If you are reading this post on the day it goes out, there are only SIX DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Yes, you heard me right, SIX DAYS TO GO! Have you done all your Christmas shopping? Bought all of your food? Written all your cards? I thought I was all organised with it all, but this week still seems like a mad scramble to get it all done, maybe that is just how the final week before Christmas is meant to be as no matter what I do, this week is always ends up as a huge rush.
A couple of weeks ago I contacted by the lovely team at One4All Gift Cards to ask me to take part in a very exciting festive challenge. I had to get my home ready for Christmas, using my One4All Giftcard. This included buying all our decorations, food, drinks and entertainment – all ready for our first Christmas together as a family.
So, just to give you a few details around the card, The One4All Giftcard is a leading multi-store gift card in the which can be spent in over 50,000 retailers nationwide. It’s the perfect gift as the recipient isn’t tied to one outlet to spend, they can use it in so many different retailers, restaurants, hotels and services, they’ll be spoiled for choice! It even comes with a handy app to check your balance and which retailers are involved with the scheme.
Onto the challenge….
STAGE ONE: Buy ALL the food!
This weekend we have been out and about in Brighton – getting everything we need for our first family Christmas together. Our first stop had to be the Marks & Spencers Food Hall. It’s become quite a tradition in our household to eat M&S food for Christmas, so we do a couple of big food shops in the run up to Christmas, the first – store cupboard essentials – Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies, Cranberry Sauce, Festive Teas, Mulled Wine and chocolates. M&S do the BEST Christmas food in my opinion, so it’s such a treat to have all our favourites, neatly packed away in the cupboard – I can’t WAIT to get it all out. We will be doing another Marks & Spencers run closer to Christmas Day too, which will be all the fresh produce, vegetables for the roast, cream, puddings, cheeses.
We also stocked up on wine for the festive period online using Laithwaites, which is really handy as it’s all delivered, rather than trying to load up the pushchair with wine (not sure how appropriate that is either! ?)
STAGE TWO: Decorate the House
Whilst I was out in town, I bought a few more decorations to add to our tree. I bought a few in M&S and Next. Our tree is now up, lights are on and house is feeling so festive! I also popped into Carphone Warehouse where I was able to pick up an Amazon Echo Dot. We have an Echo in our living room and I LOVE it, but it doesn’t quite reach downstairs to our bedroom, so I needed to make sure Christmas music was being pumped throughout the house – right?!
So, that is my first installment of the challenge – as you can see the One4All Gift Card is mega flexible and versatile as I bought so many things in different stores and online, all with one little card! In my next post, I’ll be sharing how our preparations at home are coming along with these new purchases, just in time for the big day!
How are you getting on with your Christmas shopping?
To order a One4All GiftCard, you can find them online or buy them in your local Post Office too!
