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Welcome to the Love Santa Blog

We share lots of Christmas related ideas, recipes and crafts in the Love Santa blog. You are welcome to comment or submit your own Christmas stories, too.

Christmas ransom ~ Christmas movie review

Dec 3, 2022 | ,

Christmas ransom title screen from the movie Christmas ransom - shows the two words in green and red

Movie length: 84 minutes
Directed by Adele Vuko
Premiered: 1 December, 2022

We saw the ad for this Aussie Christmas movie and thought it could be fun to watch, so we did!

The plot

Set in Harrington and Sons – introduced as the best toy store ever – on Christmas Eve, Christmas Ransom is a comedy with a message of family. Derrick Harrington (Matt Okine) has taken over his father’s toy shop, and it’s no longer a roaring success, despite trying to do things just the way Dad always did.

Harrington & Sons toy store faced from the movie Christmas Ranson

Derrick tells his sales assistant, Pete (Ed Oxenbold) and security guard, Gladys (Miranda Tapsel), to head home. Then we spot two kids, Wombat and Brady, hiding in a ball pit in the store.

A tattooed woman (Genevieve Lemon) scarfs up as harmless old lady with her less-than-bright granddaughter, Sheron or Shez (Bridie Mckim). Taking Derrick and Pete as hostages, they demand a ransom from Darrick’s sister, Teressa (Vivienne Awosoga). This leaves Gladys, Brady and Wombat to try rescuing them.

My Christmas movie review

So this is an Australian Christmas movie that seems to be a mix of Home Alone and action movies like Die Hard, and Aussie classics like The Castle and Malcolm.

Apart from the Aussie humour showing through in parts and the fact it is warm (not a flake of snow in sight!), the Australian theme is clearly present. For instance, Santa letters are place in the ouch of a HUGE inflatable kangaroo on the roof and Aussie animals are toys and decorations within the shop.

Pair of photos showing a very large inflatable kangaroo with a man and two children putting Santa letters into her pouch

It includes lots of humour, such as Greg-nog (from a fireman trying to win over Gladys the security guard), calling a woman the pregnant terminator, a girl saying ‘this is the end’ as a train comes toward her head (mind you, it is a toy train!), attacking someone with a pool noodle, and using tinsel and Christmas lights as rope and a squeezy toy as an ineffective gag!

Two men looking sad as they are tied up with tinsel and Christmas lights in a toy store

Plus there is some kids’ humour, namely a nervous Wombat farts more than once and the smell is apparently terrible! My tweens found that hilarious. Of course, that becomes useful later in the movie.

So overall, the movie has comedy, romance, action, childbirth (guess where in a Christmas movie!) and an Aussie flavour. Parts of it are over the top, some bits are too predictable, and lots of it is fun.

Would I recommend watching this Christmas movie? Yes, this is a fun, family movie. It is Australian and kids will enjoy the toy shop setting. Don’t expect a brilliant movie, but you’ll get some laughs and the kids will enjoy it.

Collage of photos from the movie Christmas Ransom

Santa Pete in the shop ~ Derrick & Terri as kids ~ Pete & derrick tied up by Nan and Shez ~ Miranda Tapsall as Gladys

 

Christmas elves are back!

Dec 1, 2022 | ,

Happy December! And welcome back to all those visiting elves 🙂

Did your elf make an appearance over night? Any surprises or interesting positions?

Tinkles and Ginger the elves

We were very pleased to find our Christmas elves, Tinkles and baby Ginger, back this morning. And this year, they haven’t been in quarantine so they’re up for fun straight away!

As always, there was a letter for my children and a couple of simple advent calendars. They have set up a little camp for themselves this year, which seems like a good plan.

Christmas elves sitting on advent calendars in front of a tent on 1 December

We’ll share some of their antics and adventures over the next 24 days. It’s all part of the fun and anticipation of Christmas.

The Twelve topsy turvy very messy days of Christmas – Christmas book review

Nov 30, 2022 |

The twelve topsy turvy very messy days of Christmas

by James Paterson and Tad Safran
Century (Penguin Random House Group), London, 2022

Age group: 12 and older
Format: 304 page paperback

Doing some recent Christmas shopping, I spotted “the twelve topsy turvy very messy days of Christmas”. I admit it took me a little while to notice the full title as I just honed in on the 12 days of Christmas! There aren’t a huge number of adult Christmas books, and James Patterson is a good author, so thought I’d give it a go!

The story

Henry Sullivan and his twelve and fourteen year old children have avoided happiness and and Christmas for the five years since Katie/Mum died. This year, a mistake by the kids leads to an incredible series of events for the Sullivan family.

My review

This is not a typical Christmas-romance or a drama vaguely related to Christmas. It is an unusual story set in the days leading up to Christmas.Front cover of "The twelve topsy turvy very messy days of Christmas" by James Patterson

Things are a bit sad without Mum and without Christmas so the kids try to find Henry a date. One woman responds, a Ms Truelove, and things get interesting…

From a simple life in an okay house, the Sullivans are thrust into chaos that includes many birds, some cows and non-English speaking house guests! The animals make a mess and the guests take over the bedrooms.

Meanwhile, Henry has to win over his Dean, Ella is busy painting scenes for the school play, and Will has bikes, ‘friends’ and fights to worry about. This all adds to the chaos and the reality of this book. No one of the three dominates the book which is part of why it can appeal to all age groups.

Easy to read and with short chapters, it’s a good book for this busy time of year, too. Certain elements are predictable but there is a wonder how each expected action will be done. The overall story though is refreshing and is full of the unexpected!

The book was written in a way that helped me ignore the sadness underlying the book. Before the gifts arrive, the family has little food and no Christmas (or other) cheer. Henry has obviously been stuck in his grief and let his responsibilities as a father slide.

Of course, there is a happy ending and the chaos was good for the mourning family. I’m glad I’m not the one left with cleaning up the mess and repairing the house, though!

Would I recommend it? Yes! This book is fun and suits all ages except young children. It is Christmassy and quirky, and would be a good beach or holiday read, too!

The Twelve topsy turvy very messy days of Christmas - Christmas book review

Choosing a real Christmas tree

Nov 27, 2022 | , ,

Choosing a real Christmas tree is a big deal in the USA (based on movies and TV anyway!) but not so much in Australia.

Whether you prefer fake or real trees, there is something to be said for having a bit of nature in the house and not having to store the tree all year!

We received a  message from Jen detailing her story of choosing a Christmas tree from a farm near Melbourne. It sounds and looks like they had a great afternoon – thanks for letting us share your story and photos Jen 🙂

Our real Christmas tree adventure

As a newly blended family, we had a big adventure on Friday – selecting our Christmas tree from the Montrose Christmas Tree Farm.

Rows of Christmas trees in front of the Aussie bush at a Victorian Christmas tree farm

You just arrive at the farm, walk around and look at LOTS of Christmas trees!

There’s no time limit so you can make it fun and special, or just a quick trip (although why would anyone want it to be a quick errand beats me!) We spent about 30 minutes walking around, just before they closed for the day.

One thing that amazed me was learning that they usually sell out within 5 days! And I noticed their website already says they are running low on stock for some tree heights!

Rows of Christmas trees in front of a house in the Aussie bush at a Victorian Christmas tree farm

The hardest part is probably choosing the tree… We mostly saw trees of one type, just different sizes. I’d suggest making sure you know how big you can fit into the house before going as it’s easy to get carried away on the farm!

Once we chose our tree, we blew our horn! They give you a horn when you arrive for this purpose. The boys loved the horns – they all wanted to squeeze it, of course! I’m glad they handed us a horn so there was no “discussion” of which colour horn we needed!

Two photos of colourful horns at a Christmas tree farm - lots of horns in a container and a child's hand holding a blue horn beside a Christmas tree

In response to blowing the horn, they come and discuss price. They chopped our tree down, which the kids enjoyed watching, and helped us get it to the car.

Getting it home wasn’t as hard as I feared – it fitted on our car roof, luckily! We didn’t get our tree netted or delivered, but they were options given to us.

A man and three boys standing in front of a black car with a real Christmas tree on the roof

We got the tree home, and named him Chris the Pine. Chris was put in pride of place in the lounge room (sounds better than put in his corner!) and festooned with lights.

Merry Christmas, and enjoy your Christmas trees!

A real Christmas tree festooned with white lights in the corner of a room

Choosing a real Christmas tree

Yule not open this book – Christmas book review

Nov 25, 2022 |

Yule NOT open this bookFront cover of the book Yule NOT open this book by Andy Lee, showing the title and blue creature holding a letter to Santa

by Andy Lee
illustrated by Heath McKenzie
Lake Press, Hawthorn, 2020

Age group: 5-9 year olds
Format: 32 page soft cover book

My kids love Andy Lee so I couldn’t pass up this Yuletide book!

The story

The nameless blue creature in the book is under a spell. Every time you turn a page in the book, the spell makes it look he has done something naughty. And the naughtiness gets worse with each page! The creature wants you to not open the book, nor turn the pages, to protect Christmas.

My review of Yule NOT open this book

Yule NOT open this book continues the series of Do not open this book, Do not open this book ever, and Seriously do NOT open this book. I like the play on words in the title – “you’ll not open this book” blended with Christmas by the “Yule” spelling. Not sure how many Aussie kids know the word Yule though! I haven’t read any of the other books but as they are picture books I don’t think you have to read them in any particular order!

This Yule book will certainly appeal to kids – it is their sort of humour 😉  Let’s face it, Andy Lee usually nails it for kids’ humour in his books!

Personally, the book just raised questions for me, lol! Spoiler alert – skip this next sentence if you don’t want to know the ending! I don’t understand how the spell causes all this trouble and then suddenly the creature can overcome it and tidy up.

Inside pages of the book "Yule NOT open this book" showing a blue creature in a very messy room

I think kids would also love the concept of naughty things being done without it being “their” fault! And also giggle and perhaps feel a little shock when the creature threatens to tell Santa the reader is being naughty.

Inside pages of the book "Yule NOT open this book" showing a Christmas tree and a letter to Santa written on the wall!It’s a cute approach to Santa’s naughty list. The behaviours are ones kids can relate to – not eating their greens, playing with a ball inside, and make a mess. Even when he tried to write a letter to Santa, ended up being written on the wall!

In his letter to Santa, the creature included “hope you’re not too stressed”. I love that care shown for Santa – and the example of treating Santa well.

McKenzie’s illustrations are cute and tell much of the story. The pictures have fun details and show the naughtiness going on, yet they are simple with minimal background distractions.

There are some definite funny parts for adults. For instance, I loved seeing the creature drowning in broccoli and scrubbing out his own mouth with soap!

Would I recommend Yule NOT open this book ? Absolutely! This humourous Christmas book has fun, modern story that will delight kids and adults alike.

Back cover of the Christmas book Yule NOT open this book showing a picture of the author Andy Lee and a blue creature

Even the back cover of Yule NOT open this book is fun to read!

 

Yule not open this book - Christmas book review

Giving ideas for Christmas

Nov 19, 2022 | ,

Christmas is a wonderful celebration, but not everyone looks forward to it.

Taking the opportunity to help people have a great Christmas is a great way to share the spirit of Christmas. By giving to others, we helps others, feel good, and set an example of people around us – including our children.

Ideas for how to give this Christmas

There are many ways to give to others, and many don’t cost much at all. Hopefully, this list of giving ideas will inspire you to find options that suit you.A collage is photos showing smiling children at Christmas - a baby in a Snata suit, young children dancing in Christmas costumes, a boy holding a present and girls reading Love Santa letters

  • smile at everyone you pass – it can make a huge difference to their day and probably makes you happier, too!
  • be nice to everyone working in retail – leading up to Christmas, it is a tough job and not everyone is patient and considerate
  • invite a lonely person or two to dinner or a Christmas function – and consider inviting them on Christmas Day
  • volunteer somewhere to help people – serve food, collect donations, pack charity hampers
  • add some items under a Wishing Tree or to a local charity
  • put together a handbag for Share the dignity
  • give a charity gift – like a duck from Oxfam, vaccinations for children in poverty, a literacy pack for disadvantaged kids, or clean water for people in emergencies.
  • check in on elderly and lonely neighbours – just a hello, a Christmas card, a plate of biscuits, or a cuppa can make a huge difference in their day
  • make sure to thank the organisers of any community events and let them know how much you enjoyed it

So what will you give this Christmas season?

Giving ideas for Christmas

A Christmas gift – Christmas book review

Nov 11, 2022 |

Front cover of "A Christmas Gift" showing a young woman dressed in 1940s clothes in front of a window with a snowy village outsideA Christmas gift

by Ruby Jackson
HarpersCollins Publishers, London, 2014

Age group: teen to adult
Format: 387 page paperback

Our local library recently had a sale of some books they wanted to get rid of (not that I understand a library getting rid of books!). I looked thoroughly and found one or two Christmas books to grab! Jackson’s a Christmas Gift was not as predictable as expected, I’m pleased to report.

The story

Sally Brewer and her friends had a happy life in a town called Dartford until World War II broke out. Sally’s dreams of going to performing school were dashed with war closures. However, she ended up with a job in Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA).

The book follows Sally as she learns to perform and entertain soldiers during the war. At the same time, she is learning about relationships and living away from her loving parents and safe community.

My review

To start with, this book has little to do with Christmas or Christmas gifts. Disappointingly, it’s more a love story than a Christmas book.

I think the most interesting part of this story for me was learning about ENSA and what it was like for those performers entertaining the troops in Britain and France. I would like to know more about their time in France, but it would have risked some repetition to share more stories of the bases and the journeys in between.

The book explores various relationships. As well as the usual boy-meets-girl interactions, there are performer jealousies, grief at war losses, and learning to live in a city rather than a protected family town. The love at first sight elements are enhanced by the risk of being torn apart by war at any moment, but are still a little much. Although I felt a question over who Sally would end up with, and that kept things more interesting.

It was only when I reached the end that I realised this was the third book in a series of four books! So you can definitely read this as a stand alone book, or try the series to get a fuller picture (and more details about Sally’s friends). If you are interested, the series order is: http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=4691&id=9780007506293

It was easy to read and not too complex. A Christmas gift perhaps to us as a reminder of how lucky we are, and how much we owe our defence personnel for our freedoms. Or maybe I am just appreciative on Remembrance Day.

Overall, this book is vivid and gives a good feel of 1940s London life. Jackson gives us a saga of hope, deep friendship, family ties, change and the power of love, and a wonderful character called Sebastian. He is the type of friend we all wish for!

Would I recommend it? Yes, A Christmas gift is a nice story. If you like romances, this is definitely worth a read. Not so much if you are after a Christmas story. It is interesting and has some historical attraction, so it’s a good light read.

A Christmas gift - Christmas book review

Bidding farewell to elves

Jan 6, 2022 |

Although the elves usually go home with Santa on Christmas Eve, our two did not disappear until this morning!

Mind you, they have remained in one place in the meantime – maybe they needed a rest, maybe the kids being away took away the fun  of moving! Either way, we found the elves ready to play a game of PacMan this morning. There was a note as well.

Christmas Elves sitting at a pacman board made of cardboard and malteasers

The elves’ farewell

Tinkles’ note opened out and read “Santa let us stay late to welcome you back from VicJam. We hope it was fun! Have fun with Pacman. We will go home tonight – we are all packed like scouts. Love Tinkles and Ginger xxxx oooo”

Childish writing on green paper - a letter signed Tinkles and Ginger

…And later in the day, Santa joined in the game!

Collage of photos showing Christmas elves sitting at a pacman board made of cardboard and malteasers

 

 

Bidding farewell to elves

Dress to impress?

Dec 21, 2021 |

What will you be wearing on Christmas Day? Do you ‘dress to impress’ or go casual?

How formal should we dress for Christmas?

Smiling girl in a black with gold starsdress and red Christmas antlers headbandI see two sides of this – it is a special day and it’s nice to show respect to your hosts by dressing well, but it is also a day for being with people you care about so what you wear shouldn’t be the most important thing. Let’s face it, family should love you whether you dress up or go casually, but turning up in old gardening clothes is probably pushing it a bit far!

Obviously, the type of event has an influence – if you are picnicking on the beach or in a park you probably won’t wear stiletto heals or a formal outfit – but even so, there are levels of dressing up for most locations and situations.

And the weather is a factor – who wants to wear a suit on a 30° day? Poor old Santa is usually overdressed for the heat of an Aussie Christmas.

Peer pressure is always part of it – it can be awkward to be the only one dressing casually or formally – and families tend to have an established pattern or dress code.

So what do you wear?

I have relatives who buy a special outfit for Christmas every year – it gets used again afterwards so is not as decadent as that may sound! It makes the day special and makes them feel sparkling and excited.

I also have relatives who turn up in a t-shirt and shorts from their everyday wardrobe. They seem comfortable enough with this and being a bit ‘underdressed’ compared to everyone else.

Personally, I like to dress up a bit – it’s part of the celebration to dress myself, just like I decorate the house, wrap presents nicely and try to make the food above the ordinary, too.

How about you, how do you dress for Christmas? Do you go casual or dressy? Do you change outfits between family gatherings on Christmas Day (if you have more than one, obviously!)?

Christmas choc-caramel tart ~ recipe

Dec 20, 2021 |

If you have a sweet tooth, you will probably enjoy this rich choc-caramel tart!

This is a decadent dessert to enjoy at Christmas functions, both formal and casual. After a large Christmas lunch, a small slice of this is probably plenty so you’ll get a number of serves from this tart.

It is Christmassy most through the colours, but the ginger and macadamia also add a Christmas flavour to my taste buds. I have made it with a chocolate biscuit base, too, which is also delicious but less Christmassy 😊

And while this tart looks quite fancy, it is actually quite easy to make.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 450g gingernut biscuits
  • 1/3 cup macadamias
  • 110g unsalted butter (melted)
  • 4 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling

  • 250g dark chocolate
  • 300ml thickened cream
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 350g tin of caramel filling (or some homemade caramel)

Decoration

  • 200-250g large chocolate balls
  • red and green smarties

Method

For the base, crush the biscuits and nuts. I like some small pieces for texture, but you can crumb them finely if you prefer.

Mix in the melted butter and cranberries. Put the mixture into your prepared tin (I use a 22 cm round springform pan, but you could use a flan dish or a slice tray). Spread it flat and about 3cm up the sides, then pop it in the fridge.

Break or chop the chocolate and butter into pieces and put them into a microwave safe bowl.

Heat the cream to almost boiling (a few bubbles around the edge means it is hot enough). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter. Whisk together to form a rich chocolate ganache. If the chocolate has not fully melted, place the bowl in the microwave for 10 second bursts until it is melted (watch carefully so you don’t burn the chocolate).

Spoon the caramel filling over the biscuit base.

A spoon spreading caramel across a chocolate base in the preparation of a Christmas choc-caramel tart

Stir the chocolate mixture again – it is quite runny. Gently pour the chocolate over the caramel. I find It better to slowly pour it as I move the bowl around so it doesn’t disrupt the caramel layer.

A Christmas choc-caramel beside a bowl of red and green smarties

Distribute the red and green chocolate balls across the top. Spread the smarties across as well but note they may not show on the surface depending on the depth of your chocolate ganache! Putting them on their side rather than flat will have more showing above the surface.
A Christmas choc-caramel decorated with red and green smarties

Pop the tart into the fridge for at least 4 hours.

For fun, serve with red or green whipped cream or ice-cream.

Notes

If the tart softens a bit while travelling to a function, you can pop this in the freezer for a while to help it set again.

Covered, the tart will last up to three days in the fridge so you can make it in advance.

You could try this with a milk chocolate, but I think it would be just too sweet. My kids don’t like dark chocolate, but they don’t even notice it in this tart!

Christmas choc-caramel tart ~ recipe

More 2021 elf antics!

Dec 20, 2021 | ,

As December 2021 continues, so do the Love Santa elf antics!

Since graduation, this is what our elves have been up to…

Collage of photos of CHristmas elf and baby elf enjoying some Christmas antics

Day 16 – Tinkles on the couch wearing a whoopie cushion costume! I thought it was cute and funny, but the kids said she had it wrong by being under the cushion!

Christmas elf wearing a red costume that looks like a whoopie cushion

Ginger was back sitting on the rainbow poppit, but with a lemonade and a cupcake. I’m not sure the kids spotted her on the poppit the other day so this was her way of trying again!

Baby Christmas elf and reindeer finger puppet sitting on a rainbow poppit with a cup of lemonade and a cupcake

Day 17 – What a helpful elf! Tinkles was busy sewing a ’15 years of growth’ badge onto a scout leader shirt – and had a scout shirt nearby waiting for more badges to be attached.

CHristmas elf sewing a badge onto a blue scout leader shirt beside a green scout shirt

Meanwhile, Ginger and her reindeer friend were hiding in our Santa advent calendar. They didn’t disturb any unopened doors 🙂

A wooden Santa advent calendar with a baby CHristmas elf and reindeer puppet poking out of some doors

Day 18 – Tinkles was sitting on our new bookshelf, reading Mr Christmas to Ginger and some friends.

A Christmas elf sitting on a shelf reading a Christmas book to some dolls A Christmas elf sitting on a shelf reading a Christmas book to some dolls

Day 19 – Both Christmas elves were sitting on the front of a purple travel bag. The bag is for VicJam, a scout camp my kids are going on after Christmas.

A Christmas elf holding a sleeping bag and lying on a purple bag with a baby elf and a red note

I love how the elves are prepared with a sleeping bag and a roll or two of toiler paper!

A Christmas elf holding a sleeping bag and lying on a purple bag with a baby elf and a red note

The elves had written a note “We heard you are going somewhere – can we come too??”

A baby Christmas elf with a red note "we heard you are going somewhere - can we come too?"

Day 20 – Doctor Tinkles was checking on the health of Ginger and some other elves this morning! Which reminds me of a joke – why don’t you ever see Santa in hospital?

Christmas elf dressed in a doctor's coat sitting by a laptop with a queue of elves

Because he has private elf-care!

What have your elves been up to in the last week?

More 2021 elf antics!

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