Christmas Soft Drinks Guide

Not everyone likes to drink at Christmas and if you are a designated driver, pregnant or just not that into alcoholic beverages then it can be difficult to find those drinks that are more than just lemonade, water or a glass of coke.

So here is my guide to some great alternative and alcohol free drinks this Christmas and perfect if you fancy a dry January...it'll come round quicker than you think! 

For a festive feel then the Belvoir Fruit Farms Mulled Winter Punch and Spiced Ginger Punch are a great way to get that lovely warm and fuzzy feeling without the fuzzy head, with nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves the smell can only be described as Christmas in a bottle. Plus, if you do fancy that little bit of Christmas cheer then you could always add some red wine or brandy to the mulled wine and maybe a splash of Whisky to the ginger punch for a warming spicy alcoholic treat.

The packaging is also super festive and so would make a great gift for someone you know who doesn't like to drink. The RRP for these is £3 and available from Sainsbury's, Ocado, Asda and more.

Fancy a little aperitif with some kick? Then Great Uncle Cornelius' Famous Spiced Ginger might be for you. Perfectly warming and great as a mixer to whip up some Ginger Beer (just add lemonade), or if you do fancy something a little bit cheeky then you can mix with Whisky for a spicy Ginger Ale, or Ginger Sour with Whisky and a dash of lemon.

I love the bottle, it is really fun and a great ingredient to keep in your booze or non booze cabinet for a quick drink over the festive period, I have already had some with lemonade but am waiting to try with warmed some cider. RRP £3.60 available from the Great Uncle Cornelius' website.

For those that like beer but are not drinking, then St Peter's Without is an alcohol free beer with a difference, it is a totally natural, alcohol-free beer that is brewed in the same way as a normal beer and tastes just as good as the real thing. Containing less than 0.05% alcohol and at least 25% fewer calories than standard beer, it is the perfect drink to enjoy on a night out and great if you are watching your weight too.

This beer really tastes great and after being pregnant during the Christmas period for both of my pregnancies I can tell you booze free beer doesn't usually hit the mark, but this is good.

What about the day after the night before? Well with these cordials from Thorncroft you can rehydrate safe in the knowledge of no boring water. With Elderflower, Wild Nettle, Pink Ginger, Cranberry & Hibiscus, Rosehip, Detox and my favourite Kombucha there is one for every day of the week.

These bottles may look little but they are highly concentrated, so you only need a smidgen to make your water, whether still or sparkling, taste fantastic.  They are quite sweet and so great for making water taste good but possibly not to everyones taste. RRP is £2.99 and they are available from Ocado.

And finally, one of my favourite iced coffees goes all festive too. I love Jimmy's Iced Coffee and have been a fan for a while now, so with a festive gingerbread offering I was most excited. The same great iced coffee but with a gingerbread twist, it tastes just like I have just eaten a scummy piece of a gingerbread. 

Not only are these a great coffee cure for hangovers and late nights, but they are the perfect early morning on the go drink. And although I haven't tried it yet, I think these would make a great alternative for a festive White Russian cocktail. RRP £1.60 available from stores nationwide.

Whilst I love a drink at Christmas with two children in the house on my own I equally like to have a straight head, so for me these drinks are all a great alternative to the real thing, they are tasty and perfect for something festively different.

I was sent these items for the purpose of this post, all words, opinions and pictures are my own.

Christmas Magic

I love this time of year, so many magical memories being made and moments to share with our children, I just love the smells, smiles and fun that surrounds it.

So far, in the run up to Christmas, we have built a gingerbread house, which amazingly is still waiting to be eaten...

Also, this weekend, we took the children to the local garden centre to visit santa. He was the perfect Santa, jolly, kind and really took time to listen to both our children. They were both ecstatic to meet him, got to tell him all about what they wanted and they let us take as many pictures as we wanted.

Finally, because we all love the Christmas tree, I think it has to be my favourite part of Christmas, because of the smell, the lights, spending time decorating it, admiring its beauty but mostly because it is the place where all the presents go on the big day.

There are so many beautiful things to look at and remember, hopefully making magic for the children in years to come.

Easy to Decorate Gingerbread House

I recently saw this gingerbread house kit in the Aldi catalogue and after a nightmare trying to glue the pieces together on a kit we bought last year from Ikea, I decided to give this a try.

The kit comes with everything you need to decorate the house and as it is pre built, so if you are short on time you can get straight on to it.

Once you have squished the icing together for a few minutes it becomes soft enough to start icing the house, I did the icing and I let the kids decorate with the sweets. The box has a great detailed picture of what you can do with the included ingredients.

Although the bag of icing split whilst I was using it it tastes nice and was easy enough to ice the house with.

The house is already stuck to the board so you don't have to worry about it sliding off and even though we tipped it sidewards several times it stayed glued to the base.

Although not perfect the kids loved the sweets and covering the house in them and it looks pretty cute with some miniature presents and tree.

This set is the perfect way to get some yummy gingerbread goodness in to your home this Christmas without too much fuss, the kit costs £4.99.