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You are here: Home / MOTHERHOOD / A New Christmas Eve Book with Joules

A New Christmas Eve Book with Joules

December 17, 2017 by Molly Leave a Comment

This is my eighth Christmas as a mum and, over the past eight years, we’ve built up some solid Christmas Eve traditions that are ingrained in our festive family routine. One of these traditions is a special book on Christmas Eve (we read Christmas books throughout December, if I’m honest) and, this year, that book has come courtesy of the team at Joules.

Why it’s so special

A Christmas Tale has been created by the copy and graphics team at Joules with 100% of the profits going to Charitably Joules, the brand’s selected charities. It means you can buy the book (which is lovely – more on that in a minute) while enjoying the warm fuzzy glow that comes with having donated to charity. It’s what Christmas is all about really, isn’t it? The book’s available to buy online for just £4.95, and there’s also a digital version you can download.

What’s it all about?

Telling the story of the Crackle family on Christmas Eve, A Christmas Tale shares the hilarious adventures of Emily and her four pets Sausage the cat, Molly the goose (good name!), Paul the rabbit and Montague the dog.

My girls were transfixed by the tale, not least because of the beautiful pictures. It’s a real cosy, happy story that instantly ramps up the festive feels if you’re somehow lacking in those Christmassy tingles.

Our traditions on Christmas Eve involve a country walk and lunch in a cosy pub, followed by an afternoon at home making reindeer food and reading Christmas stories. Once it’s dark we wander up to the village Christmas tree where we join other families singing Christmas carols. It’s proper heartwarming stuff and even my typically grumpy husband can’t help himself but be swept away by the excitement of it all.

The Christmas stories we read involve a mixture of old and new, and it can be hard finding books that live up to the standard of my own childhood favourites. I still have a copy of The Nutcracker that my own mum used to read to me and my sister in front of the fire on Christmas Eve, for example, but A Christmas Tale by the Joules team definitely holds its own amongst such heavyweight festive titles.

Despite being a mum for seven and a half years now, I still get those occasional moments of “I’m a mum!” realisation and Christmas seems to be peppered with them. Reading our Christmas Eve stories by the fire is always guaranteed to bring a happy jolt, largely because it reminds me of my own childhood traditions, you know?

Along with cosy socks, a crackling fire and Christmas tunes in the background, we need our festive mugs filled with hot chocolate (the girls have a “hot chocolate cone” each this year in their Christmas Eve goodies bag, filled with hot chocolate powder, marshmallows and a couple of cookies – picked up at the school fair). I may have been known to swap the hot chocolate for mulled wine in my cup…

Thanks to the team at Joules for sending us this book to read – it’s definitely going on our Christmas Eve reading list.

And if you’re interested in what we’ll be wearing on Christmas Eve, we’ll be decked out in the following:

Seen in the photos above too, I’ll be wearing the Jingle Belle breton by Joules. While the girls rock their Ava applique tops with festive lama design, also by Joules.

Credits:

Jingle Belle breton, £29.95, c/o Joules

Ava Applique top, from £19.95, c/o Joules

Festive fluffy socks, from £7.95, c/o Joules

Festive cuppa seasonal mugs, £9.95, c/o Joules

 

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Thanks to Joules for commissioning this post. All imagery and copy are my own. For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page. 

Filed Under: Kids, MOTHERHOOD Tagged With: Christmas books for kids, Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve reading, Christmas traditions, family Christmas

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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I am not “bossing” it. Or “slaying”. Or “hustling”. Or “smashing” it. I’m not even juggling or spinning plates or doing any of the other words we use as a glossy, marketable, Instagram friendly way to package up burnout culture, under the guise of “empowering” women (💪🤢). 
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What I have been doing, though, is working too hard. Call a spade a spade. I’ve been working too hard, neglecting my health, my relationships, my life away from my laptop. I cannot be everything to everyone AND work at the level I’ve been working at BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN BEING. And you are too. We are not robots.
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I care deeply about all my work, and things aren’t always this intense, but I wanted to sprinkle some reality into the Gram because I am so over this lie that *any* type of success or achievement doesn’t come at a cost, or involve many failures in the background, or require many other people to help make things happen. 
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I guess what I’m saying is, let’s be real about all that, as well as showing the achievements. I’m bloody proud of my book. And I’m so excited to launch the social enterprise @bodyhappyorg properly next month. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and that there isn’t a price. 
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And with that, I’m taking the weekend off. See you on the other side 🥰🥰🥰
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[Image description: Molly sits in her office with her hands covering her mouth. On the back of one hand is written “Not bossing it”. She is wearing a pink boiler suit with a black and white top underneath. She has pink leopard print earrings on and her hair is tied back.]
This was taken at the start of half term, when the This was taken at the start of half term, when the kids were still enthusiastic about going for a walk. 1,705 walks around the same bit of countryside later... not so much 😬 
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If you’re struggling to get your kids motivated to move their body at the moment, go gentle. You’re not alone. Bad weather coupled with boredom coupled with the lure of screens is a heady recipe for lethargy - and that’s just me! 
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Seriously though, remember: all movement is valid. Even if it’s just a ten minute @cosmickids sesh or a little kitchen disco, it all counts. And if it comes from a place of enjoyment and fun, kids (and adults!) are going to be far more likely to want to get involved.
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What joyful movement activities are your kids enjoying right now (if any?!)?
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[Image description: Molly and her two daughters are standing in a field. They’re wearing colourful wellies, holding hands and smiling.]
I founded a social enterprise 😵 . Introducing: I founded a social enterprise 😵
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Introducing: @bodyhappyorg 🎉
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We are a Community Interest Company dedicated to promoting positive body image in children. We help adults help the kids in their care be friends with their bodies 🥰. 
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Through workshops and classes, digital and physical resources (both free and paid) we help parents, carers, teachers, youth leaders - and any adults who are ever around children - create body happy settings for kids to thrive in. 
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We launch officially next month with a beautiful new website and lots of resources which we’ll continually be adding to. In the meantime give us a follow at @bodyhappyorg - we start posting from today and our page has been designed as a free resource on its own! 
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I’m privileged to work alongside an incredible team of people on this. Shout-out to the original dream team @chelseacoxstrategist @amysnellingpt @effinitupfaye @lottie_storey @bodyconfidencecards_db @rachel_hobnobs & @aceandping 💕 LOVE YOU ALL! 💕
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[Image description: A blue square with yellow and white text which reads “the body happy org”. This is the logo for The Body Happy Organisation CIC]
Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-sta Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-stained hoodie and tracksuit bottoms at least once in the past month 😐
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[Image description: Molly is wearing pink dungarees with yellow buttons over a black rollneck long-sleeved top. She has a monochrome striped hairband on and her hair is pink. She is also wearing earrings with boobs on them. She looks very pleased, both with her earrings, the pink hair and the fact she’s not wearing sleepwear, for a change.]
A new report from the Education Policy Institute h A new report from the Education Policy Institute has concluded an obvious gender divide in the well-being of young adults. If you’d like to read more check out this article by Eleanor Peake in @newstatesman (I’ve linked to it in my Stories).
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Every week I get messages from parents and teachers concerned about the impact of social media on their kids’ body image. And of course, I couldn’t write a book about body image in kids and teens without covering social media - there’s a whole chapter in Body Happy Kids dedicated to the subject. 
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The thing is, social media isn’t going anywhere. And just like it can be a force for anxiety, shame and general angst it can be a force for good too. The trick is in knowing how to use it positively (and in holding the platforms to account for not moderating the spread of harmful viral trends and online abuse, and creating algorithms that deliberately create division and harm mental health... but that’s a story for another day). 
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But how can we expect our kids to have a handle on it when we, as adults, don’t ourselves? 
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I don’t believe the answer is to ban social media, but I don’t think kids should be given unfettered access to it either. 
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They need help navigating this stuff, learning about boundaries, developing media literacy skills so they can think critically about the content they’re consuming (just like many adults).
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And we also need to explore how we might be inadvertently contributing to the problem, perpetuating appearance ideals and creating a culture where kids learn it’s ok to body shame under the guise of health and to value each other based on the way they look.
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As ever, it’s complicated. I’d love to know what you think? What are some of the boundaries you have around social media in your house - both for yourself and your kids?
#BodyHappyKids 
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When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnan When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnancy yoga class every week. It was the highlight of my week. I left each session feeling like I was floating on a cloud, and I used the poses and breath work to guide me through labour too. But then I had my baby and found that, as a knackered new mum of two, I couldn’t find the time for yoga. I no longer had the excuse of doing it “for the bump” or “to prepare for labour”, so what was the point?
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It wasn’t until I started reinvesting in myself and unravelling the diet culture perspective on exercise that I found it again, along with running, which turned to hiking, and swimming. 
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It wasn’t about preparing my body for someone or something else. It was about the process itself, the time to unwind my mind and move my body for joy, just for me. I’ve lost a bit of that this past year with lockdowns, and I feel it.
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I recently signed up to @theunderbellyyoga with @mynameisjessamyn and feel like I’m finding it again. I love that my kids can see me taking time for myself, and enjoying movement, and that they sometimes want to join in too. Even if it is a bit annoying sometimes (swipe 👀). 
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#BodyHappyMum 
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[Image description: Molly and her 6 year old daughter Effie sit on yoga and gymnastics mats with their legs crossed and arms in the air. They have their backs to the camera. In the second image they are sitting crossed legged while twisting round to the side, and in the third image Molly is lying on the mat with her eyes closed while Effie leans over her, being a bit annoying.]
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