One more sleep! How to make your own Toy Show treat box
Toy tester Anna Hickey from Castleconnell, Co Limerick with Ryan Tubridy pictured on the 'Beauty and the Beast' themed RTÉ The Late Late Toy Show in 2015. Picture: Andres Poveda
The hours are just whizzing by until the best day of the year. No, no, not Christmas day. We’re talking about The Late Late Toy Show, the one night of the year where we can all indulge in childlike joy with the family.
Of course, it’s also a night where we usually indulge in a lot more than sing-songs and matching pyjamas (if you haven't got yours yet, we have a handy round-up of the best ones here.)
But if you've left it too late to pick up a Toy Show treat box, or just want to save a few euros and make your own - you've come to the right place.
Get out the cardboard boxes from the Black Friday shopping (or is it just us that started a week early?), dress up some baking trays in wrapping paper, or pick up a pack of party bags in your local shop and fill them with your favourite treats to create your own instead.
From hot chocolate ingredients to affordable wine for mum and dad, we’ve rounded up the best bits to collect for your own DIY Toy Show treat boxes.
You can’t watch the Toy Show without investing in the first sweet box of the season and most supermarkets have them on sale at the moment. Try Tesco for a tub of Heroes, Celebrations, Quality Street and Roses, all just €3.99 this week. You can throw a handful of sweets into each of the kids’ boxes to bulk them up while holding on to your favourites in peace. Tesco also currently have a 5 for €5 offer ongoing which includes fizzy drinks, mi wadi, Cadbury chocolates and O'Donnell's crisps - sorted.
Make yourself feel festive with a sharing pack of Christmas crisps such as Keogh’s roast turkey and secret stuffing flavour - it’s not as weird as it sounds. Or pick up the first Tayto Box of the season with 18 box packs going for €4 in Supervalu.
Bulk up your hamper with a few packs of your favourite jellies. Supervalu has Natural Confectionery jellies currently on sale for €1 or pop over to Mr Price for a range of sweet tubes on sale for €1.49 If you're living near a sweet shop, such as Cork's Auntie Nellies, why not see if you can click and collect your favorites?
To up the ante, buy a cheap multipack of small chocolate bars or biscuits, like Cadbury’s Freddos or a pack of chocolate fingers, and tie a few together with ribbon for the kids’ treat packs. It might be over the top, but everyone loves untying ribbons, especially on Toy Show night. Or, treat the kiddos to one of Lidl's Christmas teddies (€5.99) which they can cuddle throughout the show.
Get the kids involved and bake a tray of cookies or brownies to include in your treat boxes to really make them special. You can even wrap each one in a piece of parchment paper with some ribbon or twine to make it look really professional. Or have a go at these beautiful gingersnap Christmas cookies and keep the kids occupied pre-Toy Show with the icing.
Don’t forget Kris Kringle. You can buy multi-packs of chocolate Santas in shops like Aldi and Lidl for pennies, as well as cheap packs of candy canes that can be thrown on the tree if not eaten. Cadbury's Large Chocolate Hollow Santa is currently on sale for €2 in Dunnes Stores.
Why not measure out the dry ingredients for our must-have hot chocolate recipe and include it in your treat boxes? That way you can easily get the kids involved and have everything ready to go for a quick ad-break turnaround. This is also a great idea if you're planning to drop a treat hamper to a friend or family member.
For an adult version, treat yourself to one of Bailey's Chocolate Bombe's which are currently on sale for €6 in Tesco (pack includes 3 bombes).
Pick up some festive Hazelnut or Almond Clusters in Lidl for €1.99, or try their Deluxe Pecan Truffles with Belgian Milk Chocolate for €2.99.
Don't forget the grown-ups. Pop over to Aldi for five wines under €5 including the Beachfront Californian Sauvignon Blanc €4.99 or the Estevez Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon for just €3.99. Dunnes Stores currently has 20% off red, white, rosé and sparkling wines and champagnes. Try Yellow Tail’s range of red and white wines for just €7.80 or a number of Santa Rita 120’s offerings for just €7.20. If you want to go all out, Moët’s iconic house champagne Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV is on sale at €43.84.
