Festive Pyjamas.
As a girl who grew up in the 90s we all had those outlandish jumpers knitted by our grandparents that would craze you and make you itch. We all hate them, probably just as much as matching pyjamas! But, that's a thing of the past and now families across the world are seeking out matching pyjamas for all the family, including the dog.
It's not every year that we buy brand new matching pyjamas but our daughter has finally grown out of the most recent ones, so it was time to get our hands on some new ones. But, with a tall and broad husband, short long legged pre-teen and a short and a little rounder than most mama - we had our work cut out for us. My god it was a mission to get matching ones that are long enough for my husbands limbs and large enough to fit my chest and legs. However, Tesco F&F was our saviour at only £12 for adults and £10 for kids.
This years matching pyjamas were a traditional red and white fairisle printed with reindeers and snowflakes creating a real festive atmosphere. They were so comfortable and were really soft to touch and the sizing was really great. There was enough room for growing too.
A Christmas Book
When it comes to selecting some festive goodies to include in your basket or box you definitely should include a festive story or book. After a fun filled day we all need to wind down and what better way to do that than with a snuggle on the sofa wrapped in blankets with a cup of hot chocolate and a festive favourite. You can of course choose any type of book you like, but for me it HAS to be festive. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, The Polar Express by Christ Van Allsburg or the Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss are more of the classic or traditional ones too choose.
Now that my daughter is heading into her preteen era I knew that we had to include something a little harder and more to her taste when it comes to her festive book this year. So, we went thrifting and found a fairly new copy of The Christmasaurus By Tom Fletcher for less than a £1! However, The Great Reindeer Rescue by Stephen Magan, The Christmas Pig by JK Rowling and The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas by Matt Lucas are fantastic options for those that are seeking more than a short tale or story to wind down to before the big day.
A Christmas Film
I'm sure this goes without saying, a nice Christmas film is an absolute must for the basket. You could include some favourites from the 90s like the 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas', 'Miracle on 34th Street' or 'The Santa Clause'.
You could dust off an odd DVD OR Blu-ray or perhaps get creative and made your own cinemas tickets. All you would need is some card to draw your tickets and put these inside a red and white popcorn container - it would be a cute way of including a film but not dusting off your old DVDs or buying something new. Everyone has some type of streaming service that have plenty of festive favourites to choose from such as 'The Christmas Chronicles', 'Jingle Jangle', or the brand-new 'That Christmas'.
Christmas Crafts
If you've been following us for a while you'll know that we are a crafty family. So, we knew that we wanted to include some craft kits in our basket to help keep us occupied. Baker Ross is renowned for its vast range of arts and crafts, toys, and party supplies, which are popular with everyone from parents looking to entertain little ones to school teachers and pro crafters.
Their website is jam packed full of amazing kits that are sure to keep little hands busy. We added in the Snowflake Wreath Kit and Winter Star Sewing Decoration Kit which included all the supplies that we needed inside one kit. But the crafting doesn't stop there we also included a Hanging Decorations Kit, Paint Your Own Nutcracker, and Window Snowflakes.
Baker Ross kindly send over a Penguin Charm Bracelet Kit which adds a little winter charm to your arm with the arctic inspired bracelet making kit! Its the perfect craft for jewellery and bead fans, who enjoy making Christmas beaded bracelets for all their friends. You could also use these kits as a party craft or use as a stocking filler. Thread, knot, design and wear!
Colouring Books and Pens
To compliment all the craft kits we always like to include some festive colouring books and pens too. This year we have included some adorable pens with these Penguin Pop-a-crayons and a Corgi Dog Magic Rainbow Pen and a set of 3D Christmas Erasers - I know that these are going to be a huge hit with our daughter.
Festive Beauty Treats
As my daughter is hitting her preteen era it makes complete sense to add a new criteria to the baskets with some festive beauty treats. It will be something special that we could do together as a 'new tradition'. We both love a selfcare Sunday so it seems perfect to include some festive face masks and we managed to pick up some face sheet masks that comes with a printed Santa face on them.
When raiding TK MAX the other day we saw this adorable Simple Pleasures Winter Christmas Nail Polish Set which included some festive press on nails, a toe separator, nail files and 4 mini nail polishes. It has everything we needed to make our nail look festive.
Hot Chocolate and Festive Mug
A hot chocolate with squirty cream and marshmallows are a Christmas right of passage. Not only can you upscale your hot chocolate in any way you like, they taste amazing too. But a hot chocolate with whipped cream and all the marshmallows you can possibly fit into your festive mug is like a Christmas Eve staple, right? Every single year we buy another novelty cup and this year we are showcasing this adorable gingerbread man. I really like this one as it has a wide handle so you can really hug you cup as you sip the sweet silky hot chocolate.
When it comes to the hot chocolate itself. I really do love a special cone or those hot chocolate stirrers. This year we have picked up a cute reindeer cone from our local school Christmas Fayre which has been filled with hot chocolate, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles.
Chocolate and Treats
As always, a bag of gold or silver coins, candy canes or gummy sweets are a necessity. However a present like The PLAYin CHOC mini box includes two small delicious dairy-free & allergy-free organic chocolate with a collectable 3D cardboard puzzle toy to assemble and a fun facts card. There are six boxes in the Christmas Collection which include Father Christmas, a snowman, an Elf, a Gingerbread Man, a Reindeer and a Christmas Tree. There’s the added bonus that the chocolate is plant based. It’s vegan, dairy free, nut free and gluten free.
Magical Reindeer Food
Create memorable moments of magic with this twist on classic reindeer food to leave for Santa’s reindeer! Perfect for little bakers and a great way to bring a little festive flair to your Christmas Eve preparations! You only need rolled oats, cinnamon, festive sprinkles and a good mix. You can use as much or as little of these as you want – let the little ones loose! Then, simple spoon the Magical Reindeer Food into bags and tie shut with ribbon or twine. Label with messages for your loved ones to give to Rudolph and his friends.
If you don't have the time to make your own Magical Reindeer Food than why not scour the internet to find another great options. A couple of years ago we actually used the Magical Reindeer Food with Moon Sparkles from Lapland Letters. It is a wildlife friendly recipe that is packed with sparkles to catch the moonlight and each pack is delivered in a foil-embossed envelope which adds to the magic.
Gingerbread House
My husband always works on Christmas Eve which can be a little disappointing as he misses out on all the fun. But we always managed to save a couple of fun festive activities for him to enjoy and making a gingerbread house is one of them. To save on time and stress we always buy a ready to assemble house. They are so easy to do and no stress if they break
Fawn Squishmallow
Merry Squishmas! Falala The Pink Christmas Fawn with Snowflake is going to go down a storm with my Squishmallow loving daughter. Love, play, cuddle and squeeze! Squishmallows are the softest, cutest plush toys around. We don't normally collect the seasonal Squishmallows, however we just couldn't resist her adorable face.
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