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Beat the Christmas Shopping Rush With Christmas Hamper

With Christmas just days away, and with more shoppers than expected heading to the high street, Christmas Hamper advise consumers on how to make Christmas a lot less stressful.

Shoppers have returned to the British high street in their thousands this year, as recent figures have revealed that more consumers than expected went Christmas shopping during the final weekend before Christmas, spending an estimated £1 billion on the Saturday before Christmas alone.

While this is great news for retailers after a rather difficult year, it isn't great news for customers, as more sales means more crowds and also longer waiting times. However, shoppers who still have presents to buy needn't worry because Christmas Hamper have a solution.

A spokesperson for Christmas Hamper explains: “December has been a much more profitable period for retailers than previously expected, as more consumers than expected have returned to the high street. However, the increase in sales has led to issues for customers, as the surge in people visiting shops, supermarkets and other retail centres had meant that their shopping experience might not have been as enjoyable. At Christmas Hamper, we know how stressful Christmas shopping can be, and so we've taken a lot of time and care to that our customers can order our hampers in the comfort of their own home, and with no stress.

While the retail figures from last weekend before Christmas have revealed that shoppers in the UK spent an impressive £1.5 million every minute last Saturday, the high street is obviously a very busy place to be this Christmas. But at Christmas Hamper, they have some advice for any shopper that has to do last minute chopping during the festive season, including the final day to order gifts to ensure they arrive before Christmas day.

The spokesperson for Christmas Hamper continues: “Christmas time is obviously the busiest time of year to go shopping, with so much to buy, such as cards, wrapping paper, gifts, toys and hampers but we realise that there are certain times when a consumer has to go to the high street or their supermarket to get some last minute presents and other essentials for the festive season.

"So our advice to customers is that if they are worrying about going shopping during this time, then they should be organised, they need to have a plan before they leave the house: such as writing a list of what they need, how much it costs, and where they have to buy it, and they should leave the house early in order to beat the crowds. If they are ordering presents online, then it's vital that they are aware of the final day to order gifts to ensure Christmas delivery.

At Christmas Hamper, our final order date before Christmas is the 21st of December (EDITOR: That's today!) which means that anyone who orders on this date will receive their hamper before the 25th. Once all the shopping is done, it's time to relax and enjoy Christmas, and so we want to wish all our customers a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.”

FACTFILE:
ChristmasHamper.com owned and managed by Highland Fayre Ltd. have been supplying Luxury Christmas Hampers, since 1985, to thousands of corporate and private customers throughout the UK and Europe, becoming Scotland’s premier hamper company.

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The Westfield gift card takes the stress out of last minute Christmas shopping

With just 4 days until Christmas, British shopping centres and high streets are awash people trying to find the perfect last minute gift. If this sounds like you, then don’t panic! Westfield’s gift card has arrived to take the stress out of this year’s Christmas shopping.

The Westfield gift card can be purchased right up until Christmas Eve, so it removes the need for the pre-Christmas rush. It can be used at Westfield’s designer and high street stores and the Vue cinemas at Westfield London or Westfield Stratford City. This means loved ones can buy something they really want for Christmas.

Gift cards are available now, from: http://uk.westfield.com/uk/news/westfield-gift-card and are accepted at all Westfield UK centres including: Westfield Stratford City and Westfield London, Westfield Derby and Merry Hill in the West Midlands. They are redeemable against all purchases, including sale goods, at all stores within Westfield centres. 
Shoppers can choose from a variety of card designs (including a special edition Christmas snowflake design) and delivery options to make sure they receive their orders in time for Christmas day.

Westfield Gift cards can be spent at Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City, Westfield Derby, Merry Hill, Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells, The Friary, Guildford and CastleCourt, Belfast.

The Westfield Prepaid Maestro Gift Card is issued by Newcastle Building Society (NBS) pursuant to licence from MasterCard International or its Affiliates. NBS is authorised and regulated by the FSA (Registration 156058).

There is an activation fee of £2 charged per Westfield gift card at the time of issue.
Online purchased gift cards require activation after delivery and expires 12 months from the date it was issued.
Visit the concierge or westfield.com/ukcentres for full Westfield gift card terms & conditions.

To ensure that their online order arrives at their account address in time for Christmas customers should be aware of the suggested last online order dates:

To beat the Christmas rush, make sure you order before the recommended last ordering date.

- Special Delivery (£8.49)
Last date for purchase 21st December AM – recommended last ordering date before Christmas

- Overnight courier service (£19.99)
Last date for purchase 22nd December AM – recommended last ordering date before Christmas

Top ten bestseller for Christmas

Associated Editions is pleased to announce that their book and CD for Christmas has now entered the top ten bestselling books in Ireland. 

'Gloria: an introduction to 1,000 years of Sacred Music' by Tim Thurston has a special Christmas theme and tells the story of European sacred music earliest times to the present day, interspersed with 20 pen portraits of the key composers.

It also incorporates a CD (21 tracks) featuring the best of their Christmas music from the renowned Hyperion catalogue and is sumptuously illustrated with Sacred Art for Christmas from Irish collections, some published for the first time.

Choirs included on this CD are:

The Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge, Gothic Voices, Red Byrd, The Binchois Consort, Westminster Cathedral Choir, The Choir of the King’s Consort, The Corydon Singers, The Choir of Wells Cathedral, The Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Images in this book include Sacred Art from British and European Artist’s spanning a millennium.

Book & CD: £20
ISBN: 978-1-906429-18-8

Stand Out From the Crowd this New Year's Eve, with M&S Online Exclusive Partywear

Marks & Spencer’s online exclusive range of party dresses and shoes means women everywhere can find that perfect New Year’s Eve outfit whilst avoiding the busy high street.

With just the click of a mouse women can view stylish dresses in a range of sizes, from petite to plus sizes like the Autograph Occasions Sleeveless Satin Prom Dress.

The newly-launched Autograph Italian Exclusive shoe range offers luxurious leather shoes handcrafted in Italy for £129. With built-in Insolia technology these statement party shoes also provide a more comfortable wear for all-night dancing.

More importantly, by opting for something unavailable in stores, women can reduce the risk of same-outfit embarrassment with other party-goers and snap up something exclusive!

FACTFILE:
• Items available now from www.marksandspencer.com
• Dress sizes vary from 6–22 and shoe sizes vary from 3–7
• Insolia® with Silver Technology keeps feet feeling fresh and makes fashionable high heels comfy by reducing forefoot pressure, improving body alignment and enhancing ankle stability

Don't condemn £1.1bn of unwanted Christmas gifts to the scrapheap!

Recent research commissioned by the British Video Association shows £1.1 billion worth of unwanted gadget gifts could be destined for the scrap heap by the New Year. A staggering sum which aligns with RentMyItems.com commissioned research which showed £2.9 billion had been spent on unused or little used items in the last twelve months.

So... what are you going to do with those unwanted Christmas presents that family and friends have very kindly given you, but you simply have no interest in and will never, or rarely, use them? You feel guilty about giving them away and so they sit in your home gathering dust, or at the back of a cupboard, until one day you find a use for them, dispense of them, or simply forget about them.

The simple www.RentMyItems.com solution to this is to rent them out and give yourself an additional source of much needed income as you start the New Year. With online listings free for all users until the end of March 2012 – there is literally nothing to lose.

So whether it’s a digital organiser, a bread maker, an electronic sudoku machine, a foot spa or a digital photo frame why not visit RentMyItems.com, register as a Rentor for FREE, list your unwanted items for FREE – and make a little bit of extra money to pay for those bills in the New Year!

RentMyItems.com enables you to do this and you can list your items for free until the end of March 2012. The website launched on 19th September, and is seeing its membership and listings grow weekly as it sees the effects that the £2.9bn that was wasted on rarely used items in the UK in the last 12 months* is having on personal finances and the environment. The burgeoning market of Collaborative Consumption is, and will continue to, influence our thinking on renting rather than buying.

Warren Heal, Founder of RentMyItems.com, said, “Most of us feel the pinch after the holiday season and, for this reason, RentMyItems.com is continuing to give users the opportunity to earn some extra cash by renting out presents and household items that they are either not going to use at all or will rarely use. With our online Listings currently free there literally is nothing to lose, plus users might find something on our site that you may have a temporary use for and can save yourself money by not purchasing your own. We are proud that RentMyItems.com has recently been named as one of the 40 best new websites that save you money (WebUser Magazine, December 2011), as it proves our concept helps personal finances in these difficult times”.

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The Taste Of Christmas At Hotel Okura Amsterdam

The 5 star Hotel Okura Amsterdam's culinary team (www.okura.com) at the award winning Serre Restaurant and the hotel's two star Michelin star French restaurant, Ciel Bleu will be preparing their favourite recipes over the festive season. Located on the banks of the Amstel Canal, the hotel currently holds three Michelin stars at its four restaurants and two bars, making it the ultimate place to stay and dine in the heart of the Dutch capital over the Christmas period.

Serre Restaurant takes its inspiration from Ciel Bleu, where the quality and style that the two Michelin starred restaurant is renowned for presenting is delivered with a lighter touch, enabling a wider audience to get acquainted with the essence of Ciel Bleu's cuisine.


Chefs at the two restaurants have put together a selection of special Christmas menus to include "Golden Oyster & Onno's Favourite" at Ciel Bleu and "Smoked salmon with Dutch shrimp, Crème fraiche and Quail egg" at Serre Restaurant.


Guests at the hotel can take advantage of the special Christmas packages for both restaurants. The "Serre restaurant" package offers a one night stay in a superior room with Christmas lunch, breakfast, and late checkout and cost from €190.50 per person, based on double occupancy. Alternatively, the "Ciel Bleu" Christmas package offers a one night stay in an Executive Junior Suite for €342.50 per person based on double occupancy and includes Christmas dinner at Ciel Bleu, room service breakfast, free entrance to the health club and the executive lounge.


Hotel Okura Amsterdam is situated on the edge of the city centre, close to a large number of cultural landmarks. The hotel has 301 luxury rooms, including the most spacious (485 m2) and luxurious suite in the Benelux countries.


Accommodation at Hotel Okura Amsterdam all provide panoramic views over Amsterdam, including 68 rooms located on executive floors, with access to the Executive Lounge and Executive Health Club. Facilities at the hotel include a traditional Japanese sauna & Shiatsu massage; health club and swimming pool.

To  book call Hotel Okura on 0031 6788 300 or visit www.okura.nl