Remember before Christmas when I told you that I was trying to focus more on experiences rather than gifts?

Well one of Master Frugal’s experiences took place this week and it was amazing – far better than I had expected and worth every penny we paid for it.

He’s a huge Boro fan and follows them avidly so when he didn’t really ask for much at Christmas we had no idea what to buy him as his main present. It felt like we’d be buying him something for the sake of it as he hadn’t really asked for anything and didn’t really need anything. So we started thinking about what sort of experience we could buy him that would leave him with amazing lifelong memories.

We toyed with a few ideas but the one we kept coming back to was the mascot package at the Riverside Stadium which would give him the chance to meet the team, have a kickabout with the captain and then finally, lead out his beloved Boro on to the Pitch before a match.

I’m not going to lie, it was the least frugal thing I’ve ever bought but I’m so pleased we went for it because he was so pleased with it and was literally speechless when he he found out on Christmas morning!

Anyway, after weeks of waiting, last Tuesday was the Big Night so we headed along to the Boro ground before the match ready for his big night.

He was so nervous bless him but as we sat in a little lounge with the match referee and the other officials, his nerves started to ease a bit and he started to enjoy himself. One of the match officials then took him down to the dressing room to meet the team and he was smiling so much when he came out that I honestly could have cried. The team seemed to make a real effort to make him feel welcome and he apparently chatted away quite happily with them in there for about 15 minutes which I thought was amazing.

We spent the time he was in there taking selfies and sitting in the team seats

He came back to stand with us at the pitch side to wait for the team to come out for their warm up and when they did, at least three of them came out of their way to give him a high five and one of them told him not to forget that he was his favourite.(I forget the names but apparently they were a big deal – one was a goalie if that helps). On the way off the pitch from the warm up he got more high fives and asked a few of them to sign his shirt which is now his most prized possession.

He was the whisked away again only to reappear a few minutes later with the captain’s arm on his shoulder leading the team out.

He then had a little kick about on the pitch with the captain who was very lovely – he noticed how nervous Master Frugal was in the tunnel and had a quiet word with him telling him how nervous he gets before a match to make him feel better.

There were so many other little touches that made the night even better – he was in the programme and on the big screen before the match, we got free meal vouchers, there was a professional photographer following him and he made sure to take pictures of us all (can’t wait to see them) and the brilliant seats we got to watch the match which was a great one with a 3-1 win.

He hasn’t stopped smiling since!

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