Today on the blog, Celine Bell, mom of two young sons, is back at Ollie Club HQ to share some of her best Christmas hacks!

GUEST BLOG: Christmas Hacks for Kids –
8 Tips to Feed, Entertain and Decorate this Holiday Season

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! We are excited about the family time ahead, and I want to share some tips that help me during the festive season. Sure, it’s fun, but it’s also stressful, and at Ollie HQ, we want to share some tips for getting through with a smile on your face.

1.We love to thank the kids’ teachers at Christmas with a small gift. Homemade is nicer than shop bought, so we pair a hand drawn card with a box of these Ollie-Pop Banana and Oat cookies. Have fun making them with the kids, and a double batch mean there are some left over for you. They are handy to have for long car journeys over the holidays – for kids and parents alike!

2. Make Ollie’s Pizza with Pizzaz, and have fun turning the dough into a Christmas tree shape. Add strips of pepper for tinsel. Use cookie cutters to cut stars into cheese that you can add to your pizza tree. My kids love left over pizza as a snack, so make some extras for later.

3. Get your kids to decorate bagels with cream cheese and fruit and veg (raisins, strawberries etc) to create an edible Santa. Who knew cream cheese made such a good beard?!  Works well with breakfast pancakes too. Some topping ideas here.

4. Too cold to go outside? An empty jam jar, a plastic figurine, some glue, glitter and water all combine to make your own snow globe. Add a dash of glycerin to keep the glitter from falling too quickly.

5. Reindeer eat carrots, so be sure to leave one out on Christmas Eve. We cut them into fingers. The kids enjoy eating reindeer food, and I enjoy them eating their veggies. Of course, we save enough for Rudolf.

6. Add bright red cranberries to a star-shaped ice-cream tray for festive ice cubes.

7. Slice oranges thinly, and get your kids to lay them onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Dry them out in the oven on the lowest heat setting for a couple of hours. Thread them onto colorful string with the kids, and use them as decorations for the tree. I love this, as they want to nibble on the fruit before cooking it, so they get their vitamins by default.

8. Get them having fun with veggies – can they turn their crudités into a Christmas tree? Cucumber and celery make great branches, and carrots (assuming you aren’t saving them for Rudolf) are an excellent branch. Dip them in our Hip Hop Hummus.

Have a great holiday with your family!

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Thanks for more great tips for the holiday season, Celine! Read more of her insightful parenting tips on her blog, Bell From Bow, and check her out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Messy fun! Sheena xx