Why not try something dippy this Christmas?

Sea in a new tradition or two

LET THERE BE LIGHT... AND GET TO KNOW THE NEIGHBOURS Challenge the neighbours to a festive light-off. Encourage everyone in your street to add lights to the front of their house and garden, from simple fairy lights trees to animated Santas.

Gather for mulled wine, mince pies, festive music and an awards ceremony where everyone wins.

Choose a quiet, dry evening to drive around town on a hunt for the flashiest, brightest lights. Bring spare change for charity tins.

SANTA DASH

Mum-of-three Kathryn Shannon, 46, says: “My uncle Kevin’s annual Boxing Day run was legendary. “Relatives of every age, from babies in prams to pensioners, would gather to run or walk the five-mile route.” Digital consultant Kathryn, from Liverpool, adds: “We’d have a party afterwards with certificates, prizes and comedy awards. “It was more fun than Christmas Day. My dad Gerard, 76, is still running marathons today.” Create your own event or find your nearest organised race, from The Scrooge (December 23 at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall) to the Gut Buster (December 30, in Mortimer, Berkshire) at www.findarace.com/santa-runs.

SPRINKLE SOME MAKEBELIEVE MAGIC

Help kids sprinkle reindeer food (oats and a special festive wish) in the garden on Christmas Eve to help Rudolph find his way.

When they are asleep, dip welly soles in flour or talc to create Santa’s snowy footprints from the fireplace to the tree, and use coffee granules to make reindeer hoofprints on the patio.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

DIY personal crackers are so much more satisfying and will thrill guests over Christmas dinner.

Ready-to-fill cracker kits (£5.99 for six at www.oxfam. org.uk) come with a snap, hat, joke and name tag – just add the present and a name tag.

Ideas for the gift inside include jewellery, lipstick, a silk scarf, tiny wind-up torches, chocolate coins, mini tool sets and coin-holder keyrings.

MAKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE Food writer Beverley Glock (beverleyglock.com) says: “I have fond memories of making a gingerbread house with my mum when I was six. “So I did the same with my children. They’re almost GO mad! Be magical! Christmas is the ideal time to create some new festive traditions.

From reindeer hoof-prints on the patio to a mass dog walk or a grown up now but we still make one every year.”

Not brave enough to create one from scratch? Assemble and decorate a ready-made gingerbread house kit (Traditional Gingerbread House Kit, £12.99, www.lakeland.co.uk).

COME ON IN, THE WATER’S LOVELY

Around 10,000 people blow away the cobwebs by taking part in Christmas or New Year dips in lidos, lakes and beaches.

Kari Furre, of the Outdoor Swimming Society, says: “A festive swim is a real tonic and gives an crazy Christmas Day dip, here are 12 great ideas to make your big day that bit different.

And we promise they do not include that pesky Elf on the Shelf. So why not give some of these a try? endorphin rush like nothing else, which is why swimmers return year after year.” For a list of swims, safety advice and to find if open-water swimming is suitable for you, visit www.outdoorswimmingsociety. com/festive-swims.

LAPTOP MAGIC

Create a personal message from Father Christmas for children via www.portablenorthpole.com.

Watch their reaction as they hear the man himself mention their name, see a photo of themselves in his Big Book and find out if they are on the naughty or nice list. From midday on Christmas Eve start tracking Santa live from when he sets off from the North Pole (www.noradsanta.org) to deliver presents around the world.

WALKIES!

The annual Boxing Day dog walk in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield (rotaryvesey.org.uk/event/annualboxing-day-dog-walk) to raise money for Birmingham Dogs Home attracts hundreds of dogs and owners. Meanwhile, Sausage Dog Walks has two fundraising festive walks to support dogs with intervertebral disc disease.

One is on December 15, on Barry Island, the other in Cardiff on New Year’s Eve.

For details and registration join the Facebook page Sausage Dog Walks.

The group’s Charlotte Baldwin says: “Our Christmas walks are very special, with many dogs and owners travelling a long way to join in the fun.”

I SPY SANTA

There’s nothing like a Santa sleigh, complete with festive music and lights, coming down your street to create Christmas magic.

Find out if your local Rotary Club will be including your road in their rounds so you can be ready at the window.

Contact them at rotarygbi.org/ club-finder and the Round Table at www.roundtable.co.uk.

CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

It’s gone from the butt of jokes to a festive must-wear to raise money for Save the Children; last year’s day raised £4.4million.

This year’s Christmas Jumper Day takes place today.

Simply pull on a sweater to make the world a better place, goes the slogan.

Buy, borrow or get crafty and create your own – then make a donation of £2 to change a child’s life. Register online at www. christmasjumperday.org.

OH CAROL!

Type Christmas Carols and your postcode into the search boxes at www.achurchnearyou.com to find festive Church of England services.

Or find your nearest Catholic church at catholicfaith.org.uk/ Home/Ask-Find/Find-a-church.

For extra magic, head for a Carols on the Green event, taking place across the country in places including Epping in Essex, Sawbridgeworth, Herts, and Bournville, Birmingham.

OUTDOOR SKATING

Glide under the stars at pop-up outdoor ice-skating venues, from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton to the Tower of London.

Find the top 10 festive rinks at www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk.

Or create your own snowy magic at centres offering skiing, snowboarding and magical grottos, such as the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, Herts.

For a list of nationwide slopes go to www.snowboardclub.co.uk.