Christmas Gift Guide – Ideas for the Whole Family

I may have mentioned on occasion that I love Christmas. Ok, I have mentioned it A LOT. With just 5 weeks to go now until the big day, the majority of us will start planning our Christmas purchases soon, and whilst some people are easy to buy for, others can be a bit of a nightmare. The amount of time I spend pondering over what to buy is pretty ridiculous. Here in my Christmas Gift Gide, I offer some inspiration for those of you who may be a little stuck. With ideas for young ones, boys and girls, Mums and Dads, there really is something for everyone in my little selection!

For the new Mum or Mum to be…

Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine – Feeding a new baby can be tough, and those night feeds can be relentless. For those who are bottle feeding, the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine can be a bit of a lifesaver, helping you prepare a fresh bottle at body temperature in less than 2 minutes flat. The filter removes impurities found in the water and a ‘hot shot’ kills bacteria found in formula, meaning you can be confident that your bottle is correctly prepared every single time. Perfect for those moments where you can barely keep your eyes open. The Perfect Prep comes in a range of colours to perfectly compliment your kitchen décor – we love this new cool blue shade. The Perfect Prep retails at £90, but is currently on offer at Amazon at just £54.99!. 

For those excited about the new Star Wars Movie…..

Star Wars Illumi-Mate Lighting

Fans of ‘The Force’ will love Spearmark’s extensive range of Star Wars Illumi-mate lighting; colour changing, cool to touch lights in a range of hit characters from the iconic movies. Leading the line-up is a brand new Storm Trooper which will hit shelves just as The Last Jedi is released into cinemas on December 15th

Other choices include: Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, Kylo-Ren or Darth Vader to cast a moody glow across the bedroom! Retail at £6.99 from Amazon.

Mitre Scriball

This Christmas the Scriball football is back, and this time scribblers can go crazy choosing the dark side or the light side, as they get colouring to create the ultimate custom Star Wars ball! Retailing at just £12 at Amazon, the kit comes with colouring pens and it’s very own football pump and can be played with or put proudly on display with the cardboard stand provided.

For those who love to build…

Zuru Mayka Brick Tape

We were lucky enough to head along to BRICKLIVE at the NEC last month and see Mayka brick tape in action as children built some amazing creations! Building now has NO limits – with this sticky brick tape you can build on any surface including hanging upside down and round corners! This flexible cutable lego compatable brick tape can take your lego creations to a whole new level. Each 2m role retails at £9.99 and is available in a variety of colours.

Rubiks Junior

Having grown up with a Rubik’s cube when I was younger and always getting slightly frustrated when my sister could do it but I couldn’t, I LOVE the fact there is now a Rubik’s Junior on the market. Perfectly sized for smaller hands, and with a friendly animal character – this fun puzzle requires concentration, thought and logic to twist and turn into the right shape! A perfect stocking filler or activity for children to keep those fidgeting fingers busy!

Sands Alive

We are huge fans of Sands Alive, the ‘magic’ sand sets contain super soft modelling sand that unlike normal sand does not dry out and is less messy and much more tactile! Make 3D models using the moulds included for hours of fun! Other sets are available including a Castle, Sweet Treats and Glow in the Dark! Prices start at £18 although the animal set currently has 41% off at Amazon.

Those with a need for speed…

My nephew is a huge Spider-Man / Marvel fan, so this Marvel Web Wheelie will be a huge hit. Featuring Spider-Man and his webs clinging to its rear, this remote control car does full 360 degree spins and flips onto its back wheels as Spider-Man performs the ultimate wheelie tricks! Retails at £49.99.

For those who love to read….

The Works have a huge selection of Christmas classics in their 10 for £10 range – perfect for Christmas Eve boxes, Christmas advent and little gifts for under the tree.

They also have some wonderful sets of some children’s classics, including this set of Roald Dahl favourites – I loved these as a child and cannot wait to introduce Erin to them!

Wonderbly (personalised books)

You may be familiar with the classic Girl Who Lost Her Name books – Lost My Name recently rebranded to Wonderbly to celebrate the fact that their book range includes so much more. We have totally fell in love with their new Golden Ticket Book, about a journey into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. With stunning illustrations and featuring your child’s name throughout this is bound to be a huge hit with any chocolate lovers with a strong imagination! Prices start at £16.99 at Wonderbly

For the Princess Lover…

Itty Bitty Disney Princess Range

We were recently lucky enough to be sent the new addition to the Hallmark Itty Bittys Disney Princess range – featuring some of the best loved Disney Princess characters. We are totally in love with the Beast and Tinkerbell, and I am sure that any Disney Princess lover would be happy to see these little treats under the tree on Christmas morning! 🙂 Prices from £6.99.

For little ones scared of the dark…

Lumie Bedbug

Is the perfect nightlight for younger children. This award winning sleep aid for babies and children uses a low-blue light to create calm bedtimes and good nights sleep. A Friendly character, this mains charged nightlight offers 15 minute sunset, reading and nightlight and is endorsed by baby sleep expert and author of The Gentle Sleep book, Sarah Ockwell-Smith. The Lumie Bedbug retails at £59.99.

For Little Hands..

At 15 months, Neve is just starting to get to grips with the world, learning about spatial awareness, shapes, colours and trying to make more sense of her surroundings. Having always been a fan of wooden toys, for their high quality and durable nature, I have absolutely fallen head over heels with this adorable Le Toy Van shape sorter Arc from What2Buy4Kids. With help from her big sister (it recommends ages 3+) I reckon Neve will soon have her animals going in two by two in no time! 🙂

For some family bonding..

University Games have some great additions to their board game range this year. We first came across Bunny Jump at BlogOn in September – a fun game for 2-4 players, each player must attempt to collect their carrot without waking up the bunny! This game would make a great after dinner fun activity on Christmas Day, and something that the whole family can enjoy together. Retails at £19.99.

For Mum

Ask most mums what they would like for Christmas and the top words to feature in their reply are likely to be, sleep, relaxation, peace and quiet and a moment to themselves!

My top two picks for Mums are as follows:

Olverum Bath Oil 

This Christmas, a perfect gift would be half an hour to myself to have a nice hot bath, and relax in my own company without some little fingers appearing under the door. Popular amongst celebrities, Olverum Bath Oil is a unique and highly concentrated, therapeutic bath oil which contains 10 pure essential oils. An Olverum bath is a very effective way to naturally relieve stress and help you achieve a great nights’ sleep, as well as a perfect way to sooth tired muscles after a work out. Retails at £29 for an 125ml bottle – however only a tiny amount is needed each time so around 25 baths per bottle. Larger sizes and travel options are also available. Olverum is available to purchase at  Liberty, Conran, Harvey Nichols and Fenwick.

For those wanting a little Self Care….

Christmas is a great time to treat youself or your other half to something that you wouldn’t normally justify – something to pamper, preen or indulge, and something to make you feel a little more human again!

The Braun FaceSpa is the world’s first facial epilator, cleaning and skin vitalising system, perfect for keeping your skin in tip top condition and leaving you feeling fresher and re-energised! Perfect for tired Mummy’s who may have had little time to invest in themselves whilst running around looking after everyone else!

For men, the new Braun S3 Shave & Style is perfect for keeping those unruly beards undercontrol, whilst styling and protecting the skin below. Suitable to use both wet and dry, the Shave & Style is an efficient way of perfecting the perfect winter look, whether it be stubble, a close shave or a styled Santa’esque beard! 🙂

 

For the Football lover

For football lovers young or old, Art of Football has a great range of T-shirts and prints featuring your team of choice and iconic moments from the ‘beautiful game’. I didn’t think for one minute they would offer anything with Luton Town (not an obvious choice!) but they did, and unlike more mainstream football t shirts, this one really does stand out from the crowd. T-shirts are available in both child and adult sizes so can even do some family twinning if you wish! 🙂

I hope you find some of my ideas helpful!

Now I’m off to write my own list for Father Christmas, what’s on yours?

Disclaimer – Items featured were provided as samples in return for my gift guide.