Santa’s Red Letter: What if Santa wrote back?

A special, personalised Letters from Santa so realistic they’ll convince even the most sceptical child.

Don't’ stop believin'! Not only a good tune but the mantra of the folks at Santa’s Red Letter, who’ve created letters from Santa so authentic and believable you might start to wonder yourself!

Press printed on beautiful parchment letterhead, with Santa’s own signature in gold foil, these letters will make even the biggest Santa Doubter think again. Add a certificate of Nice or Naughty, and you have the makings of a marvellous, memorable Christmas gift.

Choose from two categories of letters to match any kind of person. The “Nice” Red Letters are for children (or adults or groups) who have been trying their hardest to be good this year, or have done an act of service that deserves recognition from Santa.

The Black “Naughty” Letters, however, are for children and adults (or brother-in-laws or bosses) needing a reminder that Christmas is around a corner, and lumps of coal are still in fashion.

Letters range from gentle and concerned to funny and caustic. Santasredletter.com is a clever way to spread Christmas cheer and even startle a non-believer. 

All letters deliver with:

a North Pole postmark

a wax seal bearing Santa's emblem

press printed, quality stationery with "From the Desk of Santa" letterhead

individualized message with custom text

quality envelope addressed directly to recipient

a gold embossed Santa signature

 Product Reviews

“Absolutely wonderful letters. My children love them. They look so authentic.” -- Tina.

“Receiving a letter directly from Santa and postmarked North Pole was the highlight for my son! He couldn't tell enough people about it.” -- Rhonda.

“The letters were so authentic and real, even my dubious 8 year old was excited to open his! Another year of Santa magic for us!” -- Brittany.

See the letters: http://santasredletter.com.

Celebrate Christmas with Sangria

The Spanish restaurant, Alioli, in Touchwood, Solihull, has launched a new Sangria menu just in time for National Sangria Day on 20th December.

The exciting Alioli restaurant has proven itself as extremely popular since opening its doors in June, on serving the best Andalucian foods and wines and is now set to expand its offering with a range of tempting Sangrias.

Sangria is the traditional drink of Spain, it's a truly delicious blend of wine and fresh fruits which is celebrated annually every December.  

Guests at Alioli can choose from a delicious selection of red, white and rosé sangrias which have been developed by the specialist inhouse Spanish team led by Chef Alfonso Garcia Sanchez.  Blends include the classic Sangria Tradicional or exciting variations like the Sangria de Cereza y Amaretto with red wine, Amaretto, sour cherries and Cola.

Ricardo Serafin, General Manager of Alioli said: “With the miserable weather we’ve been experiencing lately, Sangria is the perfect drink to transport you to sunny days in Andalucia and National Sangria Day is the perfect excuse to come along and sample the new varieties we have on offer.”

And for guests looking for some authentic food taste experiences to accompany the Sangria, Alioli offers the ultimate ‘Tapas Experience’ for £50 which can be shared among 2-3 people.  The experience includes a set of 10 popular tapas dishes like Croquetas de Jamón, Padrón Peppers, Calamares Fritos and Marinated Olives.

Inspired by the gypsy culture of Andalusia, Alioli serves tapas food that sparks passion and artistic energy in a lively and colourful setting.  

It's the region's first restaurant to honour the culture of flamenco dancers and the largely misunderstood gypsy community and celebrates art, passion and the region of Andalusia.

Alioli is located in Touchwood Shopping Centre Solihull and is open Sunday to Thursday 11:30am to 10pm. Friday, Saturday 11:30am to 10:30pm.

For further information visit www.alioli.co.uk.

Don't get caught out by spoofing this Christmas, warns Which?

Which? The UKs leading consumer champion, has claimed banks are failing to protect their customers and are “leaving customers wide open to spoofing fraud”. Their investigation learned high street banks representing over 60% of the UK consumer banking market have failed to take advantage of the latest technology including Ofcom’s “Do Not Originate” registry which prevents spoofing of important phone numbers.

Only last week the Metropolitan Police announced the closure of iSpoof which was trying to defraud customers by impersonating banks including Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, First Direct, Natwest, Nationwide and TSB. The police reported:  “At one stage, almost 20 people every minute of the day were being contacted by scammers hiding behind false identities using the site.”

Pay.UK, who govern the UK’s Faster Payment service, introduced a framework for Request to Pay in 2020. This meant banks don't have to rely on insecure channels such as emails and SMS where customers can’t trust the identity of the originator. Instead communications could be transmitted securely bank app to bank app where participants had been through a “Know Your Customer” process to validate their identity.

Answer Pay were the first certified provider of Request to Pay technology, Mike Chambers Chairman of Answer Pay comments: “We see Request to Pay as a vital tool in helping secure remote payments but we can’t do this alone, the financial services industry must respond to the fraud challenges that face us.”

A spokesman for Which? said: "Given the lack of adoption and eye watering levels of fraud on its network, we call on Pay,UK to take the necessary steps to amend its rules to ensure the benefits of Request to Pay are realised, by compelling users of its faster payment service, such as banks, to deploy the service.

"The fraud problem we have in the UK is so bad UK Finance have described it as a “national security threat” following the 123% increase in impersonation fraud last year. Surely regulatory intervention is needed to ensure the appropriate steps are taken?"

He went on to add: "There's a precedent for regulatory action in other markets with the Monetary Authority of Singapore outright banning banks from sending clickable links in SMS and email instead promoting app to app communication.

"Perhaps all is not lost then, with new regulatory powers expected to be granted by parliament to the Payment Systems Regulator we should hopefully see Faster Payments become a safer way to transact with the effective use of Request to Pay?"

Bank fraud and spoofing is an especial problem in the run up to Christmas, with people making more purchases than normal with buying presents, extra food for Chirstmas, etc. So please do take care when you get a 'phone call or an email that purports to be from your bank or building society.

To learn more visit https://www.which.co.uk.

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For Christmas, they'll pull you a FREE pint AND give you £5,000! Interested? Read on!

With the current interest rate hike reaching 3%, highest level seen since the end of 2008, the cost of living crisis has gone from bad to worse.

Aluna Local independent restaurateurs are on a mission to save Christmas by giving away £5,000 to one lucky guest to help with the cost of living crisis.

The owners of Aluna, Siamais and Lulu Wild in Birmingham cocktail bars and restaurants are planning to give back to the community where they can in a very big way!

With electricity bills rising, the independent restaurant group, Enchanted Ventures have pulled together to ‘Pull you a Pint’ AND Put £5000 in the Bank! Yes, that's £5,000 for one very lucky guest!

What's more, the owners are also offering to give away a free pint when you enter the competition. Naomi Aly said, “It seems like money is escaping our bank accounts at every opportunity.  This £5,000 is to spend on whatever you choose. It could be two years of energy bills, a well deserved holiday or save it to treat your family this Christmas.”

“It’s a real tough time at the moment, and due to a bit left over at the end of the quarter, we thought we’d put it to good use and remind people you can still come out into the city and have some fun. So come into Birmingham, grab a free pint at some of our best cocktail bars in Birmingham City Centre and potentially win £5000 to spend on whatever you need most. What have you got to lose?”

Naomi went on to say: “When we had the opportunity to offer a financial prize, we thought this was something that could help anyone, and we knew we had to help our community if we could. And as we can’t give it to everyone, at least we can offer a free pint to everyone, instead!  We know a long recession is looming and eating and drinking out is normally where people tighten their purse strings. I suppose this is our way to say we are here and we want to help where we can.”

The competition is open to anyone over 18 and can be entered at any of the Enchanted Venues: You can go to Lulu Wild a cool, modern Chinese restaurant, and sit on their bunny chair. Or head to the golden wings at Aluna cocktail Bar in the Mailbox or the beautiful birdcage at Siamais Thai restaurant in Brindleyplace.

The competition runs from 7th November 2022 until 30th November 2022

To be in for a chance of winning this awesome competition and being utility bill free for two years follow these easy steps:

Just head down to any Enchanted Ventures venue in Birmingham: Aluna in Mailbox, Siamais in Brindleyplace or Lulu Wild in Brindleyplace.

Sign up to the competition using the restaurant’s iPad to receive an email with instructions on how to collect your enticingly free pint.

Head over to the restaurant’s iconic instagrammable spots at each of the venues to capture some heart-warming memories, be sure to post them, tag the venue and use the hashtag #TBC.

Enjoy your pint safe in the knowledge you’ve entered this awesome competition

One Winner will be notified in December 2022

For those wanting some quality food, drinks or simply just a refreshing pint this autumn, be sure to check out the restaurants on-line: https://luluwild.co.uk https://aluna.uk.com and https://siamais.co.uk.

ALUNA 128-130, The Mailbox, Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RQ

https://aluna.uk.com

SIAMIAS 6, 7 Brindley Place, Oozells Street, Birmingham B1 2HS

https://siamais.co.uk

LULU WILD Unit 7 & 8, The Waters Edge, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HP

https://luluwild.co.uk

T&Cs:

Open to over 18s only

Pint can only be claimed between Sunday and Thursday during the dates above.

One Winner will be notified by Enchanted Ventures in December 2022

Winner must have valid UK bank account to receive the prize money.

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Sustainable Christmas ideas: 5 ways to make your festivities forest friendly

The Christmas adverts are already here, and Mariah Carey seems to be on repeat in every shop. Although Mariah doesn’t want a lot for Christmas, the season is famously a time of excess and waste. 

Our small choices as consumers can make a big impact on the planet, and with a bit of planning, it is possible to have a more sustainable Christmas. The FSC have put together some tips below on how to make sure your festivities are forest friendly.

1. Use responsibly sourced and recyclable wrapping paper, gift bags and gift tags

That shiny, glittery wrapping paper may look pretty but it’s not environmentally friendly, it can’t be recycled and glitter is a microplastic. Opt for plastic-free gift wraps, bags and tags, which are recycled and recyclable. Just remember to ensure they are FSC-certified so you can spread Christmas cheer with a clear conscience, knowing that the products are made with materials from well-managed forests and/or recycled sources.

2. Send responsible Season’s greetings

It is estimated UK consumers send 1 billion Christmas cards every year. Choose FSC-certified Christmas cards when you shop to ensure that your season’s greetings come from a responsible source and do not contribute to deforestation. 

To help spread even more Christmas cheer, you can buy FSC-certified charity Christmas cards to raise funds for good causes. As with gift wrap, avoid any Christmas cards containing glitter or other unrecyclable decorations. Lots of cards now come without wrapping to help further reduce waste.

3. Give eco-friendly Christmas presents

Every year, UK citizens spend £700 million on unwanted gifts so take some time to think about what your friends and family really want. For a greener Christmas, look for gifts made from sustainable materials with minimal packaging (and make sure any packaging is recyclable – and preferably FSC certified!) and remember that it is ok to re-gift!

For forest-friendly Christmas gifts, keep in mind that it’s not just wood and paper that can be FSC-certified. Viscose textiles, rubber, bamboo, and cork can be certified. You can find the FSC label on books, yoga mats, board games, clothes, wellies, hairbrushes, and bird boxes, to name just a few.

You can also help to support charities whilst Christmas shopping; you can find a range of sustainable Christmas gifts online from the WWF, Woodland Trust, Oxfam and the RSPB, for example.

4. Choose environmentally conscious Christmas Crackers

On Christmas Day, about 40 million Christmas crackers are anticipated to be thrown away. The sparkly crackers, the small gifts, the shiny ribbons and the snap usually can’t be recycled. If you want your Christmas dinner to start with a bang, choose plastic-free crackers that are recycled and/or recyclable.

If you enjoy some Christmas crafting activities, instead of buying Christmas crackers, you could make your own ones using FSC–certified paper and card or using fabric and a loo roll tube! A quick search online will bring up many tutorials to show you how to do this.

5. Reuse and recycle

After the big day is over, remember to reuse and recycle what you can to extend the life of forest resources for as long as possible. When it comes to your gift bags, these can easily be re-used and, if you haven’t enthusiastically torn into your presents and the wrapping paper is still in one piece, you can roll it up to re-use next year.

If you’re not able to re-use your wrapping paper then make sure you remove any Sellotape and ribbons and carry out a ‘scrunch test’ to check if it is recyclable. Scrunch the paper into a ball; if it remains in a ball it can be recycled. However, not all councils accept wrapping paper; whether it passes the scrunch test or not, click here to check your local authorities’ guidelines.

Shockingly, only one out of every four Christmas cards is recycled. When the time comes to take your Christmas decorations down, remember to recycle your cards; just remove any unrecyclable parts/decorations first. If you’re feeling crafty, you could always cut up your Christmas cards to make your own gift tags for next year.

Where to shop? Here are some festive FSC-certified products and where you can find them:

FSC-certified wrapping paper/gift bags

Paperchase – Kraft trees village wrapping paper and Christmas forest wrapping paper

Marks and Spencer – Woodland wrapping paper

WWF – Panda wrapping paper

Hallmark – Red & gold Christmas gift wrap compendium

Oxfam - Kraft Christmas wrapping paper - robin design

FSC-certified Christmas Cards

Woodland Trust – Festive robin Christmas cards

Tache – Christmas card collection

Paperchase – Charity Christmas cards

WWF – UK nature Christmas cards

Oxfam – Premium Woodland Christmas card pack

Hallmark – Colour in Christmas cards for kids

Card Factory – Photo frame Christmas card

FSC-certified Christmas Gifts

Lululemon – The Mat 5mm FSC-certified rubber yoga mat

Tea Pigs – Christmas bundle

Oxfam – Plants for free (book) by Sharon Amos

Hunter – Balmoral classic wellington boots

Clarks – Tor Run shoes

Masai – Along scarf

Toys and Games:

Jojo Maman Bébé – FSC-certified wooden toys

Brio – Toys and games

RSPB – Birds trivia game

Ginger Fox –Taskmaster card game

Orange Tree Toys – Peter Rabbit stacking cubes

Le Toy Van – Sophie’s wooden dolls toy house and Wooden tool bench toy

Big Jigs Toys – 100% FSC-certified kids tepee

Hobbycraft –3D wooden whale puzzle

WWF – The tiger who came to tea gift box

FSC-certified Christmas crackers

Marks and Spencer – Guessing game Christmas crackers and Trivia game Christmas crackers

Sainsburys – Robin dinner crackers

Some other places you can find FSC-certified products

Co-op

Sainsburys

Tesco

John Lewis

Marks and Spencer

Next

Flying Tiger

WLM launches its Christmas 2022 campaign

We have little control over the hand life deals us, but we believe everyone deserves at least a fair chance in life. And even a second chance, right?

A spokesman for WLM said: "At WLM, we believe nobody should be without a fair chance. The chance to talk; the chance to turn their life around; the chance to contribute to society.

"In the current cost of living crisis we’re all experiencing, the need for fairer chances in a broken system is more important than ever. At WLM, we’ve always provided places of safety and belonging for those who’ve been let down by the system. 

"Over the last year, our community, counselling and criminal justice services have seen many challenges as people in the communities we work in face multiple hurdles to getting the chances they need to achieve their potential.

"Our cost of living workshops at WLM St Luke’s community hub are well attended, as global and economic insecurity, and financial downturn, have a significant impact on people in work, as well as those who are unable to work. Our residential services include those which prevent homelessness, providing quality and supportive spaces for people leaving the armed forces, or those completing prison sentences. Demand for our residential support is high.

"Our low-cost counselling centre has a growing waiting list as the need for mental health support continues to grow significantly. For 136 years, WLM has been a consistent and constant provider of services that attempt to address systemic failures resulting in homelessness, and redress the lack of opportunity people in our communities need to thrive.

The demand for our work, which increased unprecedentedly during the pandemic, is yet to recede during the cost of living crisis. We’ll continue to use our spaces to respond to the current cost of living crisis, and work with people’s strengths towards growing their financial resilience.

This Christmas, with the help of those that support us, we can keep off­ering people the fair chances they need. To improve their prospects. To become valued members of their communities. To make amends. To realise their goals and ambitions for a better life.

#chance2change

Below is an example of an inquiry from a man ready to start therapy with a fee of £22/session, as agreed in his initial assessment appointment by our counselling service, and based on his individual circumstances. David (that’s a pseudonym) needed to delay starting his sessions as he received some concerning news about his health. When David was able to return to WLM Highbury Counselling Centre (HCC) after three months, his circumstances had changed considerably, and he wrote to us with his concerns:

'Unfortunately I’m now in a difficult position financially due to increases in council tax and huge increase in my energy bills which have gone from £61 to £300 a month. My only income is my state pension. I really only feel able to pay £10 a week towards therapy and I really do understand if you cannot help me at this time. Although I still feel I am in need of therapy, I would not like you to think that I am taking advantage of the service.'

Of course, our service is for people like David, and he continued his therapy with us.

Find our #chance2change campaign on our website by visiting https://www.wlm.org.uk/Appeal/chance-2-change." 

https://www.wlm.org.uk

Registered charity number 1133739

WLM has been empowering people to make positive changes in their lives since 1887. They are part of the Methodist Church and proud of their Christian roots and history, offering support to individuals of all faiths and none, inclusively.

In the last 12 months we’ve worked across our community, counselling and criminal justice services to provide support to over 256 people, preventing homelessness and giving them the skills they need to thrive.

7 in 10 are concerned about the cost of Christmas

7 in 10 UK adults are concerned about the cost of Christmas this year, according to a new survey commissioned by social impact company and food waste app, Too Good To Go.

Concerns are so drastic nationally, 62% of those surveyed said they'd be stopping some-kind of Christmas tradition to try and cut costs. Of these 62%, ¼ are not buying luxury advent calendars, 19% won’t send Christmas cards, and 14% won't buy a Christmas tree.

With cost a major factor in people’s minds this Christmas, food waste is a key concern when it comes to money-saving. Not only are we aiming to spend less on food this Christmas, but 46% are concerned about the amount of food they'll waste over the festive period, with a majority (55%) citing it being a waste of money.

An average of 19% more food waste is produced over Christmas than any other time of the year. But this latest survey suggests 2022 may be different, as Brits are rethinking some of their usual festive food traditions in a bid to minimise costs. 

Almost a third of UK adults (31%) are planning on reducing the overall amount of food they would normally buy and consume over the festive period, whether it be purchasing fewer traditional or limited-edition Christmas treats i.e. sandwiches or mince pies, cooking food from scratch as opposed to buying pre-made items, or cooking smaller portions at home. 

A further 12% will change their traditional turkey Christmas Day lunch in favour of a cheaper option. Other food habits Brits are changing in a bid to save money including cutting out meat, buying more local produce and prioritising recipes that repurpose leftovers.

Jamie Crummie, Co-Founder of Too Good To Go, the organisation behind this data, said: "This research sadly shows Christmas may be particularly challenging for many of us amidst the rising cost of living. But we can also see that people in the UK are increasingly finding new ways to help keep costs to a minimum, particularly when it comes to food waste. 

"Tackling food waste, -something which usually increases over the festive period, can't only be helpful for our planet, but it can also be a hugely beneficial and simple way to save money. That’s why at Too Good To Go we’re proud that our food-saving model can help people access quality food for a more affordable price. 

"We’ll also be sharing easy tips and zero-waste recipes on our social media and blog to help minimise food waste at home for a low-cost Christmas.”

Too Good To Go is the free app that lets consumers buy surplus food and drink from retailers, restaurants, cafes, pubs and producers to stop it from going to waste. Businesses simply update the app to show how much surplus food they have to sell. Customers then search the app for local stores, purchase their bag of food for a fraction of its original retail value, and collect at the pre-set time to take home and enjoy.

Find out more at www.toogoodtogo.co.uk or @toogoodtogo.uk on Instagram.

How you can make a difference locally by spending £10 locally this Christmas

Did you know you can help make a difference to your local High Street shops? And all it will cost is £10.

Local retailers are having a tough time of it this year, as are we all. However, you can make a difference and all for only £10.

What That's Christmas would like you to do is to take £10 and spend it at a local retailer in the run-up to Christmas.

What type of shop? The local baker, the delicatessen, the off licence, the craft shop, the cake shop, a local pub, the artisanal person who has a stall in the local market who produces awesome handmade goods, a cheesemonger, the shop who sells bottles of beer, cider, etc, the florist, the wool shop, etc, etc.

Just visit them and spend £10 with them.

But don't just do it yourself, please forward this blog post to your family and friends and also send it to your social media groups and see if you can get other people to promise to spend an extra Tenner with your local retailers.

(Image courtesy of InspiredImages and Pixabay)