Christmas is especially magical with children. You take them to see Mr and Mrs Claus and you do all you can to make Christmas Day the most wonderful, exciting, memorable day possible. When they wake at early-o’clock and rush downstairs to see if the big man has been, what are they hoping to find under the tree? We have a few suggestions to share with you. Hope you (they) like them …
Gift 1: HARIBO Christmas Range
Who can resist some Christmas HARIBO? Not me, nor my kids that’s for sure! There’s a few quirky additions to the range this year that are just perfect for stocking fillers – including their Giant Strawb ‘Christmas Trees’ (these are suitable for vegetarians too). A favourite of mine is the Starmix decoration, ready to hang on the tree this weekend. Inside is a 50g pack of Starmix (if a child hasn’t stolen it already!) There’s also a selection box … not all children like chocolate remember (my son being one such child). This HARIBO Selection Box has mini bags of Starmix, Tangfastics, Super Mix, Gold Bears and Happy Cola. Finally – although I’m sure there’s more in the range – there’s a Sweet Medley gift box containing Starmix, Super Mix, Giant Strawbs, Jelly Babies, Tangfastics and Gold Bears. What’s not to like?!
RRP: £1.50 (Starmix Christmas Tree decoration), £4.00 (Sweet Medley gift box) 50p (Giant Strawb Trees)
Where to purchase: Virtually any supermarket
Gift 2: Blast Box: The Exciting Game with a BLAST!!!
I love ‘easy’ games at Christmas. I know many people like playing games that require concentration, tactical prowess, determination and patience … but I’m all for an easy life! Give me a simple, effective game any day. And Blast Box from Zing ticks all the boxes. Quite simply, you inflate a balloon (included). Each player places a balloon inside the box. You take it in turn to spin the dial to see how many nails you need to bang into that box. At some point, the balloons will be pierced (the BLAST) and that player is out. The winner is the last one standing. Brilliantly simple, relatively quick game that can be played with up to 4 players, and suitable from 4 years old upwards. Love it!
RRP: £19.99
Link to purchase: BlastBoxZing
Gift 3: The Christmas Snowflake personalised book by Wonderbly
Oh this is such a lovely story! First and foremost it is a personalised book, dedicated to your child. You get the option at the beginning to write a little message, which I think is nice. You are asked for the names of your family members (in our case the book is for Toby, and there’s also Mum, Dad and Millie-Mae). Throughout the book there is reference to your family. The story is very sweet. It’s a rhyming story and follows a snowflake on a quest to find home, and the places and creatures she sees along the way. And there’s a special gift on the last page – I’m not telling you what that is though! It’s the perfect gift, I’d say, to either read with a young child, or for a 7+ child to read outloud themselves. A lovely book by Wonderbly.
RRP: £19.99
Link to purchase: TheChristmasSnowflakeWonderbly
Gift 4: Reimatec® Morgen Winter Jacket with ReimaGO® Sensor
This coat oozes quality, before you’ve even touched it. It is designed for winter sports – and temperatures down to -20C. Yet it is as light as a feather. All the seams are taped and waterproofed. It is made of water– and wind-proof, breathable, dirt-repellent material. Detachable, adjustable hood: adjustable cuffs and inner Lycra cuffs: adjustable hem – snow lock at waist: ski pass and goggle pockets: and a pocket with press buttons for the ReimaGO® sensor. What’s that you ask? Well, this is wearable tech in action! It’s an activity sensor that connects to an app on your phone. With the World Health Organization recommending that children should be achieving 1 hour of active movement a day, this gadget is a fun way to both monitor and encourage your child’s activity levels. A child accessing the app will see a virtual character. The amount of activity they’ve achieved is converted into energy for the character, fuelling it through new worlds and leading to rewards. Parents can set rewards for reaching targets. Of course the ReimaGO® sensor doesn’t only work in this Morgen jacket, you can pop it into any pocket. Toby is going to be trying out the sensor over the coming weeks – we’ll report back as to how he gets on!
RRP: €189.95 (jacket) €39.95 (ReimaGO® sensor)
Link to purchase: ReimaGOJacketSensor
Gift 5: Simbrix Geek Kit
Have you heard of Simbrix? It’s a new company that launched on Kickstarter in 2015. Its inventor, Assim Ishaque, created Simbrix after playing with his children and their iron-together beads. The slightest nudge would break the designs, ending in tears and frustration. Simbrix needs no ironing. It needs no glue. It took 400 prototypes to perfect a design that clicks together securely. This Christmas Simbrix have launched their Geek Kit set. The kit includes a play-tray-box making it easier to see and select the colour brick you need. There are 16 brand new colours too, along with a set of ‘inspiration cards. These cards are not step-by-step building instructions, but more ideas to help your child get started. We’ve not tried them out yet, but will do over the coming weeks – make sure you follow us on instagram where we’ll upload our efforts. This does look a lot of fun, and I know the children already have some ideas they want to try to build!
RRP: £30.00
Link to purchase: Simbrix is available from Amazon or for more information visit Simbrix
Gift 6: Flyte Girl Betty Case Scooter
Who needs a pull along suitcase when you can scoot?! I adore this and think an adult executive version should be produced! This Flyte Midi is designed for 4-8 year olds. There are lots of different styles – this particular one is Betty. Betty is a very smiley Russian nesting doll and she’s very pretty in vibrant pink. Betty is an 18″ carry on case with a 25 litre capacity – perfect for a long flight or weekend away. The size fits nicely into overhead lockers. Betty is a lot more than a case though, as you can see. She’s a fold-down scooter too. The scooter folds down and the handle lifts up and the ‘rock and roll’ steering manoeuvres you. How brilliant is this?! Oh to have had these when our children were younger. All that walking in airports to and from departure gates … all than whining and tired legs, and carrying in some cases. Problem solved with a Flyte scooter case … in fact they’ll be ahead of you and you’ll be the one needing to keep up 🙂 Fabulous idea. Definitely want to see some adult versions too though!
RRP: £69.99
Link to purchase: Available from ZincFlyte and other good retailers, including Argos
Gift 7: Smiggle Sports Selection
The Smiggle craze has just taken off with my children, especially since my daughter started middle school. My son initially refused to go in the shop because ‘everything is pink and for girls’ (and I’m not denying that a lot is). However, there’s a generous section in every shop devoted to ‘other colours’ too. Themes like space, robots, and sport. And it’s the sports items I was recently drawn to. In the image above, the fosball and basketball ‘games’ are actually hard-topped pencil cases. And the cool skateboards are erasers! I’m not sure the teachers will approve of them (!) but we think they are a lot of fun 🙂
RRP: £15.50 (hard-top pencil cases); £4.50 (erasers, pack of 3)
Link to purchase: SmiggleSportsRange
Gift 8: The Sleighmaker: A Christmas Story That’s Never Been Told
A novel that could well become a seasonal classic, this traditional Christmas tale is sure to win the hearts of children and adults alike. Set just before the turn of the 20th century, The Sleighmaker is an unapologetic homage to the traditional children’s stories of the Victorian era, and is a richly rewarding tale of the importance of companionship and hope overcoming loss. It is the debut of author Ian Shepherd, but you wouldn’t think it is his first book with the mastery of description, characterisation, plot and pacing that make it such a pleasure to read. It’s aimed predominantly at children aged seven and up and, while it might be a little challenging for seven-year-olds to read by themselves, grown-ups are sure to enjoy reading along. It’s a great story.
RRP:£11.99 in hardback, £6.99 paperback and £4.60 as a Kindle eBook
Link to purchase: TheSleighmaker
Want to win a copy in time for Christmas? We are running a competition where one lucky winner received a copy signed by the author – and it’ll be delivered in time for Christmas. To enter, click on the button below. Good luck!
Gift 9: BIC Kids Stationery
A Christmas Stocking isn’t complete without some colouring pens! One of our favourite brands is BIC Kids. Having tried lots of different pencils and felt pens over the years, these seem to stand the test of time the best (assuming the children put the lids back on of course). Every year the children receive a new haul of BIC Kids stationery from Santa – he clearly has good taste! If you’re not on Santa’s good list, BIC Kids stationery sets can be purchased from as little as £1.50.
RRP:£1.50 upwards
Link to purchase: BIC_Kids and most good high street stores and supermarkets
A couple of the items above have been gifted to PackThePJs in exchange for our opinion (we only include things we really like though!)
End note: Would you like your products included in our Gift Guides? Please add us to your mailing list tracey@packthepjs.com and huw@packthepjs.com x
