Friday 25 November 2022

Small Business Christmas Gift Guide


 Somehow the year has once again flown by and our attention is turning to Christmas. This is likely to be a tough one for many and I thought it would be nice to produce a guide to some of the small businesses and sole traders who are fighting against huge brands to be seen and heard in the marketplace. Many of us would like to support more small businesses, but it's not always easy to find them, so I'm hoping this will be a good place to start. I can update this guide at any time so if you know of a great small business that you have used or think could benefit from a shout-out, drop me a comment or email me via my contact page and I will add as many as I can. 

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Monday 16 November 2020

How to Make this Christmas Extra Special

 

The top half of a Christmas gift wrapped in gold paper with a bow
This year more people than ever are finding themselves separated for long periods and long-distance relationships are becoming unavoidable. This means that Christmas shopping habits may be a little different, with the focus on items that are digital or easy to post. It's easy to think that Christmas will be less of an occasion this year, because of all the restrictions in place, but I hope it can be an opportunity to do things a little differently and embrace traditions that have been lost to commercialism over the years. If there's one thing this year has taught us, it's that we have a lot to be thankful for and we can often make the best of our situation and find joy in the small things. Here are some ideas to make Christmas extra special this year, despite what December has to throw at us! 
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Wednesday 5 December 2018

Children's Book Gift Guide - From Tots to Teens


If you haven't heard about the Icelandic Christmas Eve Book Exchange and why it's such a great idea for a Christmas tradition, you can read all about it in my previous post. Whether or not you will be taking part in this tradition, or if you subscribe to the 'something you want, something you need, something to wear something to read' mantra of gift giving, there are lots of reasons to buy a book as a gift for a child. This list was compiled using recommendations from our brilliant readers and other parent bloggers, so you can be sure they've been tried and tested by enthusiastic youngsters!
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Wednesday 21 November 2018

UK Small Business Gift Guide - Supporting Independent Traders


White gift wrapped box, with fir tree decoration and a tea cup beside it.This year, there has been a lot more emphasis on supporting small businesses, instead of always buying from high street chains, or big internet names. To support this initiative, I have compiled a list of independent traders, who have either been recommended, or who I have nominated myself, so that you can see what's available to buy from great sellers. This is not just a Christmas gift guide, I hope it will be relevant at other times too, and I intend to keep adding to it, so do get in touch via my contact page if you would like to be featured or know a brilliant small business that deserves to be featured.
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Thursday 23 November 2017

Christmas Gift Guide: Children


View through a window of a boy opening Christmas gifts. This is always a hard guide to write, because there is such an insane amount of choice and children vary so much in their tastes and interests. Just the amount of adverts vying for our attention this time of year is mind-boggling. It's most likely your own children have dropped more than one heavy hint about what they would like under the Christmas tree, but for the friends and relatives you know less about, I have put together this guide, which focuses on school-age children, the ones with the most opinions! As always, this is a mix of things we've been sent to try that we've really liked and things we use ourselves and think everyone should know about!
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Wednesday 22 November 2017

Christmas Gift Guide: Men


Christmas desk scene, with sleigh and reindeer flying over.
It's no secret that men are notoriously hard to buy for. It helps if they have a hobby or an interest, but even that can get a bit samey and predictable after a few years. There are only so many golf balls, football shirts, or hilarious mugs based on a TV show that one person needs. Sometimes you can quirky-up the classic gift, such as socks, or gloves, with a bit of imagination, but the real challenge is to find something he doesn't know he wants, so that you can be sure he will not only be happy with your choice, but also won't have already bought one for himself. Check out our ideas for some stress-free man-shopping this Christmas.
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Monday 13 November 2017

Christmas Gift Guide: Teenagers


Christmas Gift Guide: TeenagersOur first gift guide for this year, features that very tricky and somewhat elusive species The Teenager. Not always the chattiest group of people, it can be hard to settle on the perfect gift. I've called this Gift Guide 'Teenagers', but really it could probably apply to 'tweens' or possibly younger, since children have a habit of growing up at their own pace and will grow into, and out of, things, when they are ready. With this in mind, I've tried to find items that suit a wider age group, so that you can be sure of a positive reaction on Christmas morning. Some of the items are available to win in our Big Christmas Giveaway, so don't forget to enter if you haven't already.
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Tuesday 11 April 2017

Alternative Chocolate-Free Easter Gift Ideas


Giant Rabbit Hugging a Small Boy with Title OverlaidIt's not uncommon these days to find people who are lactose, or dairy, intolerant, but there are also other reasons not to buy chocolate eggs for Easter. Maybe there are other health issues that might make chocolate a bad idea, or perhaps you would prefer to avoid it, simply to promote a better diet, or just because chocolate eggs can be a bit samey and unimaginative. Whatever the reason, there are lots of other options, which will last a lot longer and are more interesting too. I originally planned this gift guide for children, but there are a few ideas that would be suitable for adults too. This post is totally unsponsored, but does contain some affilate links to products I liked on Amazon.
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Thursday 6 April 2017

Gift Ideas for Pre-Teen Boys


It is widely accepted that men are considerably harder to buy for than ladies. There are many shiny, sparkly, or fragrant options for girly gifts that do not really have an equal in the man department. If your man has a hobby, fair enough, you have options, but even then it can get a little repetitive after a few years! It has recently come to my attention that man-gift-trouble starts a lot earlier than I previously realised. When L was turning 11, a few weeks ago, I suddenly realised I had been thrust into the 'what to buy a (small) man' dilemma much earlier than anticipated and I had few ideas for this tricky age. Fortunately, though, some great brands came to my rescue with some ideas I hadn't even thought of! Items were sent free for us to play with, opinions are always our own.
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Friday 16 December 2016

Christmas Gift Guide: Men (Nightmare!)

Boy holding up beach towel with Cricket references on.
For the last in our series of gift guides, I am tackling that oh-so-tricky subject; The Man. This is the most dreaded Christmas gift to buy of all. It doesn't matter the age of the male, the issue is always the same. If they want something, they want it straight away, so will invariably buy it the second they see it, leaving nothing left for the Christmas list. Or, they don't know what they want and are hopelessly vague and non-commital, so how am I meant to know? Fortunately, I've found some great ideas when I've been out shopping and have also been sent some lovely items from companies who are proud of their Christmas offerings. If you are tearing your hair out for what to buy the men in your family, we've got all the inspiration right here, with our Christmas gift guide for men. 
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Wednesday 7 December 2016

Christmas Gift Guide: Bloggers

Swing arm clamp and camera remote with title text
This gift guide is here to help you with a very important decision; what to buy the blogger in your life. It can be a confusing experience, being the friend, or relative, of a blogger. You may be used to having your face paraded on social media, your food photographed at restaurants and being used as a personal thesaurus when you'd rather be watching the telly, but what does a blogger want for Christmas? I have purchased some low cost items this year that have turned out to be invaluable for all things blogging, and I also asked some of my favourite bloggers for their ideas too. This is our essential wishlist of bloggers' bargains and best buys!
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Wednesday 23 November 2016

Christmas Gift Guide: Older Relatives

True Company Light Therapy units and title textIn the third of our Christmas Gift Guide series, I have been thinking about gifts for the older people in our families. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, perhaps even neighbours. This is such a difficult gift to get right, because you are talking about people who have lived for quite a long time and so will already have quite a lot of the things they want or need. However, if you are still buying gifts for these people, they are probably very important to you and have most likely been a part of your life for a long time, so choosing a gift that reflects that is not to be taken lightly. If you're completely stumped, hopefully these gift ideas for older relatives will get you out of trouble!
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Thursday 10 November 2016

Christmas Gift Guide: Teenagers


Tiny camera with snowman graphic and title text overlayedOne of the trickiest groups of people to buy for at Christmas has to be older children, who have got to an age where they know what they want and aren't impressed anymore just because it's shiny or makes a funny noise. Once they reach their teens, all they seem to want is tech, tech, tech. Or, clothes with labels that defy the laws of punctuation and grammar. If it's not designer, expensive, or in constant need of charging, it's not going to cut the mustard. Money is sometimes tight, though, so we've put together a list of alternative gifts, that replace the obvious with the imaginative. Because, sometimes, the best gift is one you didn't even know you wanted. 
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Wednesday 2 November 2016

Christmas Gift Guide: Brilliant Presents for Children


Boy opening Christmas gift with title text overlayedThis is the first of a series of gift guides I have planned, featuring some lovely gifts that I've either been sent to try and have put through their paces, or that we've bought and used ourselves. We will be covering the trickier friends and relatives to buy for, but thought we would start with the gifts that probably get the most spent on them. There are a wealth of options for children these days, certainly if you pay attention to the TV adverts that multiply at this time of year, but what to choose? This children's Christmas gift guide should give you some ideas beyond the obvious and predictable, featuring video showcases from L on his favourite items. We will add to this post as we find more things we love!
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Monday 6 June 2016

Father's Day Gift Guide; Something a Bit Different!

Wooden 40 year calendar from Timber TreasuresWhen I'm looking for inspiration for presents, I get some of my best ideas from Facebook. For some reason, all sorts of interesting stuff pops up on my timeline and I often make a note of it for a particular birthday or anniversary. It seems these days, it's a lot easier to get something truly unique and specific to an individual and it's great to show that person how much you value them, by finding a really thoughtful gift. Since Father's Day is one of the most difficult occasions to buy for, I thought I would share some of the ideas I've found. This is not a sponsored post, it's just a great opportunity for me to give a leg up to small businesses that I've either used myself or would really love to try and will hopefully give you some new ideas for awkward man-gifts too! 
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Monday 22 October 2012

Christmas Gift Ideas


What do you do at this time of year? Panic? Hide under the duvet? Plan a holiday to New Mexico? OR are you one of those Supermums who loves getting stuck in and looks forward to it all year? Yup, the signs are all there. It won't be long before the sight that fills a lot of parents with dread appears over the horizon. That blinkin Coca Cola truck! Like it or not, we can't avoid Christmas for too much longer. Displays have been appearing in shops for quite a while now and the adverts on the children's TV channels are DEFINITELY getting longer. So, what can we do to make one of life's most stressful seasons a little easier?
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