Christmas No1 Songs (UK)

Ah, the Christmas No1 - a highly sought-after achievement in the world of pop - and often the subject of much speculation.

It used to be an open contest, then Cliff Richard started to dominate things in the late 80s and 90s, then the Spice Girls had a turn. These days there is something of an X-Factor monopoly on Christmas number ones (apart from the one year when we all rebelled and put Rage Against The Machine up to number one at Christmas - Facebook power!)

Christmas 2010 and it was the X-Factor again beating everyone else to the number one spot, with Matt Cardle's "When We Collide".

Here's a list of all the Christmas No 1 songs from the last few decades!

Christmas Number 1 Hits of the Past

Noughties Christmas Number Ones:

• 2009     -     Rage Against the Machine     "Killing in the Name"
• 2008     -     Alexandra Burke     "Hallelujah"
• 2007     -     Leon Jackson     "When You Believe"
• 2006     -     Leona Lewis     "A Moment Like This"
• 2005     -     Shayne Ward     "That's My Goal"
• 2004     -     Band Aid 20     "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
• 2003     -     Michael Andrews & Gary Jules     "Mad World"
• 2002     -     Girls Aloud     "Sound of the Underground"
• 2001     -     Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman     "Somethin' Stupid" 
• 2000     -    Bob The Builder     "Can We Fix It?" 

Nineties Christmas Number Ones:

• 1999     -    Westlife     "I Have A Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun"
• 1998     -    Spice Girls     "Goodbye"
• 1997     -    Spice Girls     "Too Much"
• 1996     -    Spice Girls     "2 Become 1"
• 1995     -    Michael Jackson     "Earth Song"
• 1994     -    East 17     "Stay Another Day"
• 1993     -    Mr Blobby     "Mr Blobby"
• 1992     -    Whitney Houston     "I Will Always Love You"
• 1991     -    Queen     "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
• 1990     -    Cliff Richard     "Saviour's Day" 

Eighties Christmas Number Ones:

• 1989     -    Band Aid II     "Do They Know It's Christmas?
• 1988     -    Cliff Richard     "Mistletoe and Wine"
  
• 1987     -    Pet Shop Boys     "Always on My Mind"
• 1986     -    Jackie Wilson     "Reet Petite"    
• 1985     -    Shakin' Stevens     "Merry Christmas Everyone"
• 1984     -    Band Aid     "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
• 1983     -    The Flying Pickets     "Only You"
• 1982     -    Renée and Renato     "Save Your Love"
• 1981     -    The Human League     "Don't You Want Me"
• 1980     -    St Winifred's School Choir     "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma"

Seventies Christmas Number Ones:

• 1979     -    Pink Floyd     "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
• 1978     -    Boney M     "Mary's Boy Child" / "Oh My Lord"
  
• 1977     -    Wings     "Mull of Kintyre"
  
• 1976     -    Johnny Mathis     "When A Child Is Born (Soleado)" 
• 1975     -    Queen     "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• 1974     -    Mud     "Lonely This Christmas"
• 1973     -    Slade     "Merry Xmas Everybody"
• 1972     -    Jimmy Osmond     "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool"
  
• 1971     -    Benny Hill     "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"
• 1970     -    Dave Edmunds     "I Hear You Knocking"

Cute Santa Claus Christmas Tree Topper

I love cute Christmas decorations, so imagine how excited I was to find this gorgeous Santa Christmas tree topper - he's adorable and will brighten up any Christmas tree!

You can buy the Santa tree topper here:
http://homeshopping.24studio.co.uk/search/22826505



For more Christmas inspiration, Christmas gifts and decoration ideas, visit www.24studio.co.uk/christmas

Christmas Crafts

The run-up to Christmas is the perfect time to get crafty - especially if you have excited children to keep entertained!

Christmas crafts can be a lot of fun, and you could create some unique Christmas gifts, Christmas decorations or other accessories / novelties - as well as having lots of messy fun with paper, glue and glitter.

You can save items all year round for your Christmas craft box - find your inner magpie! - save anything shiny, bright or glittery, as virtually anything can be put to good use once your creative juices get flowing.

As a starting point, your Christmas craft box should include: paper and card (ideally in assorted colours), scissors, PVA glue, paints and pens, foil, and glitter. Also worth saving are pine cones, pieces of old wrapping paper, greetings cards, ribbons, bows, sequins and any other shiny bits or bobs you can save throughout the year.

The easiest Christmas craft projects to make are customised gift tags, paper chains, advent calendars and tree decorations.

You'll find some great Children's Christmas craft ideas at : www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/.

Enchanted learning also have a selection of printable childrens Christmas activity books and worksheets with colouring, writing, questions and all kinds of fun activity to keep them busy.

Christmas Craft projects on the site also include puppets, wreaths, stockings and fun novelty items - and when you make your own gifts, you can personalise in any way you wish! 

Also worth a visit is www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml - packed with clever Christmas craft ideas, you'll find inspirational ideas for Christmas gifts and treats, some may be too tricky for younger children.

Why not get crafty this Christmas and make some special Christmas gifts - if you have children to help you, even better, some of the most memorable keepsakes and enduring Christmas ornaments are handmade by little hands!

If craft isn't your thing, you can start shopping for Christmas gifts and Christmas decorations nice and early with www.24studio.co.uk/christmas - they also stock all kinds of Christmas novelty items, cards, wrap, trees, and a range of craft materials and craft kits.

Virtual Christmas Tree Fun

Have fun decorating a virtual Christmas Tree - great for the kids, click on the tree below to get started and you can adorn the tree with candy canes and baubles etc.
Thanks to http://www.christmaswebmaster.com/decorate.html for this resource.

Great Christmas Shopping Website Link

Christmas Shopping fanatics!

Check out this website www.24studio.co.uk/christmas - packed full of wonderful Christmas stuff, and it's on sale even in the summer! (A Christmas maniac's dream!)

They specialise in personalised gifts (also great for Christmas!), but what I like about this online shopping website (UK) is their fab range of random and funny Christmas novelties.

Like.... this Santa Toilet Seat Cover (yes, you did read that right, it's a cover for a toilet seat!!)

I never really considered Christmas decorations in the bathroom before, but why not!? The message on the hat (and on the mat) reads "Santa sat here"....
Very cute, I think I need one!
Buy Santa Sat Here toilet seat cover and mat set from 24studio.

Wandering around their website I also found these charming angel / reindeer door stops - shame they don't have one in a Father Christmas design but these are still very festive and sweet.

Available from 24studio (UK based) :

Buy festive door stops

One final thing I had to show you, also from Studio:
Santa LED window light in Santa / reindeer design.

These are very sweet window decorations (can also be fixed to a wall) - each has 10 LED lights built in and comes with stickers for fixing to your window, and transparent cable to keep things neat.

Santa / Reindeer LED window decorations by 24studio.

24Studio also have an impressive selection of Christmas cards and wrap, so are a good place to start your Christmas shopping, especially if you like to start early!
Christmas decorations, Christmas cards and wrap, Christmas trees & lights, Christmas gifts.

Christmas Resources for Children

Here's a great resource for teachers, parents and anyone looking to entertain or educate young children about Christmas: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html

This brilliant collection of resources includes advent calendars and Christmas craft projects, maths and english projects with a Christmas theme, and all kinds of information about Christmas traditions. Plus, free Christmas clip art, music clips and fun Christmas stories for children.

This is a great resource for entertaining children at Christmas (and in those excited weeks before Christmas!)

Christmas Fun

Featured Christmas link: www.northpole.com

Looking for Christmas fun, games and activities for kids and grown ups, with printable stories and colouring pages, Christmas countdown calendar, e-cards, recipes and Christmas ideas. Visit www.northpole.com for Christmas fun!

http://www.northpole.com/

 

Christmas Clip Art - Free Christmas Images and Graphics

Here are some great links for free Christmas Clip Art and Graphics that you can use for your Christmas projects - whether you're doing something online or making Christmas posters, cards, gift tags, childrens projects etc.

http://www.christmas-clipart.com/ - a nice collection with some modern, cute designs

http://www.christmas-graphics-plus.com/ - good collection of mainly traditional clipart images, and some animated GIFs.

http://www.shermanisd.net/Instruction/ChristmasClipArt/christmas_clip_art.htm - Christmas clip art and borders

http://freecuteclipart.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas%20Clipart -  a few nice Christmas images and animated graphics

Get Ready For Christmas With The Kids

If you have children in your family, or your friends have children, I'm sure you'll agree that they add an extra dimension to Christmas - the fun, the excitement, the suspense in the run up to the big day!

If you've ever spent time with kids in the run up to Christmas, you'll know that the excitement can almost get too much - so much waiting (and behaving!)

Here are five ideas for entertaining children in the last few weeks before Christmas without spoiling them!

1. Take them Christmas carolling - ah bless their cotton socks, even the naughtiest most-hyper child will be transformed into a little angel once they start belting out "Away In A Manger".

2. Long walk outdoors - whether it's crisp and cold, or wet and windy, a walk outdoors is a sure-fire way to tire out little legs and create a diversion in little minds. Try to point out Winter wonders as you go along, winter berries on the trees etc! Perhaps try and collect pine cones or holly that can be used as part of a Christmas decoration project!

3. Bake mince pies and treats - good old fashioned baking can fill an afternoon and what could be more Christmassy than mince pies? If you don't fancy messing with the oven, try making truffles or sweet treats that don't need an oven! As a bonus, things like truffles can be boxed and use as inexpensive gifts - grandmas will love gifts made especially for them by little hands!

4. Visit the grottos, garden centres and Christmas fayres - Santa might be there, but you don't need to spend time in queues or paying to see him, young children are often captivated by the displays in shops and around the town. They also love seeing houses that are covered from roof to floor in lights and decorations (and a lot of people enjoy decorating their homes this way), so keep an eye out for these Christmas wonders and remember to take the kids for a look, they will love it!

5. Get busy with the wrapping paper and sellotape -  let the children get crafty - collect a box of old/surplus wrapping paper, cards, tape, decoration, bows, glitter and glue and let them go wild. (A plastic sheet for the floor might be an idea before you start!) You could collect things all year so that you have a box full of materials by Christmas time - remember to supply them with safety scissors! They can make all kinds of fun stuff - you could even get them to wrap sweets and treats and put them under the tree!

One thing's for sure, if you have kids, your Christmas preparations will be a lot more fun!

Credit Crunch Christmas

Top Five Things To Do This Christmas Without Flexing Your Wallet!

1. Go Sledging - this will be more fun IF it snows....
2. Build a Snowman - as above
3. Have a Snowball Fight - er....
4. Sing Christmas Carols - no snow required
5. Pour Water On Public Steps & Watch The Results - just kidding folks, you don't want to get sued!