playing with bruder tractors.
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What we enjoyed playing with at Christmas

We had a major fail this year when I totally forgot about the time and my intention to take N to the local Christingle service. By the time I remembered, it was too late to go, so that’ll have to wait for next year. But we got it spot on for family time and toys.

One of my favourite parts as a child was always the stocking and the anticipation of what Father Christmas would bring.  N hadn’t quite got that excitement, mainly because Christmas even was another slight fail.

Each Christmas Eve, the OH’s family (en masse) always go out for a meal which is great fun and lovely to catch up when it’s unusual for us all to be together on Christmas day.  But it does mean that N’s out late, so it’s straight to bed and no preparing for Father Christmas or stockings.  We forgot to put out the reindeer food we made, no mince pies, carrots or sherry were put out.  Maybe next year I’ll remember to sort all that out with him before we head out!

But N loved opening his stocking in the morning.  Stockings are a great chance to add old fashioned slow toys (as well as the obligatory satsuma, chocolate coins and pants!) so N had a real mixture – his own craft scissors, paintbrushes, card games – Snap and Happy Families, and some Brio wooden railway mini track pieces.  We’ve been struggling in that our train track never seemed to quite fit the 2 spare ends together, but now we’ve got track with 2 female and 2 male ends, so no more struggling.

opening christmas presents in bed.

He also loved finding his Haba ice creams and Haba orange inside.  He immediately wanted to lick the ice creams.  It’s great they’re double ended on the ice cream, so lots of multiple options for play.

eating toy ice creams.

I was amazed to see the size of some of the piles of presents that people were posting online.  I’d got lots of small things for N knowing that the OH was going to pick up some farm toys.  I then had decided that there was too much for one Christmas, so some were held back for his birthday in January.  He still had plenty of items to open, and we know that his toys won’t really be adding huge piles to those already in the house.

N loves his wooden railway.  It’s a mix of brands, but I’d spotted some Brio on offer before Christmas, so had picked up a few pieces to add to his boxful.  He was very exciting about them and had Uncle Andrew helping him learn how to use them on Christmas Day.  Boxing day, we creating a great ornate track…N must have been tired once we’d finished as he didn’t bother getting the actual trains out.  We just admired the track for a while before he got caught up in his new combine harvester and teleporter.

playing with bruder tractors.

Being a farmer’s son does mean N is obsessed with farm toys, and our toys of preference are Bruder at the moment.  My brother always had Britains when he was a boy, as did the OH and his brother and Dad, but nowadays a lot of other farm toys don’t appear as good quality as previously.  The OH is always reading where toys are manufactured, and even toys we think of as British made are largely made in China now, much to his disappointment.  N’s building up his Bruder collection – they’re pretty sturdy although they’re plastic, but they’re realistic as everything’s to scale.  The combine went down really well!

admiring a tractor poster.

Finally, he had lots of puzzles and some games.  He does like puzzles, although it takes a while for him to realise that he can do them on his own.  They’re lovely for us to help him with so I wanted to build up his collection and work up to some larger puzzles.  Last year he was given a beautiful wooden chunky John Deere tractor puzzle, and this year has ranged from some wooden ones (a pain to store as on wooden bases rather than in boxes), and a great reversible, colour in back, digger one.  He’s been enjoying that one yesterday (doing it with his Great Aunt) and today on his own.  I love that puzzles are for any age.

Overall, he enjoyed his presents and had a great day with his Gran, Gramp and Uncle.

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7 Comments

  1. Looks like you all had a wonderful Christmas, lovely photos. We also love HABA in our house 🙂 Thanks for linking up at #ShareItSundays x

    1. Probably would get on well. They seem to be such ‘boys’ (although mine also appears to enjoy ‘hairdressing’ and dressing up in the heels and princess dresses at nursery).

      Think the OH was a bit gutted as wanted to get him a John Deere combine but they were more expensive. Think it’s more realistic getting a Fendt version, as there’s more of those being used around our neck of the woods. I’ve not heard of Teama.

  2. I love that HABA orange – I have a feeling it might feature in the stockings in our house next year rather than the real satsumas that they end up keeping in their bedrooms which we find all mouldy after a few weeks! Wishing you a wonderful 2014. xxx

    1. It’s great. Although he had to have a real one as well. It did confuse him at first as to what it was (compared with the ice creams which he keeps trying to lick – yuck, fluffy mouth!), but the segments have been ‘eaten’, chucked at his dad and me like missiles, and various other uses.
      Hope you have a great 2014 too.

      1. Oh no, not missiles!!! Chloe also tries licking the ice-creams, but who can blame them, they look delicious! Good job the Haba ones can withstand washing machines easily!

        1. Blame the OH for starting him throwing them. I’m surprised he’s not been cooking them in his microwave as well though. Good to know about the washable nature.

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