Darren's daddy-daughter December itinerary
Darren Maule shares his festive fun guide to making December special for you and your daughters. This is for all the girl dads.
The festive season and school holidays are upon us and it’s the perfect time for some extra special Dad and daughter time. We all know Darren Maule adores his family and while he always goes the extra mile to make every week count, the holidays are an extra special opportunity to try to make even more meaningful memories with his daughters.
Darren is grateful that he shares many common interests with the Gen Zs in the house - particularly musical theatre, movies and books, preparing and enjoying family meals, doggie time and travel. So, to all the dads wanting to make the most of the December holidays, Darren decided to share his Daddy-Daughter December itinerary, just in case you are looking for some inspo!
Darren and his family love the holidays and kick-start December with decorating a tree full of nostalgic decorations that they have collected as a family. They love to fill a prediction jar for the year ahead and open it up a year later when putting up the tree.
1. Trying new recipes: Everyone loves food which is why Darren and the girls are always looking to trying new recipes and even create their own signature dishes. Darren is looking forward to experimenting with food in the kitchen. Sometimes these may not be the best tasting recipes, but the time spent cooking or baking together is the real treat. You might even come up with a special Christmas family recipe.
2. Escape Rooms: Nothing screams mystery and adventure like an escape room. Darren plans to take the family out to an escape room to test their quick thinking and ability to think outside the box. This is a great way to have fun with the girls and keep their brains occupied. Even if you don’t escape the room in time, this unique experience is something every family should enjoy.
3. The Pottery Cafe: Darren and the girls are super artsy, and the pottery cafe is one place they plan to visit. Instead of buying new pottery, why not make it a whole family experience and compete to see who can create the best ornament. If all goes well, you can even save some bucks on expensive gifts and create something far more special.
4. Exploring Durban: Darren’s girls appreciate the local attractions Durban has to offer. He’s already planned to visit Ushaka, the Trail of Lights at Durban Botanic Gardens, and some of the many festive and vintage markets around the city. Hunting for their vinyl collection, antique books and unique pre-loved fashion finds, handmade dog treats and plants for the garden are top of the list!
5. Holiday Books: Darren loves finding and sharing new books with his girls, so choosing a book for the holidays is a must. He makes it a point for his daughters to keep expanding their knowledge and vocabulary, so one of the plans is to find a good book for the girls to read these holidays. Mouse in particular loves books, so she usually chooses several books, which is much better than binging on Netflix all holiday. Expand your daughter’s imagination by finding her a great book to get hooked on!
6. Movie Mania: Darren and the girls draft a list of movies and shows they’d like to watch this holiday, for those less active days and rainy nights. With so many new movies out in cinemas and streaming platforms, it’s impossible not to find something great for the entire family. If you’re not looking to do too much, cosy up together on the couch with some popcorn and binge on family friendly movies.
7. Online Quizzes: Knowledge is power, which is why Darren and the girls will be doing a lot of fun online quizzes. Whether it’s history, geography, general knowledge or movie trivia; online quizzes are a great way to teach the girls something new and maybe test their IQ’s a bit. Take some time to go online and see just how many different quizzes are available to keep your children occupied.
8. Outdoor Movie Night: Darren is big on crafting unique experiences for his girls. One of his plans for this December is to surprise the girls with an outdoor movie experience in their backyard. He’s buying a projector and screening an old film on the big white wall at the back of the house. This is a great way for you to ditch the TV and go old school; and the best part is this counts as spending time outdoors - plus the doggies can snuggle up and enjoy too!
9. Fridge Hall of Fame: With so many adventures on Darren’s itinerary this December, he’s come up a challenge for the girls - who can snap the best holiday Polaroid images? With so many fun adventures lined up, the girls will capture all of them on old school Polaroid. Towards the end of the festive season, they’ll each come together to find the best ones, and the winners will earn themselves a coveted spot on their Fridge Hall of fame! Make each adventure special for the girls by taking on this challenge and capturing each precious moment to keep on the fridge as a reminder of all the special adventures you had together.
10. Alone Time: With so much planned for the festive, some time apart is also healthy. Darren encourages having some time apart so the girls can do whatever they like. Issie is the most active member of the family, so she’ll love time some to surf and swim and do pilates. Mouse plans to spread her wings and get in some travel time with her bestie. Give them time to do their own things and of course that is the perfect opportunity for some romance time for Darren with his Anna Banana.
So don’t be a boring dad this festive. Rather than doing the same old things; try something different! Darren believes in the festive season being a extra special time for making memories and because the kids mean the world to him; he is always willing to go the extra mile to foster love and togetherness within the family.
“The December holidays are a favorite time. I just want to see the girls happy and healthy and making memories.” Darren says “We as a family know that love and togetherness is the most restorative power and we lean into that during the December holidays, to get ready for the year ahead!"
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