Next’s Dress For Christmas Competition

I love Christmas, it's one of my favourite times of the year.  Not much can beat the look of excitement on the children's faces for me.  I try and capture as many photos of them as I can at this time of year as it's at this time when I seem to see the childhood magic instilled in their eyes; the look that shows me that they still believe......

In order to get the most perfect photos, I always like to ensure they have a good festive wardrobe.  I always purchase their clothes every year from Next as they have such a wonderful variety.  These are usually my requirements for the clothes:

• Must contain some red
• Must be warm and snugly
• Must be cute

So the first thing that caught my eye this year from Next.co.uk was this red all in one suit.  It was the perfect fit for my four year old, and more importantly on freezing cold days it keeps him as snug as a bug in a rug.  The fact that it covers all the legs and is so padded keeps him ultra cosy and the fur around the hood keeps the cold air from his head.  Priced at around £26-£28 I thought this competitively priced for how cute it looks and how well it fits its purpose.

Red Padded All-In-One £26-£28

To accompany the snugly all-in-one suit I chose the Reindeer Fairisle Pattern Trapper.  In the Next catalogue you will find this in the women's section, but once I laid my eyes on this hat I had to have it for him.  I think you'll agree it goes superbly well with the red all-in-one.  It adds a festive feel to the whole outfit.  It just goes to prove what a unisex hat it is; it can be worn by boys or girls.

Reindeer Fairisle Pattern Trapper £9.50 - £11.50

Since I purchased this Reindeer trapper for him it's no exaggeration to say that we get comments daily on what a lovely hat it is.  The knitted reindeers add a traditional festive feel and the faux fur features add warmth to the hat.  The fact that the hat is so long keeps my sons ears lovely and warm too, so I don't need to worry about the cold wind blowing in his ears.

The hat has lovely detailing  and always attracts lots of comments.  Today has been a particularly windy day and my son made me laugh as the baubly bits on the hat were flying out behind him; he reminded me of Pippy Longstocking.

Ahh just how cute does this outfit look on him?

Next up was this gorgeous 'I heart Santa' top.  I liked this top because of the fact that the heart was composed of a fairisle design and yet the top also managed to maintain a modern feel by using the word 'cool' and placing a heart instead of the word 'love'; which is what we do in today's tech-friendly society.  The top is made of 60% cotton and 40% viscose so it is slightly warmer than just cotton alone.  The heart part of the top is slightly raised and has the feel that the heart has been sewed  or stuck on the top.

Long Sleeve I Heart Santa Crew Neck £7-£8

The top had a really nice fit and is perfect for lounging about in over the Christmas period as it is so comfortable.

For smart Christmas Day wear I had to look no further than these stunning tartan shirts, I loved them so much I couldn't resist purchasing one for my four year old and ten year old.  Don't they look great in matching shirts?  This is what they will be wearing on Christmas Day.

Red Tartan Shirt £9-£10 

Red Cord Chinos £9-£10

No Christmas is complete without a frosty looking reindeer jumper; this one looked the part and was also really comfy (not itchy like some jumpers can be). So we had no problem with my son wearing it as you can see!

Reindeer Fairisle Pattern Sweater  £14 - £15

Boys love monsters and when you are trying to get them to stay warm, there's no better option than to dress them as a little monster.  So adorable.....

Faux Fur Monster Hat £8-9

That's the kids sorted, but for myself I have created my own Pinterest board of what I would love to wear over the festive period.http://pinterest.com/bubbles1982/festive-fashion-from-next-womens/

And of course we couldn't leave out my husband so here's his Pinterest board  http://pinterest.com/bubbles1982/festive-fashion-from-next-mens/

That's us sorted for Christmas thanks to Next!  Anyway, we are entering this blog post in to the the wonderful Northern Mum's competition.  The challenge was to illustrate how you would style your family for Christmas day.  You can find more information on this challenge by clicking here http://www.northernmum.com/2012/11/competition-win-500-next-vouchers-perfect-christmas-outfit/

I thoroughly enjoyed entering - thank you Jane!