Coffee Lovers Letter Box Hamper. Ideal Christmas gift

The Coffee Lovers Letter Box Hamper makes a super Christmas gift for the people you really love and care about and it's a snip at £29.95 and includes standard delivery.

It's gorgeously wrapped in traditional parcel paper, with twine and proper ink stamps, this special little coffee hamper is perfect for friends and family who love the smell and taste of fresh coffee to start their day.

This letter box gift hamper includes:

• A personalised card with the recipient's name and your own personal message.

• Olfactory Coffee's delicious blend of Fazenda Cruzeiro and Agustino Forest beans from Colombia, with a smooth taste of oats, cranberry and caramel. Best used in Cafetieres. Ground beans, 70g.

• Olfactory Coffee's new Ethiopian Rocko Mountain coffee, sweet and full bodied with delicate caramel sweetness and mild lime acidity. Best used in Cafetieres. Ground beans, 70g.

• Artisan Roast Espresso dark chocolate, from Coco Chocolatier in Edinburgh. Single origin 64% dark chocolate meets Bonanza coffee from El Salvador, delivering a taste of the tropical. 90g bar.

• Shortbread House of Edinburgh Original shortbread, handmade in Edinburgh using a traditional Scottish recipe, with a delicious buttery flavour and a light crisp texture. Twin pack.

• Shortbread House of Edinburgh Original with Stem Ginger shortbread, handmade in Edinburgh using a traditional Scottish recipe, with a delicious buttery flavour and a light crisp texture. Twin pack.

We also offer this coffee hamper on a discounted 3-month subscription to ensure that caffeine itch can be scratched without pause!

Coffee not quite your thing? Try our Afternoon Tea Hamper instead.

Simple, free letterbox friendly delivery anywhere in the UK. International delivery available.

Free shipping - Standard Uk delivery. International delivery also available.

Next day delivery available - For orders placed before 2pm

It's a Luxury British Produce - Premium gifting, and their positive reviews speak for themselves.

To order visit https://www.letterboxhamper.com/products/coffee-lovers-letter-box-hamper?_pos=1&_sid=0ece221b7&_ss=r

Royal Mail delivering at Christmas: What you need to know

The following information has been supplied to us by Royal Mail and is correct at the time of publication. For any updates and further information please visit www.royalmail.com/greetings.

Parcel Collect:

Royal Mail’s Parcel Collect service is a convenient way to send parcels or returns this Christmas. With this service, postmen and postwomen collect parcels and returns from customers while they carry out their daily round. 

As well as offering even higher levels of convenience, the move enables online sellers and online shoppers to mail or return a pre-paid item by post from the comfort of their own home. Royal Mail’s Parcel Postboxes are another option for sending parcels or return items.

Shop Early and Post Early for Christmas:

Royal Mail is encouraging customers to order their online gifts and shopping well in advance, and to post their festive greetings early, to help its postmen and women deliver the bumper festive mailbag. Its latest recommended posting dates for mail to arrive in time for Christmas are:

UK latest recommended posting dates for Christmas 2022 are:

Monday 19 December 

- 2nd Class

- 2nd Class Signed For

- Royal Mail 48®

Wednesday 21 December

- 1st Class

-1st Class Signed For

- Royal Mail 24®

Thursday 22 December

- Special Delivery Guaranteed®

Further information is available at www.royalmail.com/greetings.

(Image used courtesy of AW1000 and Pixabay)

Royal Mail reveals special video stamps for Christmas 2022

Royal Mail is celebrating Christmas 2022 with a series of six special barcoded stamps, exclusively illustrated by award-winning artist, Katie Ponder.

The six designs reflect Kent-based Katie’s unique style, providing a fresh and contemporary feel to the classic Nativity story.

The illustrations this year focus on key moments in the traditional Christmas story such as the journey to Bethlehem and the Magi being guided by the Christmas star.

Rather poignantly this year’s stamps will be the last ever Christmas stamps to feature the silhouette of the Late Queen Elizabeth.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: We are encouraging our  customers to post their festive greetings early and order their online gifts and shopping well in advance, to help our posties to deliver the bumper festive mailbag.

The stamps are on sale from today (3 November) and will be available at www.royalmail.com/christmas2022, by phone on 03457 641 641 and the 7,000 Post Offices all over the UK

Royal Mail also worked with The Revd Lucy Winkett, who is the Rector of St James's Church, Piccadilly on this year's stamp issue.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Our Christmas stamp issue is always very eagerly anticipated, and it's one we particularly look forward to. We believe the charming style of these designs sets the perfect tone for the festive season.”

The barcodes on this year’s Christmas stamps allow customers to watch a seasonal, themed video created exclusively for Royal Mail by the award winning Aardman studio. The video features Shaun the Sheep and his friends sending some festive cheer to Bitzer, the Farmer’s dog.

To choose and view the video, both sender and recipient can download the Royal Mail App. The sender can select the Christmas video for the recipient to watch just by scanning the stamp barcode, thus giving that someone special something extra to smile about this Christmas.

Catan Trade, Build, Settle

Klaus Teuber's Catan, Trade, Build, Settle is probably unlike any other game that you have ever seen or played. Ever.

Otherwise known as The Settlers of Catan, this game has garnered so many different awards that it's not always easy to keep track of them. From Game of the Year to Game of the Century, entered into the Hall of Fame and with a variety of awards from countries all over the world, including the USA.

It's an ideal Christmas gift because it's been hailed worldwide as the "Perfect Social Game."

So, what happens in Catan Trade, Build, Settle? Explorers with a thirst for adventure have the task of attempting to explore the island of Catan.

Catan is rich in resources but is totally devoid of any inhabitants, so is ripe for the plucking and for settling and for exploitation.

There are rich agricultural areas, harbours, a desert area and hills, wooded areas and mountains. An intriguing and deliberately engineered feature of the game is that the random mix creates an entirely different board with almost every game. Which means that no two games will ever be exactly the same!

What's the game play? You must steer your own team of settlers onward to victory. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But no! Your settlers will require a certain degree of cunning and they'll need to be smart traders, too. 

Work out which resource combinations will work out for the best, depending on several factors. Grain, lumber. wool, ore deposits, etc, etc. Use your resources to purchase highly useful development cards, have your settlers build settlements, roads and, eventually, cities,

You can acquire resources through trade, the use of cards or even the throw of a lucky dice! Even if it's not your turn? Wow!

However, you need to be aware that other settlers might be trying to do you down by employing their own cunning strategies. And do be aware of the larcenous fiend who has his eyes on some of your stuff!

It's said that the average game player can learn to play Catan in about a quarter of an hour, and that each campaign should take about an hour, perhaps a little longer. It's designed for 3 to 4 players.

It comes complete with a rule book and almanac.

It's suggested that you can learn to play the game at www.catan.com where you will find, amongst other highly useful things, the Catan Explainer App.

You will find Catan Trade, Build, Settle on same at Amazon, in specialist game retailers all over the country at about the £30 mark.

It will make a fantastic Christmas gift for the gamers in your life. 

https://www.asmodee.co.uk/

Ticket to Ride San Francisco

Ticket to Ride San Francisco is a fantastic game from Days of Wonder.

How good is the game? Their proud claim is that you will be able to learn the game within three minutes but that you will then have hours of fun playing it!

And that's absolutely 100% true! I wondered how I, as an individual, would feel about this game because I have had the privilege of visiting San Francisco on several occasions.

And this game actually blew me away! You get a board map of the city's transportation network, 80 cable cars (there are 20 in each colour) 21 tourist tokens, 44 transportation cards 24 destination cards 4 scoring markers and the all important rules sheet telling you how to play the game.

It's a rapid play game as you race against your fellow players whilst seeing who of you can visit the most iconic tourist sites in the city on the bay.

From the cable cars to the Golden Gate Bridge, from Alcatraz to Pier 39, from the Embarcadero to the Mission District, from Pier 39 to Height-Astbury and  everywhere else in between, everyone will have a fantastic touristy time as you race each other to see who can get to their destination first! But be careful to collect souvenirs on the way round the specially designed game board, as you'll need these to win.

Did this game take me back to my visits to San Francisco? In a way, yes. However this time my visit was purely fun and didn't involve any power point presentations in a boring conference venue!

Ticket to Ride San Francisco will make an absolutely perfect Christmas present for anyone ages from 8 and above and is designed for 2 to 4 players.

It's a game from Alan R. Moon and is published by Days of Wonder. And they even have forums for players, too! https://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/san-francisco.

It's available from toy shops and will cost you £21.77.

https://www.asmodee.co.uk/

That's Books and Entertainment: Get more music from Amazon Prime

That's Books and Entertainment: Get more music from Amazon Prime: Amazon Prime members will enjoy an increase from 2 million on-demand to 100 million songs in shuffle mode, ad-free, and at no additional cos...

Matthew West Invites You to 'Come Home for Christmas' - New Song Out Now

Matthew West invites you to "Come Home for Christmas," with his enchanting new holiday tune, which is out now across all digital streaming platforms. 

Kicking off the most wonderful time of the year with a dazzling announcement, West has partnered with Candace Cameron Bure, Bill Abbott and Great American Family to highlight the endearing carol on their Great American Family channel all holiday season. Fans can hear "Come Home for Christmas" for eight weeks during Great American Christmas celebrating their holiday films.

And you can listen to "Come Home for Christmas" here https://matthewwest.lnk.to/ComeHomeforChristmasPR

"I am really thrilled to be partnering with the Great American Family network this holiday season," said Matthew. "I love Christmas music so much, and each year I find myself sitting down at the piano penning a new Christmas tune inspired by my love of this most wonderful time of the year. 'Come Home for Christmas' is not just a song, it's an invitation for every heart to return to the wonder, the peace, the love, and the hope that this holiday season offers to every heart. I hope when people tune in to watch their favorite holiday films on the network that this song will serve as a musical reminder of what Christmas is all about."

"Matthew is one of my favourite storytellers through music of all time," said Bure. "The originality and authenticity of his Christmas songs can be felt within his lyrics and melodies. I'm incredibly thrilled that he is a part of Great American Family, and that our audience can experience such moving music that's really unlike any other."

"Original music plays an essential role in creating a cosy, memorable Christmas experience and is a key differentiator for Great American Family in the holiday movie space," said Abbott, who is President and CEO of Great American Media.

"Matthew's inspirational 'Come Home for Christmas' perfectly embodies our 'Welcome Home to Great American Christmas' theme and the song is sure to resonate with our audience this holiday season."

West was recently nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Inspirational Artist - voting open here. The NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Year also announced his upcoming double album MY STORY YOUR GLORY set for release February 17, 2023. 

The five-time Grammy® nominee has had a monumental year: "Me On Your Mind" spent 6 weeks atop the Mediabase Christian Airplay chart and the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart for 5 weeks. His fifth consecutive chart-topper marked West's 25th number one song combined as an artist and songwriter - now at 27. 

His sixth book "The God Who Stays" is out now. He is set to hit the road for the AN EVENING AT THE STORY HOUSE WITH MATTHEW WEST tour kicking off November 3 then will return to Franklin, TN for his Come Home for Christmas weekend December 2-4.