Christmas Gift Ideas Review

Reviewed by Louise Watts

With Bonfire Night just around the corner, it is that time of year to start thinking about Christmas presents and what to buy for the children in your life. There is so much television coverage of children’s gifts and in this world of technology we live in children are never far from advertising campaigns with bright colourful toys and clever gadgets, however taking gifts back to a basic level should always be considered. For me there are three main objectives when thinking of gifts for children and these involve keeping them entertained, keeping their rooms tidy(ish) and doing something we can all enjoy as a family.

With these three aims in mind, I have had the pleasure of trying out a few items which I plan on sharing my thoughts on with you now. First up is the Animal Design Storage Bin, we received the Deer design, from potwells.co.uk, RRP £29.95. This is part of the 3 Sprouts range and is designed in Canada and made in China. This is the perfect gift for any child who needs storage in their room. This extra-large storage bin is a natural colour with a pink trim around the top. On the front there is a lovely picture of a brown deer with a very cute little face stitched on very professionally, which makes it the ideal design for a Christmas gift but also gives it the versatility to be used all year round. The pastel colours are absolutely beautiful and make the bin stand out. They are all neutral colours so they will fit in with any colour scheme within a child’s bedroom. The dimensions of the bin are generous, and I was surprised by how much I could squeeze in. It measures 17.5” x 17” and is circular in shape. As the bin has such depth it actually takes out very little surface area within the bedroom but enables lots of things to be stored within it very easily. There are also handles on either side to enable easy lifting.

 

The bin feels like a quality product. Initially, I felt that £29.95 was expensive but when you actually look at the quality of it, you can see why it is worth that. The canvas is very strong and is all reinforced with a plastic lining on the inside. Not only does this make the bin stronger but it also means that if there are any spillages inside the bin, they can be easily cleaned up without ruining the product.

One idea I had thought of for this would be to use it as a Christmas Santa Sack / stocking and to actually load it with presents for the big day, therefore keeping everything tidy and contained whilst using the storage bin to its full Christmas potential. It is certainly big enough to be used for this purpose and would make a lovely reusable sack.

Something which is always a negative when combining small children with neutral colours is the risk of damage or stains. As I said previously the inside is lined with a plastic like material so that would be very easy to wipe clean and the washing instructions for this state to wipe clean using a damp sponge. The outside is spot clean only and I would definitely avoid putting this in the washing machine as it will ruin the lining inside.

I can hear many people saying, “This sounds brilliant but I have a boy and he won’t want the pink trim”. If this is you, then do not despair. Potwells.co.uk have a varied selection of other designs for this storage bin including a dinosaur, elephant and zebra. Not Christmas themed but beautiful none the less and still a wonderful Christmas gift. There are also other storage containers available from the same range and these would also make lovely gifts.

I would most definitely recommend this as a Christmas gift. It is a beautifully made product which has such a wide variety of uses. It is currently sitting in my 9-year-old daughter’s bedroom housing her cuddly toy collection.

Or more information or to buy visit potwells.co.uk.

Rating: 5/5

My second item will keep your children busy for as long as they want. Reeves colouring postcards – Urban Jungle from myreeves.com, RRP £7.50. When this item arrived, on first examination I mistook it for a colouring book and pencils. It wasn’t until I looked at it closer, later on that day that I realised it is actually a collection of 20 postcards to colour. With the postcards comes a set of 6 small colouring pencils in a little clear plastic case attached to the book of postcards, with a zip opening for easy removal of pencils when colouring. There are the usual colours red, blue, green and yellow as well as pink and orange. The pencils are colour coded at the end and are embossed with the “reeves” logo.

I asked all of my four children aged between 14 years and 3 years what they thought of these postcards and what struck me the most was the way all of them regardless of age actually really liked them. My 3-year-old liked them because they had animals and he could colour them in and my 14-year-old liked them as they were a little quirky and she thought they would be nice to colour and give to her friends. It seemed that whatever age children are, these are suitable for different reasons.

I really liked the way the pencils are actually attached to the front of the pad so you are not forever losing them but equally they are easy to get at for colouring. The pictures inside all have animals on but they are dressed up in clothes. There is also a relevant background to colour which reflects the animal on the page, for example with the rabbit, there are Easter eggs in the background. This adds another dimension to the postcards and makes them even more beautiful once they are coloured in.

The postcards are made of good quality card and have the area for the stamp and address clearly marked on the reverse side of the picture, so you can address them and place a stamp if you decide you wish to post them. There is also a little black elastic around the bottom so you can hold all the postcards together and keep them safe.

The Urban Jungle Postcards retail at £7.50 but having searched on the internet it is possible to get them a little cheaper. I initially felt that was quite expensive but when I asked my 14-year-old daughter how much she thought they were worth (before I told her the price), she actually got it spot on. I think when you consider that this is not just a colouring book but 20 postcards and pencils for you to colour and give to people as cards or to keep and possible frame, I think that at around 35p per postcard this is actually very good value.

These would make the perfect Christmas gift for any child who enjoys colouring whether that is to create an artistic masterpiece or whether it is to have a general colour in. It is lovely and compact and absolutely perfect to keep in your handbag to produce when out eating dinner or at a time when you need to keep the children occupied with limited space.

For more information visit www.myreeves.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.

Rating: 4/5

Last but certainly not least is my item that will enable you to have some good old fashioned, board game family fun! Who Dares Wins – The Board Game from paul-lamond.com, RRP £26.95. This arrived at my house just as my 9-year-old daughter returned from a week’s residential trip with the school and also as my other children broke up for October half term. What better excuse did I have then for having some good family fun with a new board game? The game is based on the BBC TV series presented by Nick Knowles where complete strangers compete against each other by completing a series of lists. Whoever gets the most correct has the opportunity to play for £50k. Whilst the board game is based on the show, there are some obvious differences such as there is no £50k prize at the end and no Nick! The board game has the same principles whereby either as teams or individuals you bid against each other to try and name as many items on the designated list as possible. The lists are based on general knowledge and cover numerous subjects. The game is marketed for ages 8+ and 3+ players.

We set out to play the game together as individuals, but it soon became very obvious that some of the questions were simply impossible for the children, such as name the 10 top national parks in the UK and the top 10 types of wine! As a result of this, we quickly merged into teams with each team containing at least one adult so as to make it fair and stand any chance of getting anywhere in the game!

You also have the opportunity to collect some dare cards along the way enabling you to up the number of items people have to name on the list, increasing the odds of you winning. You then move across the board and the winner is the first person to reach the Finish Square.

There were many positives to this game apart from the obvious one where it gets a family interacting together with a common goal. The lists provided ample healthy discussion around the table and induced a competitive spirit in one of my daughter’s that I had never seen before! I would say however that although the game is marketed for age 8+, this is only the case if played with adults and as a team. If you gave this game to a group of children and asked them to play it with no adult input, it simply would not work as the lists are too hard for them. The best situation I can see for this game is as an adult game over a social evening and then I think it has huge potential for entertainment! I am certainly looking forward to playing it with my friends and family over Christmas when the kids are in bed and the wine if flowing!

Who dares Wins retails at £26.95, which if I am honest is a little pricey, however if you are looking for good solid family teamwork then it is probably worth every penny and it is certainly the type of game you could pass to others when they are entertaining adult guests and keep the fun going.

For more information or to buy visit paul-lamond.com.

Rating as a children’s game 3/5 / Rating as an adult / family game 4/5

So, there are a few options for Christmas gifts for the kids. Now you just need to decide what your aim of their gift is. With so much available nowadays it is a job to know where to start when trying to pick a gift. What this has shown me is that there are still some good old toys and games out there for children that do not involve phones, tablets or computer games. I think we should all be focusing more on buying gifts like these and avoiding the technology of today for our children. Let’s go back and try and achieve some good interactive family fun!

Happy Christmas everyone and good luck with all your shopping whether it be for children or adults!

What’s Good To Do will be reviewing lots of Christmas Gift Ideas this year, and you can read them all here and get some gift inspiration.