And just like that, Christmas is over and we find ourselves counting down to the beginning of a New Year. In lieu of our normal weekend blog, I thought I’d share how we spent Christmas as a family this year. Against all the odds, we […]
If you’re anything like me, you’ll still have e a few Christmas gifts you need to pick up in time for Tuesday. It always seems to be the same type of things that get left til last… the gifts for the people you have NO […]
With Florence about to celebrate her second Christmas We are jumping on the bandwagon and indulging in what seems to be the latest popular Christmas tradition. This year will be the first year we have a proper Family Christmas Eve Box Filled with treats for each of us to take advantage on what has to be the most magical night of the year. I’ve decided to put together a family Christmas Eve box rather than one just for Florence because I want it to be something we can all enjoy together. The box is actually from my own little Christmas shop. We’ve personalised it with our family name (okay, I’m the odd one out being that we aren’t married but I hope that it’ll be used year after year so with any luck I will become a ‘Smith’ eventually) and I chose the lidded option because I just preferred those at the time.
I’ve carefully chosen special things for each of us to include, and while predominantly the contents are aimed at Florence there are things for us grown ups too!
For Florence I’ve selected a bunch of little treats and activities that I know she will love and that will add a little extra magic to her Christmas Eve.
I picked up this Christmas Colouring & activity kit along with some crayons from Wilko’s kids party favour range for her to do throughout the day and for some sensory play in the tuff spot and of course to make sure the reindeer don’t get too hungry, A homemade sack of reindeer food which we’ll sprinkle outside on a tray ready for them to arrive. (We’ll be putting it out on a tray instead of straight on the ground as it contains glitter and we don’t want any other animals to come along and eat it and get poorly!)
I’ve also added some homemade gingerbread play dough complete with gingerbread man & star cutters as they will be perfect for keeping Florence busy while I help getting the Christmas Eve feast ready.
I got this little reindeer sleepsuit from Tesco and these adorable Rudolph soft soled shoes which double up as slippers from Dotty Fish – the perfect attire for the most magical bedtime of the year!
I’ve added some chocolate reindeer noses and a packet of Reindeer noses because frankly if you can’t have chocolate at Christmas when can you? As a special Christmas treat I’ve added a little Christmas Peppa Pig cup and reusable straw which she can drink her bedtime milk from instead of her bottle.
It’s always been a tradition in our house to watch The Polar Express On Christmas Eve so I’m looking forward to costing down with her in the afternoon and watching it before our guests arrive for the evening.
And last but not least, a special bedtime story – The Night Before Christmas.
For Sean I’ve included a bottle of cider which if I wasn’t pregnant I’d totally be downing myself as it’s just TO DIE FOR – and some cheese and biscuits as they’re his favourite festive treat.
For me, I’ve opted for a can of Appletiser which has become my go to drink this Christmas and some Dairy Milk chocolate with a bag of popcorn just in case.
In lieu of Christmas Pj’s we both have some matching Christmas socks.
For when Florence is in bed – Ha! Wishful thinking! – I’ve got one of my favourite festive films , The Holiday, recorded and we’ve also got a board game ready to bring out too – it just doesn’t fit in the box!
Do you have a Christmas Eve Box this year?
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With Christmas just around the corner there have been gift guides galore popping up wherever you look, so I thought I would do a little guide complete with gift ideas for every member of the family. The unicorn believer They’re everywhere you look just lately […]
Can something be a tradition if so far you’ve only done it twice? Well, with this only being Florence’s second Christmas, I’m going to go ahead and say that it can! Last year I created a little Christmas Photo Shoot to mark her first Christmas […]
December is finally upon us and I don’t know about you but after a super busy year, I am so excited for the countdown to Christmas. Over the next 25 days I’ll be sharing some fabulously festive content here as well as the usual pregnancy and toddler updates you’re used to seeing, so if you’re in the mood for all the cute Christmas ideas, weekend blogs and more make sure you pop back each day to see what’s new. I can’t quite believe that we are already getting ready for Florence’s second Christmas, so today I’m throwing it back to last year and sharing some ideas on how you could celebrate the momentous occasion that is your baby’s first Christmas.
This is such a lovely way to capture the magic of Baby’s First Christmas and will be a great keepsake for years to come. You could book a professional shoot or try your hand a taking the photos yourself. We had so much fun with Florence snapping these shots in a little DIY photo shoot at home. 
We used the photographs I took to make some personalised Christmas Cards for family and friends and they went down a treat. If you’re feeling a bit arty you could try and make some cute little reindeer footprint ones instead. 
Granted, baby will have absolutely no idea what’s going on but taking them to see Santa to mark their first Christmas is kind of an obligatory event! Be warned, it might not go exactly as you pictured (Florence did a giant poo while sitting in Father Christmas’ lap and screamed the whole time) but we did get a funny photo and it’ll be a memory I will be able to share with her in years to come. Fingers crossed this year will be a bit more successful. 
There are loads of festive play ideas on Pinterest for babies. We made a little sensory discovery box for Florence last year. 
If you already take your little one to regular baby groups or classes then you’re bound to have heard all about their plans for the festive season. Most do Christmas themed days which are also a lovely opportunity to introduce yourself & baby to a new class and meet new people too.
Wishing you a wonderful Advent however you choose to mark your little one’s first Christmas.
Ever since Florence was born I have been SO excited to introduce her to the wonder of train play. I don’t remember having a train set myself as a child, I think I had cars and vehicles but not necessarily an actual train set with […]
With all eyes on the impact we have on the planet I’m making a conscious effort to make this Christmas as Eco Friendly as possible. I’ve tried to opt for wooden toys over plastic for Florence, I’ve made a lot of gifts rather than bought […]
