Planning a Wedding in Santorini

There’s a kind of magic in Santorini that you just can’t find anywhere else. Maybe it’s the way the sun sets in blazing orange over the caldera, or how the whitewashed buildings and blue domes feel like something out of a dream. When I first imagined my wedding, I wanted it to feel timeless, intimate, and full of soul—and Santorini delivered all of that and more. But planning a wedding on a Greek island? That’s a whole story in itself.

Why Santorini?

I’d always been drawn to Santorini for its natural beauty and romantic atmosphere. The idea of exchanging vows with the Aegean Sea as our backdrop felt surreal. We didn’t want a massive wedding; we wanted something personal, where every guest felt part of our love story. Santorini felt like the perfect blend of elegance and escape.

The Planning Process: What I Wish I Knew

Planning a destination wedding isn’t for the faint of heart—especially when you’re doing it across time zones. Here are some things I learned along the way:

Hire a Local Wedding Planner

Many of the venues in Santorini will require you to have a wedding planner regardless. We hired one before we flew out to scout out the venues in July 2024. This was a practical decision decision as we knew that on the day we would be thankful to have someone else who wasn't emotinally involved steering our ship. 

Our planner knew the ins and outs of the island—what paperwork we needed, which vendors were reliable, and even the best time of day to schedule the ceremony based on lighting (yes, that’s a thing!). Communication was key, and having someone on the ground saved us from so many logistical headaches.

That being said, yes our planner had a great wealth of knowledge that was incredibly valuable to us as a couple booking a wedding abroad, but don't be fooled into thinking that they will give you prefrential rates  when it comes to booking suppliers. When I recieved those very first quotes detailing how much the lighting would cost and how much decorations would be, I grew very worried. I worried we had bitten off more than we could chew.

Don't be Afraid to Get Independant Quotes

With the wedding planners quotes in hand, I took to Instagram to see if I could obtain some independent quotes. I spoke to companies providing flowers, Musicians, Wedding Cakes, DJ set ups, Fireworks... You name it, I had it quoted.

With the independent quotes in hand, I could see that there was a very substantial mark up on many of the services which catagorically ruled them out. In some instances, delivery fees were added for items that just didn't need it... For example Greek dancers coming to perform and provide plate smashing. Dancers who were coming to our wedding anyway wanted €80 to deliver the plates to the wedding venue, after we were already being charged €6 a person for the plate smashing.

My own research found me the most fantastic company, Santorini Entertainment and the owner Dimitris Diamantis. He has sourced our DJ set up, Lighing, Greek dancing - with complimentary plates and NO delivery fee, fireworks, ground fireworks and big Mr and Mrs Carter letters. He was incredibly priced and his personal, friendly service on the run up to the wedding has been absolutely fabulous. I highly recommend Dimitris and will provide a full review once we are married!

This additonal bang for buck popped up a number of times during the planning process, and I very quickly booked up everything myself. With the suppliers booked with a deposit, I then provided all of the details back to our wedding planner so that she could communicate with them and finalise the details.

Initially we were concerened this may be an issue, but we have got on very well with our wedding planner and she has been super. We just had to accept that she would be adding a % on to the hire fee.

Start Early—But Be Flexible

Things in Santorini run on “island time.” Venues book up fast, especially during peak wedding season (May to September), so by the time we started planning our wedding in July 2024... We were already behind the curve. Our wedding has come together in 11 months, when many people plan for years ahead of their date! 

We were lucky in regards to available dates, as we opted for a new venue that had not yet done it's first season. This gave us the pick of the dates. I talk more about the venues in this post - How to choose a Wedding Venue in Santorini.

Trust the Local Aesthetic

When it came to planning our wedding in Santorini, we knew one thing for sure: the island itself would be the main character. With the breathtaking caldera views, whitewashed buildings, and that endless blue sea, it didn’t take much to make the setting feel magical. But we still wanted to add personal touches—something that felt like “us.”

So we struck a balance: minimal but meaningful, romantic but unfussy. Here’s how we approached our wedding décor in Santorini and why we wouldn’t change a thing.

As the sun dips and the sky turns pink and gold on May 27th 2025, our fairy lights will begin to glow. We will have them strung across the reception space, creating a canopy of twinkling light that make the evening feel intimate and almost otherworldly. There’s something about warm lights swaying gently in the breeze that makes everything feel a little softer, a little slower, a little more special.

At night, those lights will transform the space. It won't just be pretty—it will feel enchanted.

A Few Practical Tips

Legal Ceremony or Symbolic? We opted for a legal ceremony in Santorini and handled the legal paperwork at home on the run up to the big day. Considerations that must be allowed for are needing to go to your local registry office to obtain a CNI (Certificate of No Impediment) which costs around £42.00. This has to be dated within 3 months of your wedding date.

Once you obtain the CNI, which will take around a month due to the 'cooling off period' where the document is kept in the public domain, should someone wish to object to your marriage. After this period you will have another appointment to collect your document. With your CNI in hand, you must now send it off to be Apostille Stamped.

Apostille Stamps legalise documents, and we had to have a birth certificate each and a CNI each. If you allow enough time, you can use the goverments standard service. However with our wedding at the end of May, and only getting our CNI's back at the begining of May... We were running out of time. We opted to spend £410 to have a next day service with a company called 2E Apostille. 

We sent our documents off on Wednesday 7th May 2025 and had them back Apostille Stamped and ready to be sent to our wedding planner for translation into Greek on Saturday 10th May 2025.

Accommodations: Our wedding planner advised us to instruct all of our guests to book accomadation in Kamari. That plan quickly went out of the window, with both of our families booking Pygros and Vourvoulos, while we were heading to Akrotiri. It became clear that we would need our guests to organise their own transport to and from the wedding venue. We laid this out ahead of time, to allow everyone time to get transport organised. 

Don’t Skip the Food Tasting: Greek cuisine is amazing, and most venues will let you sample ahead of time. We did however skip the food tasting, as we didn't make it back out to Santorini as we hoped to taste the cake and the food choices we had made. However we have read very good things about both of our selections, Marios Catering and Petranart. I will update post wedding!

Would I Do It Again?

Absolutely. Planning a wedding in Santorini took patience, flexibility, and trust—but it also gives us a celebration beyond our wildest dreams. There’s nothing quite like watching the people you love fall under the island’s spell right alongside you.

If you’re considering a Santorini wedding, take a deep breath, embrace the adventure, and prepare for a celebration that’s every bit as magical as the island itself.

The Early Scan at Peek a Baby Bromsgrove - 6 Weeks Pregnant

On the 25th of March 2025—just nine weeks before our wedding day—I found out I was pregnant.

I can still feel the rush of emotions from that moment. The second those two pink lines appeared, everything paused. For a split second, it was just me, the test, and the memory of what a positive pregnancy test truly means... and what it doesn’t always mean.

Graham was over the moon. His joy was instant and unshakable. But for me? I was cautious. I've learned the hard way that a positive doesn’t always promise a happy ending. The ache of Louis’s pregnancy and the heart-wrenching goodbye we were forced to say still lives close to the surface. His presence, his strength, his loss—it’s all shaped how I now navigate pregnancy.

But despite everything, I stayed calm.

There was a quiet sense of trust this time. My anxiety, surprisingly, held back. I chose to believe that peace was possible, and I summoned all the positive, healthy energy I could to our tiny, growing baby. Our baby. Baby Carter.

Even before I told Graham the news, I had already called the doctors. That will make him laugh when he reads this, I’m sure! Things had changed slightly since Louis’s pregnancy—there was now a self-referral system for midwife care. I filled in the form, and before long my first appointment was confirmed.

I estimated our due date to be the 8th of December 2025, although based on my last cycle, late November was also a possibility.

My first midwife appointment came on the 7th of April. I had a spring cold, my voice was barely there, and Graham sadly couldn’t make it due to a big work meeting. He was gutted, but I promised to call him so he wouldn’t miss out on any of the important health questions—it’s our first baby together.

At the appointment, I gave a urine sample, had my bloods taken, and did a carbon monoxide test. I blew a 1—likely from car pollution, they said. I was also introduced to the new Badger Notes app, which has now replaced the paper maternity notes. I must admit, it felt strange not carrying that little folder around!

In those first few weeks, I managed to hold off booking a private scan. But eventually, the curiosity and need for reassurance got the better of me. I told Graham, “I need to know what’s going on inside of me.” And so, I booked an early scan at Peek a Baby in Bromsgrove for Saturday 19th April 2025.

I didn’t realise until we pulled up outside—but I’d been there before. It was the same place we’d had Louis’s gender scan. The one where we were told he was very poorly. That moment hit me like a wave. Familiar building. Familiar fear.

I’d been guzzling water all morning, absolutely bursting for the loo. The sonographer was running late and told me to “let a bit out—count to ten then stop.” I think I did that about three times! The nerves were properly setting in now. Up until this moment, I had felt relatively calm. But this... scans are where things had always gone wrong before.

When we were finally called in, I lay down, they applied the gel, and the Doppler met my stomach. Instantly, a gestational sac appeared. For a terrifying moment, it looked empty. My heart dropped. Please not another missed miscarriage.

Then, there it was—a fetal pole... and the tiniest flicker of a 6-week-old heartbeat. A real, strong beat. Our baby. A brand new little life.

Graham’s eyes welled. Mine did too. There in front of us was our creation. The little person we had made together. A baby that would be coming to our wedding, and even tagging along on our honeymoon.

It felt real now. We left Peek a Baby beaming—me in awe, Graham already besotted. I was pregnant. We were having a baby. And this time, we allowed ourselves to start believing... I knew I was a way off being convinced yet, but it was a start.

The pregnancy fatigue had really kicked in early, I would say right from thye first positive test. My chest has been sore (and surprisingly warm to the touch!), and naps have become a regular part of my day. I’m sleeping whenever I can, surrendering to the changes my body is going through.

I still have my moments. Quiet fears that creep in. But mostly, I’m choosing hope.

Hope for what’s to come.

Hope for a healthy little Carter.

Hope for a love story that continues—with a new chapter on the way.

A Kind Message from Worcester

Then, on 22nd April, I received a text that truly touched me. It was from the bereavement team at Worcester Hospital. They had seen my name on the system and kindly reached out to offer support, knowing that pregnancy after loss can bring its own quiet storm of emotions.

They offered me an early reassurance scan over at the hospital on Monday 28th April, and of course, I gladly accepted. I needed to know that our baby was growing and that heartbeat was still strong.

Graham met me from work, and together we returned to the Early Pregnancy Unit—a place I knew all too well. It was in that very unit that, back in July 2019, I had been told I was suffering a missed miscarriage.

But this time, it was different.

Our little splodge popped up on the screen, measuring 8 weeks gestation, and everything looked perfect for their age. The sonographer was happy. We were happy. Our hearts, for a moment, felt light again.

Looking Ahead

Our official 12-week scan was originally booked for 8th May at Evesham Community Hospital, but based on my dates and previous scans, I knew I would only be around 9 weeks at that point.

I really wanted to make sure we had the nuchal translucency measurements done within the proper window of 11–14 weeks, so we had the scan rearranged for Monday 19th May.

Just days before we were due to fly to Santorini for our big day... and then head straight on to America for our honeymoon road trip adventure across the States!

Finding Out I Was Pregnant… 9 Weeks Before Our Wedding!

March 25th, 2025 — a date I’ll never forget. I found out I was three weeks pregnant. Not three months, not even four weeks — three. Barely there and yet already everything had changed.

The funny thing is, I don’t even know why I took the test that morning. My cycles have always been so unpredictable, and we had been preparing ourselves for the possibility that it might take a while to conceive — especially after the wedding. But lately, Graham had started dropping these casual little hints, saying things like, “Well, if it happened now, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…”

Little did he know — it had happened.

It was early morning, and I had to go to work. I took the test almost out of habit, no real expectations. But when that faint second line appeared, I froze. I stood there staring at it, heart pounding, mouth dry, trying to wrap my head around it. Then I did the most difficult thing imaginable — I kept it to myself all day.

We’d always said we wanted to make “the moment” special. Not just a rushed whisper in the kitchen or a text message with a photo. So I zipped my lips, carried on with my day, and somehow managed to stay upright at work.

As soon as I finished, I headed straight to Tesco. I needed a digital test — because let’s be honest, it only ever feels real when it says the words: Pregnant: 1-2 weeks. I didn’t need the loo yet, so I sat in Costa with a latte, nervously sipping and waiting for nature to do its thing. Eventually, I took the test in the Tesco bathroom (classy, I know) — and there it was. Clear as day.

From there, it all snowballed beautifully. I dashed to Next and bought a little white Babygrow that read “Born in 2025” and a mug that said “Daddy – Est. 2025.” I wrapped it all up with the positive test inside, knowing I still wouldn’t get a quiet moment with Graham anytime soon.

That evening, he picked me, his sister, and my stepdaughter up to go to my wedding dress seamstress appointment. Yes — on the same day I found out I was pregnant, I also tried on my wedding dress. Life’s timing is funny like that.

In the middle of the fitting, I had to whisper to the seamstress that I was newly pregnant — quietly enough so Graham’s sister and daughter wouldn’t hear. She gave me a knowing hug and gently moved my next appointment to May, “just in case anything changes.”

By the time we got home, it was nearly 9pm. My stepdaughter went off to bed, and we started making dinner. Graham, again, casually mentioned how it wouldn’t be a disaster if I fell pregnant now. That maybe we could stop trying not to.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I ran upstairs, grabbed the wrapped package, and handed it to him. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said, “That better not be a positive pregnancy test…”

It was.

His face as he opened it — the surprise, the joy, the emotion — I’ll remember it forever.

So yes, March 25th will always be the day I found out I was pregnant. And also the day I stood in a wedding dress, knowing that the next chapter of our lives was already beginning.

Sometimes, life doesn’t wait for perfect timing. But it always has perfect moments.

We are having a BABY!

We hadn't been trying for a baby, not yet anyway. The plan, the dream always was to get married and THEN start trying for a little baby all of our own. 

On the run up to our wedding in Santorini this May 2025, we had been mindful that getting pregnant at certain points could be pretty detrimental to our big day. It would be far less than ideal if I could no longer fly there to get married!

As the days and weeks turned into months, and the impact of falling pregnant reduced, we became much more relaxed. Graham starrted saying things 'If you fell pregnant now... It wouldn't be the end of the world!' and it became a regular topic of conversation between us.

On the 25th March, the day of my very first seamstress appointment. The crucial appointment where they were going to be pinning my dress and pulling it in at all the right places... Was the very day that I got a positive pregnnacy test.

I found out in the morning beforr work. Ironically I don't know what possessed me to take that cheap line test that day... I did the test and brushed my teeth, not even glancing back at the test on the side. I certainly didn't expect it to come up positive with such a distincly clear second line. A line that I hadn't seen since my pregnany with Louis back in 2020.

 

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How to Choose a Wedding Venue in Santorini - Greece

On May 27th 2025 I am marrying the man who has stood by my side through thick and thin. The man who opened my heart again, the man who taught me to trust again. I am marrying the man who was my friend back when I was 18 years old, the man who maintained friendship with me over all those years, and finally took me for his own in 2020.

 We are 9 weeks shy of our wedding in Santorini, where we will stand on the edge of the Caldera and exchange our vows and gift each other forever.

The planning process began back in July 2020, a couple of months after the engagement which as serendipty would call it, fell on May 27th 2024. 

Exactly a year to the day of the wedding!

We flew out to Santorini together for a week, where we had already found and secured our wedding planner. Mary of Red Knot Weddings.

We had done our research and made a list of possible wedding venues, and then Mary had got us dates and times to go and view them all.

We needed to think about what was important to us in a wedding venue. We knew at the very start of the wedding planning that we wanted the venue to be exclusive use and private. We also wanted a venue that had the capacity for us to stay at on the night of the wedding. 

When we took all of our requirements to Mary, she advised us of 4 venues that we should visit during our stay.

Over the course of the week we visited:

3rd July - Cavo Ventus

4th July - Le Ciel

6th July - Islet

7th July - The Gem

We learned quickly that the majority of the venues in Santorini had mandatory drinks packages for the duration of any event that took place. This meant that we would have to pay a price per person per hour, from the start of the event to the very end. Ideally, I didn't want a venue where we would be stung with the drinks but I knew that I would probably have to compromise on this.

In terms of booking a wedding in Santorini, we had left it very late to try and obtain a date within the next year. We were also quite tight on what dates we couold actually have, due to family members and their work commitments. This made our venue selection very difficult. Many had dates available, but we needed the May half term, and this was of course a very popular date.

We looked around all 4 of the venues before we made a decision, all of which we reached on our hired quadbike. It felt rather wonderful rocking up as a passenger princess on the back of the quad, as we toured around so many dreamy venues in the hope of secureing our date and a venue that we loved.

Cavo Ventus - Santorini

I really liked Cavo Ventus, it was a rustic venue right on the caldera. It had truly beautiful views. Everything was outside aside from some shelter over the bar. This didn't sell it to Graham (the groom) as he felt that it was a big commitment to have the entire wedding outside with no indoor options availale. They did have a room that the wedding couple could use to freshen up throughout the wedding, but you would have had to have arrived at the venue ready. 

There was no option to stay the night of your wedding at this venue, and ultimately that was a big thing for us. 

This venue has mandatory drinks packages from the start of the event to the end.

This venue only had select dates available. 

Le Ciel - Santorini

Before we flew out, I was willing to pay a deposit and secure the venue without having seen it! This was our firm favourite based upon the online pictures. We again met Mary at the venue and had a tour around, they were in the process of getting ready for a weddding that very afternoon. It was really nice to see the preperations underway. 

Le Ciel is set slightly back from the cliff edge, a path runs just beneath Le Ciel. We were advised that they do close this pathway off when the ceremony takes place, but it was not quite as exclusive feeling as Cavo Ventus was. 

The outdoor space available was just above this pathway, and it wasn't as spacious as I would have hoped. They had a large indoor area at Le Ciel, and this is where the majority of the evening would take place. This is where you would eat (there was an option to go outsdie to the area where the cermony would be, but this would depend on your wedding size), and this is where you would party.

As nice as the room was, it felt very UK wedding. Yes it had lovely large windows, and yes you could open up the curtains to reveal the beautiful back drop that Santorini bring to the table... But it just wasn't what are hearts for longing for when it came to a Santorini wedding. 

This venue had mandatory drinks packages for the ceremony and potentially the reception. I cannot recall the exact deal here, but I remember this venue not having mandatory drinks packages for the duration of the event. This is an attractive element to this venue, because every other venue enforce the mandatory drinks packages for the entire event.

This venue had only select dates available.

Islet - Santorini

Islet is a brand new wedding venue that came recommended by Mary. When we viewed it, it was super new and they didn't have many weddings under their belt, which meant there weren't really any photos of real weddings for us to get inspiration from.

Islet is a wedding villa that is situated right on the Caldera, it has a stunning view.  It is based on quite a busy road and this did give us some cause for concern. Inside the villa compound which is accessed by a outdoor doorway, you have a very decent outdoor space at your exposure. There is the area of the ceremony, looking right out over the Caldera.

Further along you have space for all fo your tables for your post ceremony breakfast and entertainment. There is even an upper level with a pool and places for seating. 

The night of the wedding, the bride and groom benefit from a overnight stay at the villa after the wedding. Inside the villa it has been finished ever so beautifully, and for us we liked that it offered a more relaxed vision of our special day.

This venue has mandatory drinks packages from start to finish.

This venue had a great selection of dates, even the May half term!

The Gem - Santorini

The Gem was never really the top of my contendor list, it felt to big for our needs, but I felt we should see everything we could so that we could make an informed decision after we had viewed everwhere.

The Gem is the biggest venue that we looked around and is based in very close proximity to Santo Wines, it is on a big footprint which is ideal if you are having a large wedding. We never invisoned on having a lot of guests, so we felt that we would just rattle around this big old place.

At the time of visiting, we were informed that The Gem was having a complete refurb on the run up to wedding season 2025. This was also a concern for us, as we would not really know what we had booked utnil rocking up for the wedding.

The Gem had a indoor dining area for your wedding breakfast, with the option of dining outside. It has a stunning Caldera view for your wedding ceremony and also has villa use for the night of the wedding.

This venue has mandatory drinks packages from start to finish.

This venue only had select dates available.

Once we had been to all Four of the venues, we had a decision to make. We knew straight away what we had loved and what hadn't quite done it for us. Graham had disliked Cavo Ventus, he said that it just felt like a lot of money for what was actually there. We both declined on Le Ciel because we felt it could easily be a UK venue once we were inside the indoor space. Graham and I had agreed that the Gem was just too big for our group, and as beautiful as it was, it didn't quite tick all the boxes for us.

That left Islet, we had been truly wowed when we looked around this venue. It was brand new, it was exclusive, private and offered the over night stay that we were looking for. It also had the luxury of all of the dates that we needed.

We opted for Islet Santorini and began to discuss dates. We knew it would be the May half term, so we attempted to lock in 25.05.2025 - This date had already been reserved for another wedding. Then as I flicked through my diary, I realised the 27th May was when we got engaged, and wouldn't it be nice to tie the knot exactly a year to the day?

We put down our deposit and secured our venue and date!

Let the wedding planning COMMENCE!

Surprise Sunset Engagement!

 All is well that ends well, to end up with you!

Here's to the rest of our lives!

27/05/2024

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Kids 2023

Welcome to the Christmas Gift Ideas for the Kids edition of Life Unexpected's Gift Series for 2023.

I feel like I have been super prepared this year and somehow I actually started my Christmas shopping back in July for my now 12 year old Leo, and 7 year old step daughter. 

I have been on a mission to make this Christmas as amazing as humanly possible, being a blended family (and still a relatively new one) means that we are only on our Fourth Christmas, and only the Third one where we have been a complete unit. 

This year though is our very first one all together on Christmas Day.

This year we get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! 

Of course this means I have gone all out with Christmas Eve Boxes, matching family PJ's and I have completely lost all control over my present buying. 

It has actually been a lot of fun having to shop for a boy and a girl. It's opened up a completely different dynamic that I haven't been able to show case on my blog before.... So here we go!

Advent Calendar Ideas for 2023

Advent Calendar's have come such a long way since I was a child, in my early years I recall not being allowed chocolate calanders and used to be incredibly excited by the simple ones that had pictures of the nativity scene behind each door! It wasn't until I got older that Chocolate Calendars made their appearance!

This year the children will have a chocolate calendar each, Leo has opted for the Lindt Teddy Augmented Reality Advent Calendar. I found this for £10.00 in the CoOp which was a good few pounds cheaper than in competitor shops.

Along side their chocolate this year, we thought it would be nice to include something a little different for each of them.

Playmobil have a great selection of 2023 Advent Calendars, and we have always loved a good Playmobil set! Leo at 12 is definitely growing up but has proven that he is never too old to enjoy a play figure, although he doesn’t really play with objects in the conventional way anymore, he does like to display them around his room (along with an abundance of Prime bottles!)

Leo has been sent the Playmobil Novelmore - Battle in the Snow Advent Calendar. The count down starts on the 1st December and goes all the way through to Christmas Eve. Behind each door are figures, weapons, armour and knight accessories. As each door opens you will find that you are building a complete Winter Novelmore scene!

With a little girl in the house, we also get to look at alternative advent offerings, which makes my heart so happy! The Disney Frozen Musical Christmas Advent Calendar by Danilo is absolutely magical, and I am very excited to present this one to you.

Each day over December as you open each door, you gradually build the Frozen scene. Behind each door are stickers and magnetic stand up characters! Anna, Elsa and Olaf are behind 3 of the doors and they attach directly to the mechanism in the base. 

When the music plays the characters actually move and glide around the ice rink to the Official Disney Frozen soundtrack - Winters Waltz by Christophe Beck.

It's an absolutely gorgeous way to count down until Christmas, and something completely unique. I would have been absolutely over the moon to receive this as a child. This advent calendar has been designed to be robust and resilient against little hands and is suitable for children 3 years and over.

The Disney Frozen Musical Advent Calendar retails at £23.99.

I will be updating Instagram with snaps and clips of both of the above calendars, so keep an eye out on Lifeunexpecteduk!

Christmas Eve Box Ideas for 2023

Both of the children have their own Christmas Eve boxes that the Elves bring back from the North Pole each year and place lovingly under the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.

Inside the Christmas Eve Box for Christmas 2023

- Matching Christmas PJs - £5 - £10 depending on size from B&M Bargains

- Christmas Gonk Mug - £3.50 from B&M Bargains

- Hot Chocolate Elf Bomb - £1.49 from Aldi

- Gingerbread Mug Huggers - £1.50 from Home Bargains

- A selection of Christmas Chocolates and sweets from Broadway - Cotswold Chocolate

The idea of the boxes is to get the excitement buzzing ahead of Christmas Day, they will contain everything they need to get snuggled down and cosy ahead of the celebrations. After they appear magically under the Christmas Tree, the children will open them up and get into their matching PJ's while sipping hot chocolate from their new festive mugs.

This year there will be an additional gift under the tree before Santa Clause flies through the night. Once the family are suited up in their matching Pyjamas (Parents included!) we will sit down and play the Christmas Express Board Game from Cheatwell Games.

This is the most Christmassy game we own, it's a board game for children aged 6+ and the aim of the game is to be the first one to travel along the train track from the Home Station, all the way to the North Pole. 

Of course it isn't as straight forward as just rolling the dice and moving forward the awarded number of steps. You have to avoid the Hustle Bustle, Reindeer Crossings, Snow Storms and the Naughty Elf along the way!

The game is easy to follow and learn making it a great family game addition that you will enjoy year in and out.

The Christmas Express Board Game retails at £22.99 - At the time of writing this it is £15.49 from Amazon.

Christmas Stocking Ideas for 2023

I like to keep Christmas Stockings simple but fun, they have to include silly toys that will entertain the children until we head downstairs (and hopefully they will be firm favourites that they will enjoy throughout the rest of the festivities). 

This year I have got them both matching contents for their stockings regardless of age. 

Each of them have:

- A light up YoYo - £1 from Homebargains

- A Light up Nickelodeon Bouncy Ball - £1 from Homebargains

- Gooey Alien Egg

- A un-official Tamagotchi - £4 off eBay

- Chocolate Coins, Chocolate Santa 

- Sweets

- Hot chocolate Disc

Around the Christmas Tree Gift Ideas For Children

With Christmas Morning in full swing, the Santa gifts all huddled around the base of the tree awaiting excited children to arrive and tear the crisp wrapping paper away. The parent's will hurry to the kitchen to make a much needed coffee and get nestled on the sofa so that they don't miss a moment.

I always make lists of things for the children nice and early, my Amazon basket is usually brimming with gift ideas during the Summer months. Then I slowly start purchasing them over the following months so that when December arrives I am usually just finishing things off (and everything is bought and paid for ahead of time!). This has been the only way that I can do it this year, with the cost of living crisis in full swing and money just having stretch even further than ever before.

Connetix is an award winning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Approved Magnetic toy. Connetix Magnetic Tiles actively supports learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. 

Aside from being a great construction and problem solving toy, the children can enjoy playtime with the magnetic tiles without feeling like they are even learning. 

We have been sent the 120 Piece Pastel Creative Pack, all the tile pieces are lovely pastel shades in varying different shapes and sizes that mean you can make some absolutely wonderful creations! For us this takes your traditional building blocks that I used to enjoy as a child, to an entirely new level. The kids can build car ramps, multi storey car parks or even dolls houses and castles!

The adults have equally enjoyed playing with this toy, along with both the big kid and the smaller kid! Thankfully they haven't minded sharing.

There are numerous different sets that you can purchase to expand your collection all appealing to different budgets. 

- 100 Piece Creative Pack - £90 but currently on offer at £72

- 62 Piece Creative Pack - £65 but currently on offer at £52.14

- 24 Piece Creative Pack - £37.50

You can view the full range on their website.

I would highly recommend this set as a Christmas gift idea that is set to be one that gets some serious play value from the moment that is unwrapped. It would make a great shared Christmas gift if you are purchasing for 2 children.

The Connetix 120 Piece Pastel Creative Pack retails at £115.00. 

I really like the idea of shared Christmas presents between the children, it gives them some common ground and something that they can do together. Another idea that we had for the kids this year was some Badminton Rackets for them to enjoy when the weather lets up and they can get back outside. Obviously come Christmas Day, I expect that they will be standing either side of the sofa and batting the shuttlecock back and forth to one another!

The Twin Phantom 2 Player Badminton Racket Set from Badminton HQ retails at £12.95.

Our two have sadly grown out of some of the younger gift offerings, but I happen to have an almost 2 year old nephew who I like to enlist in helping with this category. My nephew Parker was sent the Tomy John Deere Kids Key 'n Go Johnny Tractor, which has gone down a real treat.

Parker is at the age where he is discovering keys and exploring his way in the world, so this rather substantial sized tractor has been something he has really enjoyed. It boats 15 interactive features with movement, lights and sound that encourage learning through play. 

There are 3 different key locations on the front, middle and back of the tractor and when the key is placed in any of those holes it prompts a different light/sound or for the tractor to move. It is a great toy to teach little children all about cause and effect (Which is something that Parker is all over right now, ask Granny about his colouring on the walls in crayon!)

The Tomy John Deere Kids Key 'n Go Johnny Tractor retails at £32.99 but is currently on offer for £24.99 at the point of writing this guide. 

The Christmas Tree Gift Ideas - SHOW STOPPER

Now for the show stopper gift idea of this years gift series!

My step daughter has had a child's scooter with big chunky plastic wheels for many years now, she has looked at Leo's scooter and not understood why her's doesn't perform to the same standard his does. I knew that a wonderful gift idea for her would be her very own stunt scooter! 

We have been sent the Madd Gear MGP Kick Extreme V5 Scooter from Skates.co.uk and it is exactly what we were after. We opted for the Teal/Pink colour way which is exactly what little miss would have chosen should she have been presented with the choice herself. 

This is her very first stunt scooter and it is designed for children 8 years and over. With this under the Christmas Tree this year, it means that we can take both of the sproglets to the skate park so they can both scoot around together while Leo demonstrates what to do.

The Madd Gear MGP is a fixed scooter that cannot be folded and arrives in the box 95% built! All we have had to do is pop the bars on, tighten the clamp and it was ready to be wrapped! It was really easy to put together and I even managed to do this myself! 

This is a real piece of kit and in comparison to her old scooter, it is the bees knees. The hard plastic wheels that she has been used to that don't travel all that well over tarmac and the associated lumps and bumps are now a thing of the past. The 110mm 5 spoke Aluminium core wheels on the Kick Extreme are exactly what you would expect to find on a stunt scooter and means it just glides along beautifully. 

We decided that this would be better built ahead of the big day as we have a funny suspicion that come 8am we may be down the street playing on scooters. 

The Madd Gear MGP Kick Extreme V5 Scooter retails at £134.95 but is currently on offer at £119.95 at the time of writing this gift guide.

Disclaimer: Some of the items in this gift series have been gifted in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. If I have purchased something I have specified this next to the item.