Our Favourite Family Christmas Movies (AD - GIFTED)

The lead up to the festive period can get rather manic for our family, the children both have extra activities with school and clubs, (our 9-year-old was in FOUR different shows this year!), my husband and I are really busy in work getting ready to take some time off and then of course there is the shopping and prep to do! I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

This means that when we get to Christmas eve we love nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa together with a box of chocolates and a good old Christmas movie. However, we can't always agree which is the best one so sometimes we have to watch a few! The lovely folks at Fox have sent us a selection of festive movies to get us in the festive spirit and you could win a bundle too in a super simple twitter giveaway - read to the end to find out more...

Home Alone - Family Fun Edition

Home Alone is a 1980 classic family Christmas movie that I remember watching throughout my childhood. Full of belly laughs and hold your breath moments, both my children love watching Kevin Macallister as he is left home alone and has to defend his house from a pair of bumbling thieves at Christmas! Their favourite scene is when one of the dastardly would be burglars climbs through the window and steps onto the baubles Kevin has laid out! Ouch!

Deck The Halls

Another comedy classic, this one is my husband and son's favourite, they love the hilarious rivalry between Steve and his new neighbour Buddy, especially in the ice-skating race but their favourite scene is when the rogue firework goes down Steve's chimney and destroys the tree!

Miracle on 34th Street

Now we're on to my favourite, I have fond memories of going to the cinema to watch this back in 1994, and I had my very own 'I believe' badge. This is the first Christmas movie I watched with my children and it gives me tingles inside every time I see it. Richard Attenborough embodies the spirit of Father Christmas and watching him use sign language to talk to that little girl brings a tear to my eye without fail. Six-year-old Susan Walker walking through the courtroom and melting the Judge's heart with the Christmas card and the one-dollar note just makes Christmas for me. It's all about believing in the magic!

A Christmas Carol

There are so many adaptations of this classic Charles Dickens tale, but whichever one you choose it is must-watch Christmas viewing and enough to convert anyone feeling a little Scrooge-like to a festive feeling. We don't want to be haunted by the ghosts of Christmas, do we?

Jingle All The Way

This nineties Christmas offering starring Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't everyone's cup of tea but we've all had that dreaded feeling that the one toy our child wants will sell out and here's what could happen when you go to every length possible to get it! The children always laugh their hearts out at the parade scene but there's plenty of giggles to be had throughout.

What's your favourite festive film? If I've missed it out please do share in the comments.

Now pop over to Twitter - Follow and RT the below tweet for your chance to win all of these DVDs!

(AD) Christmas Movie #Giveaway! What's your family's favourite festive movie to watch at this time of year? We've been watching ours this week https://t.co/l8ZvmOCFYx Flw & #RT to #win the bundle of the DVDs pictured! https://t.co/vbFjhxgzW3 #FoxChristmas Ends 23:59 26/12 UK only pic.twitter.com/EQFOqkeC2q

— Jen Dixon (@Mymummyspennies) December 24, 2019

My Top picks of the 'Real' Black Friday Deals

It's been a bit quiet around here recently, some health issues caused me to to need some offline time and then it was difficult to make the return but what better time than the day of bargains it'self, Black Friday?

I know there will be many of you that have already stopped reading as you're so fed up of all the 'Black Friday american nonsense. I've seen an image shared a lot this morning stating, 

'It's only a bargain if you really need it.' 

I completely agree. There are many retailers out there that are using the Black Friday chaos and confusion to  blightsight you in to thinking that their old stock is worth buying at discounted prices. That's not the case with everyone though, there are plenty of genuinely good deals out there if you know where to look, and let's face it at this time of year every penny counts!

I've seen some really enticing offers land in my inbox today and i'm pleased to say that apart from a couple of gifts that were all ready on my shopping list I've managed to resist temptation so far (there's still a good few hours to go though!)

Here's my top real deals this Black Friday

Kids Clothing 

We all like to treat out little ones to a new outfit for Christmas Day and I've noticed some of my favourite brands are running fabulous promotions on their childrens clothing range!

Frugi have 25% off all their Autumn Winter range and you can save an extra £10 when you use the code CHIMNEY too!

F4G have 50% off everything on their website until Monday, bith my children have their Christmas party clothes from here this year and I love their latest range!

Toys and Tech

Amazon have some really amazing toys and tech at great prizes this year but they are each on for a limited time and are selling fast so be quick! We ordered the Kids edition Fire tablet this morning for just £69.99 saving £30! This has been on my daughter's Christmas list so I'm really pleased with the saving!

Pampering Gifts

The Body Shop is always a popular choice for gifts for friends and family and they have 40% off everything today with free delivery over a fiver too!

Books

Books always make a good Christmas gift, for both Children and grown ups alike, who doesn't love curling up with a good story?! The Book People not only have a fantastic Sale on with some fantastic offers, they also have an extra 10%  off when you use the code FRIDAY10.

Happy Shopping!

Do let me know what bargains you find! 

Smiggle Advent Calendar 2015 Review

Whether you like it or not there is no denying that the shops are starting to fill up with festive treats and gift ideas. I love the run up to Christmas and as a family we really enjoy the advent tradition of counting down the days from the beginning of September. We have an advent candle that we burn for a short time each evening and of course we buy the children advent calendars. There is so much choice out there these days when it comes to advent calendars, from the common chocolate filled ones, to those filled with toys or beautiful wooden calendars you can fill with your own surprises.

If you follow my social media channels, you will probably be aware that I have somewhat if a stationery habit, so it's no surprise that I've become a big fan of the Smiggle brand since I first discovered them at a blogging event last year. I'm absolutely delighted to hear that the fun Australian stationery company will be opening their first Manchester store in the Arndale Centre in November! We were sent the fabulous 2015 Smiggle Advent Calendar for a sneak peak before the festive season and I have to say we were very impressed!

This fun calendar is filled with over £40 worth of Smiggle products and retails at just £25 which I've found is competitive for a filled advent of this kind. As well as 25 fantastic goodies you also get a special mystery envelope that gives you the chance to win one of  ten £250 shopping sprees! Wouldn't that be amazing?

The calendar itself is a really colourful design that is appealing to look at and will look great on display with your festive decorations throughout December. Both the design and the contents will appeal to both children and  stationery loving adults alike. I actually think this would be perfect for a teen who may see themselves as a bit old for a chocolate calendar but would appreciate the funky surprises each morning in December.

The contents varies from day to day but includes novelty erasers, stamps, keyrings, pens, pencils, mini toys, a notebook, and even a fabulous mini calculator! All in the unique Smiggle design.

I don't want to spoil the surprise for those of you that do decide to purchase the calendar but I know that it can be helpful to have an idea of the contents before spending £25, so i've given you a sneak peek...

I really enjoyed the contents of this advent calendar and I've carefully replaced each item so my children can recreate the joy I had in opening them each day throughout December. They are suitable for children of most ages (i'd say from about 3 + ) and many are the sorts of items i'd buy as stocking fillers or they'd choose to spend their pocket money on, so I'm happy in the knowledge that they will not just be opened and then immediately discarded.


This light up spinning top was one of my favourite items...

Love this flashing #spinningtop from #smiggle @smiggle_uk #lights #flashing #fun #toy #spinning #video #kids #treats #pocketmoneytoys #advent

A video posted by Jen Dixon (@mymummyspennies) on Oct 24, 2015 at 3:33pm PDT

I would highly recommend the Smiggle Advent Calendar for stationery lovers of any age, as it's a fun yet practical alternative to chocolate filled advents that will put a smile on your face, for the first 25 days of December!

Wall Create Canvas Review & Giveaway

At this time of year I start to look through the hundreds of photographs I took of my children over the Christmas period and begin to plan how I will display these beautiful moments throughout the house, if I'm honest I often get to next Christmas without following through with these ideas! This year however the lovely folks at Wall Create offered to send me an image of my choice on canvas.

If you're a regular reader, you will know that the festive period in our house did not go very smoothly, however the photograph I chose is a lovely moment between my two children that brings back memories of the happy times that we did manage to get.

The canvas arrived within a week of ordering and was very well packaged. The frame looks really sturdy and the canvas and print itself is of brilliant quality. The image has been wrapped around the frame which creates a very professional and seemless effect. Despite being blown up to a large size the quality is superb and the colours are vibrant and true from the turquoise of my daughter's Frugi dress to the silver and red baubles on the Christmas tree.

Although the wooden frame secures the canvas really well it is surprisingly lightweight and I was easily able to mount it on the wall with a simple picture hook. It sits well and makes a perfect focal point in the room opposite our bay windows.

Wall Create offers great value for money with prices starting from just £14.97 to print a photo of your choice and UK postage from £3.97. If you are not confident in uploading your pictures to their site they even offer you the option of emailing or posting in the picture you wold like to have printed.

I love how this picture captures my attention everytime I walk in to the room. To me it tells a story about the day it was taken and it actually makes me proud about how much my photography skills have improved in the last few years since I started blogging, picking up tips and invested in my trusty Nikon camera.

We love our canvas and I'm thrilled to offer one of my lovey readers the chance to win a 40cm x 30cm personalised canvas of their choice. To enter simply answer the question in the rafflecopter widget below, if you want a better chance of winning follow the instructions to qualify for extra entries!

Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway 


Competition closes 12.00am 20th February 2015. There is one prize of a 40cm x 30cm personalised canvas with image of winners choice. We e're sent a 51 x 51 canvas print for the purpose of review, all opinions are my own.

The Snowman and the Snowdog Grotto at The Trafford Centre

Last weekend we were invited to visit Father Christmas at the Snowman and the Snowdog Grotto in the Trafford Centre. We'd heard some great things about it and were really looking forward to the experience.

The Grotto is situated in the Barton Square area of the Trafford Centre which has had a fabulous festive make over this winter. The singing bears are back and amoung the sparkling lights is a beautiful Victorian carousel. We arrived a little early for our booking so decided to  have a ride on this first. It was a lovey start to our day and the children didn't want to get off, at just £2 per person i'd recommend it as a fun addition to your Grotto visit.

After watching the singing bears for a few minutes we walked over to the marque that housed the Grotto, the decorations were really sweet so we posed for some pictures with the Snowman and Snowdog outside before being met by some helpful staff dressed in traditional Scandinavian costume.

We had been booked in for a 1pm timeslot and arrived about quarter to, while we waited the children chatted to the helpers who were really friendly and enjoyed telling them all about the animated penguins that decorated the foyer.

When our time came, we were led into a viewing room with a large screen where we were greeted by Billy's mum who led a lovely interactive story session that concluded with a clip of the Snowman and the snowdog annimation Both Children were transfixed and really enjoyed this. As we visited on a Sunday the grotto was fully booked so I did find this room a little crowded but that is to be expected and i'm told it's a lot quieter during the week.

Following on from this we were led out into a corridor of Snowmen dressed in costumes from around the globe, Again we had to queue for a short while but it gave us a chance to talk to the children about the different costumes and take some pictures.

At the end of this corridor we were led into a small room with a big red postbox and the children were provided with paper and pencils and encouraged to write (or draw) their letter to Santa and then post it, both of mine got very excited about posting their letters in Santa's special postbox!

 

Now we were ready to see the big man in red! We were led to one of four sets of curtains which were drawn to reveal a beautifully decorated space and a very Jolly Father Christmas sitting there who greeted the children cheerfully by name, he had a brief chat with them about their Christmas list and then invited them to pose for a photo (a stool was helpfully provided for my youngest). Before we left each child was presented with a gift, Ben was given an alarm clock and Elizabeth an activity book.

At the end we were given the opportunity to view the photographs and a selection of packages were available to purchase at reasonable prices. Overall we were there for just under an hour but were thoroughly entertained throughout.

Admission to the Snowman and Snowdog Grotto is £4.50 per child including a gift and £2.50 for adults.  It's open from 9am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and  9am to 7pm on Sundays. You can book online at www.bookfatherchristmas.co.uk/intutrafford but do be aware there is a £2.50 booking fee. 

Overall I found the experience lovely and great value for the price. I found it to be a bit crowded in places but you do have to expect that in a popular shopping area just before Christmas. The children loved the decoration of the Grotto and I felt the Snowman and Snowdog animation made it so much more than just a visit to Father Christmas! I would recommend it if you are looking for a Grotto visit that the whole family will enjoy.

We completed our day with a visit to Cadwalenders Ice Cream Parlour for some lunch which is a few steps away from the Marque where the grotto is housed.

We were invited to enjoy this experience as guests of the Trafford Centre.

Ten Ways to Spend Less this Christmas

I love Christmas, I love the preparations, the excitement, the food and unlike some I actually love the shopping! I take a great amount of joy in finding the best deals on toys for the children, finding unique and special gifts for friends and family and managing to source a couple of surprises for my lovely husband. One thing I don't like though is worrying that i'm spending too much. As you will know, however carefully we budget and plan, things always creep up on us and this year we have had to replace two large appliances and have some work done on the car in the last month so things have been even tighter than usual. That is why I've been looking around for some tips to enjoy a big festive celebration this year while spending a little less than I usually would. I've brought together ten of the best ways I found to spend less this Christmas with some fabulous inspiration from other bloggers:

Make Your Own Festive Decorations

Christmas decorations are lovely but they are sometimes quite expensive! Why not put an afternoon aside to get crafty and make your own? We made our own Christmas Crackers and a Paper Wreath last year. Red Rose Mummy Recycled an old lightbulb to make this cute Robin. Zing Zing Tree has a great guide to making 3D Snowflake decorations and Over 40 and Mum to One shows us how she makes other Festive Papercrafts.

Give Handmade Gifts:

Last year the whole family got involved in making gifts for teachers and nursery staff and these Gingerbread cookies were very well received! Hand made gifts from the children are lovely and always take pride of place on the grandparent's mantlepiece or dresser but us 'grown ups' can make gifts too! Blue Bear Wood makes a Pampering Beauty Hamper with Bath Soak and Lip Balm. The Brick Castle shows us how to make some delicious sounding home made Fudge.

Buy Secondhand

For me giving gifts isn't about buying the latest gadget or must have toy. It's about making somebody smile knowing that I have spent time thinking about what they want or like doing. Sometimes I have found the best gifts second hand searching on ebay or even scouring around charity shops or carboot sales. It's also worth remembering that when you buy your gifts from a charity shop you are giving twice, once to your friend or family member and secondly to the charity that is helping to fund research or provide care for the needy. Me and My Shadow took part in a Charity Shop Challange and found some great gifts from charity shops.

Enter Competitions

I've always said that entering competitions is a great way to get a few extra gifts that you wouldn't usually be able to afford at Christmas. As it happens my eldests' main present this year is a LEGO Movie set that we won a few months ago. He will be delighted with it! On the run up to Christmas there are lots of competitions running at the moment that just take a minute or two to enter, from stocking fillers to some rather exiting prizes! You can take a look at Mymummyspennies Giveaways here and pop over to Superlucky for a great selection of competitions hosted on other blogs. Many toy brands are also running fantastic 12 Days of Christmas Promotions over on facebook, I've been entering a few including the one from Toys R Us that has some amazing prizes!

Bake it Yourself

As I've been doing my grocery shopping over the last few weeks I have spotted more and more gorgeous looking treats from Christmas cakes to festive biscuits and chocolates. As easy as it is to pop a box in your trolley it all adds up. Why not raid the baking supplies in your kitchen cupboards and see what you can throw together yourself? If you need some inspiration take a look at these Stained Glass Window Cookies from ET Speaks from Home or these Christmas Cupcakes from CasaCostello

Regift

Sometimes you get the perfect gifts and other times people just get it wrong. They have good intentions but the end result is that despite ranting regulary on how much you hate the colour pink you unwrap that beautiful packaged gift on December the 25th to find the handbag you'd been wishing for... in hot pink. Or a lovely pair of fluffy slippers two sizes too small. Or it could be that people get it so right that you end up with a fabulous Cath Kidston Ipad case... twice. If you have a gift receipt then fantastic, you usually have until mid January to exchange but if not then it's likely that these unwanted gifts will stay at the top of the wardrobe until next year. Why not get them out and see if you know anyone that will appreciate them more than you? (Just make sure you remember who gave them in the first place!) If you don't remember then why not gift them to someone you don't know? Maybe your local women's refuge or other charity?

Have a Free Festive Day out!

We have lots of Grotto's local to us at the moment and my children have been lucky enough to visit a couple, they have enjoyed chatting to Father Christmas and looks at the festive scenery and decorations but you don't need to spend money to have a festive day out. Check out your local council's website for local festive fayres and events (these are often free or have a small charitable donation to enter) and why not even pop down to your local garden centre and enjoy looking around the decorations, you don't have to buy anything! On Sunday 14th of December Altrincham Ice Skating Club will be bringing Disney's favourite Princesses, Anna and Elsa to Spinningfields Ice Rink in Manchester to perform a free Frozen on Ice show for all the family. (You can book to skate with the stars for a charge afterwards if you wish). 

Shop Around

It can seem easier to see what you want to buy, and purchase it there and then, especially if it has a big red 'special offer' sign next to it, but how do you know just how special that offer is? Find out! There are a number of online sites that you can check on to see if you really are getting the best deal. Price Runner is a good general comparison site, it's also worth checking out the forums on MSE and HotUkDeals too. If you are looking at amazon check the pricing history on CamelCamelCamel. My final word on this is if you are shopping online ALWAYS do a quick search for a discount or coupon code, even if you find one for 10% off or free delivery, you are still saving some pennies!

Earn Money when you Spend it

Once you have made sure you are getting the best price for what you are buying the next thing is get as much money back in cashback as you can. There are a few different ways you can do this the two main Cashback sites are TopCashBack and Quidco. I'd recommend signing up to both of these as they can both offer competitive deals on different sites, so just do a quick check to see which is the best before you make a purchase. If you pay using paypal when shopping online you can boost your cashback by linking up your paypal account also. You can also link them up to your debit cards so that you earn money back when you spend in store to. As well as these site many credit card company offer rather impressive cashback deals around this time of year as well, just remember that it's only worth signing up to these if you pay your balance off in full each month as otherwise your interest will cost you more than any cashback you earn!

Don't Buy it

If you don't need it then just don't buy it. 

It's easy to say but can be a lot harder to follow through with. Sometimes you have to say no, and often you have to say no to yourself as much as your children. 'Just one more present', 'But it's a bargain', 'I'd better buy another just in case' are all phrases I've used to justify spending more money when I knew I shouldn't. You CAN give your family an amazing Christmas without going into the red and you are likely to enjoy it that much more if you aren't dreading the credit card bills arriving in January. 

I hope these ideas will help you spend a little less this year and still have a fabulous Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

If I've got you feeling thrifty why not check out these other festive money saving posts:

Having a £10 Christmas

Easy Moneysaving Tips for Christmas

Win 1 of 5 Spirograph Studio Sets

Get creative with Spirograph in 3D!

The iconic Spirograph is back. Kids of all ages can draw cool, geometric creations in bright colour. The new 21st century Spirograph now comes with eye-popping 3D technology, so kids can watch the drawings jump out from the page in an amazing display. Sets are available from £4.99 to £24.99rrp.

We are offering 5 My Mummy's Pennies readers the chance to win a Spirograph Optical 3D Studio Set, worth £24.99 rrp

With it's geometric and swirling patterns, Spirograph has helped kids big and small to create beautiful art, stunning designs and wonderful memories for generations.

Spirograph continues this tradition in 21st century style with all new sets. The Spirograph Optical 3D Studio Set also comes with cool 3D glasses that enable you to watch the different colours in your design pop out from the page in cool 3D. 

Includes:

·         12 Drawing Wheels and 4 Templates.

·         3D Effect Dual Colour Pen, 2 Florescent Markers, 3 Colour Pens and a Rainbow Pencil..

·         Optical 3D Glasses - includes 3 LR44 Batteries

·         Spirograph Design Book.

·         10 Drawing Papers and 1 Spirograph Sticker.

·         Sealable Storage Bag.

·         For ages 5 years and over

Win 1 of 5 Spirograph Studio Sets

The Best #BlackFriday Deals and discounts!

Tomorrow is Black Friday, which traditionally is one of the busiest Pre Christmas shopping days and is named as it is supposedly the day which retailers go from the red to the lack and start to rake in the profits. More recently though it's the day many shops and site reveal their best festive offers.

I've brought together a selection of the best Black Friday deals I could find. So if you have some shopping left to do, grab a brew and have a browse at the links below. Remember that most of these are just teasers and won't actually go live until Friday morning...


Black Friday Lightening Deals

Amazon have been bringing us some good ones all week but these should be even better!I a case of fastest finger first so check out what's upcoming!






Toucan Kids

This fabulous site that sells gorgeous brands including Frugi, Lily & Sid and Brio is offering 25% off all non-sale clothing and toys starting today and running until Sunday. Use code 'BLACKFRIDAY' at checkout. Also in store. www.toucankids.com





HippyChick

25% OFF Hippychick who sell gorgeous toys and gifts such as wheelly bugs and Moover prams

Visit www.hippychick.com between 7pm – 9pm on Friday 28th November 2014 and receive 25% off all product lines just quote  BLACK14 a the checkout!

Asda

With 40 inch TV's just £139 and XBOX 360's for less than £100 it's worth the early tip to yor local store to see if you can grab a bargain!

Tesco

Build a Bear

Build A Bear welcome Peppermint Kisses Bear and Festive Fun Bear! 2 for £15 or £10 each. Signature outfits only 2 for £7!

The Book People

As always the book people have some cracking deals. With books from just £2 and 

Mr Men & Little Miss All New Story Collection for £15 it's worth a browse!

Frugi

The Fabulous Frugi have Buy one get one half price on all tops until midnight tonight!

The Ideal Home Show at Christmas - Win Tickets!

I love Christmas! As you know I do my shopping all year round to get the best deals but I get really excited once everywhere gets all festive and love planning my Christmas baking and decorations!

So I'm thrilled that the Ideal Home Show at Christmas is coming to Manchester this year!

Following the success of its spring debut, the Ideal Home Show is set to return to EventCity, Manchester (just near the Trafford Centre) but with a festive twist. A northern version of of the multi-award winning London show, Ideal Home Show at Christmas, sponsored by Gocompare.com will run from Friday 14^th November until Sunday 16^th November.

It will feature an impressive 300 exhibitors, across 7 sections including: Interiors & Home Accessories, Food & Drink sponsored by Regina, Home Improvements & Outdoor Living sponsored by Hydropool, Fashion & Beauty, Technology & Gadgets, Gifts and Christmas Decorations; the winter wonderland will provide everything you could possibly need for the run up to the yuletide season.

I'll be attending the show of the Friday with my Mum and we're really excited about these celebrity experts at the show offering their tips including the rather handsome chef Gino D'Acampo, the lovely Lisa Faulkner, and my Mum's favourite Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen! Well known TV personality, wine expert, columnist and author Olly Smith will also be there.

Highlights from the Show

·         The Christmas Theatre sponsored by Gocompare.com – This festive theatre will host talks and workshops from a range of experts to advise on how to create the perfect homemade Christmas. The hourly sessions will focus on making Christmas cards, festive wreaths, decorations, table settings and much more!

·         The Christmas Champagne Bar sponsored by Hydropool – Treat yourself to a glass of bubbly and relax after all that shopping!

·         The Christmas Food & Drink Theatre sponsored by Regina – The Food & Drink Theatre will feature top celebrity chefs including Gino D'Acampo giving you handy hints and tips for your Christmas culinary creation. With live cook along demonstrations, foodies are able to learn from the experts in how to cook up a storm in the kitchen this Christmas.

·         The Gregg Wallace Christmas Restaurant - Hosted by friend of the show Gregg Wallace, the restaurant will provide a traditional Christmas lunch with a twist.

·         The Christmas Bandstand – The bandstand will be filled with a host of talent who will perform a range of musical styles and genres throughout the show. From gospel and children's choirs, to bands and solo artists, they are guaranteed to put you in the festive spirit.

·         The Christmas Room Sets in association with intu Trafford Centre - Working with top brands from the iconic intu Trafford centre, these 8 room sets will fill you with ideas for your own home.

Plus, with over 300 top brands and exhibitors offering innovative products that you won’t find on the high street, it’s the ultimate destination for all of your Christmas shopping.

Doors open to the first ever Ideal Home Show at Christmas EventCity, Manchester Friday 14^th November at 10am.  To book tickets visit www.idealhomeshowmanchester.com or call 0844 209 7366.  For Group bookings call: 0844 412 4650

Prices for Ideal Home Show at Christmas EventCity, Manchester:

	Advance Tickets	On The Door
Adult	£12.00	£15.00
Concession	£11.00	£14.00
Children (Under 16)	Free*	Free*

Would you like to Win a pair of tickets for your choice of the day of your choice? Enter below:

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Happy National Christmas Jumper Day! #xmasjumperday

As well as being Friday the 13th, today is National Christmas Jumper Day!

Whatever you are doing with your day, a Christmas jumper is a great way of getting into the festive spirit!

It's not just a way of adding a bit of festive fun to your day, you can also do your bit for charity too!

Save the Children are asking you to make the world better with a sweater on Friday 13 December by wearing a Christmas jumper for the day and giving £1 or more to Save the Children. 

Donate now by texting WOOLLY to 70050 to donate £1!

Here's a rare photo of me in my Christmas Jumper...

Well today Rudolph and I had quite a busy day, starting with a morning in the office where we joined some colleagues wearing their funky Christmas knits and donated my pound. We then had a quick run around the shops in Manchester before popping for a doctor's appointment and followed by attending my daughter's Nursery Carol Concert which was definitely the highlight of the day! Although, as is often the case with these things, it didn't go exactly to plan, (some technical difficulties with sound and a chorus of children needing the toilet halfway through!) it was so lovely to see the children enthusiastically singing their hearts out! Elizabeth's favourite was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

And just so you know I've kept to the penny pinching ethos, Rudolph cost me just £9.99 in my local Quality Save store and is lovely and snuggly! 

Win Shrek: The Whole Story Boxset on DVD

The Shrek box set brings together all four parts of the Shrek legend including Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. This magical series of animated films have captured the hearts of families worldwide with its stunning graphics, razor sharp humour and tales about the important things in life.

A collection to treasure!! 

Follow the rafflecpter instructions below for your chance to win...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out our Family DVD Gift guide for more chances to Win

Win a Magical Christmas Collection Stocking from Hotel Chocolat!

Can you believe that it is just one month until Christmas day? 

It will be here before we know it! 

Now that my daughter's birthday is out of the way I am letting the Christmas preparations get into full swing and am feeling rather festive!

So how better to spread that festive feeling that with a fabulous giveaway from Hotel Chocolat? 

I am a bit of a chocoholic and for me Christmas day is not the same without unwrapping some yummy surprises from their festive collection. Luckily (for him!) my other half always remembers! 

I would be rather pleased to find this Magical Christmas Collection Stocking under the tree this year, but I will have to keep dropping hints to Mr Mymummyspennies as this is for one of you lucky readers to win! Follow the rafflecopter instructions below to enter...

I also wanted to share with you a couple of great offers from www.hotelchocolat.com that will give you a helping hand with your Christmas Shopping....

Receive a free £5 voucher when you spend £35, plus don't miss out on your free gift worth £12 when you spend £65 or more. 

See full terms and conditions here.

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Don’t mention the ‘C’ word….

Shhh! Don't mention the 'C Word!' Kate from Family Fever shares her tips for being prepared for the fast approaching festive season....

Ok, I know I promised not to mention it, but Christmas really is approaching like a high speed train, and many of us are worrying about how we will afford it all. So, without further ado, here are my top 3 tips for Christmas on a budget. 

1. Spread the cost. 

Christmas is hugely expensive – no matter how much you try to cut back, it is still a big outlay, especially when you have children. To make things easier on ourselves we pick up little bits and pieces throughout the year – anything from stocking fillers to main presents. If we see something that we know the children would like, or something that they have been eyeing up that is now on special offer, we grab it while we can and stash it away ready for the big day. It means we don’t end up with a huge, costly to-do list in December. 

2. Join a Christmas saving scheme. 

 Now, I know there are some ‘dodgy’ ones out there, but it can be worth finding out if your employer offers anything. My husband company offer a Christmas Club – a set amount of our choosing is taken from his wages every month and set aside. Then in November we receive that lump sum. It’s a huge weight off our minds, and means that Christmas is paid for in advance – toys, food, drink – everything. You can save as much or as little as you like. 

3. Set up a gift-swap. 

 I can’t take credit for this idea – a friend of mine recently thought of it, but it’s too good an idea to miss out! Nearly all of us have toys/games/books etc lying around that are either brand new or barely used. Try swapping them with a friend – not only does it clear out the things you no longer want, but it means your children end up with some great new things, at no cost to you. And trust me, children really don’t know, or care, that things are second hand.

I'd like to thank the very lovely Kate from the fabulous blog Family Fever for writing the above guest post and sharing her tips for preparing for the festive season with us! Please show her some love!

Make sure you pop over and check out her Facebook and Twitter pages too...