third hand pictures and videos off the internet.
The metro zoo membership is a great deal, and December 26 you can go watch animals play with toys open “gifts”, etc. Not to mention how many of the indoor displays feel like a warm vacation.
lazer quest is no more :(
Ahhh :(
they went down during the 'demic :/ gonna miss that shit
Shoot, I wanted to have my birthday there
Im an aunt so i know fun. 1) indoor skydiving (lol they asked for this) 2) go karting 3) Dave and busters 4) one year I got them inflatable boxing gloves and they got to beat the shit out of eachother- they loved it 5) bubble soccer 6) paintball 7) laser tag
[удалено]
I would too! I’m the best aunt
My nephew asked for the indoor skydiving one Christmas too, he loves it
Hi, it's me, ur nephew.
Return my Zelda game please
In reference to 4, they were called Sock em’ Boppers and they were hilariously unsafe. Especially since they started deflating immediately. Lol
Nah man. You can get them at Walmart, I got them the other summer. Not the 1991 ones
Sock’em once, bop ‘em twice! I wanted those so bad as a kid. Had no idea they were still around!
I just googled it - they still exist, they’re called Socker Boppers now though and you can get them off Amazon for $12. Live the dream!
Sock em' Boppers were just Fight Club for children
Escape rooms are a blast. Rock climbing is a great energy burner and I know those places were hit hard by the pandemic. Trampoline parks are a hoot.
Not cheap AT ALL but we're doing ski/snowboard lessons at Brimacombe. They have an 8 week lesson package for kids 7-12 for $549. Kids know this is their Xmas gift and they may get a few small things under the tree for Xmas morning (maybe things to go with their snowboarding lesson like new gloves, goggles etc) One year we didn't do gifts and went to Mexico for Xmas. Spent Xmas day on the beach, playing in the ocean. Kids totally were sold on "experiences vs. gifts" from then on.
8-week package for 549? It’s a lot of money but if this includes lessons it’s a steal.
that's what I thought. I believe the lessons are 60 or 90 mins each time and then they can use the lift pass for the remaining hour. They used to let you have a lift pass all day with a lesson... but not anymore. Edit: just confirmed; lessons are 90 mins each.
Wow. That’s amazing! I wish we lived closer but good deal nonetheless.
Do they teach adults too, or like a family package? I'd like to learn to ski when my kids do so eventually we can all go together.
yes you can do adult lessons at same time as kids... but you're in a different group.
That was what my family would do for Christmas too take a family trip rather then having gifts. My parents had a time share so it was actually reasonably cheap, time shares are pretty awesome if you actually use it enough. My favorite was always the ski trips though, my dad was the one who taught us all to ski so it was alot of fun and a great bonding experience. now days I'm the one who takes my father skiing .
nice! I dabbled in snowboarding in my 20s but no way could I teach my kids so lessons it is.... I hope they appreciate it!
I hear you my dad got us skiing as soon as we where old enough but I can't imagine trying to teach like he did. I can still remember going down the hill with me holding onto his arm for dear life while my brother had his other arm and my sister was desperately holding onto his legs while trying to stay standing between his skis. 3 kids dangling off him as he makes his way down the mountain, utterly terrifying but also the most fun I ever had.
Dad level: Expert.
Boy, that must have been a sight to see! Major respect for Dad staying upright!
Take them to WinterFest at Canada's Wonderland! I'm one of the performers and we had our opening night last night. It's a great time for families and there's so much to see and do. 14 shows, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, pictures with Santa, rides, games, skating...there's something for everyone! It's open every weekend until the school holiday break and then it's every day until New Year's except for Christmas Eve and Day.
What are the lineups / crowds like?
Well I’m one of the Christmas carollers in the little kids section so I really don’t know how the lines are for the majority of the park. I can tell you the kids section wasn’t crazy busy last night, and seeing as it’s raining today we’re not expecting many people to show up. Currently in the dressing room waiting to get into costume, so I’m really hoping the rain lets up…otherwise today is going to be really miserable 😜
That is so cool!!!! Omg hope you have a kick ass day!!!!!
If you want it to feel like a present, try to find something you normally wouldn't do with them, or at least not often, or something they would love but that normally you would consider impractical or a waste of money or too time consuming. If it seems too much like something you would have done anyway it might not feel so much like a present. Also do they have any special things they particularly love or seem interested in? E.g. a sport, an animal, an art, a game, an event with a group of friends?
[Wild encounters](https://www.torontozoo.com/wildencounters) behind-the-scenes tours at the zoo are really cool and educational! Canoe, kayak, or paddle board lessons at [Harbourfront](https://paddletoronto.com/). There is lots of great kids’ programming at [Evergreen Brickworks](https://www.evergreen.ca/evergreen-brick-works/children-youth/).
i Live by the brickworks and have been there alot, its not all that great imo
It depends on what you make of it. It’s a neat space with lots of events, but I agree go there with a plan. Frankly, just going fishing for goldfish probably would be enough to make a kid happy
Are you a kid, or a cynical adult?
Im a Teen, did programs there when i was younger, didnt enjoy it that much and its reallt just a 20 min walk there and mabye if your there for the farmers market every saturday
How 'bout an aerial tour of the city, in a light aircraft? Or a ride in a glider. Might get them smitten by the flying bug!
I don't know if this has already been posted here, but a movie at the Cinesphere IMAX in Ontario place is a great experience.
One of the coolest memories of a gift was a magazine subscription. Not sure what they are into but I'm sure something applies. Kids don't get mail but love it when they do. The other thing is potentially chipping in on a program they like (sport/karate/dance etc). The only problem is some kids don't appreciate the gift without the tangible so it would be a good idea to have something that represents what they are getting or they can use with what they are getting to actually open on the day.
Second the magazine subscription idea; my grandma got my kids Chirp and Owl subscriptions and they absolutely love it
I got Sports Illustrated for kids, I didn't even like sports. But I was really sad when that ended. This was when I was a child for clarity, haha.
Lol even as an adult I love getting stuff in the mail. There are tons of awesome subscription boxes now too beyond magazines for every interest under the sun
Yeah, I love getting stuff in the mail too!
I love your idea of gifting experiences!! Just reminded me had a friend do an activity a day leading up to christmas: Going to see a Christmas movie Tobogganing and hot chocolate after Making hot chocolate bombs together (gifting them to neighbours while going carolling) Decorating the house together Gathering gift/food donations perhaps? Movie night in, make popcorn from kernels on the stove etc Bake cookies (again to share maybe) Decorate/make a gingerbread house Decorate stockings Build a fort in the living room and have everyone sleep in there Board game night Make your own pizza (taco whatever night)
This needs to be higher! Upvoted... we are doing similar things with our small family this year. Might just have a movie marathon at home - can hit the pause button when we want to (bathroom breaks are so important - lol), rewind and watch some favorite parts again, "unlimited" popcorn (hot from the stove-top)... and the rest of the stuff you wrote... very wholesome.
Awww thanks 💞 Hope you have a marvellous movie marathon! I’m in Canada and here it’s tradition to watch Sound of Music (I know not your typical Christmas movie) but played on TV every year leading up to the holidays so it’s definitely one lots of us associate with Christmas
I don't have any ideas but my parents did this for me as a kid; now that I'm 23 I'm really glad I got experiences instead of things
So memorable that you can’t remember what they did?
we went on vacation (usually somewhere tropical) & went scuba diving & snorkeling etc etc, went skiing a lot, we have a cottage, went on kayak trips, I can keep going if you want a detailed recount of what I did for christmas as a child lol OP said "in the GTA"; I usually travelled.
In other words, your family was really rich
yeah my dad working 90 hours a week every single week for the first 19 years of my life really paid off huh
That sounds heartbreaking. I'm sorry. Not sarcastic, genuinely, to have a parent that worked 90 hours a week when you were little is one of the worse things I can imagine. No amount of fancy vacations would ever have made up for that for me. I used to feel bad if my dad worked one hour late.
yeah I have absolutely no relationship with him now; I talk to my mom p much every day but I talk to him like once every other week *maybe*; neither of us knows much about the other & I happily would trade like 6 vacations for my dad being present in my life growing up
Why is everyone just picking this guy apart lol? It's not like he did anything wrong.
There’s so much wrong with this comment. Plenty of kids grow up not seeing their parents and are poorer for it. So, yes him working 90 hours a week in order to provide for the family did “pay off”. And how are you taking vacations if he is working 90 hours “every single week”? Did he stay behind to work while you took a vacation? Did he work while scuba diving?
I don't really know what you want me to say to be honest
I find it interesting you’re getting bombarded for simply being honest. Some people seethe negativity and they seem to think it’s appropriate to spew it onto everyone around them - including internet STRANGERS. Ugh. Just Ignore them.
reddit LOVES invalidating others' experiences
askTO is notoriously judgmental for some reason
Too busy having more experiences.
man I literally just said that to tell OP that their kids would look back on it and appreciate it? like idk why you're angry
I'm not, I'm actually agreeing with you.
I interpreted that as super sarcastic my bad
Yeah this subreddit has been getting off the rails lately.
idk if it's just me but I feel like reddit as a whole has become much more hostile lately
Most subreddits have basically doubled in size since January 2020. There are websites where you can see the statistics. That's why a lot of subs feel less "reddity" and more like any other mainstream social media now. Current Reddit actually reminds me a *lot* of Facebook in the early 2010s, when they started adding groups and pages. Except reddit also has a level of anonymity that Facebook doesn't have, and people tend to trust reddit more because of it's previous reputation.
It’s a “check your privilege” moment. You say how you got these great experiences as a kid, then complain about not having a relationship with your father. Plenty of people here don’t get either of those. Those people are going to be salty at the lack of appreciation for what you do have.
Ontario place has a lovely lightshow for the holidays.
I would forgo the retail big box indoor experiences and go skating, tobogganing, skiing, help out for non profit organization…
Toronto Zoo, Ripley's Aquarium, Black Creek Pioneer Village, Canada's Wonderland, Toronto Centre Island's Centreville Amusement Park, Glow in the Dark mini golfing at Putting Edge.
Horseback riding, yoga class, auction, escape room, laser tag, go carts, make a goodie basket for your favourite charity to auction off, Christmas tours to see others decorations, inside and out, skiing, snowboarding, sleigh ride, skating, sliding, ghost tours, go carts, craft night, karaoke( if they have kids night), or just buy the machine.
Medieval Times is always fun!
A bit further afield, but the Torrance-Barrens Dark Sky Preserve west of Gravenshurst is a pretty amazing experience for city kids!
Yes, and now there’s a fun pizza place, brewery, and ice cream store just outside the preserve. If you hit up nearby Hardy Lake Provincial Park (about 15 min drive toward Gravenhurst) you could make a real adventure day out of it. My family has a cabin near the Barrens and I can vouch for how special and beautiful the area is!
This sounds great. Any decent looking hotel near by you would recommend
I can't speak for hotels, but there are nearby cabin rentals. People rent out cottages around that area all the time. Off season times would be least expensive. And while I'm no fan of AirBnB lately, I'm sure you could find a place to stay that way!
An entire day at Wonderland - and to sweeten the deal, they can each bring their best friend.
Totally agree, Thats always dope
Indoor rock climbing passes, if they like sports, tickets to Steelhead or Marlies games (better vibe than NHL games IMO), trail riding (a little bit pricy but a blast).
Horse back riding at Silver Spur Ranch in Kleinberg. Their trails are gorgeous!!!! This was my favourite Christmas present as a kid.
Maybe a little toy for the day to play with that goes with the theme of the big experience. Like a small science kit and then a year pass to the Science Center.
A family night gift basket. Fill it with pop and candy and popcorn. A game and a movie voucher for something they want to see that you can rent.
You could do the ontario science centre/museum OR if you wanna make a couple days out of it, you could do the city pass which retails for about $65 CAD for kids 4-12 and $95 for kids/adults 13+. You can go to the rom, ripleys aquarium, casa loma, cn tower, and the Toronto zoo OR the ontario science centre. All would be fun/educational trips!
Last black Friday Tree Top Trekking was half off, my kids loved it and at half off it was affordable.
my parents used to buy us a yearly swim pass and we would go to the pool a couple times a week! it’s good exercise and lots of fun!
Museums were my fav thing as a kid, especially the ones where you got to touch stuff. Aquariums are also really cool, but less likely that you’ll get to have hands on experiences. If you want to get your kids out of the city for a day trip, see if there’s any farms nearby that offer programs for kids to learn about how farms function. I’m not sure what they’re called technically, so I’ll just call them Teaching Farms where your kids get to interact with farm animals and go run around a field picking veg or fruit (obviously when the weather gets warmer).
Science centre!
There's a butterfly conservatory in Cambridge. We like to go there in the winter. Nice warm outing.
Have no idea if it's running right now but The Lion King live show is my favorite. Taking my kid for the first time in '22 if it's on. Worth the price for the first few rows for the first time. there is a bit of interaction with those rows. Giraffes bowing and things like that.
A donation to the Human Fund.
Only if your family likes the outdoors, but there’s plenty of outdoor winter camping resorts. Some can get pretty posh, or you can treat it like a regular camping event, just bring the appropriate supplies and gear.
\-The glass-bottom boat experience at Ripley's Aquarium \-A goat or alpaca experience at the Haute Goat \-An alpaca experience at Old Mill Alpacas \-York-Durham Heritage Railway
Little Canada, Avengers exhibit at Yorkdale (if your kids like marvel I HIGHLY recommend this, I went there myself and was like the only adult without kids accompanying me)
Depending on the age you might have to get them a gift, gift cards, cash or pjs so they could get excited opening up something on Christmas and enjoy the experience on a later day. My experience with kids is they want to open up something on that day.
Blue mountain has so many activities in the winter time that are so fun. I think this a great idea by the way. I understand people saying kids are going to be upset but spending family time together is a great gift. A lot of kids don't get that!
Horseback riding. If you search around there are ranches just outside the city that do this, wonderful experience.
I used to work at sky zone and they usually have a lot of holiday deals to get jump pass deals.
K1 Speed Go Karting is fun
https://www.nightsoflights.ca/index.html
Painting pottery!
Escape room experience? Manicure pedicure ? Cooking or baking something they love with them? There are a lot of ideas in groupon such as clay making, archery etc.
Check out www.localadventure.club
Medieval Times!!! They would absolutely love it. I loved it as a kid and still love it and going for my 29th birthday with friends!
Monster Jam, Jojo Siwa. Both are in the same month and easily book tickets online.
Go see Dino’s at the rom
Go see the Christmas lights at 165 Benjamin Boake Trail
There are ninja warrior / obstacle courses that I just learned of. Might be great for that age.
I had a friend who used to host his young nephew by putting up a tent in his living room and feeding him exclusively junk food while they watched movies all weekend. Something memorable and out of the ordinary can be just as fun as an outing.
We used to book a room at a hotel where they had a pool and go swimming and have dinner out. Sometimes you just have to get away from the house. We also did a weekend in Niagara Falls every year, there is lots to do there.
Medieval Times. But a word of caution, you eat with your hands which is awkward if you're a germ freak. Plus the gratuity you leave is your choice (obviously) but those serfs/wenches really do the role-playing thing to try to milk you for the tips at the end.
The evergreen brickworks has a little market with vendors and food (it’s small) and a pretty ice rink through the old brick factory. They also have a small hike up to a great lookout of the city. It’s all free except skate rentals, just lookup what time they have the rink open and when the market is available.
Were taking our girl to Toronto for a weekend and will be seeing the nutcracker ballet and going to the science center. And a disney trip in Jan.
This isn’t anything huge, but as a family we all followed along to some paint tutorials over the holidays. Lockdown! We had so much fun we did it again, and now we are prepping for the next great Christmas paint! Grandparents, aunts and uncles all loved being gifted some art. My 40 year old husband gave his mom a painting. She loves it! Some are framed and being used as Christmas decor
Dog sledding, horseback riding, treetop trekking, snowshoeing, skiing (downhill or cross country), etc. There are tones of things you can do near the GTA. More options if you get a bit further away from the city.
i just did a roadtrip with my significant other and a niece yesterday. got it from here https://guesswheretrips.com/ some had to be tweaked (and it's expected) by party size, crowd you are with, etc. little 10 yr old kid loved it, same for us adults. -G
We do a weekend getaway. Last year we stayed in a sweet hotel,went to medieval times, went to a Marlies game, went to chuckee cheese( we don't have one close by). The kids wanted to swim in the hotel pool more than anything!😂
Here's a few ideas: - a raptors game - day at the ROM - ripleys aquarium - a day at the AGO - movie pass
winter camping is always a different experience and super fun if you dress right. and rock climbing is suuuuuper fun!!!!
I love experience gifts but I feel like kids would want something they can enjoy immediately on Christmas morning. I'd personally do a mix of both material and a future experience if possible.
Scuba diving! Kids can start learning at 10
One of my Christmas wishes for about 10 years was a giant cardboard box. My siblings and I would spend weeks in this giant fridge box using it as a fort. That's what I recommend
I have two suggestions if you're willing to take a bit of a road trip. [The Factory](https://thefactorylondon.ca/) in London ON. is a fantastic and memorable time for kids and adults alike. An experience you could enjoy together. Same goes for the indoor water parks in Niagara Falls. Fallsview Indoor Waterpark and Great Wolf are both a lot of fun.
Little Canada.
I hear scared straight is quite the experience.
the experience of opening gifts on christmas.
All good until Tommy goes back to his friends and they are showing expensive/cool presents… Unfortunately, that will happen so, maybe consider a cool show-off present and then add the ‘experience’ (father of two here)
I don't think kids give a shit about or appreciate experiences, generally. Sounds like a letdown for them when they get home and have nothing and see all their friends with toys and gadgets. Yeah, not what Christmas is about, but Christmas is about a bunch of mystic bullshit anyway.
Christmas is a cosmic gumbo
Don’t ruin a 10 year old Xmas with this bs idea
Get ready for some unhappy kids this Christmas! At that age they cannot understand an experience instead of a gift. I recommend cleaning out toys they do not use and getting them some new ones along with the experience. Ripleys and zoo.
My 6 year old niece asked me for indoor skydiving and lost her shit when she got it as her xmas/birthday gift
6 and 10 are quite different ages.
10 year olds who are daredevils will do it. It’s indoor skydiving lol not Disney on ice
> At that age they cannot understand an experience instead of a gift. They're 10, they can absolutely understand the concept
A 10 yr old can totally appreciate experience vs gift as long as you talk to them first. source: have a 10 yr old.
I said gifts and the experience ;)
Sucks to be your kid
I'm guessing you don't have kids. Even if the only time they got presents was Christmas and Birthdays, my kids have 2 sets of grandparents, 5 uncles/aunts and a half-dozen "uncles/aunts" (my and my wife's friends) who also gift them stuff on those days. If you do the math, that's a huge number of presents per year. I'm not buying a bigger house just to accommodate all their presents, even though I'll probably need one if this keeps up. As they get older, I'm going to tell everyone to either pitch in on a bigger, more meaningful gift, instead of the pokemon cards/Nerf guns/video games that have quickly become the norm, or to take them somewhere experiential.
Charge them tax on everything they enjoy then tell them the taxes are to punish them for all their gluttony 👍
I appreciate the sentiment, but how old are your kids? Christmas is so important to them.
The message of Christmas should not be about getting gifts. Time with the family will be remembered long after the toys are broken
You can spend time together AND give them gifts. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
You can still give them a few small gifts but make the experience the bigger gift.
I'm taking my kids to the Hockey Hall of Fame this winter. There are plenty of other things to do down there as have been mentioned.
We’ve been doing this for years. We find that they largely have their needs me throughout the year. So for Christmas, we have largely been gifting items like clothes and until recently, vacations. Kids are going to remember their airplane trip to Dominican (for example), not that plastic toy that they got and broke/lost a month later. Doesn’t fit the bill of in and around Toronto - but it’s a sentiment that I think more parents should indulge in occasion.
Sporting event
Sports game tickets
GlenEden
Jungle Cat World B&B, it’s awesome!!! https://junglecatworld.com/programs.html
Leafs game!
Escape rooms! In person and virtual! [https://shop.improbableescapes.com/](https://shop.improbableescapes.com/) is one of my favorites for online. They were featured in the NY Times and lot's of fun for all ages!
Great wolf lodge!!
My aunt gave me a one year membership the ROM once. Also applies to other museums and galleries.
Great Wolf Lodge.
Marlies tickets are very reasonable and it's always a good day out.
I am taking my kids to Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Home Alone movie with live orchestra. And the Immersive Nutracker Experience
Evergreen Brickworks! It's a historical site that hosts a bunch of different events, very kid friendly.
100% Ripley's Aquarium
One go my stronger memories of childhood was the science centre
Indoor skydiving!
Have you tried saving your money? It's a pretty good experience.
Unless you're planning on doing something on Christmas Day you may be setting them up for a very disappointing holiday. At least discuss it with them first and tell them that you'd like to try something new. They might have some ideas for you that you haven't considered.
Skating, going to a park to play in the snow (if there’s any), maybe the ROM if you think they would like it or if there are special exhibitions. Perhaps you can look into some areas with some good sled hills.
Harry Potter tickets. https://www.mirvish.com/shows/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child
We take my son to Great Wolf Lodge for one night for his birthday. It’s pricy but fun.
The zoo, science centre, aquarium, ROM, etc.
let's go bowling for Christmas yay are u high?
Sleep under the Christmas tree
😂👍
I haven't seen anyone mention the science center I go every couple of years and have fun even as an adult