Beyond the Wrapping Paper: The Christmas Memories That Stay With Us

 

Welcome back, 

It’s easy to feel the pressure at Christmas. From glossy TV adverts to social media posts filled with elaborate gifts and lavish celebrations, it can leave many of us—especially parents—feeling guilty for not spending enough. I have sadly seen on social media and heard people in my real life speak of feeling guilty for not spending much money on their children, or not being able to take their family on festive days out to Christmas markets with ice skating and expensive hot chocolates, or to cinema trips and pantomimes.  I also saw someone crying because they couldn't afford to buy an elf to do the cheeky elf on the shelf, and it broke my heart. 

But when we strip away the glitter and the money spent, what truly stays with us?

After seeing so many upset parents, I decided to ask people of all ages to share their favourite and/or most treasured Christmas memories of their lifetime. The answers were a beautiful reminder that it’s not the money spent, the festive days out or the size and cost of the presents that matter—it’s the moments, memories, laughter, and the love.

The people I asked were aged between 10 and 84, I asked them to write down their memory/memories and send them to me. Here's what they said, all their own words, these have not been edited, I have just removed their names. 

What's your favourite/most treasured Christmas memory or memories so far? 

🎄My first Christmas with the girls (daughters) and getting everyone up at 4am because I was so excited I couldn't sleep and I couldn't wait for the girls to get up, it was the best.  

🎄My grandma always came to stay with us for Christmas and on Christmas morning we were both awake really early, she had peeped in my room and saw I was awake, she came in and got in my bed and we chatted for ages about all sorts, really put the world to rights.  I couldn't tell you what gifts I got that year, but I'll never forget sitting in bed with my grandma waiting for everyone else to get up. I was 12 years old and sadly my grandma passed away the following February, meaning that was the last Christmas I spent with her. 

🎄My Grandma and grandad waking up at 4am when me and my sister were younger when we called to say we were awake. Just so they could come round to see me and my sister open our presents off Santa.  

Those memories are treasured.  They did this every year. 

🎄Watching my children get excited about santa coming, going downstairs and announcing he's been. I miss this more than anything now they have all flown the nest. 

🎄The year my dad made me my dolls house. Him and my mum had made it from scratch without me knowing about it. My mum had decorated all the rooms. I also think fondly of our Christmas stockings from my nanna with the cling film wrapped coins in the toes. 

🎄It's got to be sat on the settee, cup of tea in hand, watching the children opening their presents.

🎄Listening to muffled voices from the adults downstairs at my grandparents house on Christmas eve, whilst I shared a double bed with my sister, convinced we could hear sleigh bells. Also the smell of Advocat and Brandy and the box of dates on the sideboard. 

🎄Getting a bike age 6. I didn't ask for it, the bike was in kitchen and my parents told me to go in their for something and there it was, I didn't know for years that the bike was second hand and  that my dad did it up spending hours in the garage every night when I went to bed. It was the best bike ever. 

🎄Christmas at my Grandmas because I get to see everybody (family) all in one room, and the food my grandma makes. 

🎄Being together with family. 

🎄Seeing the babies (cousins) and eating grandmas home made rocky road. 

🎄Sat eating Christmas dinner at the table with my nan and grandad surrounded by tacky Christmas decorations followed by a night of putting my nans rollers in for her and watching a film on the settee with a box of chocolates and a snowball if I was lucky.

🎄My first Christmas with my own children in my own home.

🎄Watching Elf at the theatre with my family. 

🎄I’d probably say playing games on Boxing Day and having a super chill day, also performing the family panto my grandparents wrote on Christmas Day. It’s hard to pick though theres so many. 

🎄Spending Christmas with my parents, brothers and grandparents, my grandma always knitted clothes for my dolly for my Christmas gifts and I loved them, they didn't cost much but meant everything to me. 

🎄Having Christmas at my grandparents’ and I remember singing Christmas songs with them around the tree, and did a magic show for them with the magic set we got as a gift. 

🎄Drinking hot chocolate at the Christmas markets then going ice skating. 

🎄There’s no one big thing but all the traditions we do like getting a new bauble for the tree, Christmas crafts, going out at night to see the Christmas lights, and writing a letter to Grandma and Grandpa.  

🎄Going to the underground Santa’s grotto because all the lights were magical. Also sitting around the table all together on Christmas Day with the whole family, dad and nana too. 

🎄It’s very hard to pick one memory! I have lots of memories of childhood Christmases, especially with my Grandparents. Staying up until midnight at new year was exciting, and going for a walk with my Grandad at midnight to let the new year in. I remember the smell of the turkey roasting overnight and getting up super early to open presents. 

🎄But I think my favourite Christmas memory is making paper chains with my own children when they were very little!

🎄Christmas with my children when they were at the age they started to believe in Father Christmas & then the grandchildren doing the same and my granddaughter starting to walk on Boxing day at just 9 months old.  

🎄Getting our first Christmas tree, it was artificial and just a pole with about 6 branches sticking out at strange angles and it had real candles on which we lit, it was nothing really looking back but I was so excited and it was everything to me back then, we couldn't afford much but I didn't know that, I thought it was the best Christmas tree in the world.  

 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

So many people I asked had second hand toys or hand made gifts but never knew until they were much older or adults & they still treasure the memories of those toys now. 

Not one person mentioned elaborate days out or how much money was spent or expensive gifts, Christmas eve boxes, matching family PJ's, Christmas family photo shoots or days and evenings out, not one person, but every single person I spoke to or had an email or text conversation with, mentioned spending time with their loved ones or those hand made gifts or second hand gifts that meant so much to them, the time their parents or grandparents had spent making things or doing things up for them. 

So, if you or someone you know has been suffering from parent guilt recently, please show them this blog post, they may feel bad but their children will have an amazing Christmas and make wonderful memories that don't need to cost a fortune, just like the people who I asked, I had around 50 replies but a lot were similar sort of answers so I have included some chosen at random.

All the people who responded remember love, laughter, kindness and magic and those are the things your children will remember too, so please try not to feel bad or guilty, you're doing the best you can. I have heard so many times parents saying "I feel like such a bad parent because I can't get my child XYZ" but the fact you feel sad about these things, proves you ARE a good parent, if you weren't you wouldn't care what your child thinks and feels. 

I promise you, your little ones will have a great time this Christmas, because they have you and you will create the magic for them, and that is what they will look back on and remember, the magic and being excited for Father Christmas and that magic is down to you, so please try not to beat yourself up or feel bad. 

I really hope this post helps someone, even just one person, because if I can help one person to feel better then that means the world to me. 

Thank you so much for reading, Happy Christmas 

Zoë x

All My Must-Have Picks in One Place: Follow Me on LTK

Welcome back

Today's post is a shameless plug, I was going to apologise for this but then, if I don't plug my own things, who will? So, this is a shameless plug post about my LTK account. 

LTK stands for Like To Know It, and it's an app and a website where I and lots of other creators (I hate that word almost as much as influencer) share the links from videos, blog posts, or social media posts where we share certain items with you, such as clothing, beauty products, and homeware. Basically, anything I share with you will be on my LTK account.

For example, I post a haul on my Instagram account and put the links to the things I've shared in that haul on my LTK account. I also share other things, such as outfit ideas, gift guides and gift ideas, favourites, and lots more. I share beauty, fashion, homeware, pet supplies, and much more with a direct link to the products. 

Below are two examples of a couple of posts I have on my LTK account, these are festive outfit ideas. So, if you like the red jumper in the first photo, you can click the image below the main image, and it'll take you directly to that jumper, so you can buy it if you like. LTK is an affiliate programme, meaning if you do buy anything from my links, I will make a few pence in commission, but it is only pence, I'm not about to become rich from this account. 

So, that is my LTK account and what it's all about, I have so many different posts on there, and I share lots of things there that I don't share on any of my other platforms. You can follow me on there too, and if you would like to, that would be very kind and much appreciated. It is hard to build a following on LTK, and I am 10 followers away from 100, so it means a lot to me when I get a new follower. 

And all that's left for me to say is, if you would like to check out my LTK account, you can find it HERE and thank you so much in advance if you do. 

If you're reading this and already follow me on LTK, thank you so much. 

Thanks for reading, 

Zoë x

 

Christmas in October: Kickstart Your Christmas Shopping with Must-Have Deals at the Argos Toy Sale

 

All the images in todays post apart from the one above are taken from the Argos website. 

Welcome back, 

Today I have a blog post about the Argos toy sale, there are some brilliant deals, some half price, some 25% or 30% and some other deals such as 2 for £15.00 amongst others, there really are some brilliant deals to be had. I thought I would share 10 toys that I saw with you today,  I could have shared so many more,  but I thought 10 would be enough, but you can check out all the deals on the toys yourself by clicking HERE.

Baby Annabel Doll - WAS £65.00 now £48.75  

My youngest daughter loved Baby Annabel when she was a little girl and she got so many years of fun with hers, she adored her. I thought this was a good saving of 25% off, especially when they are £65.00 full price.

If you would like to pick one up, you can get yours by clicking HERE.

Chad Valley Lights & Sound Construction Playset - WAS £40.00 now £26.50

I thought this was a good price, theres a third off and this would make a brilliant gift, it has lights and sounds and comes with a mat to protect your surfaces or floor too. 

If you would like one, you can pick one up by clicking HERE.

Chad Valley Stacking Ball Drop - WAS £10.00 now £5.00

This is a cute gift if you have a baby to buy for this Christmas or for any occasion and it's half price too which is a great deal. 

If you would like to purchase one, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Baby Born Walk In Dolls Shower - WAS £57.00 now £28.50

How cute is this? I love how the shower works and water comes out, you don't have to use a baby born dolly with this, any dolly that is hard bodied and can get wet would be suitable to play with this, and at half price it's a good time to buy.

If you would like to buy the Baby Born walk in shower, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Chad Valley Deluxe 5 Level Garage & Cars Set - WAS £60.00 now £30.00

This is another half price bargain and comes with 10 cars too, the lift is a working lift and theres a car wash, petrol pump, ramp, road and lots of other things that make this a great gift idea for any child who loves to play cars, and at half price it's a brilliant time to buy. 

If you have someone who'd love this, you can buy it by clicking HERE.

Chad Valley Discovery Ball & Giraffe - WAS £11.00 now £5.50

This cute little two pack of baby toys for babies aged 6 months and older is another half price deal, two toys for £5.50 I think is a good price and things like this can be split if you have two babies to buy gifts for. These type of toys are good to develop hand eye coordination and brain stimulation and keep little ones amused. 

If you would like to pick them up, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Bluey S7 Adventure School Exclusive Playset - WAS £60.00 now £30.00 

This Bluey toy is an Exclusive Pack and includes the transforming School Playset and the Brisbane Adventure Bus. Plus six figures, they are Bluey, Bingo, Chloe, Snickers, Coco and their teacher Calypso, plus you get some accessories and it opens out into 3 play areas. This is one of the half price offers and to be honest I was surprised at the original price, and think if this is on a wishlist of a child you buy gifts for, I'd get it whilst it's half price. 

If you want to pick the Bluey school adventure set up, you can do by clicking HERE.

Playmobil 71233 City Action Fire Engine WAS £30.00 now £20.00

My friends little one would love this, she loves trucks, buses anything like that, she reads my blog so I would imagine she'll be thrilled to see this! Theres a third off making a £10.00 discount, Playmobil is a little expensive in my humble opinion so to have that money off makes it a better price. The fire engine has working lights and sirens and the water pump on the roof works too, there are two figures with the set and some accessories too. I did notice there were some smaller sets that would go well with this in the two for £15.00 range too you can find those HERE and HERE, these were £10 and £11 each previously. 

You can pick the Playmobil fire engine up by clicking HERE.

Bluey Table Top Easel - WAS £15.00 now £7.50 

This is a great little gift idea and is half price too, the easel has clips on one side to use as an easel and on the other side is a chalk board, it includes crayons, chalk, stickers and colouring sheets which can be stored inside the easel, making it easy to take anywhere with you and it has a cute little carry handle too. 

Bluey seems to be quite popular at the moment, so this is a brilliant gift at a good price too, don't miss out! 

To pick one up, click HERE.

Playmobil 71251 Country Alpaca Walk - WAS £18.00 now £13.50

As soon as I saw this NEW Playmobil alpaca playset, I had to include it, how cute is it? This has 25% off but still not a bad saving. Alpacas are very popular and I know my eldest would have loved this, she adores alpacas and this set comes with 3 of them, plus 3 figures and some accessories. It's such a sweet little set and one I think would go down well with any child. 

If you have alpaca mad children to buy for like I have had for many years, you can buy this by clicking HERE.

So that's the 10 toys I chose from the Argos toy sale, I hope they have given you some inspiration for your christmas list, or any occasion you buy toys for. Like I said, there are some incredible deals, and I could have included so many more things, but I thought it best just to share these 10 and let you take a look too. Let me know if you pick anything up, and please share this post with anyone who you think would find it helpful. 

Happy shopping! and thank you for reading

Zoë x

Small Business Spotlight - From Friendship To Flames: Smoke + Matches

image taken from smoke + matches website

Welcome back

In a world filled with mass-produced products, there's something special that comes with buying handcrafted items. Imagine relaxing at home with the soft flicker of candlelight and the smell of a stunning fragrance filling the room, while supporting a small business. That's precisely what my friend, Khila, and her friend Karen have brought to life by launching their new business, Smoke + Matches.

When Smoke + Matches launched, I purchased 3 of the products and will be sharing my honest opinions of those products in this post, but first I want to tell you all about Smoke + Matches because simply put, I'm really proud of my friend Khila.

About Smoke + Matches & The creators

My lovely friend Khila met Karen when they both worked together in the railway industry and after a while, they realised they had a lot in common. This is what they said about how Smoke + Matches came to be:

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly where this idea took root but both being somewhat creative 'seekers', it was only a matter of time until we did something together... It was just a matter of what. The idea of a candle business was discussed in mid 2022 but knowing the time and dedication it required, we decided to work to Autumn 2023 as a launch date. In hindsight, this presented itself at a time when we were each looking to escape some mental health struggles and throw ourselves into an all-consuming pastime. For the past 6 months, we have lived and breathed wax and fragrance. The volume of messages exchanged would lead you to believe we were engaging in a sordid affair. From deciding on the colour of our tissue paper at 3 a.m. to those first test sales, it has already been such a journey and we can only hope that you enjoy what we have laboured over enough that we get to keep doing it."

Smoke + Matches - The Products

There are some beautiful products available from the Smoke + Matches website and because the products are so reasonably priced for such amazing quality, you'll be 100% spoilt for choice. On each item page, there are details of allergens, ingredients and any warnings with a description of each item, I have never seen such detailed listings on a website, it's something many others could take note of and follow suit.

The Products:

Travel Candle: These are 50g and their burn time is around 15 hours, although I would say mine burned for longer. Travel Tins are available in several different scents, and some new ones coming soon so lots to choose from, they are tins with a screw lid which is easy to open and are a great way of trying scents if you're undecided. 

You can find the Travel Candles HERE priced at £6.00 each. 

Wax Melt Snap Bar: These are 50g and their burn time depends on how much of the bar you use at each time. These are available in several different scents, they are such a great price for a handmade soy product and with recyclable and biodegradable packaging too, so, run don't walk to pick some up. 

You can find the Wax Melt Bars HERE priced at £4.50 per bar. - 

THE WAX MELT SNAP BARS ARE ON A 3 FOR 2 OFFER UNTIL SUNDAY.

Glass Jar Candle: These are 160g in a 20cl glass jar and the burn time is 40 hours, they are made from coconut soy wax with a 100% cotton wick and come in several scents. I really like the look of these, they have such a classic look and would look great in any home.

You can find the Glass Jar Candles HERE priced at £11.00.

Concrete Candle: These are 220g and the burn time is 40 hours, they are made from coconut soy wax with a 100% cotton wick and are available in different scents which all sound insanely nice. The concrete jars are handmade which blows my mind, they look incredible! Because each candle is handmade, they may vary slightly in the way they look and in texture, but it does not affect the burn time. The candles come with either cork or rubber feet on the base, this is to protect your surfaces and increase stability.

You can find the Concrete Candle HERE priced at £16.00

Concrete Match Pot: These are lovely and such a great idea, plus they are also handmade, there are 4 different variations to choose from, but like the concrete candles, because they are handmade, they may differ in colour and texture. The pots cannot be shipped with matches included and come with a striker strip and either rubber or cork feet, these are for stability and to protect your surfaces. I love these, I haven't seen anything like these before and think they are such a great idea, the fact they are handmade makes them even more special.

You can find the Concrete Match Pot HERE priced at £9.00.

Concrete Tray: These are stunning, each tray is handcrafted and because of this, completely unique, there are 8 different designs to choose from ( 3 are coming soon). Each tray is waxed with a 100% natural sealant to create a water-resistant finish, which is ideal for use in the kitchen or bathroom. They come with either rubber or cork feet for stability and protection of your surfaces.

You can find the Concrete Trays HERE priced at £10.00.

Minimalist Wax Burner: This wax burner is lovely, it has a metal stand with a removable ceramic dish that makes it easy to clean and looks simple but classy.

You can find the Wax Burner HERE priced at £12.00

My Purchases:

I really wanted to support Khila and Karen with their new business by purchasing some things from their website, unfortunately, due to a horrific accident my partner Simon had some years ago resulting in him being set on fire in a gas explosion at work, we don't have candles at home. As well as the physical injuries Simon suffered, he was badly psychologically affected by the accident too, and even years later, he is just about okay with having a birthday cake with candles in the house, but actual candles burning, freaks him out. 

I totally get it and wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable, so after having a chat with him, I decided to go for 3 of the Travel Tins. The plan was, that I'd burn them whilst he was at work and he was fine with that. 

The parcel arrived well packaged with the Smoke + Matches logo on the front of the box and inside the Travel Tins were carefully and securely packaged using packing nuggets. There was a thank you card with details of social media accounts and instruction/care details on the reverse, I thought this was a nice touch and also really helpful. 

The 3 Travel Tins I bought were Coffee Shop, Beach House and Good Morning. I love the packaging of the tins, and the labelling too, they look classy and sleek. The lids unscrewed easily, which can sometimes be an issue with my silly hands,  but I was fine. 

When we burned the first candle, we popped the tin on a coaster on our sideboard. Almost as soon as my daughter lit the candle, we could smell it, and I was sat across the other side of the room. We burned Beach House first, followed by Good Morning and lastly, Coffee Shop. The burn time is advised at 15 hours per tin, but I found mine burned longer, and they all smelled lovely, I thought I would have a clear favourite scent but I didn't, they were all really nice. The tins are brilliant if you're unsure of which scent to choose, or if you don't burn candles regularly enough to get a bigger one. 

The photograph above shows how big the tins are, they are a brilliant size and were perfect for us. I am so proud of Khila, the amount of items on the website is incredible, these are hand poured and the concrete items hand made. The amount of work and dedication that goes into this business is unreal, and it shows in the quality of the products, how many products are on the website and how professional the website looks. 

I loved all 3 of the tins I purchased, they were ideal for us and all smelled beautiful. I love the concrete trays too, the colours and metallics in them are so pretty, they look incredible and would make lovely gifts, and not just for candle lovers, I think they'd make a nice jewellery tray too. 

Overall I was really happy with my purchases and love the whole website too, it is easy to navigate and has lots of information on each item, and everything is a great price, especially for handmade items. The products would make lovely gifts and since the C word is upon us, definitely check them out. Plus the wax melt bars are on a 3 for 2 deal until Sunday so a perfect time to buy, to treat yourself or to do some early Christmas gift shopping, or any gift shopping.

If you would like to check out Smoke + Matches, and I highly recommend you do, you can find their website HERE. 

Good Luck to Khila and Karen as they continue with Smoke + Matches, it's an amazing business with stunning products and I wish you both love and luck as you smash the business world, one wax melt at a time. 

Thank you for reading

Zoë x