This year for Christmas I’m focussing on buying the kids things that are beautiful and useful, that they engage in, that have been designed – not just made. And you know what? It’s a pretty easy thing to do when you know where to look.
When Tiger Tribe approached me last year to giveaway some of my faves I was so excited. Mostly because I LOVE small businesses and they are exactly that; a small family business who wholesales awesome stuff (that suits our play philosophy perfectly) to other small businesses.
Fast forward a year on and my kids have had the pleasure of road testing a lot of their gear, and it seriously never fails to be awesome. But the hands down fave has been the Quut beach toys.
Every time we go to the beach, a parent pulls me aside and asks where I got their toys from, and the comments are always the same, wow! That’s so clever! The kids are so engaged, and so on. And they are, it’s just good design.
I may be a self confessed toy snob but I am not super fussy when it comes to looking after our stuff and these ones just keep on going, I mean, I’m sure I’m not supposed to encourage you leave these in a basket in the sun on the front deck year round but that’s what I do and they are still perfect.
Tiger Tribe are the Aussie distributor of Quut toys and all sorts of amazing other things. You can check out their online stockists here or find a store near you.
Or if you want to win one of three prize packs (pictured above) valued at $75 each, just follow the prompts below to enter. (Australian residents only)
1) Make sure you’re following Tiger Tribe and Patchwork Cactus on Instagram.
2) Tell me in the comments section below about your most vivid Christmas morning memory.
3) Keep an eye out on Instagram to see the if you have won, we will be drawing the winners on the 14th of December!
Winners!
Jodi – “My most vivid Christmas memory is from when I was about six or seven, playing at my grandmas farm with the cousins & Father Christmas arriving in the back of a Ute to give everyone their presents, it was such a magical day 🎄✨”
Bec – “one very special Christmas memory is of the first Christmas with my husband (as husband and wife) and we went traveling on our own and spent Christmas in Val Disere in the French alps! Amazing! The first time I’d seen snow and so very different from our large family beach Christmas’!! There were children skiing down the mountains with lit up balloons and mulled wine being served to the village on long wooden tressal tables. It was such a special and different Christmas for us, and completely different to now, three kids later it’s all about them! ”
Josie – “Mine is a little different – my most vivid Christmas memory is a bit more recent and it’s when my autistic son finally decided that sand was not the devil!!! We finally get to ENJOY the beach which we live so flipping close to without meltdowns and screaming. Christmas morning at the beach 😍”
I remember being about 5 and walking down the stairs Christmas morning to see my Santa sack filled with presents…… The excitment is something I can not wait to now start sharing with my daughter!
Without a doubt it’s sneaking down to the family room at 4am to see my santa sack bulging in the light of the fairy lights then sneaking back to bed… that or the time I vomited at 8am from eating too much chocolate at dawn 🤮
Waking up Christmas morning a month and a bit after my daughter was born in 2013, was one of those pinch me moments – I knew Christmas would have new meaning I (and be loads more fun!) from that day on <3
My most vivid Christmas morning memory would have to be last years. Our adorable son Flynn was understanding the concept the way his little face lit up when he saw his gift under the tree. I will forever remember the magic sparkling In his eyes
Waking up to find my Santa gift was a bottle of sarsaparilla and a box of pizza shapes. The year before it was graph paper and pencils. I think my Mum was over it, ha ha ha.
As a four year old, I had finished opening all my presents on Christmas morning then Dad said “ I think Santa has left something outside” we ran out and there was the most amazing cubby house all decked out. 32 years later it is still there!
Mum always made a special baked French toast for breakfast on Christmas morning growing up. Recently as an adult, I admitted to her I never liked it!! Whoops, probably should have kept that opinion to myself haha. #loveyoumum #traditionsrock #nowigettoinflictthemonmyownkids
My most vivid Christmas morning memory is waking up really excited only to be yelled at to get back to bed as it was only 6am.
It’s so vivid because it was every Christmas until I was about 12.
My most vivid Xmas morning memory would have to be when I was 8 I decided not to share my true Xmas present wish of a robot instead just keeping it between Santa and myself 😜. When I woke up early Xmas morning to check the tree, I found a deck chair 😳😂.
My son waking up on Christmas morning to a new bike that my husband restored! They were both so excited and proud of the new bike!
We didn’t get much through out the year when we were little
So Christmas was a BIG DEAL. I remember I would have been about 7, myself and my 2 older siblings received rollerblades from Father Christmas 🎅 I don’t think those things came off of either of our feet for at least a week!! I remember it like yesterday…even though I can barely remember the actual yesterday 😂
We have the strangest family tradition where we have to eat some toast with anchovette paste (cut into soldiers) before we were allowed to open any presents. No idea how that got started, I hated it as a kid but now with a family of my own I feel compelled to do it also!!
Such a great giveaway. My favourite christmas memory is in my school days in Mumbai India. The days leading up to it , participating in the Christmas carols competition in school, the mass in school and the sweets we would get in class made attending school pre christmas a lot of fun. Those are really memories I cherish.
Also in Australia we usually head out for a holiday get away with friends and their kids. Last year was Reyansh’s first Christmas. It was fun doing a kiddie Kris Kringle and getting the kids to decorate the tree the way they wanted it.
Absolutely warm Chrissy moments for me !!
My most vivid Christmas memory is from when I was about six or seven, playing at my grandmas farm with the cousins & Father Christmas arriving in the back of a Ute to give everyone their presents, it was such a magical day 🎄✨
MY favourite Christmas morning memory was when all the extended family from QLD came to visit. We had around 8 adults and 12 kids in the house and it was loud, busy , crazy and perfect!
I was 10 years old and had christmas morning in Germany. I woke up to snow falling on the glass roof and Santa Claus ho ho hoing from the lounge room. I ran in and he wasn’t there but under the beautiful Real Christmas tree that touched the roof were many beautifuly wrapped presents. I’ve never had a Christmas like it and I hope I can give my children a similar experience when they are older!
Growing up in Vermont, Christmas was always white! I remember one morning i woke up early to water the Christmas tree, my favourite task a kid. The tree was light perfectly just like movies. Presents overflowed from under the tree. But my favourite thing about this Christmas was morning was my dad taking me snowshoeing before anyone else woke up. The only tracks on the unplowed road were out tracks. It was absolutely perfect!
I remember when I was five wanting a bike. My dad who is clever at making things, made me a bike…well it was about as big as your hand and he had made it from a metal coat wire! Haha funny one dad! But he did also give me a bike, someone’s old bike which he sprayed painted pink, and pimped up like new for me. So that was pretty awesome. Otherwise I remember all the Christmas lunches at grandmas places, with the cousins and my goofy Uncle with a fake tooth.
My most memorable Christmas was when it was my first born’s 2nd christmas, he was so excited!! His happiness was so infectious and it was just a beautiful!
Mine is a little different – my most vivid Christmas memory is a bit more recent and it’s when my autistic son finally decided that sand was not the devil!!! We finally get to ENJOY the beach which we live so flipping close to without meltdowns and screaming. Christmas morning at the beach 😍
Can I cheat and write two?!
My most vivid childhood memory is because I am the youngest child in my family, always being the one to wake the household up by jumping on each family member’s bed — and one year specifically my older brother (9 years my senior!) was particularly cranky about the early wake up after his first Christmas Eve drinks at the pub with his mates– safe to say I wasn’t the favourite sibling that year.
My most vivid adult memory is only 2 years ago, having given birth to my firstborn 3 days before Christmas, waking up in hospital and seeing my fresh little babe and opening presents for his first Christmas 😍
one very special Christmas memory is of the first Christmas with my husband (as husband and wife) and we went traveling on our own and spent Christmas in Val Disere in the French alps! Amazing! The first time I’d seen snow and so very different from our large family beach Christmas’!! There were children skiing down the mountains with lit up balloons and mulled wine being served to the village on long wooden tressal tables. It was such a special and different Christmas for us, and completely different to now, three kids later it’s all about them! X
Not sure on my age. But I remember waking up one Xmas morning to an oversized troll doll next to me. I was a huge fan of the original trolls. But this doll was so large with big eyes staring right at me that it freaked me out so much that ever since I don’t want a troll anywhere in sight. #xmasfail
The Christmas I thought I hadn’t got any thing FROM Santa 🎅 but actually I just hadn’t looked hard enough and was given a goldfish! My very first pet! Weirdly called fluffy!
My most vivid Christmas morning memory was waking on Christmas morning with my newborn son by the Christmas tree. He was born on the 20th and we came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. I’d had a complicated cesarean and was still unable to get in and out of bed, so we spent Christmas Eve night sleeping and doing night feeds in the lounge room by the lights of the Christmas Tree. It was so magical. On Christmas morning we woke and snuggled and I fed him by the Christmas tree. My parents then joined us and as he slept in my arms we took turns opening gifts. Bringing home the baby I never thought I’d have on Christmas Eve and sleeping and waking by the tree was and still is the best Christmas gift I ever have and ever will receive. It’s my favourite Christmas memory.
My most vivid christmas morning.
My mum started us off with a treasure hunt that started with us going around the unit block finding clues to find little christmas treats and ended in us gettinf back inside to find a brand new tv and Wii waiting for us! This was huge for us because we had never owned any sort of plasma (back then) tv or any gaming equipment or consols so this year was a huge year for us! It was so fun.
My most vivid memory was when I was about 5 years old! Santa bought me to the most beautiful dolls house I had ever seen, I still have that dolls house and I’m 30 years old 🙂 dad sitting in his jocks helping us 5 kids with our presents and mum preparing a mountain of food to share with our extended family at the beach shack! I absolutely love Christmas!
My boys love Tiger Tribe!
My most vivid Christmas memory from my childhood would have to be the year that I was given a trampoline. Santa has left a red string for us to follow all throughout the house, which finally took us into the garage where the trampoline was (because it could not go under the Christmas tree. We all started jumping and then my parents started jumping – and then my dad hit is head on the roof!
My most vivid memory from being Santa is last year – when the boys could actually get into it. Being woken by squeals of delight to see that Santa had been whilst they had been sleeping! What a very magical sound.
I remember one Christmas I thought I hadnt got a present from Santa! I checked the door… my whole room and then wandered in to my parents room (so sad) and they told me to check my room again and there was a goldfish! My very first pet, that I named fluffy of course!
I remember waking up at the crack of dawn when I was 10 and discovering a very, very large, bike-shaped wrapped present beside the tree, and trying to muffle the sound of my happy squeals because everyone else was still asleep! I still remember the excitement like it was yesterday.
My most vivid and cherished (laughed) moment is the Christmas my mum & Aunty slaved in the kitchen making a full English / American Christmas dinner (with all the trimmings) in an Australia climate to have my cousin and I (aged 4-6) not eat one bite of it and make ourselves an alternate Christmas lunch of vegemite on toast
My favourite Christmas mornings were spent racing through opening presents and heading down to Mona Vale for the day. We’d set up the capervan next to the park and just chill! So good!
Sneaking out of bed way too early and peeking over the banister to see if Santa came, then convincing my sister that it was totally fine for her to run down stairs and start touching the presents (it wasn’t) 🙂
Around the age of 8 I needed a bigger bike.
I’d been taken to the bike shop to find the right one so Santa would know which one to get 😉
On Christmas morning I’d opened all my gifts, including things for my cubby house. But no bike. Devo 😔
Sure enough my parents said go play with your new toys in the cubby. Opened the cubby door to find my sparkling new bike with tinsel strewn across it.
I remember I ran up to my dad and jumped up to hug him. I think that was the best surprise Christmas I’ve ever had.
Waking up at 5am Christmas morning as a kid jumping in the car and heading to Sydney to spend the day with Aunties and cousins realising Christmas isn’t about presents but surrounding yourself with all those that you love and cherish