There are so many gift guides at this time of the year so I thought I'd keep this short and sweet. These are my top 10 picks for Christmas this year. They are things I'm loving that I'm giving my own family, rather than a huge list of things.

So lets get started on my top 10 Christmas picks for 2021...

My Top 10 Christmas Picks for 2021

For the beach

Tesalate Towel

I have an XL Tesalate Towel and it's fantastic. Heavy enough to feel like a substantial towel, but not heavy and bulky. I'm on a mission to replace a bunch of our beach towels with thinner, more absorbent versions and Tesalate is fantastic for this. I'm over lugging giant beach bags with giant towels that come back heavy and soggy. So I'm saving those towels for our pool and upgrading out beach towels to these. These are the perfect gift for any beach lovers in your life.

Buy it at www.au.tesalate.com

Piping Hot Swimwear

Piping Hot swimwear is perfect for the teens and tweens in your life. I like that it's well made, with good bum coverage in the girls' swimmers (so many don't) and really affordable. I'm just not willing to pay close to $100 for kids swimmers that only last a summer before they grow out of them. There is a range of girl's and boy's swimwear. Plus - look for the 'Heroes For the Ocean' surfwear which uses recycled polyester and has saved 14.6million plastic bottles from entering our waterways. It is also the first Australian fashion brand to sign the UN Decade Oceans which is committed to cleaning our oceans by 2030.

You can get it at Target

Project Ten Bags

These have been my favourite bags for about 7 years. I now have about six of them! I regularly gift them because they are so affordable and they last for ages. I haven't had one fall apart yet. I have the XL and the medium totes, the lunchbox, the wet bag and the shopping bag. They are perfect for the beach, a weekend away and everything else.

You can get them at www.projectten.com.au

For the kids to play with

Paw Patrol and Mermaid High toys

My 4 year niece is so into Paw Patrol and Mermaids right now. It's so cute! So for Christmas she is getting the Paw Patrol Movie Pups (based on the new Paw Patrol movie). They have all the pups available and they are the perfect stocking stuffer. You can find them at Big W and Target.

I'm also getting her one of the new Mermaid High dolls. Here's the info behind them:

Best friends Finly, Searra, Oceanna and Mari are making waves with their unique styles, but they’ve got a big secret. They’re mermaids! they feature fabulous removable mermaid tail with bold patterns and neon accents, flowing hair with braids and four doll accessories, including a surprise accessory hidden in the seashell. Drop the shell into a bowl of warm water and watch as it magically pops open, revealing a unique accessory to add to each mermaid’s look! You can find them at Target.

Vuly Swing Set and Play Equipment

Our Vuly Play swing set and trampoline are the most used things at out house. What I love the most about the swing set is the easily interchangeable attachments that we can keep buying that keeps the swing set fun. They are the perfect Christmas presents. At the moment our very favourite is the bed swing. It's hours of fun. Vuly have also just introduced a new bike range as well! Shop their range at www.vulyplay.com/en-AU

Technology

Belkin Boost 3-in-1 wireless phone charger

I have one of these by my bed and hubby is getting one for Christmas! It charges my phone and my Apple watch, and it can charge your AirPods too, if you have wireless charging. I love that it just has one cable that plugs in to the device and it charges all the devices. It's so much better than the frames you can get, but that you still need to plug both chargers into it. You can find a retailer here.

Smiggle Wireless Earbuds

For those of you not willing to fork out over $200 on airpods your kids will lose, Smiggle has a good alternative for only $60. Tully has been asking for airpods so she's getting these instead. They come in a variety of colours and they are wireless charged,. They have about 3.5 hours of battery life between charges. You can get them online or in store at Smiggle.

To Wear

The Oodie

I'm going to gloat and say I was ahead of the trend here lol! I've had an Oodie for a few years now and they are suddenly the hottest gift going for kids, tweens and teens. You can get a range of licensed ones such as Disney, Friends and Harry Potter, but also a load of original designs. Any kid or teen in your life will think you're just the best if you get them an Oodie. Check them out here.

Rollerskates/ Rollerblades

Along with the Oodie, every kid wants roller skates or rollerblades. The 90's are making a full comeback. For these, I recommend Gold Cross skates from Rebel Sport. They can be roller skates or rollerblades and they are adjustable in size. So your child can choose if they want skates or blades, and they grow with the kids. Tully and my nephew Mylo have them. Tully uses them as blades and Mylo likes them as skates. You can find them here.

To get Creative with

Water Colour Brush pens and duel nib markers

Typo is my new favourite art shop for Tully. They have really gone all out in their art section and we love it. Tully has the water colour brush pens and we all love them. This year I'm getting her the duel nib marker box. Art is one of her favourite activities so I'm always stocked up on art supplies. check out Typos whole art range here.

Paint and Sip studio

If your kid loves art Paint and Sip are running online classes. You can buy the online classes plus a 70 piece art pack. And... you can use your creative kids voucher as well! Their Art Box sessions give you access to two classes plus an art pack. Check out all their sessions here.

I hope these suggestions help you with with your Christmas shopping! Let me know how you go.