We have entirely missed the Christmas build-up at home this year. With a house move on the cards, constantly changing dates and, at one point, staring Christmas in a caravan in the face, we weren’t feeling particularly festive.

Being a blogger has many benefits though, not least the chance to be “festivised” by fellow parents who blog. The brilliant sense of community in the blogging world is evident all over the internet this year, not least in the huge support of this post at Thinly Spread for Christmas Jumper Day.

When things were getting frazzled with the house purchase (and we thought, at one point, we definitely wouldn’t be moving before Christmas) it has been friends I know through blogging who have carried me through. Gemma, Jane, Alison, Charlotte, Kelly, Katie, Ellie and Erica have all been there with a joke or a *hug* when I’ve needed it most. If I didn’t blog, I’d have missed out on all those little pick-me-ups. 

There’s also the added bonus of little treats that bloggers sometimes get sent. When I collected this parcel from the post office I had no idea what was inside…

present

 

It was heavy, and I lugged it all the way up the steep hill towards home, with a cumbersome three year old on my back and a lunchbox in my mouth, like Nanny the Dog from Peter Pan. Glamorous.

But when we got it home, I realised it was well worth the sore shoulders and aching muscles…

Horlicks

 

The hamper came courtesy of Horlicks, my favourite bedtime drink. It’s true – I love the stuff, although my dad is officially the only person who can make it 100% correctly (no matter how many lessons he has given me in Horlicks Making).

This parcel added a little sparkle to an otherwise dismal day. Frog loved diving in and finding the treats and has been wearing the Christmas slipper socks constantly ever since…Christmas socks

 

Included amongst the posh biccies, retro games, festive mugs, socks and candy canes, was a whole selection of different Horlicks drinks. It’ll keep me going for a year, at least.

Thank you Horlicks for bringing the glitter to a home that was rather lacking.

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If you’d like to find out more about Horlicks and the 14 key nutrients it contains then check out the website. I was gifted the hamper featured in this post.