CHRISTMAS IS HERE! December 2016
THE HOTTEST
holiday TOYS
TOP FESTIVE
Family
Days Out
HOME
Safety During the Holidays
FREE SUPPLEMENT
DECORATING YOUR HOME for the kids Mama’s GIFT GUIDE All We
Want
for Christmas
Deck the Halls... “In amongst the dirty faces and dirty dishes, there in the middle of the noise, mess and tears, is the greatest work of your life. To shape lives, to grow hearts that love and hope, to create the future out of cuddles and kisses.” John Cowan, Vocalist We are grocery shopping to Christmas songs, there are red-and-green ornaments at check-out counters and that restless, wintery feeling is in the air — 2016 is coming to a close! Perhaps your family has expanded to include another precious little person this year, or your child has taken that proud, wobbly step into their tween years and you are wondering where all the time has gone. Wherever you are at, we hope that the ideas on these pages will fill you with renewed hope — a deep sense that you are not alone in this thing called parenting and that you are doing an amazing job!
Dina
Editor
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
A very merry Christmas to you from all of us at Mother, Baby & Child!
STOCKING FILLERS
TOP CHRISTMAS TOYS
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DECORATING YOUR HOME
HOME SAFETY
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GIFTS FOR
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Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
TOP FESTIVE FAMILY DAYS OUT
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TABLE OF
4
CONTENTS
BABY& THE KIDS GIFTS FOR
THE MAMA
Naughty or nice?
CHRISTMAS 5
Christmas is Here | December 2016
the year's top toys for
AED 169
Trolls Role Play Styling Head AED 380
Hatchimals
AED 249
Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck
AED 190
Changing Bugatti Robot Car
AED 170
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
AED 499
Hot Whleels Shark Port Showdown
Yvolution Neon Scooter AED 275
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Dubai Police Highway Patrol Audi R8
Safe and Secure
Child-P
roof
Home Safety Tips for the Holidays If you are buying an artificial tree, make sure you see that ‘fireresistant’ label.
Set your tree up away from fireplaces, radiators, portable heaters and other heat sources.
As fun and irresistible as holiday lighting is, make sure it is made from flame-resistant, flameretardant and non-combustible materials. Before using lights outdoors, make sure they are certified for such usage.
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Make sure your Christmas tree, if natural, is fresh. Fresh trees are more resistant to fire hazards. Keep it watered and away from candles. Dubai may be among the safest cities on the planet, but it never hurts to be extra careful in a season when criminals know people are the busiest. Keep any light on when you leave the house and do not hide any spare keys in obvious places. 8
Lights are too pretty to turn off? We know, we know, but for your family’s safety put all the lights out before you leave the house or go to bed.
Should you go away for the holidays, notify a neighbour. It is best somebody knows that you are gone. At the very least they can pick up your newspapers or any package deliveries. With children running around, make sure your ornaments are unbreakable and free of sharp edges. Also, hang ornaments with moving parts out of their reach. If you are preparing for guests, try to focus as much as possible. Do not leave the kitchen while anything is cooking as unattended cooking is one of the major causes of home fires.
Top 10 Toys AED 279
Yo Kai Watch
AED 129
AED 54
Disney Sofia The First Feature Doll
Playgo Chocolate Fountain
AED 149
Juniors Monster Truck
AED 269
Hot Wheels Split Speeders
AED 149
Shopkins Sweet Spot Playset
AED 99
Barbie Spin Art and Doll
AED 82
Trolls Fashion Nail Studio
Chill Factor Ice Cream Magic Tray
AED 399
V-tech Smart Watch
Cannot make up your mind? Try the Babyshop Gift Card available at all Babyshop stores. Toys available across all 49 stores in the UAE and online on www.babyshopstores.com
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
AED 249
This year, SIMBA MIDDLE EAST says: “Safety comes first with the Dubai Police Supercars' Fleet extraordinary toy range.
toy stores Available at all
Audi R8
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Ford Mustang
Mercedes Benz SLS
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Chevrolet Camaro
Porsche Panamera
Dodge Viper Bentley Continental GT
Nissan GTR
Lamborghini Aventador
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
Enjoy the ride with the Mercedes Benz Big Bobby Car!
United Furniture Batman Frame AED 127 miniexchange.com AED 29
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE Pottery Barn Kids AED 140 each
Bateel Christmas Tree Advent Calendar AED 492
BABY & THE KIDS
OTT Cupcakes AED 585
THE HOLLY JOLLY COCOA BUTTER MASSAGE FOR KIDS
Kiddie s
pa
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
60 minutes / AED 399 SensAsia Spa, The Palm
AED 550 12
Children over nine start with a mini maple, cinnamon and sugar body buff, followed by a feather-soft 30-minute cinnamon, vanilla and sweet orange cocoa butter massage... and some SensAsia spoiling!
www.sensasiaspas.com
Pottery Barn Kids AED 200
Tersam Image AED 299
AED 129
COÉGA AED 50 each
MISK Nursery AED 15,000
Bateel from AED 92
F&F AED 89 each
AED 590
Kiddie acces
sories
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
Handmade in Dubai by mama Janine Plum, the Desert Roses range includes the cutest hairclips from AED 15 to AED 45 and headbands at AED 35 to AED 65. Available from www.desertroses.me and in store at Pitter Patter, PlayDates and Smudge Collection
Lakeland AED 2,276
Sfera AED 99
AED 380
WEST L.A. Boutique AED 575
Gioftr MGuaidmea f
PAN Emirates mirror AED 108
Valleydez Heliopolis AED 7,125
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Tarsam Image AED 99
AED 179
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Dari Home casserole AED 175 Air Fryer AED 580
AED 15
Tweezerman r
LED lighted mirro
AED 145
namshi.com AED 129
Spiegel Palazzo AED 5000
AED 149
Lakeland AED 35
AED 800
Aspinal of London AED 3,500
De'Longhi Multifry AED 1,199
Women'Secret AED 99
WINTER WONDER BOX FROM THE CURE SPA
Treat yourself or your loved ones to The Cure’s Winter Wonder Box. This pampering box contains a gift voucher worth AED 300, a special teacup, chocolate delights and a Christmas card. 15
Christmas is Here | December 2016
Fortnum & Mason
wooden advent calender
stocking fillers
AED 165
m am a
AED 150
Zara Home AED 56 namshi.com AED 60
Baylis AED 99
AED 85 Konjac Sponge AED 90
AED 129
AED 60
Kate Spade AED 120
Marquee AED 150
AED 14
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
AED 60
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MOR AED 225
AED 50
stocking fillers
th e k ids
Kidore AED 89
AED 17
AED 39
AED 50
The Party available on littlemajlis.com /shop/theparty
AED 39
Kippins AED 115
Tarsam Image AED 99
Rice AED 46
Happy Jackson AED 120
AED 60 17
Christmas is Here | December 2016
AED 119
Decorating Your Home for the Kids
This Christmas
We all do the reds and greens for Christmas and home stores give us plenty of ideas for our yearly festive décor plans, but how child-friendly is your home during the holiday season?
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Here are some tips to ensure your kids enjoy – and get involved in – Christmas decorating around the house.
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Make use of lanterns by filling them up with toys and figurines of little children rather than your typical candles. It is safer and the kids will sure love it.
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Instead of having one wreath hanging by the door, why not
have two? Get the children to decorate the other one with you, adding bubble ornaments in vivid colours or little Santa figurines and candy canes.
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Go craft-crazy with the kids! They can help out with all the decorations, but make sure they get to create their very own ornaments, paintings and more. It will help you
know what they love the most about the holidays too. Make a collage out of old Christmas cards. It is never a good idea to throw away memories, so keep these and make a corner out of them. You can sit and chat with your kids about who sent them, the stories behind them and more.
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Fill your apothecary jars with Christmas treats including cookies, ribbon candy, gumdrops and garlands of popcorn and cranberries. Just make sure you have certain limits as to how many treats the kids can grab at any given time; you do not want a sugar high every five minutes.
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Whether you are getting one main tree or not, what about giving the children their very own Christmas tree? It can be purple with Hello Kitty ornaments all over or made entirely out of paper for them to draw and doodle over.
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An icy frost is always a cute way to say ‘Christmas is finally here!’ Dust faux fruits or plants with glitter (mix three parts white glitter to one part silver) for a subtle holiday cheer shimmer around the house.
Ask
the Expert Here are a few tips from Hazem Aljesr, owner and founder of the Dubai-based Cities boutique, to keep your decorating under control and involve your children in preparations for the happiest season of the year!
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Coordinated, tasteful displays can seem impossible when your little ones are pushing for inflatable holiday scenes based around characters from the latest animated movie, and endless Santa and reindeer figurines. However, with a bit of planning and guidance, you can achieve your goal of stylish holiday decorations that make your home feel warm, inviting, holidayready and pleasing to all. 19
Christmas is Here | December 2016
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Before shopping for new dĂŠcor items, choose a palette that focuses on several main colours. There is no reason to limit yourself to traditional reds and greens. If you are concerned about breaking with the conventional, or have many existing decorations in these primary holiday hues, try incorporating gold or white to change things up a bit.
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Store-bought ornaments can benefit from personal touches such as the addition of fabrics or family photographs. This is a great area to get the children involved with craft projects such as glitter ball ornaments, paper snowflakes or garlands, or allow them to create their own pieces for the tree.
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Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Kids of all ages can help with the unpacking of stored dĂŠcor and assembling and decorating of the tree. Making a wreath or Christmas centrepiece can become a yearly tradition with every child contributing with something special. Enhance the excitement with an advent calendar; they can be bought or made, and even the youngest of children can get involved in the daily process of counting down to Christmas. Creating your own Christmas-themed potpourri is a great project for the kids to take part in, or add a few drops of an essential scent such as cinnamon or clove to a diffuser for an aroma throughout the house. 20
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Make sure to spread the feeling of the season to your children’s personal spaces as well. Providing them with a small tree to decorate and place in their room will give them the chance to share their own sense of holiday style. Encourage children to decorate their rooms in whatever way they choose; they can make their own window decorations, hang fairy lights and garlands across the room and display as many Christmas-themed creations as they want. Your child’s room is also a great place to allow them to share décor that may hold personal appeal, but does not fit with the more mature style on display in the communal spaces in your home. The holiday season is a great time to encourage a feeling of togetherness and make your own traditions. It is also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your child through crafts and projects to add to the décor, or simply slowing down to enjoy the glow of the Christmas tree with a cup of cocoa.
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
The season is what you make it, and there is no right or wrong way to decorate, so go forth and be merry!
So This is Christmas!
10 Christmas-ey gifts We Love AED 349
Lifestyle Santa’s Animated Musical Toy
Swatch Holiday Edition
AED 360
starting at AED 1,800
AED 25
Maison Des Fleurs Fresh Roses Cocosia Chocolate Santa
AED 40
Le Soie Red Christmas Tree Soap
M&S Snowman Socks
AED 20
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
The Formworks Art Gallery Christmas Tree Ornaments
AED 60 each
AED 30
Alessandro Hand Cream Holiday Edition
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AED 65 The Little Things Bimble Santa
AED 296 Tom Cridland Christmas Jumper
s e t F i ve p o T FAMILY DAYS OUT PARTYLICIOUS, THE DUBAI MALL Want to create a gingerbread house and keep it? Partylicious will be set up for beautiful season activity bringing mums and their little ones closer together while munching on gummy drops, sugar icing and candy stones. Join the winter wonderland complete with themed candy, gift hampers and gingerbread house decorating! Date: December 15 – 17 Time: 11 am to 2 pm Price: AED 119 04 330 8700 TESORO, TAJ DUBAI
Date: December 25 Time: 1 – 5 pm Price: AED 199 / 299 / 499 / 599 (children over 5 / soft / house beverages / bubbly) 0438 3100
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
A Christmas day brunch with a full turkey roast carvery, live music and an appearance from Santa!
FALCON KIDS CLUB, FAIRMONT THE PALM Christmas Eve and New Year’s at the Fairmont Falcon Kids Club are two very special affairs for the children! On December 24, the Christmas Eve party offers a wide variety of fun party games, dancing, gingerbread, cookie decorating and a chance to meet Santa himself, while the Silver & Sparkle New Year’s Eve Party invites the kids to experience their very own disco, cupcake decorating, arts and crafts, party games, video games, a climbing wall and a buffet party.
Date: December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 31 (New Year’s) Time: 5 to 7 pm (Christmas Eve), 6 pm to 1 am (New Year’s) Price: Christmas Eve is AED 180 per child, children aged 3 years plus. New Year’s is AED 395 per child with multiple re-entry, children aged 4 years plus 04 457 3331 BALLARO, CONRAD DUBAI
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Casting a festive spell, Conrad’s Friday Brunch includes a roasted turkey with traditional cranberry sauce, minced pies, Christmas bread, holiday cookies, ginger bread and much more. Santa will present festive gifts to the kids too! Date: December 25 Time: 1 – 4 pm Price: AED 495 with house beverages, non-alcoholic AED 395. Children aged 6 to 12-years-old dine at half price and below dine complimentary. 0444 7444 24
MANZIL DOWNTOWN HOTEL Introduce the little ones to the enchanting charm of the festive season with a fun-filled Gingerbread House Decoration session. The young artists are encouraged to get creative with the popular treat while enjoying a selection of delicious bites and juices and a surprise visit from a very special guest.
Date: December 9 and 10 Time: 1st session 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2nd session 3:00 to 6:00 pm Location: Meeting Rooms, Mezzanine Level Price: AED 125 per person 04 888 3444
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE, THE ADDRESS DUBAI MARINA Ruth’s Chris Steak House offers you a four-course Christmas extravaganza guaranteed to add some sizzle to your festivities. The Christmas set menu includes a delicious selection of seasonal dishes, think BBQ Spiced Salmon with Roasted Fennel, Chef’s Turkey with all the Trimmings and Cherry Chocolate Almond Cake. Date: December 23 to 25 Price: AED 395 per person 04 454 9538
For a Christmas feast, celebrate with your family and friends at Fortnum’s with their special Christmas menu featuring festive classics like salmon gravalax, slowroasted turkey and Fortnum’s famous pudding. The Christmas Menu will be available for lunch and dinner while festive afternoon tea will also be offered throughout the same period. Date: December 1 – 31 Price: Depends on menu item 04 388 2627
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Christmas is Here | December 2016
FORTNUM & MASON, THE DUBAI MALL
TIME OAK HOTEL & SUITES Start the season in twinkling style at this festive tree lighting ceremony. Children from neighbouring schools will take centre stage as they belt out Christmas carols while guests enjoy a warming mug of eggnog and delicious festive pastries. They can check if they are they are on Santa’s ‘nice’ list, as the big man himself is set to make a special appearance, all the way from Lapland. Date: December 8 Time: 5 pm 04 437 7888
NOSH, MÖVENPICK HOTEL JUMEIRAH LAKES TOWERS Let it Glow! Tree Lighting Festive magic is in the air when the shimmering Christmas tree is illuminated and the angelic voices of The Nord Anglia International School Primary Choir perform festive classics. The event is free and open to public at the Lobby Lounge. Santa Claus and his little helpers will make a special guest appearance.
Mother, Baby & child | December 2016
Date: December 8 Time: 5:30 pm
‘Twas the Night before Christmas Date: December 25 Time: 6:30 pm Price: AED 165 per person including buffet and soft beverages or AED 260 per person including buffet and unlimited house beverages A relaxed dining experience inspired by the magic of the season, the buffet will be filled with festive culinary delights, traditional carvings, Christmas trimmings, puddings and desserts. 04 438 0000 26
Come join us for a Christmas Splash! 8th & 15th December 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Book your spot today! AED 140 per child
Sp l a s
es h Slid
Gingerbread house decorating
rmaid Live Me
Splash pad s
Kids Meal and Goodies & Treats
Santa Claus and Xmas Dances
Magi c Sho w
CALL 04 388 3008
info@splashnparty.ae | www.splashnparty.ae Al Safa 2, Street 8A, Villa No. 1 Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE