Slipping into something jolly often helps to lift your mood. So what could get your family feeling more cheery than donning red costumes and fluffy cotton wool beards à la the merry man of Christmas himself? To raise money for charity Children

hat. Use the writing icing to pipe dots down the front of the snowman to look like buttons. Make as many snowmen as you need to create a lovely winter wonderland. To display, lightly dust the snowmen with icing sugar.Annie Rigg is author of Christmas

Hi, it's me, Joe.Don't know about you but I am getting into the festive spirit bigtime! So much so that I am even willing to put sartorial elegance aside for the sake of appearing suitably Christmassy and as such am donning my very own Christmas

storytelling on December 4, 22, 28, 30, 31. Nicholas Allan will be reading Father Christmas Needs A Wee on December 11, followed by a One Snowy Night evening of wintry fun. And One Snowy Night author Nick Butterworth will be dropping in on December 12, 23, 29

their post-prandial sleep. Then they're guaranteed an hour of marble-run fun without a 15·month-old's 'help'.• Split up. Get one adult to play games with a couple of children; another to do colouring and another to sit and have a cuddle.• Go out. Cooped up

beautiful Forest park to discover this family fun day in the Slieve Gullion Courtyard. Hunt for clues throughout the foreast and help santa’s elves get ready for the big day the take part in a number of fun craft and carolling activities. Christmas themed

Edwardian Christmas FayreNovember 26–27Dinefwr Park and Castle in Carmarthenshire will be playing host to a sackload of festive fun with a chance to sneak in some early Christmas shopping at the local food hall as well as an outdoor winter wonderland

will adore being transported to Sweetieland with this contemporary interpretation of the classic Christmas ballet, which features lashings of Bourne’s trademark wit and spellbinding choreography.The Enchanted CastleDecember 4, 11Stroll through the rooms

The Festive Gift FairNovember 17–20De-stress your Christmas shopping expedition this year and turn it into a fun, family day out at the NEC Birmingham. The hundreds of sellers in attendance at this four day shopping spectacular will be offering

the resident reindeer.Festive Family Fun TrailDecember 3, 4Follow a trail around Framlingham Castle inSuffolk solving puzzles, finding hidden clues and maybe even winning a tasty treat.Mrs Greville's House at ChristmasDecember 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18Meet your most