Tag Archives: christmas

Merry Christmas

Posted on: by Galt Toys

What a celebratory year it has been with the Diamond Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics. It has perhaps been the best year of sport we have ever witnessed…and the year has ended on a high with Wills and Kate announcing her pregnancy.

Looking back over the year, we felt it was only right to highlight our five favourite bits.

1. On 6 February 2012, The Queen became only the second British Monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. An estimated 90,000 people attended the Diamond Jubilee Festival in Battersea Park and watched the Thames Pageant from there. Crowds in central London were estimated to number 1.2 million people even though it was raining!

2. The Olympics – More than a billion people tuned in to watch daredevil Gary Connery’s historic parachute jump into the Olympic Park dressed as the Queen at the climax of Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony. And who could forget Mo Farah’s now famous “mobot” pose, which became one of the most enduring images of the Games

3. Andy Murray won the US open – hooray and also reached the Wimbledon final and won Olympic gold this summer. Andy is e first British man to win a Grand Slam title in 76 years.

4. Barack Obama was returned to the White House on November 7, despite lingering dissatisfaction with the economy and a hard-fought challenge by his Republican opponent Mitt Romney.

5. Children in Need raised a record £26.7 million in one night after a six-hour telethon. About 20 of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic stars also got in on the action in a special music video; among them was Zara Phillips’ Olympic 3 Day Eventing team dancing Gangnam Style in a special video!

We’d love to hear your favourite bits from 2012, please tweet us @GaltToys or upload you favourite memories to our Facebook page.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Galt Toys

12 days of Christmas kindness

Posted on: by Galt Toys

Spread some festive cheer and win £200 worth of Galt Toys!

We all know there is more to Christmas than presents and here at Galt Toys we are on a mission to spread some of that festive cheer across the nations. To help us achieve this, we would love you to tell us your good deed this Christmas and as a thank you all ‘good deeds’ will be entered into a prize draw to win £200 worth of Galt Toys.

So what was your good deed today?  To enter simply email  galttoyscomps@gmail.com or tweet us @Galttoys using the hashtag  #galtxmas, or share your good deed via the Galt Toys Facebook page.

Good deeds could be anything from:

- Carol singing to raise money for a charity
- Baking cookies to give out at school
- Anonymously donating your change jar to a good cause
- Helping your neighbour put up their Christmas lights
- Donating towels to the RSPCA centres

It can be absolutely anything and you’ll know when you’ve done a good deed as you’ll get that warm fuzzy feeling inside you – a small act of kindness can make a real difference.

It’s a classic tale, but the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the mean-spirited man who realises the joy of good deeds, shows how a selfish act can bring happiness to all. So what is the science behind a good deed? Researchers have looked at the so-called helper’s high and its effects on the human body and found the wish to perform good deeds will improve our health, even our longevity. A study has found that people who carry out good deeds, experience less anger and stress and feel more positive and self-confident suggesting there is scientific truth to the old adage that when we help others, we also help ourselves.

 

 

 

FESTIVE PETS – WINNER ANNOUNCED

Posted on: by Galt Toys

Congratulations to Clare Andtribe Leahy on winning our Festive Pets competition with the hopping Christmas bunny image – it’s so cute and caused lots of ‘oooing’ and ‘aarring’ in the office. 

We’d also like to thank everyone who entered the competition; we had some super entries – a snake, a bearded dragon, horses and budgies in hats and some festive fish! Couldn’t really get any more Christmassy than that.

Although 23% of UK households own at least one dog or cat, many of us aren’t allowed to have a pet… sob sob! But help is at hand…… our Art & Craft experts have created a Designer Doggie for you and your kids to make. Simply download the pattern for FREE via our Activity Zone and follow the instructions.

If our regal Corgi isn’t for you, we have a super cool Sock Dog that will undoubtedly become a loveable friend with its cute rainbow ears and purple eye patch, or a sock cat with red nose and spotted jumper!

Alternatively you could grow an animal with our Grow-A-Head range. You’ll be able to grow a pig, monkey, cat or dog! Each head contains grass seed and coconut fibre in a colourful nylon cover with fun plastic and foam features. Just add water and watch them grow! After a few days, green hair will start to appear. Keep watering and your Grow-A-Head will soon be ready for a trim! Create your own cool hair styles.

Or if it’s ‘piggy-mess’  you are after, have a go at creating your  own Pet Pig out of Papier Mache.  Download the free template via our website for the pig’s legs, ears, snout and tail, and use an inflated balloon for his body. Add layers of Paper Mache from pieces of newspaper dipped in glue.When dry, you’ll have a hard but lightweight pig to decorate with paint. This activity is suitable for children aged 7 years and up and it’s a great way to recycle newspapers! When finished, why not upload your Make & Do photos to our Facebook page….we’d love to see how you get on.