Tag Archives: advent calendar

Christmas Countdown

The beginning of December has finally arrived. With it comes freezing temperatures, roaring log fires, Christmas trees, pantomimes, carol-singing and, in our household, some frantic last-minute plans for impending teenagehood and a quick anniversary celebration if we can only find the time to squeeze it in. And yes, we perhaps didn’t plan things too well – can you guess that I’ve heard those comments just the odd once or twice before?

These days most children seem to expect a chocolate advent calendar as a necessary part of the Christmas countdown, but what do you do when your child has allergies and can’t enjoy something that’s the same as all their friends? M has asked if we can bake enough of his safe gingerbread cookies for him and G to enjoy 1 everyday between now and the big day itself. It is, without doubt, one of those things that always features highly on any allergy parents’ to-do list at this time of year as it takes some time to find the perfect, safe alternative, but there are some really great options out there and I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you:

And not forgetting one for those much-deserving Mummies out there (it contains gin in case you couldn’t work it out)!

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122 days and counting….

christmascountdown…til Christmas that is.  No, I’ve not gone completely mad, nor have I forgotten that I need to give a comprehensive update about our summer travels, but when you have an allergy-suffering child, you need to grab the opportunity to buy friendly treats when it arises and Christmas is no exception. So, when an email from the fantastic Freefromforkids dropped into my inbox this morning, prompting me to peruse their Christmas range and place my order before stocks run out, I knew I needed to share it with all of you.

I’ve talked about the amazing Moofree chocolate before and was thrilled to discover their dairy- and soya-free chocolate advent calendars a couple of years ago, although they become increasingly scarce the closer to December you get. moo-free-selection-box-hi-res This year I was excited to read about their introduction of allergy-friendly chocolate selection boxes, a treat enjoyed by so many children and which G and M have never been able to experience. Moo-free have brought out new flavours of their chocolate this year, all of which are included in the selection and which I’m sure both G and M will be delighted to try.

If selections boxes are not your thing,  then Moo-free also offer a range of chocolate bars paired with either a festive themed soft toy or mug. Or you can avoid chocolate altogether and choose Haribos, Goody good stuff sweets or Jelly Bean Factory tubes as they are all great alternatives. Whatever you decide on, check the ingredients to make sure they’re still safe for your child – no-one wants an unexpected flare during Christmas – get your order placed in plenty of time and enjoy the end of the summer before the Christmas mayhem starts!

end of summer