.

We wanted to try to do our annual family photo by the tree or wearing Christmas sweaters, but time got away from us. So instead I opted to toss a Santa hat onto one of the photos from our recent photo session and have a little fun with it

Now, being gluten free around the holidays is tough. Especially when you’re five and can easily arrive at the decision of “that’s not fair” at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, life isn’t always fair and we have had to watch Lilly tear up at the grocery store several times because she can’t make a gingerbread house like all of her friends.

Luckily, there is an incredible bakery in Barrie, Ontario, who was able to add a little extra Christmas magic into our household with their gluten free Christmas tree. Having heard my tale of woe, Warwick Hughes Food Market offered to make one of their trees and leave it in the plain pieces for Lilly to decorate on her own.

She was thrilled!

Deliciously decorating each piece. I think she ate more candy than she added…

Our Christmas Masterpiece :)

A very big Merry Christmas from the Wiltshire crew. May your holidays be ever idealistically cheery and bright.

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Disclaimer: I was gifted my Gold Pass and a PNP Promo Code to share with all my wonderful readers as compensation for this post. The views and opinions are my own. Honestly, this is one of my favourite services to review each year anyways. My love for PNP is real, guys. Very, very real

Take a personal tour of Santa’s workshop!

I created my first Portable North Pole video back in 2009! I was pregnant with Lilly and excited about all the future Christmas’ I would experience as a Mama. However, since I didn’t have a little one to watch the video yet, I created a personalized message from Santa to a good friend’s little guy and sent it to her via email. Like me, she loves this time of year, so I knew she would appreciate it. Sure enough, she messaged me later that night to say thank you and that watching her little guy get so excited for the message brought tears to her eyes.

Lilly, watching the elves and Santa deliver her 2014 personalized message. I can’t wait to see her face light up during this year’s video!

When 2010 rolled around, we created our first video for our little Lilly! She was 4 months old and it was certainly more for us than her, but the magic had officially begun in our household. We have never missed a year since and can honestly say it has always brought tears to our eyes as well. Magic truly is the word to describe the look on her face and the permanent smile lingering after.

This year will be the first year our son Cole is old enough to understand some of the Christmas magic. Santa will start with his signature, “Well hello there Colton!” I am so excited to show Cole his video because I know he will stare wide-eyed and mumble a toddler style “hiii” and wave back. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when Santa shows him the workshop and the reindeer.

About the Portable North Pole

If you’re not familiar with the Portable North Pole (PNP), they create the world’s most engaging, personalized Santa video messages. It gives you the ability to bring Santa Claus directly into your home via video message, complete with details and photos of your kids. It brings them such an in depth personalized video that truly comes across in a realistic way. I was blown away the first time I saw it and equally impressed with the way they have grown it since.

There are plenty of ways to share in the magic for free and the “elves” have been busy working to make PNP easier to use and extra personalized. There’s a new mobile version (compatible with Apple and Android devices) so you can carry the magic of Santa in your pocket, creating personalized video messages and calls on the go. PNP is also available now in English, French and Spanish!

The PNP website has plenty of Christmas stories to share with the kids you love …or funny video options for the adults you want to embarrass in your life. We may or may not have stuck the boss on the naughty list this year at my office and sent the video via email to the whole team….

PNP Supporting Children’s Hospitals

Learn more about the PNP Children’s Hospital Program.

In the true spirit of giving, the PNP team has pledged to donate 5% of all web sales to kids hospitals in the purchaser’s area. Each year, they donate to a total of 40 hospitals all over Canada, United States, France, UK, Australia and Ireland and have raised more than $150,000 so far!

This year, PNP will also be donating passes to the staff at each hospital, so they can create personalized videos for each of the children in their care. Such a loving and beautiful idea.

20% Off Portable North Pole (PNP) Promo Code:

PNP offers one FREE personalized video message, but there are a wide range of additional storylines, Christmas eve video, phone calls from Santa, and more to choose from. To access some of the additional goodies, there are a few different packages to choose from. All are reasonably priced. My personal pick is the Gold Pass, which gets you unlimited premium videos, unlimited phone calls, archived videos and HD downloads.

If you are thinking of any of these options, I can offer a little something off the top. Simply enter promo code BLG20PNP when you are at the checkout process.

Visit the Portable North Pole now and start a wonderful, family tradition.

Ideally speaking, your little ones will love their videos as much as mine did and the PNP can bring even more Christmas magic into your home too!

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www.portablenorthpole.com

Around this time five years ago, I was pregnant with Lilly and excitedly dreaming about what next years Christmas would be like when she was with us. While looking up Christmas goodies for kids, I happened upon an incredible service that made personalized video messages from Santa, called the Portable North Pole.

I quickly hopped onto my good friend (and most avid Christmas enthusiast I know) Melissa’s Facebook account and grabbed a pic of her little guy, Liam. I made the video and sent it to her via email. She messaged me later that night to say thank you and that watching Liam get so excited for the message brought tears to her eyes.

Watching the elves and Santa deliver her personalized message.

Since then, we have enjoyed that sweet moment in our own home each Christmas season. Since Lilly isn’t quite old enough to remember the videos from previous years, she doesn’t expect them yet. However I look forward to creating them each year. I’m honestly not sure which one of us gets the most excited

Love how her face lights up when Santa talks to her.

If you’re not familiar with the Portable North Pole (PNP), they create the world’s most engaging, personalized Santa video messages. It gives you the ability to bring Santa Claus directly into your home via video message, complete with details and photos of your kids. It brings them such an in depth personalized video that truly comes across in a realistic way. I was blown away the first time I saw it and equally impressed with the way they have grown it since.

You can take a look at the magical 2014 trailer below. It gives you a sneak peak of the story line available and quality of video you can expect.

There are plenty of ways to share in the magic for free and the “elves” have been busy working to make PNP easier to use and extra personalized. There’s a new mobile version (compatible with Apple and Android devices) so you can carry the magic of Santa in your pocket, creating personalized video messages and calls on the go.

In the true spirit of giving, the PNP team has pledged to donate 5% of all web sales to kids hospitals in the purchaser’s province. Last year they donated $US75,000 to charity and are hoping to well exceed that figure this season.

The PNP website now has plenty of Christmas stories to share with the kids you love …or funny video options for the adults you want to embarrass in your life Visit http://www.portablenorthpole.com and start a wonderful, family tradition.

Portable North Pole (PNP) Promo Code:

PNP offers one free personalized video message, but there are a wide range of additional story lines, Christmas eve video, phone calls from Santa, etc. You can shop a couple of the options a la cart, or purchase an unlimited pass. If you are thinking of any of these options, I can offer a little something off the top. Simply enter promo code BLG20BKP when you are at the checkout process.

Note – There are options to have your little one on the nice list, the naughty list, or have Santa say he’s not quite sure yet with the “Almost Nice” option. If you choose the “Almost Nice” option, Santa will tell your child to check back in closer to Christmas. So if you only want to make one free video, don’t select that option.

Ideally speaking, your little ones’ faces will light up as much as Lilly’s did and the PNP can bring even more Christmas magic into your home too!

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We had an incredible Christmas. Lilly is just at that perfect age to really get into the season and was very excited for Christmas morning.

Santa spoiled her and while he had his name on many things under the tree this year, he was NOT taking credit for the giant Rainbow Dash. That one was all Mom and Dad, because we are awesome. She got tons of ponies, princess costume stuff and books. Daddy also got spoiled. We got him his official ‘dad chair’. Best. Wife. Ever. I got my iPad a few weeks ago, which was my big present, but the hubs did finally get me the whiskey rocks I have been asking for. Not that I can use them any time soon… #pregnantproblems. But a knocked up girl can dream about the future. VaVoo (grandpa) got Lilly a gigantic doll house, FTW.

Later in the week, I had the incredible opportunity to spend more time with my best friend, Colleen, than I have in ages. She lives in BC, so we only get to see each other 1-2 times per year and usually just for a day or so. This year we got 3 nights and almost 3 full days. It was amazing. The first night she surprised me with my 30th birthday present early. When she walked into the kitchen carrying a specific shade of little blue box, I lost my freaking mind. She said she wanted to buy me something I really wanted, but would never get for myself. She nailed it. The next day, we spent the day in Toronto visiting the market, sipping coffee and having a delicious dinner. We topped it off with Les Miserables at Princess of Whales Theatre. Now, this was huge for her and I to do together. We have been singing these songs since we became friends at 14 years old. It holds a special place in both our hearts and made the show that much more unbelievable. Colleen came home with me to see Adam and Lilly and spent New Years with us – first time we’ve spent NYE together since college! When we headed back to our home town, we got to spend a bit of time on her family’s farm. It’s a horse farm. Anyone who knows my kid, (or reads this blog) knows that she would freak right out on a horse farm.

With the holidays all wrapped up now, it leaves me waiting for next year already. Thanks to the beauty of maternity leave, both Adam and I will have the full holidays off for the first time ever. Very much looking forward to that.

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The tasks this past weekend were to finish up some gifts for Nana & Grandma, and complete some final pieces of decor.

Now, Lilly got a little sidetracked when she spotted this giant wall butterfly in the craft supplies. It is a craft I have been meaning to get to for her bedroom. I figured it was a good one to keep her busy while I worked on something that involved hot glue.

What I worked on in the meantime, was a pretty little DIY ribbon Christmas tree specifically for Lilly to decorate her room. I love how it turned out.

To see the results of all of our Christmas crafting, check out the Pinterest House Project: Christmas Edition.

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I decided to highlight some of the Christmas crafts I did as a special edition of the Pinterest House Project, since this fits the same theme as the rest of the series; bigger house, lots of space for decor, so many ideas on Pinterest!

I want to start with my favourite project. When I spotted this light-up Christmas canvas on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. First off, it’s beautiful. Secondly, this is my all time favourite Christmas song. This craft was meant for me

I love the way it looks on my mantel. It’s the star attraction!

Once I realized how easy it is to write on a canvas (I used paint pens, by the way. So easy!) I went hunting for some other canvas ideas. That is when I spotted this very cute and simple Believe DIY canvas.

Next up was some plain old painted foam Christmas trees. I found so many beautiful DIY Christmas trees on Pinterest, but didn’t have time to make them all. This was a super easy craft that Lilly and I were able to do together. She did the first coat of paint on each one. I followed up with second coat and sparkles. That was it! Easiest craft of the season.

The next craft was also fairly easy, if you like to paint. I loved the idea of a mobile of clear, painted Christmas balls, hanging in front of a bright window. It took me a bit to find the clear ornaments, but finally spotted them at Walmart in packs of 4. I loved how this turned out. So pretty!

I had bought packages of styrofoam balls last year, with the intent that we would make some Christmas ornaments with them. Being a sewer who hoards fabric…these easy fabric covered Christmas balls seemed perfect. Lilly helped out again with this one. it was as simple as cut, wrap and tie.

We did a whole garland, highlighting these fabric Christmas ornaments from the main entrance way of the house.

I wanted to do a few crafts that were specifically on the cuter side for Lilly. This adorable DIY snowman scene was actually not an idea from Pinterest. This one came from my own flowing creative juices! You can read the full tutorial here.

I also wanted to make something that Lilly could keep in her room. My mom always had some decorations on hand for us to add a festive touch to our rooms. That is a tradition that I would like to pass on. I saw this DIY ribbon Christmas tree making the rounds on Pinterest last year and LOVED it. So very pretty! Given all of the crafts I have been doing for Lilly’s bedroom, I had a lot of ribbon on hand that would match her decor. Many of the tutorials online call for just pinning the ribbon or paper in place. I decided to use hot glue. It took a little longer, but I also feel it will last.

The last craft we pulled together was a DIY advent calendar. This is the first year we have had an advent calendar for Lilly at all. She is starting to understand time and old enough to really enjoy the countdown. With her Celiacs Disease, I always figured an advent calendar would be one of those things we make. I just never know if the chocolate in the store bought ones is truly gluten free. This is the one craft I made the hubby help out with. We used our existing weekly menu chalk/cork board. Lilly so was excited the first morning she saw it!

The last photo shows another idea I got from Pinterest, but it really wasn’t a craft at all. Like most homes, we have a ton of empty vases kicking around at any given time. I loved the idea of filling them with Christmas ornaments for a very quick and easy piece of festive decor. I’ll be doing a bit more of these for the dining room table before family dinner…since right now it is 95% covered in crafting supplies…

Now, while it looks like I got to a lot of crafts this year, we still didn’t even touch doing anything festive for the basement… I will be on maternity leave through most of the holiday season next year and will ideally get even more accomplished! *Crosses fingers for a good sleeper*

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2013 Sears Wish Book

There is one specific book that came in the mail every year around the holidays when I was a kid. I would watch for this book and hound my mom to check the post office everyday in anticipation. The book, of course, is the Sears Wish Book!

Now, getting the book in the mail was the easy part. Wresting with my brothers to ensure I got first crack at the toy selection was the harder part. The tradition in our house was to go through the Sears Wish Book and circle the items that we would like most, with an initial beside each circle. We then had to write out our letter to Santa with those items and give the lists and the book to mom.

Of course, she got it all off to Santa for us.

Now, at not quite 3 and a half, Lilly is a bit young to really make a full Christmas list. She basically wants just about every. single. toy. she lays her eyes on. This leaves identifying some of the items she really wants a little more difficult. In starting our own tradition, we looked through the Sears Wish Book at all the possibilities. It was clear that some toys got her more excited than others. We circled them and discussed why she thought they would be perfect choices to tell Santa.

While the list was quite lengthy, here were are few of her main choices.

Lilly was quick to point out that this combines Play Doh and a couple of her favourite Disney Princesses. Obviously, it made the list.

Play-Doh® Disney Princess® ‘Design-A-Dress Boutique’ Play Set

Anyone who knows my child, knows that she is obsessed with all things My Little Pony. Of course this means that we have seen the new movie about 100 times. The one where the “ponies become girls”. When she spotted this, I think she literally squealed.

My Little Pony® Equestria Girls Twilight Sparkle Doll

This last one is a toy we could both agree on. Lilly has a dino fetish. She has collected dozens of dinosaur toys in all different shapes and sizes. She has even collected rocks and leaves to make her “dino world” look more realistic. When we saw this incredible toy bin that doubles as a play mat, I think we both got equally excited! Now, I just need to find one for ponies too…

ZIPBIN® Dinosaur Collector Toy Box & Playset

Have you built this year’s wish list with your little ones? Want a chance to WIN IT?!

Sears is also hosting an amazing contest on right now called the Sears Wishes of Joy Contest on now until December 15 where you can SHARE your wish lists for a chance to WIN! Plus many more opportunities to win up to $10,000 in prizes. It’s lots of fun!

Disclosure: I am part of the Sears Mom Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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When it comes to getting a handle on my Christmas shopping, I start early. I make lists and watch for deals. Now, depending on how old your kids are, you have to shop early with caution. We thought we were pretty much done for Lilly…and now all she talks about is a dollhouse! That’s kind of a big one to toss in at the end of shopping. Thank goodness for VoVo (grandpa)!

For a lot of parents, it can be the list making that can be the most difficult. When kids are young, they want EVERYTHING they see. When they hit the tween/teen stage, they can be a lot more specific and picky. You could also have the curse of that child that has no idea what they want at all. I believe my husband must have been that kid. He is always the most difficult person on my list!

Mattel has made the list creation process much easier this year with their online Gift Guide. The guide uses various criteria points to help you find the right gifts for your little one. When I plugged in all the specifics for Lilly, one of the toys it suggested is the Little People® Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable. This particular item was pretty much at the top of Lilly’s list. She had played with it at the Fisher-Price booth at the BabyTime Show in Toronto and fell in love!

So you can imagine her excitement when Mattel sent her that exact gift as a thank you for this post. She was over the moon. It has been nearly two weeks and and has honestly not played with anything else.

She calls it her “Pony World” and drags it to every room in the house :)

Check out all of the #HotHolidayToys that are must haves this season and make sure the gifts you buy aren’t on their #unwishlist.

Disclosure: I am part of the Mattel Holiday Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year. I still remember the excitement of Christmas morning as a child. It didn’t matter what the gift was. It was the anticipation of the surprise. As a mom, I now know what it’s like to see the magic of giving from the other side of it all.

Christmas morning, 1988.

Lilly was only 4 months old on her first Christmas and didn’t really grasp any of the festivities. However, Christmas morning 2011 was a lot of fun. By then, she understood the excitement of it all and really got into it. It was particularly funny to watch her open each gift, get excited to play with it and then realize that there was still more to open.

“OMG! A car seat for my baby!” – Christmas 2011

By last year, she had this Christmas morning thing completely mastered and even put aside her own excitement to hand out gifts to Daddy and I, in between opening her own.

“Hmm. Where to begin…” – Christmas 2012

There are many holiday traditions that I couldn’t wait to share with my own family. One was the giving of a new tree ornament each year. This was something that my Mom started when I was young and still does to this day. I started this will Lilly on her first Christmas and we haven’t missed a year yet. When she has a home of her own one day, I will give her all of her yearly ornaments to start her first tree.

Another tradition that means more to me that I can express is Christmas day at my Nana’s house. In my 29 Christmases on this planet, I have only missed one at my grandparents house. Even now, living over 2 hours away, we still pack Lilly into the car a little before lunch and head down to the city. It was at one of these Christmas day celebrations that I broke the news that Lilly was on her way – the first of the great-grandchildren. I have so many memories of running around that house and the amazing Portuguese holiday feast that goes with it. Watching Lilly create those same memories melts me more than almost anything.

Lilly with great-Nana on Christmas day, 2011.

This year, Christmas has gotten very exciting. Lilly is now at the stage where she has been talking about Santa, Christmas morning, the tree, etc, for well over a month. This is the first year where she has started to express what she would like for Christmas and has asked me to please let Santa know for her. She’s started to talk about what she wants to get for Daddy and I. It’s incredible to see her get so wrapped up into the magic of it all.

Some of the things that have made her list this year? More animals for her Little People’s Farm and Zoo, books, a new dress, a dollhouse and basically anything and EVERYTHING to do with My Little Pony. It has been really great to see her ask for books. Lately, she has been interested in Little Critters and Bernstein Bears, both of which were favourites of mine as a child. Reading those stories with her each night brings back memories.

Do you know what your little ones have asked Santa for? Have you gotten a head start on your shopping? Sears has made it really easy this year to shop or explore online, with The Toy Shop. You can browse top toys of the season by age or brand and stay up-to-date with great sales. You can even create an account and set up a Wishlist to help you keep track of your list, plus share it with family and friends.

CONTEST! WIN TOP TOYS OF THE SEASON!

Want a chance to win some of the hottest toys of the season? Each Friday until December 13th, Sears is posting a Top Toy Face Off post on their Facebook Page. To enter into the weekly draw, all you have to do is visit their page on Friday and leave a comment on that post. It’s truly that simple!

Disclosure: I am part of the Sears Mom Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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