Can you hear them? Can you hear the bells ringing? The sound of Excited children waking up at the sparrows fart to snowy footprints, half-eaten cookies and carrots? Can you smell the cinnamon and pine needles, the turkey and the ham? Can you feel the warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of your tummy? The joy that comes with being together as a family, sharing traditions with your children and seeing their little faces take it all in? EEEEEEEEEEK!

There are 66 days, 14 hours, 31 minutes and 17 seconds until Christmas! (Yes I used a christmas clock to calculate this!) And I’m getting excited already!

I know I know, there’s still two months to go, but I guess I’m feeling extra excited this year because we are celebrating with all our family in Robertson at my parents holiday home. Last year we weren’t with all the cousins and my side of the family so it’s going to be special being together and enjoying some down time together. Another reason I’m enjoying christmas more as my boys get older is because traditions have had the time to become, well, traditions. As they are growing up, and they experience all the fun that comes with christmas we get to reflect on previous holidays and it’s becomes something they really look forward to.

One of our favourite traditions is building a Gingerbread house every year. We usually build it 2 days before christmas and have some on christmas eve. We then always make sure we have left some on a plate for Santa before we go to bed. I don’t know how long my kids are going to believe in the whole Father Christmas thing (Noah, Brody and Hunter, if you’re all reading this and you’re all in your twenties and still believe in him, then I’m sorry to be the one to burst your bubble guys) but for now I love it that they enjoy the magic and excitement that comes with this time of year.

Recently we got to do a little test run of our Gingerbread House when we were sent one from Gingerbread House Kits SA. These kits are amazing and come with everything you need to construct a gorgeous gingerbread house from beginning to end. No need for whisking and baking and making sure your walls and panels are even. They have everything perfectly cut and measured so that you can simply enjoy all the fun!

Now I need to add a disclaimer : I’m not very good at constructing these houses. I’ve been known to mess up a few in my time but, I’ve made five now and I will say with certainty that for someone who’s not a natural “baker”, the fact that it’s all prepared and ready to construct certainly works in my favour. I have had to learn to relax and just go with it, allowing my kids to have fun and enjoy the moment for what it is. And no matter how Imperfect they turn out, they always look cute!

Here are some pictures of us putting ours together last week. The boys simply loved every minute of it. Of course eating half the sweets is always a highlight!

These kits are available to purchase online by visiting Gingerbread House kits. They are only R250 and include everything you need, including a lot of sweets for decorating! The biscuit panels are sealed and so it stays perfectly fresh until you open it to start constructing. And once you have built your house they usually stay fresh for a week or more!

I have a Kit to give away today!! YAY! To Enter you can follow these simple steps:

1. Like and Share the post on Facebook.
2. Tag two mom friends in the comments on Facebook.
3. Show GBH Kit SA some love on Facebook to say thank-you! 🙂

This comp is running on Instagram too, so hop on over there a little later and double your chances of winning!

Terms and Conditions: 

• Competition is open to South African residents only
• Winner need to follow all three steps in order to qualify for the prize.
• Winner is selected randomly via random.org. My decision is final.
• This competition is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.
• Comp closes on Friday 26th October 2018.

GOOD LUCK!!! ♥

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!