BREAKFAST BAGS!

The 'Breakfast Bag' came about because the kids just wanted money for Christmas, Jeff and I didn't want anything! We didn't want to waste money just buying things to have under the tree to open, which then often went to the charity shop further down the line and no one needed the stress of trying to think of what to buy for each other just for the sake of it!.

Last year we had a £5 and a £10 category, this year just a £10 category as Sam has no money!!

So we came up with 4 categories
1* socks/accessories
2* drink/alcohol
3* food/chocolate
4* game/puzzle

We each got a category, lucky dip style and then you buy something for everyone, including yourself, so a maximum £40 spend, wrap it in the same paper and pop it in the named bag.

Come Christmas day, we open up everything in rounds. Someone chooses something to open, we all find the gift in the corresponding paper and open it all at the same time. It makes it fun to guess who had to buy each round!

We then don't buy anything else for each other, the kids get the money they really want but we still have fun opening a few gifts that haven't cost a fortune, have required a little thought but we will use/eat without lots of waste.

This will be our 3rd year, called the 'Breakfast Bag' because Sam can't wait to open presents, often at the breakfast table!! We tend to open a few rounds at breakfast, a few mid lunch and then a few late afternoon. It works for us and takes a lot of stress, hassle and waste of money out of Christmas gift buying xx

Our four £10 categories were

1* puzzles/games
2* drink/alcohol
3* food/chocolate
4* socks/accessories

We each picked one lucky dip style!

Jeff pulled out puzzles.....

 I got drinks/alcohol - I got Jeff a Greek beer and the promise of chocolate milk and orange juice with bits in! He's still a big kid, would have happily received a bottle of diet coke!! I of course treated myself to coffee! Sophie a cocktail shaker as she loves cocktails and Sam this whiskey selection box, mainly for the glass!!

Sophie food and chocolate.......

.......so she split hers in to two rounds!

And Sam socks!

Jeff did a few extra rounds. 

 

His main 'lucky dip round' was puzzles/games! 

He then bought everyone a book. 

I want to learn sign language as we have two deaf colleagues at work, so my book was a perfect choice.

He also bought us each a magazine.

My magazine has a great article on Naples, our next adventure destination.....

And his plant round! I love Spring bulbs. 

As soon as the Christmas decorations come down, I fill the house with bulbs and Spring flowers, so perfect gifts!

I always do a few extra rounds but nothing wasteful! 

A kitchen utensil round!

 A room diffuser (£1 each in Tesco's) and a small tub of  Pringles each!

Had to have a mushroom round ❤️🍄❤️ Jeff coconut mushrooms, me a lovely ceramic toadstool pair, Sophie tree decorations and Sam a kit to grow your own mushrooms!!

We then had a serviette round.....

......and a tea towel round.....

.....toiletries.....

.....chocolate.... 

..... and scratchcards!

And finally a jigsaw puzzle round. I thought everyone would love a puzzle of me. 

I broke up the puzzles into a bag each. We then had a race to see who could complete the puzzle the fastest, with the winner getting another puzzle!!

They were under 100 pieces, was a great thing to do between the main meal and pud x

So that was our Christmas to each other, a stress free, low cost but fun gift sharing way we do Christmas. Need to start jotting down any new and different categories for next year, as and when I think of something xx