Category Archives: Christmas

Tinsel – The Girls Who Invented Christmas by Sibéal Pounder

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Tinsel

Here Come The Girls!

Have you ever noticed how the story of Christmas is all down the the men – even Rudolph is male.  And as for Mrs Christmas – she hardly gets a look in. Santa gets to fly out over the night sky on his sleigh but it’s Mrs Claus who’s put the tree up, done the shopping, wrapping and cooking while Santa gets all the fun and glory.

Well, get your elbows out ladies because here comes the delightful tale of Blanche Claus and her friend, Rinki to put the record straight.

Tinsel

It all started with a bright, shiny bauble – a gift that changed Blanche Claus’s life and set her on an adventure full of snow and sleigh rides, mince pie picnics and tinsel. She meets Rinki on the Corner where Christmas Trees are sold – and I really need to know where that magical place is! The descriptions are wonderful and the pace whisks you along, as if you too were gliding through the night sky.

Tinsel is a fresh take on how the legend of Santa Claus really came to be and it’s crammed full of lively characters that pop from the page. Little girls are going to love it. This big girl did too!

It’s a delightfully charming story of friendship and magic that sparkles and glitters. Young readers will be enchanted.

A funny,  festive read that will warm the heart. Too good to save until Christmas!

Tinsel – The Girls who Invented Christmas

Illustrated by Sarah Warburton

Published by Bloomsbury : 29th October 2020

RRP: Hardback £9.99

About Sibéal Pounder

Sibéal Pounder used to work for the Financial Times, where she researched the How To Spend It section and wrote the For Goodness’ Sake column – interviewing everyone from Veronica Etro to Vivienne Westwood. Now she writes about fabulous witches and feisty fairies in Witch Wars, her much loved series for Bloomsbury. Other writing credits include Vogue.com and fashion trend forecasting company WGSN, and she volunteers at the Media Trust, teaching kids who want to get into journalism. Sibéal studied History at St Andrews, Publishing at City, Quentin Tarantino films at Yale and recently completed the Faber Academy’s Writing for Children course. Sibéal’s first book, Witch Wars, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2016.

Published by Bloomsbury on the 29h October 2020

RRP: Hardback £9.99

Also by Sibéal Pounder

  

Festive Cocktail Guide Vol. 4 ft Isle of Harris Gin

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Courtesy of Isle of Harris Distillery, we’ve been treated to a very festive recipe created by Tom Jolly of The American Bar, Gleneagles Hotel. 

The Adru Martini has been made specifically to compliment the coastal flavours of the Isle of Harris Gin. Infused with sugar kelp this unique and aromatic gin, has been married with orange bitters and vanilla pods to create something truly Christmassy. 

The Adru Martini;

Ingredients;

50ml Isle of Harris Gin

25ml Lillet Blanc

1.5ml Sugar Syrup

2 dashes of Orange Bitters

1 dash of Vanilla Saline

Lemon Peel 

Method;

Make the Vanilla Saline – 40g of Sea Salt to 100ml of water and 3 split Vanilla pods then leave to infuse for 24 hrs. 

Add all ingredients, except for the lemon, to a chilled mixing glass.

Add a large block of ice and stir until liquid is chilled and suitably diluted. 

Strain into a coupe glass 

Squeeze oils from Lemon over the drink and rub the stem with remaining peel

Drop peel into drink as a garnish. 

Isle of Harris Distillers have also created bespoke gift packages for Christmas. Each handmade Martini Glass is unique, having been blown, shaped and polished in traditional fashion. Complete with ‘The Martini Project’ and distillery marques alongside exclusive Martini recipes to enjoy, the gift set also comes with a special Aromatic Water distilled from Sugar Kelp, picked sustainably by the distillery’s seaweed harvester.

The Harris Martini + Gift Set: £92 at harrisdistillery.com.

Shop all Isle of Harris Distillery products at harrisdistillery.com

Emily Watson: Help Maternity Worldwide continue to save lives in childbirth

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maternal health, charity, Actress Emily Watson (Chernobyl, Apple Tree Yard) explains that not every birth is a time of comfort and joy.

Emily is encouraging people to donate to maternal health charity Maternity Worldwide this Christmas, after first supporting it as her chosen charity on the BBC Radio 4 Appeal in 2018. This year, you can buy an exclusive donation gift certificate for only £27 and help save a mother’s life. She says:

‘To me, Christmas means catching up with family and making time to enjoy each other’s company. Too many children in low-income countries will be without their mother this Christmas because of needless deaths in childbirth and the inability to access the standard of medical care we take for granted in the UK. Since 2002, Maternity Worldwide has been working to ensure that every woman, regardless of where she lives, can give birth safely and without fear. I would like to encourage you to donate to the Maternity Worldwide Christmas appeal, and help them continue to save lives in childbirth.’

‘As a mother, I am deeply concerned that in countries like Malawi, Ethiopia and Uganda pregnancy and childbirth are putting women’s lives at risk.’

‘There are still so many women who don’t have facilities close at hand. Maternity Worldwide needs your support to help save more lives.’

Every year 287,000 women die in childbirth. 99% of reported deaths are in low-income countries. Many women die after long, dangerous journeys, trying to give birth in makeshift buildings without the help of a midwife, and with no pain relief, antibiotics or proper sanitation. A modern-day stable in the UK may in fact be a warmer, safer and more comfortable place to deliver a baby than some of the facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Most deaths can be avoided easily and cheaply through measures which are readily available in the UK. But good quality healthcare for many of the world’s women is unaffordable or inaccessible.

Maternity Worldwide is a charity dedicated to saving lives in childbirth by helping women and girls in low-income countries access the high-quality maternal healthcare they need to be able to give birth safely.

Maternity Worldwide are asking people to donate just £27 to their Christmas 2019 Appeal, less than 1% of what a typical UK family will spend in the run-up to the festive season. Supports can donate online, support the charity by buying their exclusive Christmas cards and range of sustainable presents, or by buying Maternity Worldwide’s new 2019 Christmas Gift Certificate, priced at £27.

Maternity Worldwide works to ensure all women, wherever they live, can give birth safely and without fear. Founded by Dr Adrian Brown in 2002, over the past 17 years the charity has worked in eleven low-income countries and our projects have helped save thousands of women from dying unnecessarily in childbirth.

Your readers can help families like our modern-day Mary and Joseph and their baby Earnest by donating just £27 to Maternity Worldwide’s Christmas 2019 Appeal. A donation of any amount will make a huge different but the suggested donation of £27 is less than 1% of the amount a typical household in the UK spends in the run-up to Christmas. This small sum could make a big difference by:
Covering the cost of a safe birth for a mother at a health centre and follow-up care such as a preventative course of antibiotics
Sponsoring a student midwife’s training for a week
Contributing towards the cost of a caesarean delivery for women experiencing difficulties
Helping cover the cost of a bicycle so healthcare workers can reach mothers in remote villages

Please encourage donations to our Christmas 2019 Appeal via the dedicated JustGiving page: https://justgiving.com/campaign/Maternity-Worldwide-Christmas2019

Maternity Worldwide is working to reduce maternal mortality by training midwives and skilled birth attendants, improving access to health centres and hospitals, providing communities with maternal and newborn health information and empowering women to become financially independent and decision makers about their own sexual and reproductive health.

Our mission is to work with communities and our partners to:
identify and develop appropriate and effective ways to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity
facilitate communities to access high-quality, skilled maternity care
support the provision of high-quality skilled care

Maternity Worldwide is a registered charity no. 1111504 and our registered address is Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG.

The Last Minute Christmas Gift List

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nana hot and not duvet

We cannot recommend the Nanu Hot and Not Duvet enough. You can customise it so one side is hot and the other hot. You can do with this various degrees. I cannot believe no one thought of it before. Martial harmony for Christmas? Yes please.

Available here.

hey grandude. paul mccartney's

This children’s book from Paul McCartney, and illustrated by Kathryn Durst, is lots of fun and visually stunning. My children loved the story and I have now read it to them more times than I can count. Highly recommended.

Available here.

luvabella newborn doll

This Luvabella Newborn is a wonderful toy for boys and girls. It is great for imaginative play and teaching children how to care for babies. It is well made and comes with great accessories.

Available here.

moft laptop stand

This Moft Laptop stand is a great, and stunning, design. It is easy to use, has adjustable height and attaches and detaches with ease. It is small enough to fit into a stocking making it a perfect Christmas gift.

Available here.

beats solo pro ivory

Beats Solo Pro. Sigh. I love beats. You have not heard a song properly until you have heard it through a pair of Beats. They are the headphones of music lovers. These ones in particular have brilliant noise cancelling and they are wireless. This along with 22 hours battery life? Love.

Available here.

Are you watching book

Vincent Ralph has written a stunner. A lot of crime thrillers just have women being brutalised and murdered in them. This book is different. Yes, there are murdered women, most notably the murder of the main character’s mother. But this is a feminist crime thriller. It is a modern tale and a riveting read. I could not put these down. My favourite crime book this year.

Available here.

The bear in the fifth floor flat book

Written by John Foley and Illustrated by Alice Hawthorn, this is a brilliant book and on top of that, all proceeds go to Mencap, the UK’s leading charity for people with a learning disability. A must buy for two reasons.

Available here.

perky pear tit tape, lift and shape tape.

Perky Pear is the original life and shape tape. It is perfect for Christmas parties and beyond. Sweat proof and waterproof, it is made of cotton. It is easy to use when you get the hang of it.

Available here.

The Perfect Tea Gifts: Christmas at Mariage Frères

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Stepping inside Mariage Frères is like being transported into a bygone era. Mariage Frères is exclusively one of France’s oldest tea shops and we are fortunate enough to have their flagship store open on our doorstep in the heart of Covent Garden. This is also the brands largest tea emporium to date, boasting five storeys of tea history. The ceiling to floor tea wall is filled with all the teas you can imagine and is definitely worth a visit just to marvel at the longest tea wall in the World featuring over 1000 varieties of tea. The shop also features a Tea Museum on the second floor showcasing tea antiques from around the World as well as providing you with a lowdown on the history of tea and of course, the pièce de résistance has to be the Salon de Thé. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each dish is expertly created to feature, you’ve guessed it… tea. We heavily recommend their tea infused cocktails! There really is something for everyone here. 

The emporium is a stunning addition to Covent Garden and like everywhere else at this time of the year, we thoroughly recommend paying this place a visit over the festive period. Tea lovers will be blown away by the quality of the products and we promise you will not be disappointed by their incredible collection of luxurious and stunning Christmas gifts and cakes to impress your guests! 

Our personal favourites had to be…

Mariage Frères Gold Cake £66

Not only is this completely show-stopping, but the Gold Cake is scrumptious. Covered in shimmering gold, this chocolate marbled cake is infused with Marco Polo black-tea and flavoured with festive spices with a core of gianduja and hazelnut. The Gold Cake will serve around ten guests and if you’re in my house, will last about 5 minutes! 

Noël Fruit Tea: £49

This stunning fruit tea comes packaged in a hand-blown glass bauble design. The tea itself is fruity and spicy and festive and can be enjoyed hot or cold and like any, would make a great infusion  perfect for a Christmas cocktail. 

Opera Musical Tea-Box £65

Now this really is a unique and extraordinary present. A beautiful, illustrated musical gift box is filled with four packets of tea and when opened, each plays a different operatic tune. This really is the kind of gift one would have been presented with many years ago and we are so thrilled to see that it is still possible to buy such a traditional gift. 

Soho Bohème Teapot £299

For the tea-lover who has everything. We guarantee they won’t have such an exquisite teapot. This expertly hand-blown glass teapot is sculpted into a soufflè shape and can be bought with a gold or silver lid. This teapot really oozes class and sophistication. 

NOËL SUBLIME® £39

Nestled in an elegant gift set, painted in black & gold and decorated with silver stars, this NOËL SUBLIME advent calendar beholds 25 tea-inspired Mariage Frères treats to make the countdown to the holidays all the more pleasant.
The clock, symbolised by a hanging Christmas ornament, ticks while imaginary windows, opening day after day, glimmer under the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem.

All gifts are available to buy in Mariage Frères flagship store in Covent Garden or in Selfridges London.

www.mariagefreres.com 

Perfect For Christmas: The Orb Bike Light and Bottle

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We love new ideas at Frost. Innovation excites us. So when we got sent The Orb we were pretty excited. It is a water bottle and bike light. It charges easily via USB and then keeps you safe on the road. This is a great Christmas gift for any cyclists enthusiasts.

The Orb is a bike light and bottle designed for 360° visibility – it helps prevent some of the 1/3 serious cycling accidents that occur from the side. It is also pretty cool and looks stunning.

Innovative bike-startup, Orb, are disrupting the way we think about lighting. Designed in London for the city-slicking cyclist, The Orb uses superbright USB-charged LEDs to illuminate the 700ml bottle, giving your ride 360° visibility and making you unmissable on the roads! Grab yourself one at www.orb.bike/

£29.99

5 Great Ideas For Christmas

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Child's farm, gift , baby bath & bedtime case, organicChild’s Farm Baby Bath and Bedtime Case and Festive Hair & Body Wash.

We love Child’s Farm and their fantastic range of organic products for little ones. Their festive wash and new parenting gifting set are perfect presents.

Boots exclusive: Festive Hair & Body Wash

Baby it’s cold outside, but bath time couldn’t be cosier with Childs Farm’s new festive hair & body wash. Featuring packaging worthy of a winter wonderland with a snowball fight between a unicorn and a snowman, the festive edition of this favourite contains sweet orange oil and argan oil. This makes cleaning off dirt a fragrant and festive joy, while also leaving hair shiny and tangle-free and skin wonderfully soft. Suitable for newborns and upwards, it is dermatologist and paediatrician approved as suitable for sensitive skin, and safe for people who may be prone to eczema.

How much does it cost and where can I buy it?

Available exclusively at Boots here and from Childs Farm here – RRP £4.00

Childs Farm new parent gifting set

Not only is this an ideal Christmas gift for new parents, it’s also a great introduction to the baby range, where parents or parents-to-be can try everything that Childs Farm has to offer. The first gift is the baby bath and bedtime suitcase, which comes full of baby essentials, including the baby bedtime bubbles, baby wash, nappy cream, and the baby moisturiser, which has been dubbed by many as a ‘miracle cream’ for sensitive skin.

This beautiful set contains everything new parents need to welcome a little one into the world, knowing their skin will be lovingly cared for. Not only does the baby bath and bedtime suitcase contain these essentials, it also comes with a gift card for two further gift sets. The next set is for mum and baby, including the grapefruit and tea tree hand wash and matching moisturiser to keep hands lovely and soft, as well as the baby oil and baby shampoo, perfect for baby. The final set is a top up of all the products in the baby bath and bedtime suitcase, so parents don’t need to worry about running out, but more than that – your gift goes beyond Christmas!

Only available from Childs Farm website.

neos smart cam, security

Neos SmartCam.

Peace of mind can never be overestimated but that is only one of the reasons the Neos SmartCam makes such a good present. This award-winning camera is already on Amazon’s best sellers list. It has up to 12 hours of daily recording time.

The Neos SmartCam allows families to proactively protect their homes from wherever they are in the world – whether at work, out at Christmas and New Years’ party or away on holiday – users are able to detect any unusual activity and report it straight away.

The SmartCam is a pocket sized indoor camera that can be controlled from the Neos app. It is affordable (priced at only £19.99), easy to set-up and can be used by homeowners to keep an eye on their home, kids and pets – all from a Smartphone.

Available from www.neos.co.uk

chatty feet socks,. frida kahlo chatty feet socks, yahoo toesama

We love ChattyFeet. Conversation starter socks which are comfortable and stylish. 

ChattyFeet: The perfect present for the best-dressed feet this Christmas

Every pair of feet deserves lovely socks this Christmas, and ChattyFeet offers the most humorous socks ever to come out of a stocking. ChattyFeet’s range of quirky characters with witty names inject a touch of humour into everyday life and make this longstanding classic a winner in the gift-giving stakes.
ChattyFeet currently ‘feet’-ures 40 designs for adults and children. The newest characters are Leonardo Toe Vinci, Prince Wills Heels and Prince Hurry Feet. You can purchase the Royals ChattyFeet characters in a new Royal Socks Gift Set, and if socks aren’t your thing, there’s also a new range of enamel pins and other novelty gifts to check out.
And just in time for this Christmas, ChattyFeet will be adding four new designs to the sock range: two characters from the world of music, one from literature and one from business, as well as three new enamel pins (Frida Callus, Feetasso and Prince Wills Heels).
With a huge range of creative characters, there will be a design that appeals to everyone. For creative types, there are ChattyFeet’s arty socks, with characters including Frida Callus, Yayoi Toesama, Sole-Adore Dali and Feetasso. Science geeks will love Albert Einstoe; fans of the Royal Family can’t fail to be wowed by Kate Middle-Toe and Meghan Ankle; and book lovers will fall head over heels for William Shakes-Feet.
Kids’ socks can be purchased alone or as part of a Family Set so that parents and their sidekicks can step out together in matching characters.
ChattyFeet’s expansive range of themed socks are manufactured in Europe from high quality cotton, giving a soft feel and long life. They are available to purchase online at www.chattyfeet.com all the way up to Christmas, with free UK delivery above £30 and delivery in 2-3 days.
ChattyFeet prices:
Adult socks: £8
Kids socks: £6
Boxes of 4 pairs: £30
Enamel pins: £7.50
Mugs: £11.90

Martin Miller Gin,

Martin Miller Gin. Fantastic gin in a stunning box. This is a perfect gift. 

MARTIN MILLER’S GIN LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION NORTHERN LIGHTS-INSPIRED GIFT BOX FOR CHRISTMAS 2019

This festive season, Martin Miller’s Gin has partnered with award-winning night sky photographer and the founder of The World at Night program, Babak Tafreshi, to produce a distinctive Northern Lights-inspired, limited-edition gift box.

 

New for 2019, the eye-catching design features a mesmerising image of the Aurora Borealis, taken by Tafreshi, as the infamous light show dances above the iconic Kirkjufell mountain and waterfalls on Iceland’s rugged western coastline, during the most intense display in more than a decade.

 

The gift box pays homage to one of the unique attributes of Martin Miller’s Gin – the 100% pure Icelandic spring water which blends perfectly with the highest quality botanicals to give the product its smooth taste, distinct clarity and trademark softness.,

 

Not only designed to look beautiful on display, the gift box also reflects the premium quality of Martin Miller’s Gin – the most-awarded quality gin on the market – making it the ideal gift for all gin lovers this Christmas.

 

Babak Tafreshi, photographer says, “I am delighted to have partnered with Martin Miller’s Gin to create this gift box, which celebrates the home of its pure spring water. The image we used captures the most colourful aurora I have ever seen, which coloured the Icelandic landscape in these stunning pastel hues, making this box truly unique.”

 

The limited-edition box will be available in selected Waitrose.com, Morrisons.com and Sainsbury’s stores from September to December 2019, with a recommended retail price of £28 for a 70cl bottle.

 

For more information, please visit: www.martinmillersgin.com

 

vegan, hamper, christmas

The Vegan Larder Gourmet Christmas Chocolate box.

I am a huge fan of vegan things and The Vegan Larder is pretty cool indeed. They create gift and subscription boxes that help make vegan cooking and eating easy and exciting, especially around Christmas. The Gourmet Christmas Box is delicious and decadent. Full thumbs up from me. 

They are 100% vegan and plant based, palm oil free, always have a gluten free option and use products from small businesses.

All monthly subscription boxes are available as one-off gifts, and they have some exclusive Christmas boxes that are perfect for your gift guide.
  • Deluxe Christmas Box (£29 as one off gift, £24.99 if subscribed):​ packed full of Festive cooking goodies, giving a truly tantalising festive food experience. Think artisan tapenade, spiced fudge, handmade chutney, organic gravy and other surprises! Our subscribers will receive this in December too!
  • Gourmet Christmas Chocolate box (£19.50): ​filled with gourmet artisan products for a selection box experience! Dairy free and suitable for anyone with a dairy allergy. Think handmade chocolate, chocolate spread, wagon wheel and other delights.
  • After dinner pate box (£14.50): ​this is fun and fabulous for entertaining. Three types of vegan pate, two incredible cracker flavours and a delectable spiced plum chutney.

https://theveganlarder.com/product-category/christmas-vegan-boxes/

And because it is Christmas I want to give you one more. Here is the bonus tip.

Buyagift.co.uk 

Buyagift.co.uk is a brilliant site with a lot of great experiences. They have days out, nights out, spa days, things for families.They are great for the environment because sometimes we have enough stuff, and you give someone the gift of memories. We have their Kew Gardens voucher. A family pass for two adults and two children and we are really looking forward to it.

Top Christmas Pick: SodaStream Spirit One Touch

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SodaStream, sparkling water, christmas picks, Christmas, gift guides,

Christmas is a time for glamour and glitz. Decadence is in abundance and entertaining is what the season is about. So what better to add some fizz to the season and beyond than SodaStream? Fizz makes drinks fun and fun is what we need. We tested the new SodaStream Spirit One Touch and we were impressed. It is easy to set up and easy to use. It is also environmentally friendly, saving 1,282 bottles of fizzy water per reusable SodaStream bottle. This is the perfect gift for Christmas and beyond. Even if you are buying it for yourself. Frost Loves.

SodaStream, sparkling water, christmas picks, Christmas, gift guides, SodaStream Spirit One Touch

SodaStream’s newest electric sparkling water maker carbonates water at the touch of a button. Entertain your guests at ease with the convenience of sparkling water any time you like – no need to carry cases of sparkling water to your home. The Spirit One Touch offers three distinct levels of carbonation for perfectly customised drinks.

Available in Black.

Available here: https://sodastream.co.uk/products/spirit-one-touch

RRP:  £129.99