Festive Fun | Intu VIP Winter Event

Cocktails in a box, making your own Christmas jumpers, festive froyos and the chance to catch up with some of my favourite local bloggers?

It could only be another INTU VIP event – and this time it was all about getting into the holiday spirit.

I am literally Mrs Christmas this year. It isn’t Theo’s first Christmas, but in some ways, it feels like it is because he was only three months old last year.

So I’ve been in the festive spirit for quite a while – and last week’s event at Intu Victoria Centre  was the candy cane topping on all that.

The shopping centre looked beautiful, with a huge tree up in the centre of the lower mall, and all the shops with light displays and their best Christmas wares front and centre.

The Autumn VIP event that I went to back in September was loads of fun and a great chance to catch up with some of my favourite bloggers, so I was excited for some festive fun and games this time around.

On arrival, we were greeted with a gorgeous cocktail from the street food insider’s favourite, Thaikhun. These were presented in Christmas gift boxes – how cute is that?

They were delicious – I thought I detected pineapple, lime and rum in mine – but quite strong, so I only sipped half as I was driving home.

Then I had the chance to make my very own Christmas jumper!

I have a rule now that we all have to wear them at home on the big day. I want to make it one of our family Christmas traditions.

The sad thing is, though – I’m not very crafty at all. I was the blogger most likely to end up glue-gunning their head to the craft table by accident!

Luckily, Super Super were on hand to help and advise, and if even I can produce something half-decent, there is literally hope for anyone.

My first attempt was a little…ahem…shall we say ‘maximalist’? I got a bit overexcited went wild with pom poms and glitter glue.

Here is the final result…. I’m torn between thinking it needs to go in the bin or thinking that it’s a work of conceptual genius that Gareth Pugh would be proud of…the verdict is still out on that one!

Thankfully, once I’d got my teeth into it, my second attempt was much better. This time I stayed in my lane and kept it simple with a reindeer applique and a few crystals.

This design was heavily ‘inspired’ by the lovely Shannon from Life in the Fashion Lane , who is not only real life Disney princess pretty but apparently talented with jumper designing.

I did tell her I was going to shamelessly copy her design as my first attempt was so unusual!

All the creations that I saw other bloggers making were amazing. There are a lot of very creative people out there. It was such a fun activity to do and really made me feel ready for Christmas!

After all that crafting, I was more than ready to break for a bit of festive froyo! I am the biggest fan of frozen yoghurt ever, but it can be quite hard to find. It doesn’t seem to have caught on here as much as over in the US.

Imagine my joy, then, when I saw these beauties! I was literally like a kid in a candy store. And to think, you can pick one up from Sloane Bros right in the Victoria Centre.

Yes, these tasted as good as they looked…..although any thoughts of frozen yoghurt being the ‘healthier’ option go out the window when you consider how many goodies were piled on top! Heaven. I will definitely be going back with Theo next time I’m out shopping.

The VIP area had been decorated beautifully with these gorgeous herringbone tweed sofas, deer cushions, silver hurricane lanterns and a Christmas tree with on-trend copper decorations from House of Fraser.

It was such a cosy little haven, I didn’t want to leave! I spent ages catching up with my lovely blogging girls up there.

Under the tree were gifts for everyone….I guess Father Christmas came early to Intu Victoria Centre! We all got to take home a goodie bag with treats from Clinique, Aveda, Prada, Decleor, sweeties, and a sample of the new Charlotte Tilbury perfume Scent of a Dream, which I was very excited about.

There was also a demo of the HTC Vive Virtual Reality Experience, where you got to decorate your very own virtual Christmas tree – if you’re into technology, definitely pop along to the Victoria Centre and give it a go.

It was a really nice evening and huge thanks go to the Intu Victoria Centre team, Cartwright Communications, Super Super, Sloane Bros, Thaikhun  and House of Fraser for contributing to such a brilliant Christmassy event.

Down at the Victoria Centre, they have so much more than just great Christmas shopping – there’s a Santa’s laboratory, where kids can help the elves to test the very best in toys this season, a ‘Giving Box’ where you can donate a gift to an underprivileged child, late night shopping sessions with parking for just £2 from 6pm, performing choirs to add a festive atmosphere and the Clocktower Food Court that’s full of restaurants and bars for when you need a break from the shops.

So, if you really do wish it could be Christmas every day, get down there because it really is!