Hi Everyone,
My husband and I are taking our 2 yr old and 9 month old along with our teenage babysitter to Vegas for Christmas this year. I want to plan something really special and fun for the entire group for Christmas Day Lunch. Any suggestions? Also, any ideas on a whole days' worth of fun on Christmas Day until about 5pm when we head in for Christmas dinner in our condo?

Thanks,
LSUsajani

ooooh, I am so jealous. I have done this for the last couple of years, but may not be able to due to the high cost of air tix!

Not sure what you mean by "fun" but all the restaurants on the strip are open on Dec. 25. Most of the shops & malls are, too--except for Fashion Show Mall. Lunch & a Gondola ride at the Venetian? See the tigers at the Mirage?

Las Vegas isn;t really geared for little kids - or teenage baby sitters.

The last few years thay have refocused on adult and very adult.

Perhaps someone local with kids can give you ideas - but not a place I would spend Christmas with kids.

I've spend every Christmas in las vegas with my husband and parents for the last 7 or so years. But my husband and I are in our mid-30's with no kids.

Christmas day in Vegas is like most other days in vegas, they don't really have anything special going on for the holiday. In fact, hotels are decorating less and less for the season each year. A cab driver was telling us just last year that vegas is doing this because some cultures don't celebrate Christmas, and the casinos want to cater to all types. Some of the casinos do have decorations, but not as much as years ago.

So, whatever you chose to do in vegas that day will be similar to what you would do any day of the year really. Take the kids to the M&M building near MGM, take a gondola ride at Venetian. Hmmm, not sure what else for kids that age. I've heard circus circus has rides for kids, but I've never been in there.

As for lunch, most places should be open. The buffets usually have a Christmas day meal, which basically means they double the price for the same kind of food they usually serve.

BELLAGIO makes a real effort for Christmas. Last year it had a quite beautiful display of penguins, polar bears etc etc made out of flowers in a large atrium near reception. Also anywhere you choose to eat there is bound to be good.

The Mandalay Bay has a large indoor aquarium for the family.

Have you been to Las Vegas before? It is not a great place for little ones. It seems like a terribly sad place to be for Christmas, in my opinion.

I think you need to look at local (wayyyyyy off strip) churches and try to find out what "real" people do who live there, and get as far away from the Strip for Christmas as possible for the big day.

I have a 20 month old... and even with a babysitter, I won't take him there. There's nothing for little ones like that to do. Yes, there's the Mandalay Bay shark reef. But there aren't parks to run around in, or kid-friendly places to let them roam and play. And I wouldn't trust a teenage babysitter with a toddler and a baby in any pools.

My suggestion? Get grandma to stay with the kids and you and your husband go to Vegas on your own for a weekend sometime.

As you can see, Vegas is a "different strokes for different folks" kind of place, love it or hate it. I guess it depends on you and what you enjoy.

My cousin spent an entire week there for Christmas one year with her husband, twin 4 year olds, and her in-laws. They had a great time (especially because I came to town for 4 of those days!). The reason she had to spend that long in Vegas was, well...as you know, kids take a while to get ready and getting around is kind of slow going with toddlers. So they really only got to see one or two things each day other than our meals. M&M World, Circus Circus, shopping, whatever.

I'm agreeing with the other posters who don't think it's the best idea. Even if you don't have extended family that you wish to spend the holidays with, there has to be a better choice for Christmas than Las Vegas with 2 kids and a teenager. I like Las Vegas, but this idea sounds kind of depressing.

If the Excalibur still has the Knights Tournament, that may be a good choice... horses and jousting and paper crowns...

Geez! All this Christmas talk makes me want to get to Vegas even MORE! OK I guess I'll start shopping for fares....

Several of us couples were meeting in Vegas some years back, and one couple had a 2-year-old. They really regretted bringing him. For one thing, it was pretty tiring. The distances are much bigger than you realize. The casinos' square footages are immense, and there is a lot of walking between them all.

Melissa - The people who are knocking this trip idea are not Vegas haters.... I love Vegas.

Vegas just is not for little kids. There is really not much for them to do. And for Christmas, which I think should be all about the kids, I think it's sad to go somewhere where theyr'e going to end up just sitting in a hotel room with a teenage babysitter.

If Las Vegas is where you want to go for Christmas, then I say go for it! And bring the kids. And you'll have a great time. From your post, it doesn't sound like you intend to lock them in a hotel room while you and your husband are out having a good time all day without them. I'm guessing you have the babysitter to watch the kids while you go out at night after the kids fall asleep. And during the day, you can do all the fun things that other people have suggested, like the gondola ride, the aquarium, the shops, and the tigers at the Mirage. Have fun!

Wow, I cannot think of a single destination other than Sesame Street land that would cater to a 2 year old and an infant. Ignore the naysayers. It is one thing to dismiss vegas for a 4 year old thru early teenage years, but this sounds like a fantastic time for you to visit Vegas.

Have a blast in Vegas. How lucky are you to be able to bring your own sitter!

I have no recommendations, but want to wish you a great Christmas trip! We really enjoyed the Cafe at the Wynn for 3am breakfast and lunches for another time in your trip. I love strolling the halls of the Bellagio at night when things quiet down.

Rather than judge your choice I'd like to point out that Trip Advisor has over 92,000 topics in their Nevada Forum. They are pretty much all for Las Vegas. On those 92,000 topics there are over 800,000 posts. I would venture to guess that you'd get a great number of good ideas from that Forum and would not have to deal with getting responses regarding your vacation of choice. Fodorites have a history of knowing what's best for you and your family.

Here's a link for you:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...i9-Nevada.html

Now I want to go to Vegas for Christmas! With my husband and my 2 YEAR OLD! I think people come off as smug when they start spouting parenting philosophy. You didn't ask for a debate about pros/cons of children in vegas, you asked for activity ideas. Yet people feel the need to critique your already made travel plans. For what reason I can't imagine. Anyway, have a great christmas! Check out FAO Schwartz if you have time. My little guy had so much fun there we stayed and played for over 3 hours! He also love love loved the Bellagio Fountains and Gondola ride at the Venetian.

BTW for those of you with toddlers: Bouchon in the Venetian is a great restaurant to go for a special meal. Many high-end restaurants don't allow kids under 5, but Bouchon does. The restaurant is set up so that kid noise (provided they're not shriekers) is absorbed into the bistro chatter. It's not a loud restaurant, but it's not stuffy & silent. We went there with my cousin's twin girls a couple of years ago and we all loved it.

FYI, I don't think FAO Schwarz is there anymore...I could be wrong, but do some research first.

Be sure to see the display/exhibit at Bellagio. I was there in October and it was their fall display which was spectacular. I hear they go all out for Christmas. The little ones should appreciate the visual spectacle.