Review: Christmas Winter Wonderland in Liverpool

We absolutely love December and the build up to the Christmas season and usually have a few different events to go to get us in the festive spirit. For the first time this year, Liverpool have opened their own Winter Wonderland and we were invited along to give it a try. The event is set in the Bombed Out Church in the city centre, which I have never actually been inside before and with lots of activities set up, it looked like it would be a good one.

Christmas Gift Ideas For Six To Eight Year Olds

My children now at that really awkward in-between stage where I'm really struggling to know what to get them. They don't play with toys as much as they used to and they already have a lot anyway, yet they're not quite at the stage of clothes or days out as they want things to open on Christmas Day. With this in mind I've put together a few things I've found that will suit this tween age for both boys and girls. I've separated them into 'girls' and 'boys' however thats not to say that any of these have to be gender specific, it's more for ease of writing!

Christmas 2016

After a manic but brilliant Christmas, I have finally found time to sit down at my laptop and write a post. Christmas is always our favourite time of year and I'm already dreading next week when the tree will be down, Mr H will be back at work and the daily drudgery will begin. I love getting together with family, playing games and enjoying the odd drink. So, as I have done in past years, I'm remembering this year with our Christmas in photos.

Holly's birthday

Black Friday Family Wishlist

Over the last couple of years Black Friday has winged it way from America and hit our stores with gusto, to the point that chaos has ensued in some places whilst people fought to get a bargain. I have never really joined in the fray, mainly because the thought of so many crowds fills me with dread, and for some reason I seem to miss all the good deals online. This year, though, I've set myself a few reminders and signed up for notifications with the intention of maybe buying a few bits for Christmas, if I see anything that catches my eye.

With that in mind I thought I'd put together a few wishlist ideas of what I'll be looking out for in the sales this year.

Experience A Magical Christmas with Bents

I adore Christmas. In our family we all do and make a huge fuss of it. It's also Holly's birthday a week before which just adds to the excitement a little bit more. One of our traditions is to visit our local garden and home centre, Bents, at Christmas time to see their stunning Christmas displays and get into the festive spirit. This year I was given the opportunity to get a sneak peek at their range and I jumped at the chance.

Crafty Kids Wishlist with The Works

Miss H has always loved anything creative. From the age of one she would sort all her toys by colour and size and as soon as she could hold a pencil she was in her element. Not a day goes by now that she doesn't ask to make something and I have amassed quite a craft selection for these moments, including the occasional toilet roll!

How I Beat The Christmas Shopping Queues

Christmas is my favourite time of year - I have always loved sharing the magic with my family and with Miss H's birthday being just a week before, it really is a special time for us. One side I don't love, though, is the Christmas shopping. Don't get me wrong, giving presents is one of my favourite things about the season, especially now I have children, but I have never been a shopper and trying to battle my way through hoards of people is my worst nightmare. So I thought I'd put together a few things that I do to beat the Christmas queues and make present-buying a much more enjoyable experience.

Top Toys For Christmas With Give As You Live

Yep, it's that time of year where we are officially allowed to say the C word - Christmas! Whilst I am definitely a summer girl, Christmas is my favourite time of year. I've always found it such a magical time, and I adore passing that magic onto my two. Not to mention Miss H's birthday is only a week before Christmas, making it that little bit more special to us.

I've recently discovered the Give As You Live site, which is quite special for a couple of reasons - it is an online price comparison site, helping you find the best price for your gifts, but it also donates 2.5% of your spendings to charity of your choice, or it's chosen charity of the month. So whilst you embrace in the Christmas spirit, others less fortunate can also benefit.

Recently all the 'top' toys for Christmas have been released and there's no doubt that they will be flying off the shelves already. So I've pulled together some things from the top list you can find from Give As You Live and give back whilst you shop.

1. Barbie Pegasus Horse and Chariot / 2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Raiser Van / 3. Disney Frozen Singing Elsa Doll / 4. Disney Princess Rapunzel Deluxe Styling Head / 5. LeapFrog LeapPad3 Learning Tablet / 6. VTech Toot Toot Animals Tree House / 7. LEGO City Deep Sea Explorers Submarine / 8. Teksta Robotic Puppy / 9. Little Live Pets Birds Cage Beauty Bella

So when you are shopping this Christmas, go through Give As You Live and make a difference whilst you shop.

*This post is brought to you in association with Give As You Live. Please support this fantastic store.

Christmas 2014

I've just been looking back on the post I wrote at the same time last year, sharing our days before and over Christmas. It's lovely to look at all the photos and the times we had, so why not do the same this year? The last few days have flown by and I can't believe it's all over already and we are rapidly approaching 2015! Here's a quick snapshot of the best moments of the last two weeks.

The Lowry Giveaway

When my sister and I were young my mum and dad took us to the pantomime every Boxing Day. It was a bit of a tradition and I loved going to the theatre, sitting in those lovely big seats and laughing at whoever played the Dame that year. Since I've been with Mr H, it's not really something we've done and as yet the children aren't quite old enough to get the jokes or sit still long enough, so it will probably be another year or two before we give it a try.

Create something special by upcycling this Christmas!

Now that the clocks have gone back, whether we like it or not, it's time to admit that Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas can be a great time for parents and children alike, but for those of us who have to shell out it can also be a great source of stress. Every year the Internet is awash with ideas of how to cut back on spending for Christmas. One that's very much on trend The process of “re-using discarded objects or material to make something of higher quality or value than the original.” 

When I first heard about the trend I was a little dubious, but after reading up on it a little and indulging my creative side, I now can't get enough! You can take any ordinary household item that you may have cast aside for a charity shop and turn it into something fabulous. One of my first projects, I'll admit, was a little ambitious. After years of staring at mine and my husband's lacklustre bed, we both knew it was time for a change. I just never had the heart to throw it out; after all, this was the bed that signalled the start of our marriage. When I discovered upcycling however, I realised that all I needed to do was make a few little changes! I found a great selection of headboards online and took off the old and tired looking headboard and replaced it with another. Wham. Good as new.

I soon realised that if I could do something so big, I could easily transform my creative talents into something smaller, such as a Christmas gift. There are plenty of upcycling Christmas gift ideas on Pinterest, and while some of these can look a little dated in their current state, there's nothing that a little TLC or lick of paint can't do.

DIY Chalkboard Mug

It's also perfect for Christmas decorations – how many years have you been holding on to those tired old baubles? With a little help from your children, you can breathe new life into your baubles by adding a little glitter and glue. You can change colours, designs and patterns, and the best part is, it'll cost a fraction of what it would have cost to nip to the shop and buy a whole other box-load!

Turn old CD's into decorations

Happy up cycling!


*In collaboration with Slap Up Media

Wooden Toys For Christmas

Over the last couple of years the availability of wooden toys has grown massively and the range of toys on offer is huge. We have always bought a selection of different toys and I have to say that whilst I love wooden toys, I haven't bought a huge amount of them as they can be very expensive and I end up not wanting the kids to play with them for fear of them being damaged!

It now seems that more accessible brands are finally coming on board with the slow toy movement, one of those being Asda. When I discovered their new wooden toy range I was really surprised at not only the selection, but also the prices.

Our Christmas 2013

Christmas has been and gone and it is only four more short days until 2013 follows it. It has been an up and down year, and to be honest I'll be glad to see the back of it. I have strong hopes that next year will see a lot more happy times and lots more progress.

But looking back on it all, we have still made lots of memories. My 30th birthday was one I will remember always, my baby boy became a toddler and my big girl has grown so much since last year.

This Christmas was never going to be easy and straightforward, but we made it the best we could and mummy and daddy tried to put everything to one side and concentrate on the children. This was not an easy task and not always achieved, but over the last week we have had some lovely days:

H's birthday

Experience Days Giveaway

I hope everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit and has almost completed their shopping and dutifully sent everything off to Santa! I was quite organised and started in September, however have had a last minute rush and am still to get my dad's present.

If, however, you just haven't managed to get all your shopping done, the very generous people at Experience Days have offered one lucky Hollybobbs reader the chance to win £50 towards one of their experiences. The answer to your prayers?

With a £50 voucher you could buy a 4x4 driving experience for the man in your life, or maybe your mum or sister could do with some pampering with a deluxe makeup and hairstyling session? for something with a difference you could try bungee jumping or for something a little calmer perhaps a canoeing tour for the day? There is a huge range of experiences you could opt for, so best of luck and Happy Christmas!

Please note: in order to receive your experience in time for Christmas the winner needs to reply with their details by December 19th.

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Bents Christmas Wonderland

Ever since I moved to Lancashire, Bents Garden and Home has been a must-visit at Christmas time. They are known in the area for their amazing displays, in fact my mum now insists that I take her every year and Mr H has decided we MUST own one of those light-up village scenes for each year - so far we are up to four and I'm not quite sure where they're going to go this time!

The Perfect Elf

I have only visited Center Parcs once and had a fantastic time, and now I have the kids have been thinking of returning. So when I heard they were offering four lucky people the chance to visit I thought it was a great opportunity. Kelly Trzupek, Head of the Elves at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest helps Santa to teach the children how to be the perfect Elf at the Elf Academy. It looks like such a magical place for the kids to go and I've already added it to my Christmas list for next year!