8 Ideas to Make This Holiday Season Memorable for Your Kids

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

{This is a collaborative post}

The festive holidays are a time for family, friends, and fun. It's a time to celebrate all that we are thankful for. For kids, it can be especially exciting to experience the holidays for the first time. There are so many things you can do to make the season special for your little ones! In this blog post, we will discuss eight ideas that will help make this holiday season unforgettable for your kids!

Start a New Tradition

Traditions are such an important part of the holidays. They help to make the season feel unique and special. If you don't have any holiday traditions yet, now is the perfect time to start some! You could do something as simple as decorating gingerbread houses together or watching holiday movies as a family. Whatever you choose, make sure it's something your kids will enjoy and look forward to every year.

Get Them Involved in Gift Giving

One of the best parts of the Christmas holidays is giving gifts to loved ones. But sometimes, it can be hard to find the perfect present. Why not involve your kids in the gift-giving process? This way, they can help pick out presents for their grandparents, cousins, or friends. They'll feel so proud and excited to give a gift that they helped choose!

Make Some Holiday-Themed Crafts

Craft time is always a fun activity for kids. And during the holidays, there are so many festive crafts you can do! You could make decorations for the Christmas tree, gingerbread houses, or even design your own wrapping paper. There are endless possibilities! Not only will your kids have fun doing this activity, but they'll also be able to take pride in their finished products.

Go Ice Skating or Sledding

What better way to enjoy the winter weather than by going ice skating or sledding? These activities are sure to get your kids moving and laughing, and better still all the family can join together and have great fun. And they'll love spending time outdoors in the snow!

Bake Holiday Cookies Together

Baking cookies is a classic holiday activity. And it's even more fun when you do it with your kids! They'll love getting their hands dirty as they mix the ingredients and roll out the dough. You can get an assortment of cutters for them to enjoy and they'll be so excited to eat their finished products. It's a win-win!

Take Them Shopping for New Holiday Clothes

One of the best parts of the holidays is getting all dressed up in festive clothes. If your kids don't have any special holiday outfits yet, take them shopping! They'll love picking out a new outfit to wear to all of the holiday parties. And you can even get them matching outfits for the whole family! Make it a very special day out and book a hotel in the city to make it extra special. Aldgate is a great location for a hotel, because it's central and has great transport links.

Have a Holiday Movie Marathon

What better way to spend a cold winter day than snuggled up on the couch watching holiday movies? You could make it into a marathon and watch all of your kids' favorite Christmas movies. Or you could mix things up and include some holiday classics that they've never seen before. Either way, they're sure to have a blast, especially with some yummy festive treats to hand too!

Go Caroling Together

Caroling is such a fun and festive activity! And it's even more fun when you do it with your children. They'll love singing all of their favorite Christmas songs. And you might even get some neighbours to join in with the fun! You'll at least be offered an enjoyable mulled wine or festive cookie for your troubles.

The holiday season is a magical time of year. And there are so many ways to make it special for your kids. Try out some of these ideas and you're sure to create some lasting memories and have great fun in the process.

3 Interesting Christmas Gifts You Can Get Anyone

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

{This is a collaborative post}

Christmas is a time to have fun and enjoy yourself. The same isn't often said about the weeks leading up to it. You have to get the decorations ready, plan out what you’re doing for the season, and much more, which can lead to a lot of stress.

Then there are the countless gifts you’ll have to get for people. Depending on how many you need to buy, this can be one of the more stressful parts of the season. You’ll not only need to worry about the cost but also what exactly you should buy people.

By focusing on a few Christmas gift ideas you can get anyone, you can make the task much easier for yourself. All three of the following options should be something your friends and family will all love.

1. Christmas Hamper

Christmas gift hampers can be one of the more interesting gifts you can get a loved one, as you don’t need to go for standard options with this. Instead, you can personalise them and include foods and drinks the recipient is sure to love.

The fact that these are so thoughtful is what makes them stand out, especially when you put a bit of work into them. Make sure to include what the recipient likes and what you think they’ll like when putting this together. You can go for a wide-ranging hamper with a lot of variety or a more specialist one such as cheese, sweets or even jams and chutneys.

2. Personalised Tea Towel

While a tea towel mightn’t be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking of Christmas gifts you can get anyone, there are ways to make it more interesting. By personalising it for the person you’re getting it for, you can make it much more special.

Having an appealing design and personal message on the tea towel is an effective way of doing this. It lets you make something much more thoughtful while showing the recipient how much you care about them. Of course, it is also practical too!

3. Ornaments

Speaking of something personalised, your gift doesn’t need to be customised to a specific person. Instead, you could buy for a whole household. Family ornaments can be a great option for this.

While you could choose a classic Christmas ornament design for this, you could also go with something a bit broader. There are countless ornaments you could create, ranging from picture frames to something that hangs from the fireplace.

Christmas ornaments are great gifts to send by post as they are small and often can be enjoyed throughout the whole year.

So, what do you think? Might you go for one (or all) of these options this year to help make your Christmas gift-buying simpler? They’ll not only be gifts that are sure to be used, but the recipient should appreciate the thought and love them too.

Christmas at Bedgebury - Lights Trail: Your Questions Answered

I am so pleased that we finally got to experience Christmas at Bedgebury this year. We were booked to visit last year but Covid stopped that, but no cancellations this year and despite high infection rates, as it is all outside we felt very comfortable to go along and enjoy the festive feel! First off, I can honestly tell you, it is such a lovely trail to walk with your friends or family and we will definitely be booking again for next year.

There are quite a few places that offer these kinds of Christmas lights trails now and if you book to go along to Bedgebury, you won't be disappointed for sure! There are over 1 million lights at Bedgebury and fifteen distinct areas, each with its own distinct sounds. It really is the most magical woodland walk and Bedgebury is a great setting for this light trail. 

5 Christmas Movies to Watch with Family

Image Source: Pexels.com/@brettjordan

{This is a collaborative post}

When it comes to Christmas, there's a lot to be happy about, and one of the highlights for many of us is, of course, watching Christmas films. There's something for everyone, whether you enjoy classics or comedies. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, a huge warm blanket, and your Christmas spirit because these holiday films are about to light up your life like a Christmas tree.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special that was the first to be based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the holiday classic was premiered on CBS. This 25-minute film begins with Charlie Brown finding himself depressed despite the holiday season around the corner, and Lucy, the lovely neighbourhood child psychiatrist, suggests that he put on a neighbourhood Christmas play.

However, his best efforts are rejected when he chooses a small Christmas tree as the centrepiece. Luckily, it has a joyful ending thanks to the unstoppable combination of Linus' heartfelt message about the true meaning of Christmas and the undeniable power of catchy jazz music. If you miss the live broadcast on TV, you can still watch the movie online on Apple TV+. The message at the centre of this never grows old!

Stunning Christmas Tree Decorations from Newbridge Silverware

{These beautiful items were gifted to me for the purpose of this review, I have not been instructed what to write}

I suspect most people would agree that Christmas is a magical time, but I think we all have our own unique reasons for why we enjoy it. From family time to gift-giving, to lots of merriment and parties, right through to the hope of snow and of course, decorating your house. I wouldn't say I'm an elaborate house stager for the Christmas period but I do adore decorating my Christmas tree.

For years I had a colour coordinated tree and I was more interested in the overall aesthetic than anything else. That changed in the last decade, I think probably it was the children that helped me to see that memories can be more important than style. Add to that some journeys abroad that held great meaning and I started to collect tree ornaments that I could bring out every year and hang. What I've found is that as I unpack those decorations I am transported back to the time I bought the decoration or perhaps when it was made, or a special year when I hung it with one of my children and it now has sentimental meaning.

I've shared a few times on my blogs about our Christmas trees, you can see our 2012 offerings over here, or our 2018 one here. I also shared a tutorial in 2017 for making small Christmas wreath tree ornaments and these have been very popular and make excellent but inexpensive teacher/ youth leader gifts. 

Here is Miss E decorating our tree last year, as you can see I have done away with the tinsel and it's all about seeing each individual ornament now and there are a lot of them!

Tips for enjoying Christmas during a Pandemic

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

I did wonder if I should title this post - tips for surviving Christmas during a pandemic - but no, I figured I should be positive. For the great majority of us, we CAN enjoy Christmas and not just have to survive, endure or get through it this year. 

We're still a week away from Christmas day and there is plenty of time for each of us to check ourselves and start changing our mindset from negative to positive. We know now that the rate of spread in the UK is still high and for many areas (especially London, the South East and Wales) the spread is rising exponentially. So, it is time for every one of us to act responsibly and to have the smallest, safest gathering possible this Christmas. 

It won't be normal - there won't be boozy nights with friends, trips to the panto, ice skating with the kids or frantic sale shopping and now we know that for sure, it is time for us to accept it and make the best of what we have left. I'd like to suggest that we can still have a good time or even a great time and I wanted to share some tips for doing so. 

Take a Positive View

My first suggestion and it applies to everyone is to look on the bright side. I know from personal experience and from being involved with the Reasons to be Cheerful gang for over a decade that looking for the good in a situation makes a difference. When you choose to be grateful and offer thanks for the things that you do have, it changes your mindset and it can easily become a habit. Of course, you have to be willing to put in the effort and I think it is good to write down each day the things you are thankful for. Aim for three a day and when you are struggling just seek one positive thing, even if it is as simple as - you have a home, warm clothes, food to eat. Start with the basics and keep recording what you are grateful for and your list and your heart will grow, I promise you. 

A few years ago I wrote a post titled 'Keeping perspective: It's Just One Day After All!' where I talked about not following the crowd and remembering that Christmas is just a short snippet in time, and I think it is more important than ever this year to remember that. Don't spend money you don't have, mourn the things that are missing or be anxious over whether the turkey will be perfect. Try instead, to be calm, loving and present in the moment.

Oh and on the note of being positive, make a concerted effort to stay away from negative people during this time. You don't need anyone to steal your joy! You really can control your own thoughts and positive affirmations go a long way. I have a typed sheet on my mirror that reminds me of who I am, for me, it is about being a child of God and I focus on His promises but for you it might be more general affirmations like - I am a beautiful woman with a good heart, I am generous, I am loving, I will have a great Christmas day, I treasure time by myself. All the things you want to believe and need to hear, write down and say them aloud to yourself as you start the day.

Amazing Gifts for a Young Woman - Christmas Gift Guide

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Echor End of Day Aromatherapy Candle - £24.99

Echor is all about improving your wellbeing by helping you to get the best, most rested sleep experience that you can. They say their science-backed products will help you to have the kind of sleep you deserve, by creating a positive end-of-day experience. We spend around a third of our lives sleeping and it's important to have a good end-of-day routine to set you up well for the next day. 

I adore the look of this candle as it is very streamlined and I think stands out from the masses on the High Street. The wooden lid is a particularly nice touch.  The candle is a blend of Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Geranium & Sweet Orange essential oils, which have been shown to reduce stress hormones and lower blood pressure. As you'd imagine, it smells divine too.

The vegan soy wax is 100% natural for a clean burn and will last around 60 hours. So if you use it each night for an hour, it will last about two months, which is great. 

Buy directly from Echor. 

Christmas Gift Guide for Food Lovers

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

With just 39 days to go until Christmas, I think it is prudent to start thinking about the gifts for those loved ones in your life. We all know someone who counts themselves as a foodie and the good news is that you don't have to spend hundreds on a superb meal experience for them, you can get them a present they'll love for a reasonable amount.

Check out my ideas below, I hope you'll find a good variety of fo things to suit people of all ages.

AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener - £16.50

There is nothing worse than having blunt knives when you are preparing foods and it can get expensive to keep buying new knives but the AnySharp Pro knife sharpener is an excellent idea, as it will almost instantly sharpen any knife (including serrated ones). It is super safe as it has a strong suction cup at the bottom to ensure it stays in one place as you sharpen. It is also small and compact making it easy to store in even the most compact of kitchens. It comes in a variety of colours to suit your kitchen, or is tiny enough to store in a drawer and it has a 10-year warranty too.

Buy the {#ad} AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener from Amazon. 

Operation Christmas Child - Box Packing Update for 2020

I've now been involved with Operation Christmas Child for around 16 years and I still love it as much as I ever did. JJ has moved on and no longer helps me pack boxes but my twin girls are still keen and we often invite friends around for a box packing party, so a few of us can all do it together. 

Over the years I have been involved in various ways, from packing boxes as a family to organising assemblies at school, services at church, box packing parties (online and in real life), school and church collections, checking boxes before sending and even travelling to Belarus with Samaritans Purse to distribute boxes, be involved in live-streamed box opening and writing up the stories of the children I met. 

Things have been changing over the years and regulations have tightened up, meaning that not everything can be included in your box anymore. Also, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, you might be wondering if you can still create a physical box and the answer is yes. Samaritans Purse are still accepting boxes during the week of 9-16 November 2020. 

I thought it was important to update our box packaging tutorial here on the blog with all the latest 2020 information -

How to pack an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gift

1)  Get a box - Either take a medium-sized shoebox and wrap the lid and box separately in festive and fun wrapping paper. Or you can use a pre-printed shoebox. available from Samaritans Purse. You can't buy these in packs of any less than 20, so they are good for schools, churches and community groups to buy and give out os sell individually. 

2)   Choose the sex and age - Choose which age group and sex you will make the box for. The choice is boy or girl for ages 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. You can download and print labels from here for free. Make sure you attach the appropriate one to the top of your box.  

Christmas Gift Guide - For the Hard to Buy for Man - 13 Great Ideas

{This post contains samples gifted to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}}

I think we've all got those people in our lives, the ones that it is so hard to buy gifts for, and in my experience they have generally been men! It might be that there is nothing they want, or that they are super fussy, but whatever the reason, it makes it super tricky as someone who loves to be generous.

My Dad is one of the best 'tricky to buy for' men as there is genuinely nothing he wants and he'll be content with whatever you buy him. So a bar of chocolate or some socks will make him smile. Whereas men in the wider family do seem to want a gift but they won't give me any hints, so they end up with the same thing, year in and year out. 

This year I am trying to expand my horizons and theirs, and find some different gifts to give to the hard to buy for man. Here are a few ideas....

1.  Countryfile Live August 2020, £12 + booking fee, first release price

If you know the hard to buy for man in your life would enjoy an experience more than a physical present, why not treat him to a day at BBC Countryfile Live? It's not until August 2020, but you can get your tickets now in a nice festive envelope, so you have a gift to give on the big day. We're going to go next year to one of the Windsor days and I think it will be fabulous fun for all ages. It's only £12 at the moment to book as well, so you can't moan at that price!

At Castle Howard from 6-9th August and Windsor Great Park from 20 - 23rd August 2020, these will be days full of fun where this favourite show is bought to life with a dog lovers arena, live cooking demonstrations, getting back to nature with the National trust and meeting the Countryfile presenters at the Big Theatre. I can't wait!

2.  Nextbase Dash Cam £99

My son has been bugging me for ages to buy a dash cam for our car, and as one of the fastest growing areas of consumer technology it is no wonder why. Nextbase is the UK's leading dash came manufacturer and this model (the Nextbase Series 2- 322GW Dash Cam) is the world's first to have emergency SOS capabilities in the event of a nasty accident, alerting the emergency services to our whereabouts. 

It has 10x GPS making it the most accurate dash cam on the market and I particularly like the intelligent parking mode, which records any bumps or movements when the car is parked. You can also add a rear view camera to ensure your car is even safer. (#ad) Buy from Amazon now for just £94.95.

Reasons to be Cheerful - Panto, Christmas Trees & Sunrise

Good evening friends. How are you? I hope your week is going well, mine has been a odd one with some horrid downs. Nothing too major, before anyone worries unduly, but you know what it's like when you can't control what is going on around you and it all feels unfair and out of control? Yes, that!

I knew I had to dig deep and do a Reasons to be Cheerful post to remind me of all the wonderful things I have in my life and to let go of the stuff I can't control. I've decided I'll have a proper time away from anything online this weekend, to help me refocus and be in the moment with my family. We have some fab things planned - cinema, a Christmas tree festival and catching up with family and the kids God parents. 

Since I last posted for #R2BC, there is loads I am thankful for -

Being in the village panto - I really adored this and I am missing it already. I'll definitely get involved again next year and I am looking forward to our meal together in January. They are a great group of people and it has been wonderful getting to know them all more. 

Christmas Gift Guide for Teen Girls - 10 Great Ideas

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Teen girls can be tricky to buy for; I have two of them and they really are chalk and cheese, so it is clear to me that no one solution suits all of them. The thing that they do have in common is that they are like magpies and are attracted to pretty, shiny things in beautiful wrapping. 

My girls still badger me to do them a stocking each and apparently it is the best part of the Christmas presents but I am finding it gets more and more expensive as they get older, so you have to become creative and make sure your stocking is a realistic size!

e.l.f Make-up sets - From £6

My girls are going to be thrilled to receive these elf cosmetics (#ad) sets. The prices are so reasonable with the pack of three lip balms and 3 eyeshadow duos both selling for just £6 each at Boots, and the Haute chocolate eyes shadow set is £12. Extra good is that they are all included in the Boots 3 for 2 gifting deal. The colours look really pigmented and totally on-trend. 

Personalised Notebook from Norma and Dorothy - £22
This is a really stunning notebook (#ad) that Miss E will love using as her artist's sketchpad as the pages are blank. It has a nice hardcover and is spiral-bound, so it is easy to use and firm to lean on. The personalisation is in real gold foil and makes the book unique and special. There are loads of gorgeous personalised gifts on Norma & Dorothy and they all come beautifully packaged.

Christmas Gifts for All the Family to Enjoy Together

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchase, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

It won't be long now friends! We have to get on board and admit that Christmas is fast approaching, I won't tell you that I am completely organised as yet but I am well on the way and the piles of presents hidden around my house are adding up!

As my children get older I find it is harder and harder to buy physical presents for them, often they want experiences, money, clothes or tech and that's OK, they are growing up so I have to respect their wishes. However, I miss the days when they were little and we would be able to enjoy their presents together, building LEGO, playing a board game or doing some craft.

Then a couple of weeks ago it occurred to me, why do things have to change? Last year I bought Risk and we all enjoyed paying it together, so this year doesn't need to be any different, I am going to invest in some gifts we can all enjoy together and then I get my favourite Christmas gift - all my family together.

Here are a few ideas for gifts all the family can enjoy together (if you have older kids like me) -

For the Home

ASDA personalised photo cushion - £26
My first idea was to make a generic one to go on the sofa, but then I knew that my Miss E would really love one with all her favourite cuddlies on it, so here it is with her Alfie teddy, my parents dog Archie and our cat Puss Puss. This will stay in the lounge and we can all enjoy it as it is big enough for two to share. I went for the XL cushion, which is 25" x 14.5" and retails at £26.00 with £4 postage (there is also a smaller size available too).

The cushion is really good quality, it is soft suede, plain beige on the back and printed on the front. There are loads of templates you can choose from for printing, to make it totally unique to your home and I found the process simple, and the delivery quick. I'll happily use ASDA photo again for personalised gifts and I see there is 10% of all personalised cushions until the end of this year too, which is a great deal!

Fun Family Christmas Traditions: Decorating the Christmas Tree

2018 Pannell family Christmas tree

{Collaborative post}

For me, Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless our home is decorated in the right way. Tinsel, mistletoe, baubles and fairy lights: all add to the ambience that makes the season. The centrepiece for all of these decorations, naturally, is formed by the tree. But decorating a tree isn’t just a destination; it’s a journey, too. If you want to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit, then drafting them all in to lend a hand is a great way to get started!

For many years when the kids were small, we used to have two trees, as I loved to have a 'perfect' colour coordinated one in the lounge that I had decorated and then we would have a second one in the dining or playroom. This one was super colourful, sling everything on, including homemade decorations tree. As the kids have aged though, I have realised that for me, it is far more important to have everyone involved with the ritual of decorating the tree than it is, for it to look perfect.

Let’s look at a few ways in which we can make the tree-decorating experience special for everyone -

Wearing Christmas Clothes

Any activity will feel that little bit more Christmassy if you’re wearing the right clothes. If you’re gifting Christmas jumpers, then you can save opening them until the big day itself. But there’s nothing stopping you from wearing last year’s jumpers. On the other hand, you might make the experience a little bit cosier by wearing your winter sleepwear. Matching pyjamas or onesies will make the whole family feel like the same cohesive unit!

New Years Reasons to be Cheerful - 2019

Happy New Year cheerful friends. I had totally forgotten it was Thursday until Becky gave me a prompt and even then this is a day late, but I have had the most lovely time over Advent, Christmas and New Year, so it is only right that I post and record some of those wonderful moments.

I started reading my daily bible again and have been enjoying regular quiet time in the prayer centre.

I'm really loving reading at the moment and I'm getting through at least one book a week. I've enjoyed many yummy coffees and cakes in December and now I've started Slimming World, so they have to go on hold for a while!

18 Great Ideas for your Teen Girl this Christmas | Gift Guide

On the one hand teen girls are so easy to buy for, there is so much she wants, but then on the other, boy are they fussy! Depending on your girl, and maybe her age, will dictate whether you can pick up bargain items from Poundland as stocking fillers or whether she'd just rather one great gift, like some tech, a pair of Adidas trainers or an Abercrombie & Fitch hoodie. 

I've put together some gift ideas for teen girls (probably the younger end of teen) with a range of price points from £1 to over £50.

Gifts for under £5

False Nails - £1

Poundland do a great line in false nails, all sorts of styles, colours and both glue and adhesive sticker application. These are a real quick win and an easy way for your teen to be able to change her look, even when she had a fatal nail break!

5 Pack of Lip Glosses - £2
This pack was such a bargain, again from Poundland. There are five great colours, so something to suit all skin tones and cheap enough that it doesn't matter if she loses it the first time she takes it out with her.

Stocking Fillers & Gift Ideas for Tween Girls this Christmas | Gift Guide

{As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

There's only 37 days left before Christmas day arrives, so actually now really is the time to start seeking out what Christmas gifts you wish to purchase for those you love. 

If you have a tween girl (aged around 8 - 12 years) in your life, I've put together some ideas for gifts that I think she'll really like. These go from stocking fillers for just £1 through to £59.99. I tend to pick bits up for Christmas throughout the year so I can spread the cost and it means you can cash in on the sales and discounts when they happen.

Stocking Fillers and Gifts for under £5

Bananas - from £3.99

These new scented collectables are sure to be a massive hit. You unpeel the banana and straight away are get hit with the sweet smell of bananas and then inside you have a number of small blind bags to open and you can enjoy stickers, gems, a Crushie character and two mini squeezable friends, as well as a hanging vine to display your Crushie. They are £3.99 for a single banana or £9.99 for a bunch of three. 

15 Great Gifts to buy a Teen Boy for Christmas - Gift Guide

Christmas is fast approaching and I do love to get ready nice and early so that I can spend most of December spending time with my family and enjoying Advent. I have to admit that I far prefer buying for women than men, probably because I'm a woman but it just seems so much easier.  I'm determined that my teenage son won't miss out on the fun though and I thought I'd share with you some suggestions of items to buy for a teenage boy this year.

If you ask my son what he'd like for Christmas or a birthday his stock answer is money, that's because he is always saving up for the next laptop, gaming headset, phone or other such gadget. I'm sure we will give him some money but he needs some gifts to open too and I've found in the past when I give him items that he doesn't even know he wants, he ends up having fun and it keeps him off his tech for an hour or two and that's a win in my book!

Gifts for under £5.00

Haribo Festive Treats - from £1

Who doesn't love Haribo (#ad) sweets? I don't think there is any age cap on them and I know all my kids will be pleased to receive a selection box, cracker or tree hanging gift this year. With prices starting from just £1 they are a delicious bargain and can be picked up at any supermarket.

Sudoku Cube Puzzle - £2.99

I love this 6cm x 6cm x 6cm cube, it is an amazing price and looks great quality too. Even better it will fit in JJ's stocking. Here is what they say on the Find Me A Gift site - "through the ungodly union of Sudoku and Rubik's cube, we bring you the Sudoku Cube! This fiendishly difficult little puzzle might look unassuming, but it's here to make you grit your teeth and swear under your breath in frustration." Just perfect for my smarty pants to keep him occupied for a few hours over Christmas, or in the car on a long journey.

Christmas Gift Guide: 5 Things Every Teen Girl needs for a Break Away

{As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Every young woman loves to go away, whether that's with school, youth club, their family or perhaps a friends family. There is so much excitement in the preparations and getting ready for that special time.

Years back with our eldest we started to give experience gifts rather than money or physical gifts, as we found that the kids had everything they needed and frankly the thing they wanted most was one-on-one time with either my husband or I.

JJ and my husband have had so many great stays up in London, visiting museums, going to the cinema, exploring the Thames and of course eating too much. Once our twin girls Miss M and Miss E were old enough they wanted in on the action too and the first year I took them both away with my Mum for to a holiday park for some girlie fun . Then this year they choose to split up and Miss M went to London with my husband and Miss E and I headed to Surrey for a spa break.

Who knows where next year will take us but the girls have already said they want to go away as their Christmas gifts, so I suppose I ought to start scouring sites like Secret Escapes now to see what luxury hotels I can find for bargain prices.

Miss M, in particular, is a very girlie girl and loves the excitement of the holiday preparation and packing as much as she does the time away, so I'm thinking that for Christmas I might ask the family to get her some great gifts to make her time away really special. Here are five tops picks I think every teen (or even tween) girl will love -

1.   Alfa Italia Viaggio TRAVEL styler set
Miss M has just got into straightening her hair and she religiously washes and blow drys it a few times a week, so this travel style kit from Alfa Italia is just right. It is super stylish in black with gold accents and combines Italian design with premium quality professional hair styling tools. It retails for £39.95 and is exclusively available from the Chill Cabinet.

10 Ways to keep the Magic of Christmas Alive for your Kids

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

It won’t be that long before the big day is upon us, but more than the actual day, I love the build up. The anticipation of the fun to come, watching the kids get more and more excited, smelling all those spiced biscuits and gingerbread, wondering if snow will fall and of course the buying, hiding and wrapping of the gifts.

I truly believe that Christmas is a much more magical time when viewed through the eyes of a child and as such I’m very happy to indulge my children in all their favourite pre-Christmas activities as they grow older. My 15 year old JJ, of course, is under no illusion that a cuddly fat chap in red comes down our chimney and my 11 year old twins don’t believe either, but we’re in that funny phase where I haven’t confirmed or denied. Last year they asked me again and I threw it back to them, asking if they liked the idea of Father Christmas? They both said they did, so I told them to enjoy it and forget the rest.

If like me, you want to help keep the magic of Christmas alive in the run up to the big day, why not check out these ideas of activities to do with your children -

Send a letter to Santa - £

I’m sure, at one time or another, every child has written a letter to Father Christmas, it’s a great way as a parent to learn what gift their heart may be desiring this year, but be careful not to do it too early with young children as they are prone of changing their mind. I know this from experience! You can buy letter writing packs, print a template off the web or just use regular paper.