A Magical Start to Christmas at the Intu Trafford Centre

Today we were invited to the Intu Trafford Centre to watch their Magical Christmas Parade. Arriving before the parade began, we had the chance to meet the stars of the show in a private meet and greet. Freddy loved seeing Peppa Pig, Bing & Flop, Shimmer & Shine, Marshall & Skye, the Minions, PJ Masks and Branch & Poppy. There is something so magical about seeing the children interact with their favourite TV stars in real life! We had a really nice breakfast, juice and coffee supplied by Leon, which was much appreciated after our early start.

We were then lucky enough to be able to watch the parade from the VIP enclosure at the side of the stage in the Orient. There was a procession of the characters alongside dancing princes and princesses, jugglers, drumming soldiers, stilt walkers, ballerinas, dancers, Father Christmas and his elves.

The all singing, all dancing performance ended with a magical blizzard of snowflake confetti, which was really lovely.  We left feeling very festive after our wonderful morning at the intu Trafford Centre.

Afterwards we got to do some Christmas shopping and get some lunch. The Christmas lights made the experience very sparkly and festive.

Check out what is happening at the intu Trafford Centre this Christmas at intu.co.uk/traffordcentre.

A Festive Breakfast with Santa at Selfridges

This weekend, we started our Christmas activities off in style with a visit to the intu Trafford Centre, where Freddy was invited to enjoy breakfast with Santa at Selfridges. Dressed in his best Christmas sweater, Freddy joined the other boys and girls on a beautifully decorated table nestled in a corner of the shop floor, and began his morning with some festive colouring while awaiting the arrival of the special guest!

With a Ho-Ho-Ho, Santa Claus arrived looking resplendent in his red fur suit and hat. He took a seat at the table with the children and chatted to them about his reindeer, the elves, life in Lapland, magic dust and other Santa-y things. The children were all so engaged and delighted, it was magical. Freddy remarked at how much he enjoyed having a real conversation with Santa and not just being asked what he wanted for Christmas and whether he'd been good or not. So this experience was really special to him.

The children were each given a box filled with a selection of amazing looking breakfast goodies including blueberries, a sparkly topped boiled egg, toast soldiers, a rainbow cereal bar, a raspberry mousse, a muffin and star shaped pancakes with syrup. Freddy's favourite was a white chocolate and sprinkles covered apple! Everything was so colourful and fun. Apparently, this is what the elves have for breakfast in the North Pole. It certainly made a change from Freddy's usual bowl of Shreddies!!

Once the food was eaten, Santa lead the group of children to an area where they had a Christmas sing song. Santa then gave out some really nice presents to all the children and posed for photographs with them. It really was a lovely way to spend the morning, leaving us feeling very festive indeed!

We followed Santa's breakfast with a good mooch around Selfridges, looking at all their festive things and getting some gift inspiration. Who knew there was a Primark concession in store? So neat and tidy and with a very good range of clothes and accessories. Amazing! And the food hall is the perfect place for picking up some exciting Christmassy foodie bits.

A visit to Selfridges at Christmas promises to be fun, as Santa will be making appearances throughout the store at designated Santa Stops on Saturdays from 12 - 6 pm until the 18th December. Families can share some magical moments or even grab a Santa selfie.

There is lots going on at the intu Trafford Centre over Christmas including The Polar Expedition, a festive fair at Barton Square and the intu Christmas Wheel as well as holiday happenings, pop-up stalls and other exciting things going on in stores. And the whole place is decorated and looking gorgeous. You can't help but get into the Christmas spirit.

Find out more at intu.co.uk/traffordcentre.

Personalised Videos from Santa from Portable North Pole

The 2016 Christmas countdown is on and what better way to celebrate than with a message from Santa himself. Dedicated to bringing the magic of Santa into homes at Christmastime, The Portable North Pole (PNP) website and mobile app is back once again to delight families, with personalised video and call messages. There are some amazing brand new features and content, with exciting new videos to create and calls to organise. 

Each message is carefully crafted to engage children of all ages, creating excitement in the lead up to Christmas Day. With personalisation including the child's name, each video and call is unique and magical.

The Magic Pass for 2016 is £9.99, which includes lots of unlimited premium content.

With the Magic Pass you will get: 

• Unlimited Premium Videos featuring Santa and his elves, including one for Christmas Eve. Santa will be giving his naughty or nice verdict to encourage little ones to do their best in the hope of making the nice list!
• The brand new Reaction Recorder to capture your child's look of wonder as they watch the video for the first time (only with the mobile app). 
• Unlimited Santa Calls with lots of fun call scenarios including some to encourage good behaviour!
• HD downloads of all your videos. 
• Storytime with Santa with a new personalised story video for each week in December to keep the magic alive throughout the month.
• A Santa-Approved Certificate to print for each of your videos.
• Birthday videos for children's birthdays throughout the year.

This is great value for money and the quality of the videos and calls will delight kids of any age. I love PNP, it is a lovely family tradition to send messages and organise calls to my loved ones. Last year my grandson Ted was excited to get a phone call from Santa on Christmas Eve and my 7 year old son loved receiving personalised videos in the run up to the big day! They really are very special, magical and bring a lot of joy to homes across the world at this time of year.

New for 2016, there is a PNP toy and gift collection, which is exclusive to John Lewis, which includes lovely items such as elf toys, a storybook and a good deeds jar.

Find out more at: www.portablenorthpole.com.

What Santa does on the other 364 days of the year

It's nearly Santa’s busiest day of the year, but have you ever wondered how he spends the other 364 days?  

A fun festive poll has been commissioned by photo gifting service PhotoBox, who asked children aged 5-8 to describe what they think Santa does when he’s finished delivering their presents, and the results were quite magical. According to the children, Santa’s January is spent fast asleep next to a cosy log fire, cuddling a teddy bear (69%).  He does deserve a well earned rest after all the hard work.

By February, Santa is ready for Valentine's Day and is romancing his one and only Mrs Claus with love letters (72%). 36% of children think Santa celebrates his birthday enjoying ice cream (36%) but his favourite meal, according to 21% of kids, is fish and chips. However only 3% said he'd enjoy eating broccoli! Santa's favourite tipple is a chilled beer (26%) so maybe we should leave him a frosty lager instead of a glass of port on Christmas Eve?

For Halloween, Santa dresses up as a pumpkin (16%) and he loves the pretty coloured sparklers on Bonfire Night (25%). Santa's best friend for sharing Sunday Dinner with is apparently the Tooth Fairy, according to a quarter of the children asked. (Hope Mrs Claus is OK with that!)

In his downtime, when he’s not ‘chilling out with the elves’, Santa has some interesting hobbies including singing (42%), colouring in (27%), baking (25%), shopping (20%), skateboarding (12%) and bungee jumping (6%). 

39% of children thought that Santa was eco-friendly, using a traditional pen and recycled paper to make his naughty and nice list of all the boys and girls at Christmas.

Inspired by the findings, PhotoBox has captured some wonderful photographs of Santa throughout the year, and has made the beautiful images available to download online. You can even make your own Santa calendar using their photos and enjoy the secret life of Santa Claus throughout 2016.

To download Santa’s photos for the year ahead and get started on your own personalised calendar, visit: www.photobox.co.uk or download the PhotoBox apps from the App Store, GooglePlay or Amazon.

Santa's Secret Workshop Grotto at the Intu Trafford Centre #review

One of the most magical parts of the Christmas celebrations is taking your little ones to see Santa. Freddy is six and is so caught up in all the excitement of the season. He is old enough to question the whole Santa Claus thing, asking why there are so many grottos with Father Christmases in them all at the same time, but totally accepts my explanation that Old St Nick has a cloning machine and makes replicas of himself to keep on top of everything. So visiting numerous Santas throughout December does not detract from his unswerving belief in the wonders of Christmas and the knowledge that on Christmas Eve it will be the original one that pops down our chimney.

We were really excited to be invited along to the Santa's Secret Workshop Grotto at the Trafford Centre in Manchester at the weekend. The specially built attraction is located in Barton Square, right near to SeaLife and the Legoland Discovery Centre and next to a mini Christmas market with food and gift stalls. So you can really make a whole festive family day of it.

The experience lets families discover the secrets of Santa's workshop, inviting in children to help Santa prepare for the big day.  Santa's special helpers get to take part in a range of activities, each one earning them a stamp in their special Christmas passport. Once they have all the stamps, it's time to meet Santa himself in his special cosy room, for a friendly chat and to receive a present.

On entering the experience, you walk through a mirrored maze to discover the secret entrance to Santa's workshop. Here, you are greeted by an elf and let loose inside an area where you can make Christmas cards, do crayon rubbings of Santa and make paper lanterns. Other activities include helping Santa to sort out and weigh the huge pile of presents in the sorting office; making buckets of food for Santa's reindeer by finding the right combination of healthy food and treats and preparing a special portion of magic reindeer food to take home and leave out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve. Stamps are collected in the passport for each activity.

Each passport is numbered and when your number is called by the head elf, it's time to go through to visit Santa. Santa was awesome!  He was engaging, funny and convincing. He was lovely to Freddy taking the time to chat to him, but was equally lovely to my two older girls. He spoke to them about being the generation who can make a difference in the world to make it a better place. We never felt rushed and he took his time to make sure the experience was a memorable one. In one magical moment, Santa even said that he recognised Ian from when he was a child and remembered that he had wanted a guitar as a present when he was thirteen...spookily accurate! This Santa was the real deal.

We had our photos taken with Santa, one serious and one silly, pulling funny faces!  I was impressed that Santa didn't take himself too seriously and the resulting photo is a great memento of a lovely visit.

The experience lasts about half an hour and you have a timed slot for your visit. Children's tickets are £6 each and adults cost £3 each. Kids get a small gift from Santa (Freddy got a stationery set and Kezia got a puzzle book) plus they can take home the reindeer food and the arts and crafts bits they make. You can book in advance online (£2.50 transaction fee applies) or pay on the day (but if it's busy it may get fully booked).

Photos cost extra, but there is no hard sell to purchase them. We bought a snow globe frame for £10, which we thought was a reasonable price. Photos cost £6, fridge magnets and Christmas tree decorations cost £5 each. There is a 25% discount if you buy three items.

The grotto is open everyday until December 24th.

Visit intu.co.uk/traffordcentre/events for more details and to book tickets.

Making Christmas Magical with Personalised Videos and Phone Calls from Santa with PNP

One of the things that really gets me into the Christmas spirit, is making my annual video message to Freddy from Santa using the Portable North Pole website. It is always such a magical moment, playing the personalised message for my son Freddy, seeing the wonder in his eyes knowing that he still has that total belief in Father Christmas. The videos are truly heartwarming, engaging and expertly crafted, delivering surprises and fun as Santa delivers his personal message.

There are both free and premium videos available to make on the PNP site or app. The free video comes with five points of personalisation, whereas there are up to sixteen personalisations, including up to five photographs and a choice of storylines with the premium service. You can make videos for children, but even adults can get in on the fun with some cheekier grown-up options available to send.

Santa has a personal message for children whether they are on his naughty or nice list. In fact, the video message can help encourage better behaviour with children eager to make it on to and stay on Santa's list of good boys and girls. It's a handy little incentive in the run up to Christmas, where a timely reminder about Santa's elves watching them, can prompt some best behaviour from little ones. Santa gives praise and encouragement to children for their efforts, which positively reinforces their good behaviour, and delivers a naughty or nice verdict at the end of the video.

We are trying out one of the premium Gold Pass Bundles from PNP, which is worth £10.99. For this price you can make unlimited premium video messages and phone calls from Santa until January 2016. You also get HD video downloads and access to any archived PNP videos. (If you are quick, PNP fans can get a pre-season Gold Pass for £9.99 available for a limited time only.)

This year there are seven festive video storylines to choose from:

Visit an Elf House
Tour the Post Office
A Song Just for You
Secret Places
Christmas Eve
Movie Star
Birthday

Each lasts 5 minutes (except the Christmas Eve one, which is 2 minutes long, as Santa is super busy on that day!) Each can be personalised, which is really fun to do, and includes your child's name and photos and other details, to make a unique and magical video for a child. With beautiful settings, cute elves and of course a traditional Santa, the videos are a real joy to watch.

Also with the premium Gold Pass you can receive unlimited phone calls from Santa. These are so much fun and are really effective. There are lots of themes to choose from, such as receiving congratulations for working hard at school or making effort to improve, to gentle warnings about fighting or arguing to try and kerb behaviour that could find a child on Santa's naughty list. There are also phone calls to keep a child up to date on Christmas Eve progress reminding them to put out cookies or giving them a live update from the sleigh. These interactive phone calls really do add to the magic of the season, especially as Santa speaks to the child by name.

My favourite thing about the PNP premium Gold Pass is that I can use the videos and phone calls in the weeks before Christmas Day to build excitement and keep the magic of Christmas alive. Each five minute video is different, bringing some new excitement from the North Pole and allowing Freddy to explore something new with Santa and his elves. Freddy really loved the video I made him last year, so I imagine he is going to thoroughly enjoy watching the premium video messages and taking phonecalls from Santa over this festive season. You can make videos for any number of recipients with the unlimited pass so friends and family can also get a personalised message from Santa, shared via Facebook or by email. So much better than a card!

               


The PNP Children's hospital Program donates 5% of purchases to children's hospitals around the world, including four in the UK, so buying PNP premium videos will help other children. Over $100,000 has been donated to date.

To find out more about the different PNP services and products available and to purchase premium videos, calls or unlimited passes visit www.portablenorthpole.com. 

The free video message service will be available online later this month. Premium videos will be available to view online until June 2016 after which they will be archived and phone calls will stay available for 365 days.

We had Tea with Father Christmas at Wyevale Garden Centre

Every Christmas, we enjoy visiting our local Wyevale garden centre.  We are just a few miles away from Bridgemere, and when we were invited to enjoy Tea with Father Christmas, we were really excited about spending a festive afternoon there.

Garden Centres always go all out at Christmas with their decorations, displays and events.  The entrance to Bridgemere housed an amazing nativity scene complete with lifesize, animatronic animals.  We enjoyed looking at all the lovely displays as we made our way to the restaurant for our 4pm booking to enjoy an afternoon tea and to see Santa.

An area of the restaurant was reserved for guests and we were greeted and shown to our table, which was beautifully laid out.  We had already organised our food choices in advance. As vegetarians we opted for the Festive Hummus, Red Pepper and Cucumber sandwiches accompanied by coffee, a delicious scone with jam and clotted cream and a mince pie.  I was very impressed that our vegan daughter was accommodated for, and they supplied her with crisps in place of the cake selection. The children had a choice of a hot meal, which for us veggies was a dish of oven baked macaroni cheese and a bowl of peas or baked beans, or a cold picnic tea consisting of a cheese sandwich, chocolate cornflake cake, a satsuma and crisps.  Squash was available for the kids to drink.

There were colouring sheets, crayons and Christmas crackers on the table to keep the little ones entertained. The staff were very attentive, coming over to chat with the kids and making sure everything was participatioionOK with the food.  Once tummies were filled, it was time for Santa. The children were invited to join in with a rendition of Jingle Bells, then they had to shout for Santa. Freddy loves all the audience participation stuff and joined in enthusiastically, shouting at the top of his voice!

The man himself, accompanied by Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, arrived.  Santa took his seat in his lovely little grotto, surrounded by toys ready to be given to the children.  Children were invited up a table at a time and each enjoyed a friendly chat with Santa.  I was able to take photos of Santa with the children and it was very relaxed.  Freddy and Kizzy then got to choose any gift from the tables of toys.  Both chose a tube of multi-coloured rubber ducks!  Other offerings included dolls, craft sets, toy cars and games.  There was a good selection of nice quality gifts.

To finish the day, children were given a gingerbread tree, a tube of icing and a bowl of toppings (chocolate, raisins and marshmallows) so they could decorate their own biscuit.  These were foil wrapped to be taken home.

It was a really lovely event and Freddy was absolutely thrilled by the experience.  The older girls also enjoyed themselves with the good food and the festive spirit that prevailed!

Breakfast and Tea with Father Christmas is available until Christmas Eve at Wyevale Garden Centres (dates and times vary by location.)  The all inclusive price includes a meal, a visit to Santa, a present and a Christmas tree biscuit to decorate for each child.  Adults get to join in the fun with something to eat and a hot drink.

Breakfast with Father Christmas

For children

Pork sausage, hash brown, baked beans and toast soldiers.

or

Scrambled eggs, hash brown, baked beans and toast soldiers. (v)

£9.99

For adults

Pork sausage, two rashers of bacon, black pudding, fried egg served on fried bread, hash browns, roasted flat mushroom, grilled tomato and baked beans. Served with a slice of toast and tea or filter coffee.

or

Fried egg on fried bread, hash browns, roasted flat mushroom, grilled tomato and baked beans. Served with a slice of toast and tea or filter coffee. (v)

£7.99

Adult mini ticket

A freshly baked breakfast pastry served with tea or filter coffee.

£3.99

Tea with Father Christmas

For children

A hot meal with chicken goujons/sausages and chips with beans or peas. 

or

Macaroni cheese and peas. (v)

or

'My Picnic' meal which includes a delicious sandwich, snack, dessert, fresh fruit and a refreshing drink.

£9.99

For adults

A festive turkey sandwich, a mince pie and a sweet treat.

or

A festive cucumber and red pepper hummus sandwich, a mince pie and a sweet treat. (v).

Your choice of tea or filter coffee included.

£7.99

Adult mini ticket

A slice of delicious cake served with tea or filter coffee.

£3.99

Gluten free options are available and my vegan daughter was accommodated on request.

To find out more, to check availability at your local garden centre and to book a Breakfast or Tea with Father Christmas, go to www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/breakfast-and-tea-with-father-christmas

A Video from Santa from PNP- Portable North Pole

Make Christmas Magic

It's become somewhat of a Christmas tradition in our house to make a message from Santa for the kids using the Portable North Pole service.  It is so simple to create a personalised video for your child from the big man himself, featuring your child's name, details and a photo.  The standard video is FREE to make, but you can opt for a Premium video for £2.99 which features more from Santa and his elves and includes up to five extra images in an extra exclusive video sequence. The videos can be viewed online as often as you wish during the Christmas period or downloaded to keep for an extra charge.

There are lots of packages and merchandise also available to buy.  We were given the Jingle Bell Bundle to try out which costs £4.99.  It includes the Premium Video, a personalised telephone call from Santa and a bonus Christmas Eve video message for your child.

I made the Premium video for Freddy.  I was able to add photos of holidays and family members, personalise details about Freddy, add friends' names to books on Santa's shelves and choose between various video options to tailor the video perfectly for my son. The result is a lovely 6 minute video featuring Santa and his cute little elves as they check to see whether Freddy is on the 'Nice' list this year.  It is wonderful!  The sets, costumes and acting are spot on, and I love the ingenious use of Santa's beard, which covers his mouth, to allow for him to say the personalised bits without have to worry about the lip synch!

In addition to this, there is a phone call from Santa that I have personalised with Freddy's details, which is waiting to be made on Christmas Eve. Plus there is the Christmas Eve message, live from Santa's sleigh, telling Freddy that he needs to get to sleep so Santa can come and deliver his presents.  Excellent way to get the boy in bed!

I am really impressed with the service and the beautiful digital products.  You can also purchase a range of gifts such as a 'Nice' list certificate or a letter from Santa to be delivered to your door.  5% of all money spent goes to help local children's hospitals.  So you get to give a little to charity as you spend.

I really like that the videos encourage children to try hard and be good.  Freddy's video tells him to try his best at school, which is a great message for my little schoolboy. You can tailor videos for 'naughty' children or ones who are caught between the naughty and nice lists, to remind them to be on their best behaviour.

You can get 20% off digital products in the PNP store valid until 1st January using code:

BLG20BKP

Try PNP for yourself with a FREE or Premium video message for your child.  You won't regret it!!

www.portablenorthpole.com

The Seven Perils of Being Santa

Take care this Christmas and avoid these seven common festive mishaps! 

This year, Santa is once more risking life and limb to deliver presents to all the boys and girls across the world.  Not only does he have to ride in his sleigh at lightning speed, he also has to avoid some very common festive mishaps.  From slippery surfaces, to heavy lifting, to tripping hazards to open flames, there are lots of potential perils that could befall Santa.  Take a look at the infographic below to see just how risky Santa's job can be, and make sure you take care to avoid these common festive mishaps yourself too!

The Seven Perils of being Santa was created by First4Lawyers

 PR Collaboration

My Perfect Christmas Day

Christmas Past

I cannot tell you about my perfect Christmas Day without first of all thinking about Christmases past.  As a little girl I remember lying in bed on Christmas Eve shouting down to my mum every five minutes asking how many hours it was till Christmas Day.  In the morning I'd have a stocking at the end of my bed which had some chocolate and a satsuma in it.  Downstairs there were three piles of presents for my two sisters and I. As the youngest of three, my pile was always the biggest.  I remember Plasticine, a Girl's World, a toy broom, a Sindy doll, an Intellivision console and a Humpty Dumpty among my gifts over the years.

My dad used to prepare the vegetables for Christmas dinner in the kitchen whilst wearing a Christmas hat and my mum would potter around in her pinny calculating the cooking time for our turkey.  The hallway would be filled with festive chocolates and rows of bottles containing booze or pop.  I'd always be allowed a weak port and lemonade to celebrate.  The tinsel Christmas tree sat on top of our TV which was tuned in for the Top of the Pops Christmas special and my sisters and I would sing and dance along with Pan's People!

I have so many memories of childhood Christmases, some good (my dad bringing a black sack for me to tidy up the wrapping paper, which in reality contained a gift I really wanted but thought Santa hadn't brought me) and some bad (accidentally setting my Christmas cracker on fire by holding it over a candle and getting a right good telling off for it!)  But whether good or bad, they are memories that have shaped me into who I am today. 

Since becoming a mum, I have spent the last 25 years trying to give my children memories that they can take with them through life, look back on with a smile and learn from.  With festive family traditions, a focus on the emotional over the material and a sense of humour in the face of things going wrong, I hope I have taught my kids what is important in life.  The things that truly matter.

Christmas Present

For me, Christmas Day involves being surrounded by my family.  With my nest filled with all of my five chicks, I am at my happiest.  It might be chaotic, it will definitely be noisy and things may not go to plan. But seriously, if there is laughter and love nothing else really matters.  With my best friend and husband by my side and my five children and my grandson having fun, I am in my element.  

When the kids wake up in the morning they grab their stockings and come into my bed.  Thank goodness it's a kingsize!  They take it in turns opening their stocking presents oohing and ahhing over each and every little thing.  From the oldest to the youngest they love this moment of togetherness and sharing and it sets the tone for the day ahead.

We have a leisurely breakfast together before opening the main presents. After every present is unwrapped we think about who gave it to us and what thought has gone into it.  We send some love through the ether to our loved ones who have taken the time and trouble to send us gifts.

We also remember our loved ones who are no longer with us.  We think of them with a smile and talk about the good times we had.  My lovely Nan and my sister Carol are never far from my mind.  I miss them so much, but taking a moment to remember makes them a part of our special day and they feel so close.

The afternoon is spent watching any DVDs or playing games together, until it's time to sit down to a veggie Christmas feast.  The rest of the day is set aside for some family fun, silly challenges (often involving food!) and memory making.

Christmas Yet To Come 2013

So what is my perfect Christmas Day?  Being awoken on Christmas morning by Brad Pitt bearing nothing but a champagne breakfast and a wry smile?  Sitting on a beach in some far flung corner of the world with the sun kissing my skin and the crystal blue water lapping at my toes?   Being lavished with expensive gifts from Tiffany's? No.

So, what will be my ideal way to spend this coming Christmas?  

That's easy - having four generations of my family under one roof, from my 1 year old grandson Ted to my 81 year old dad, all enjoying every moment of being together and having fun.  Twelve of my favourite people altogether on this special day.  Perfect.

The formula might be the same.  The chaos will undoubtedly ensue.  But the feelings of love, fun, family and laughter will hopefully create an atmosphere of joy that everyone will remember for years to come.

If everyone, from the youngest to the oldest are happy, well fed and entertained I will have done my job.  If everyone looks back and remembers just how loved and cherished they felt, then this year will have been the perfect Christmas Day!

However you spend your day, may Christmas Day 2013 be absolutely perfect for you!

”Merry Christmas! This post is my entry into the Tots100/Argos 12 Days of Christmas competition.“

What Fred Said

What Fred said when he was dressing up:

"I'm Ella the Cowboy and I'm a naughty cowboy who is also Darth Vader's girlfriend."

"What Fred said about the human brain:

"The brain helps us speak and controls all the other parts of the body like feet.  It says to them "Hey feet, hey feet - move?"

What Fred said about themed birthday parties and missing the point of his superhero party:

F: Birthday parties are all about a person.
Me: Yes, they are someone's special day so your birthday was all about you.
F: No, it wasn't about me, it was about another person.  My birthday was for Captain America.

What Fred said to Nana while she was pretending that his woollen toy snake was real:

Nana:  "Ooh Freddy can I see your snake I've never seen one like that before!"

Freddy:  (who stopped dead in his tracks to stop and stare at his Nan before replying in an utterly deadpan way)   "Yes you have Nana - YOU knitted it!!"

***

Tonight was Freddy's school disco and Santa was there.  All week Freddy has been saying that he was scared of Santa and didn't like how he looked and that he wouldn't ever talk to him.  Last year Freddy had a bit of a traumatic Santa visit meltdown and ended up throwing his present across the grotto in disgust! So embarrassing!   He obviously hasn't quite got over the experience! I thought that this wasn't boding too well for the planned Christmas festivities that we had coming up this year.  He was quite stressful about it all, poor thing.

However, Freddy did go to see Santa at the disco and even had a chat with him. He was actually quite taken with him!  He proudly told me that he promised Santa that he would leave him out a mince pie and some carrots for his reindeer.  Freddy said that for Christmas he just wanted a game that he could play with his daddy.   He declared that he loved him now!

Santa gave him a Cadbury's selection box, which Freddy brought home and immediately divided out among his sisters, Ian and I.  What a cutie!  I think the spirit of Christmas is finally alive and well in my boy. Roll on the festivities!!

Presents Hidden in Plain Sight

One of the difficulties of this time of year, especially when you have a big family, is what on earth do you do with the presents you have bought in the run up to Christmas day?  Not many of us have the luxury of a spacious, otherwise unused, lockable, secret hiding place for safely storing the things we buy.  And stashing everything away individually in a multitude of hidey holes often results in things getting misplaced and not unearthed again until the big spring clean of March the following year.  And unfortunately there is not much call for a novelty Santa hat three months after the event!

I've always found that my attempts to hide anything seasonal come unstuck.  Every year when we have our big Easter Egg Treasure Hunt the kids take one look at the elaborate trail of clues that I have spent all night devising and casually say, "The eggs are in the boot of dad's car again aren't they Mum!" before they have even read the very first cryptic question.  And I have to admit that yes they are!  Yet again I have chosen the only hiding place big enough and clean enough. I am too predictable and the kids know me too well.  Plus the boot has its limitations as a safe spot for presents, given that Ian commutes  60 miles to Birmingham every day.  I cringe at the prospect of a fragile gift hurtling up and down the M6 in the back of Ian's car (or is crawling down the M6 possibly more apt?)  Either way, it's not the best long term solution to the issue of present hiding!

When they know there is something hidden away, kids take on the characteristics of a Bloodhound. The children will sniff out anything deemed contraband if I try to hide it away.  I hide food that I buy to avoid temptation and premature consumption! My secret stash of chocolates is always uncovered in the run up to Christmas.  Only yesterday Freddy thought he'd hit the jackpot when he found my secret selection box pile in the garage.  The Buy One Get Two Free offer in my local supermarket has resulted in quite a few chocolatey purchases, but at this rate they will have all been consumed by my eagle eyed present hunters with their sixth sense for confectionery locating, long before I get to wrap them up and put them in their stockings.

Hiding presents, also makes them so very tantalising.  The very fact that something is hidden makes you want to hunt it down.  It's a challenge!  But once found, the thing you were secretly trying to locate loses its magic and becomes nothing but a disappointment as you attempt to feign surprise when it is given to you on Christmas Day.  It really does ruin the gifting element of Christmas, thinking that your well thought out present idea does not get the excited, surprised and delighted response you were hoping for.

So what is the solution?  Well, for me I now hide their presents in plain sight.  It's simple.  I put the carrier bags of purchases on the floor in my bedroom and they sit there by my bed until I get round to wrapping them.  Because they aren't hidden away, they aren't interesting at all.  They are just  a  heap of Primark, Body Shop, Tesco, Boots and Smiths bags, and a pile of plain brown Amazon, Ratuken's Play or Zavvi boxes.  The blatant positioning and disregard for secrecy renders my present pile disinteresting and not worth looking at.  Honestly it's genius!  The moment I try to disguise it or cover up the pile, it suddenly becomes a thing of intrigue filled with surprises and mysteries.  But when simply left unattended on the floor it becomes totally invisible to the curious eyes of a child.  Not one bag has been rummaged through to date!

When it comes to the issue of Santa, my children know that he is a busy man.  He needs the help of mums and dads across the world to buy and wrap their children's presents.  On Christmas Eve the gifts are magically whisked away to the North Pole where Santa adds a hefty dose of Christmas Magic to each and every parcel, before delivering them back to our homes by means of reindeer and sleigh.  So the fact that there is obvious evidence of Christmas shopping does not detract from the essence of Santa being the deliverer of the pile of presents under the tree, whilst  full 'picking out and purchasing' credit falls firmly into the lap of husband and I!

So, I think I've got it all sorted this year.  As long as the kids don't suddenly become interested in my dull, old, messy pile of boring-ness, I can rest assured that they will be in for some lovely surprises on Christmas Day!

This post is an entry into the Hudl Christmas cheer competition.

The Coca-Cola Truck - #HolidaysareComing

The Coca-Cola Truck is touring the UK bringing some festive cheer to towns up and down the country. Yesterday was Telford's turn and we went to join in the fun.

The big, red, iconic Coca-Cola lorry is every bit as impressive as in the advert.  With a little boy and a husband who love trucks, the spectacle was well worth going to see.  We were treated to mini cans of Coke and Diet Coke as we queued to have our photos taken in front of the truck.

It was very chilly but the sun was shining and our cockles were warmed with Christmas music and Christmas helpers dressed in festive red coats.  We loved the friendly Man Elves!

Telford was incredibly busy with Christmas shopping being carried out with gusto.  The crowds definitely gave me hope for the economy, even though I personally don't enter into the madness of buying tonnes of presents for Christmas.  Thankfully my kids accept and celebrate that this Christmas means family, food and fun in our house - so I'm under no pressure to get this year's must have gifts for the kids. A stocking filled with some goodies and a couple of presents under the tree have been sorted already.  So I can relax a little knowing I won't be having to fight these crowds!  However, I do like to take the children to Christmassy events and enjoy the whole of December with festive fun days out.

There are still loads of dates left on the Coca-Cola Truck Tour throughout December.  Check the dates on the Coke Zone website.

What Christmas Means To Me

My daughter Megan has done me the honour of writing a post for me to publish here on my blog, about what this Christmas means to her.  After reading it, I'm feeling ready to rise to the challenge and help make this year the best Christmas ever!

"Christmas was always super exciting as a kid, for all of the obvious reasons. Santa, presents, more chocolate than you could manage to stuff into your ever- filling belly and those smoked cheeses in a log shape which for some reason became a Christmas family tradition. But as I’ve gotten older, the prospect of Christmas has only excited me more. I get at least a full week off work and I get to spend it having some real quality family time. Although many things have changed this year, including the fact that I will no longer be welcoming smoked cheese logs or Ferrero Rocher into my festive diet due to my new found Veganism, I already know the great feeling I’ll get waving goodbye to rainy Manchester and razzing my little old Peugeot down the M6, singing at the top of my voice to Mariah and WHAM!

One of the things I love most about Christmas in the McDonald household is that every year is different and every year is somehow just that little bit better than the last. I’ve loved going away for Christmas and I’ve also loved being at home. This year will no doubt be the biggest and best one yet, with four generations all under one roof in the comfort of the McDonald home!

The biggest challenge this year will be the food. From meat eating older brother Joe to Vegan me, it was going to make for an interesting take on the traditional Christmas dinner. But, with mum being super supportive with my quest to battle my health problems and ditch the dairy, she’s suggested a Vegan Christmas all round. And I couldn’t be happier. Instead of feeling glum because of all the things I can’t have this Christmas, I have felt really inspired to embrace the new things that I can have. I’ve been on a food and recipe finding mission to ensure we can indulge on the big day. Who knew how delicious dairy free ice cream and chocolate could be?! I’m looking at you Swedish Glace and Booja Booja!

I simply cannot wait for the big day when Santa rocks down the chimney and I get to, once again, have the best Christmas I’ve ever had with my hilarious family. No pressure Mum!"

This is a guest post written by Megan, part of a series of seasonal guest posts I will be featuring over the next few weeks :)

Tickety Toc Christmas Special and a Twitter Party!

Get ready for Chime Time as Tommy and Tallulah star in their own festive special! The half hour long Christmas episode of Tickety Toc: "Christmas Present Time" premiers on Nick Jr at 12.30pm tomorrow, on Saturday the 30th November!

It’s Christmas Eve, and as Tickety Town prepares for Christmas, a shock crash landing by Santa throws everything into turmoil!  The reindeers have caught colds, Santa’s sleigh is broken and all the presents are spread across Tickety Town!   It's up to Tommy and Tallulah to save Christmas with the help of their friends, Pufferty, McCoggins, Hopperoo and Madame Au Lait, plus a sprinkle of Magic Christmas Sparkle Dust!

Pre-schoolers will love joining the twins as they embark on this Christmas adventure.  The tree is all decorated and Tickety town is waiting for Santa to bring the presents.  But after the sleigh crashes Tommy and Tallulah need to become Santa's Little Helpers to make sure the presents are delivered before chime time. Everyone works together and Madame Au Lait is on hand with her Christmas Chilli Cheese Bites to help save the day and make sure the presents get delivered on time!

There's a nice message that is all about giving and helping that runs through the show.  Tommy and Tallulah want to make sure everyone gets a present this year and do their best to make it happen.

After 'Christmas Present Time' has been shown, you can join in a Twitter Party from 1-2 pm with @TicketyTocUK so come along and join in the festive fun!

Postcards From Santa

When I asked Kizzy, aged 10, to draw a postcard showing Santa on his travels, she immediately chose his destination to be France.  It is one of our family's favourite holiday places and we have enjoyed many a wonderful week together there.

Kizzy decided to make a funny card showing Santa and Rudolph faced with some local, French gastronomic delights!!  Santa has also swapped his usual headgear for a French beret in keeping with the traditional apparel of the locals!

Here is her finished design:

This is our entry in the Postcards from Santa competition from Travelsupermarket.com.

Get a Free video from Santa with Portable North Pole

One of the Christmas traditions that I love is making a Portable North Pole video for the children.  Little ones can get to experience the magic of Santa and his village online, with a personalised message that includes their name, personal photos and other customised details.

The brand new 2012 videos include brand new scenes from Santa’s village, funny new elf clips and more. The basic PNP video is completely FREE to stream for an unlimited number of times during the holidays. And for a small fee, users can create an extended five-minute premium version, which includes exclusive clips of Santa riding on his sleigh, a personalized Christmas Carol sung by the elves and more.

There are also other products available to buy from Santa's e-shop.  How about a personalised telephone call from the big man himself?  For just £2.99 it is a fabulous way to make sure the kids behave in the run up to Christmas, knowing that Santa is watching!  Or you could get a personalised letter from Santa or even a certificate showing your child on the 'Good List'!  5% of all purchases goes to their Children's Hospital charity.

I love the website and I love making the videos for my little ones.  This year, Freddy had a PNP video from Santa made by his sister in law Jade.  He absolutely loved it and interacted with Santa as he told him that he needed to remember to clean his teeth and said he'd been a good boy!  It is simply genius and a wonderful thing to do for free during the festive season.  The premium 5 minute video is just £2.99, so if you want some extra Santa magic you can upgrade!

PNP are offering readers of this blog a 10% discount on merchandise.  Just use code BLOG10BK when ordering from Santa's e-shop.

Freddy watches his video for the tenth time!!

http://www.portablenorthpole.com

Santa and Christmas Day

We are now home after a magical week away at Ribby Hall in Lancashire.  I can honestly say we have had one of the best Christmases ever.  From my magical belated Flash Mob proposal to our Blackpool day out to spending time together as a family, everything has been perfect.  Ribby Hall has been a perfect location for our Christmas.

Everyone loved the Poppy Cottage accommodation we had called home for the week.  The tree made us feel really festive and Freddy loved looking at the baubles (and occasionally throwing them across the room).  The cottage was well equipped, clean, comfy and spacious.  There was plenty of room for all six of us.  My parents, my eldest son Joe and his girlfriend Jade lived next door.  It worked really nicely, getting together for meals and entertainment, but having space for Grandad to watch the horse racing on Boxing Day in peace!

The kids visited Santa on Christmas Eve following a wonderful breakfast and story time session in the Bar and Grill.  It was my parents' 56th wedding anniversary and to see them have such a magical time was a joy for us all.  The staff could not have been more friendly and welcoming.  Nothing was too much trouble for them.  The veggie fry-up option was impressive.  Usually vegetarian alternatives feel like they are second class versions of their meaty counterparts...but this breakfast was just as good.

My Family feeling festive!

Kizzy had written a beautiful letter for Santa which she hand delivered when she visited the magical treehouse at Ribby Hall.

Writing to Santa

It was a chilly morning but our spirits kept us warm as we sang Christmas songs waiting for our turn to visit the main man himself.  Freddy was getting a bit grumpy but his tears stopped when he climbed the stairs to the treehouse.  Santa was just amazing.  He chatted to the girls and Freddy.  He was up on popular culture and engaged in some TOWIE banter with my older two.  It was so wonderful when he read Kizzy's letter.  She had written such a lovely letter offering to help Santa and thinking of those less fortunate, that Santa actually was reduced to tears.  Whereas many kids want iPads and DS's, Kizzy had thought of her family and children in need around the world.  It was so touching and the most magical Santa experience we've ever had.  When Kizzy received a personal reply from Santa on Boxing Day, she was over the moon.  It made her year!

Kizzy and Santa

Christmas Eve continued with an arts and crafts session which was completely free.  Kizzy and Freddy decorated gingerbread men, made calendars, cards, Christmas decorations and snowflakes.  It was lovely.

I have never had Christmas Dinner in a restaurant before.  We made the decision to eat at the Bar And Grill which had become a favourite eatery during the course of the week, with its friendly staff, beautiful food presentation and imaginative vegetarian options.  We were not disappointed.  The five course meal consisted of a creamy garlic mushroom with black truffle starter, followed by a tomato soup.  The main was a delicious goat's cheese and caramelised onion parcel wrapped in filo pastry served with  seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy.  Brian Turner's Butlin's restaurant could take a leaf out of Ribby Hall's book when it comes to feeding vegetarians a Christmas dinner!  Pudding was a homemade trifle which was light and a perfect choice to round off the meal, followed by coffee and chocolates.  The place was beautifully and tastefully decorated, the staff were efficient and remained friendly throughout.  The food was excellent and the service was slick.  I was worried beforehand that there may have been a 'school dinner' feel to the meal, but I was totally wrong.  It was worth every penny and the relaxing atmosphere with a singer crooning some nostalgic songs in the background made for a wonderful festive dinner.  It was lovely to have space for us all around a table together, something we can't do at home as we don't have the room for us all.

Me and My Five Babies

Ready for Dinner

Cheers!

A stroll back to our accommodation which included a quick play in the outdoor adventure playground really made for a wonderful Christmas Day.  There was entertainment in the evening at the resort, but we spent our evening in our cosy cottage playing family board games I had received from University Games.  Ella entertained us with sing along Christmas songs to round off an amazing day.

Nan and Grandad x

Christmas Fun for Freddy!

For details on the resort and booking information check out www.ribbyhall.co.uk. 

*I have not received anything to post these reviews.  I am sharing my experience because I would highly recommend it to anyone!*