Top 12 Toys for Christmas - 2019

This year’s Top 12 Toys for Christmas have just been unveiled at DreamToys 2019 in London.

The list, issued by the Toy Retailers Association predicts what’s likely to fly off the shelves this December.

A panel of retailers and industry experts (rather than the toy manufacturers and makers) have produced the shortlist where prices range from £9.99 to £99.99.

Toys inspired by movies are some of the favourites for 2019, with Frozen 2, Harry Potter and Toy Story 4 themed gifts in the top 12.

7-year-old Liana holds the Frozen 2 'Into the Unknown' Elsa Doll. ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

LEGO Harry Potter Knight Bus ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

Other toys on display at the Dreamtoys press event that caught my eye were the Scruff-a-Luvs pets. We spent last Christmas Day blow drying the wet fur of a Scruff-a-Luvs puppy and my daughter (now 5) has announced she hopes for another this year. This collection has now evolved and for 2019 an electronic version complete with heartbeat has been added to the collection.

The Scruff-a-Luvs collection ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

The Barbie Fashionistas Collection ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

The Kindi Kids dolls with big wide eyes and bobbling heads also caught my attention. They have changeable clothes and brushable hair and aim to act as a companion on your child’s journey through nursery.

Kindi Kids dolls ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

For LEGO fans there’s an incredible Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control set to keep you busy over the Christmas holidays. ‘Wraptiles’ is another fun gift to consider. It’s a creature you wear on your wrist with light up eyes, a record and playback feature. The collectable pets have over 25 interactive sounds and sensors.

So with Black Friday offers approaching and Christmas not that far away, here are the top 12 toys to look out for:

Barbie Dreamplane Playset - £79.99

Blume Dolls -£9.99

Frozen 2 ‘Into the Unknown’ Elsa Doll - £39.99

Harry Potter Knight Bus by LEGO - £34.99

L.O.L. Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper - £99.99

Nerf Elite Fortnite SP-L - £19.99

Owleez - £49.99

PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Super PAWs Mighty Jet Command Centre. - £59.99

Peppa Pig Peppa’s Stage Playset - £39.99

Rizmo - £59.99

Ryan’s World Super Surprise Safe - £44.99

Toy Story 4 True Talkers - £17.99

All images ©Katie Collins/EMPICS Entertainment

Christmas in the countryside

For the first time this year I really witnessed how exciting Christmas Day is through the eyes of a child.

It was the first year our eldest, who’s three, really experienced the build up - Nativity at school nursery, learning Christmas carols, writing a letter to Father Christmas and streaming Arthur Christmas on Netflix on an almost daily basis during December.

The 25th was therefore an exciting, eagerly anticipated day for her, her sister and three young cousins (all under 4 years old) as we gathered together to celebrate Christmas in a beautiful rented house in the countryside.

I had my camera close by as I really wanted to take lots of pictures this year.

I also edited the pictures as I went along this time by using an Apple SD card reader that plugged straight into my phone. Once imported, I edited the images in Snapseed, my favourite editing app.

Once I returned home I did a more thorough edit on my iMac using Adobe Lightroom but it was great to have the option of editing on the go, without packing a laptop for our travels.

Now the Christmas decorations are packed away, I'm looking at the photos and thinking how pleased I am that I didn't just rely on my phone to capture Christmas Day. 

I love my iPhone but it just doesn't cut it sometimes when my children are running around like crazy. 

My new motto this year is to print more pictures. So next on my list is to get some hard copies and make a good old fashioned photo album to look back on in years gone by.