This Christmas families up and down the country, after Christmas dinner and Christmas pud and mince pies have been consumed, the sherry sipped and the first King's first speech has been watched, will be playing The Sock Game!
Invented by a pair of very competitive brothers called Jono and Nick back in 2015 (the back story involves a pair of their Dad's 'borrowed' walking sock and a whole host of other paired items that they found all over their family home.)
Over the years the boys have refined the game with what they describe as "the perfect sock" and they assure us that their Dad did, eventually, get his pair of walking socks back.
So, what happens? You get your special extra funky, colourful official monogrammed socks, two sets of 30 game items, two scoring counters a spinning score board and the instructions.
Before play commences put one identical set of 30 game items into each sock, then attach the spinner to the spinner score board. (Merely describing the bag of game items will not do them justice. You'll have to buy the game to learn the delights of the bag!)
How to you play it? Divide everyone into two teams. Each player must take a sock of items. Select a scoring counter and place it onto the allotted starting place on the spinner score board.
Choose a player from each team to go first and twizzle the spinner to choose an object.
Call out the name of the chosen object then GO!
The first player to remove the object wins a point.
And then the game continues!
It's a fantastic game and can be as fast or as slow as you are comfortable with. And it's suitable for either two players or for two teams of multiple players, you decide!
It's aimed at everyone from age eight to 108 and we feel certain that this will be a firm favourite with every family who receives one in their Christmas gifts this year. And at every family party for the rest of time. It's the kind of game that helps make family memories.
(I had planned on working a reference into this piece to the expression "Sock it to me" which was common back into the 1960s and early 1970s, used by Aretha Franklin in her 1967 version of the song "Respect" and also in the comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, 1968 to 1973, but as most readers are probably too young to understand those references, I decided not to bother!)
At the moment B&Q, are focussing on Christmas with your pets. Christmas dog toys aren't merely a delightful and fun way to treat your faithful friend, they're also a great way to provide the mental stimulation and exercise needed to keep your dog happy and healthy.
Zoon Christmas Gonk Dog Toy
Don't let Santa leave out your furry friend out this Christmas! Treat man's best friend to this sweet, cuddly Christmas toy, the perfect gift for your pet to play with all season long.
Zoon Christmas Pig in Blanket Dog Toy
A fun pig plush toy that’s wrapped in his own blanket! Its soft and snuggly fabrics are pawfect for cuddling and as it features an internal squeaker, it makes for plenty of squeaky fun this Christmas.
Zoon Christmas Rudolf Ropelegs Dog Toy
A soft Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer toy wearing a festive scarf – with rope legs for tug of war and a soft, snuggly body, this toy is the perfect treat!
Zoon Christmas Noodle Partridge Dog Toy
This dog toy is made using a soft noodly fabric and is fitted with a squeaker to keep your pooch interested while playing with this plucky partridge!
As the darker and colder nights draw in, B&Q also have launched some garden lighitng to help you and your pets, find their way back home, when outside.
Luceco Black Spike light of 4
Easy to install plug and play spike kit with main plug adaptor and the latest integrated LED technology.
To see more Christmas gifts and to find out the location of your nearest B&Q branch, or to make your purchases on line visit https://www.diy.com.
Viewers will find themselves immersed in a medieval fairy tale, the advert depicts a young chef’s quest to reimagine and breathe new life into the traditional Christmas pudding.
Due to premiere today, Friday 4th November, the full advert can be viewed further down in this post.
The tongue-in-cheek advert, starring Alison Hammond as The Countess, features a voiceover from Stephen Fry. It forms part of Sainsbury's Christmas marketing campaign, with more following over the coming weeks.
Sainsbury's is investing a whopping £60 million in great value food and groceries via its Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi Price Match campaign, Price Lock and Special Offers. An extra £5 million is being invested into Argos and Habitat furniture lines, which are part of the Sainsbury's group.
Over the next two years, Sainsbury’s is investing £500 million to ensure the items people buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices.
This year’s advert puts a light-hearted twist on Christmas themes and celebrates the innovation and creativity of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Christmas range.
Centring on one of the most divisive foods, the iconic Christmas pudding, the amusing advert brings to life the imagination and ingenuity which breathed new life into the festive staple.
The story is set in an imaginary medieval world where a festive feast is being planned. A Countess, played by Alison Hammond, is in charge of choosing the food, but her distaste of Christmas pudding means it's definitely off the menu. At least until a young cook can change her mind.
The scene opens with a view of a castle surrounded by a forest and mountains. As a dragon flies across the screen, a voiceover from Stephen Fry proclaims: “In a far, far away land, a feast was being planned”.
The scene then cuts to a crowded room where a line of chefs patiently wait to present menu items for a festive feast to The Countess. An adornment of festive food is happily received, from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crab Thermidor Crumpets to Cider Glazed Gammon.
However, when a nervy young cook offers a traditional Christmas pudding, The Countess proclaims: “I’ve never really liked Christmas pudding” and blows out the pudding’s flame. Met with gasps from onlookers, The Countess orders the cook to “Bring her something different. Or else!”
Terrified, the young cook is back in the kitchen thinking hard about The Countess’ order. Suddenly he has an inspiration and rapidly sets hard at work.
Set to a medieval instrumental version of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, the cook works hard day and night, mixing ingredients and even nicking a humongously big biscuit from an angry giant. Looking triumphant, the chef admires his final creation.
As the Countess announces its “treatie time," the cook approaches, presenting a cloche to reveal a Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding. Less than impressed that the cook has ignored her and decided to serve Christmas pudding, the room falls into tense silence as they await her verdict...
Laura Boothby, Head of Campaigns, at Sainsbury’s says: “Food plays a central role in any celebration, and we wanted to bring to life the imagination and innovation that goes into creating our Taste the Difference Christmas range. We also wanted the ad to provide some fun and light-hearted Christmas cheer and who better to do that than Alison Hammond.
“The festive feast is a quintessential Christmas moment for many and the perfect setting to celebrate what Sainsbury’s does best: delicious, quality, great value food. We’re always creating and developing new recipes and Christmas is the perfect time to experiment with new twists on traditional flavours.
“We’ve focused on the Christmas pudding specifically because we know it’s divisive, people love it, or they hate it, which is why Sainsbury's has created the Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Pudding. Pudding lovers can still opt for their traditional dessert, but those who aren’t fans can try our innovative take on the Christmas classic instead.”
Alison Hammond says: “I absolutely loved playing The Countess in this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. It got me feeling all festive and was such a laugh!"
“The Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding was absolutely a bit of me and will definitely make an appearance on our table this year. Just not sure if I can wait until Christmas day to try it again!"
The advert is one aspect of Sainsbury's Christmas marketing campaign, with more following over the next few weeks.
Son of a nutcracker! Asda has introduced a very special and fantastical festive colleague, who is also the star of its 2022 Christmas campaign: Buddy the Elf, under license from Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products.
After scattering a trail of festive clues, causing fans of the 2003 movie classic to exclaim ‘I know him!’, Christmas-loving character Buddy the Elf is confirmed as Asda’s newest seasonal recruit in its jubilant and cheer-spreading Christmas advertising campaign.
Premiering today, Friday 4th November at 8.45pm on ITV1 in the Coronation Street advertising break, Asda’s new 90-second Christmas TV ad uses original footage and iconic lines from the UK’s favourite Christmas film, to place the beloved Buddy right at the heart of a bustling Asda store in the build-up to his favourite time of year, Christmas.
Set to the music Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town and created by merging classic film footage with newly filmed scenes, the advert charmingly captures Buddy’s wide-eyed wonder and unbridled passion for all things festive as we join him on his first day as a member of the Asda in-store Christmas team.
The film opens with a loving homage to Elf’s iconic ‘street crossing’ scene, except this time, it’s a train of Asda shopping trolleys, not a New York City cab, that causes Buddy to exclaim “sorry!” as it crashes into him.
This marks the beginning of a wondrous (for Buddy), if chaotic (for everyone else) trial shift, which sees Buddy marvel at Asda’s selection of Christmas goodies including some enticing icing sugar sprinkled Extra Special mince pies (YUM! mince pies!) eat all the free maple pigs in blankets samples, distract colleagues with his Christmas plans, and take the chance to sing loudly over the store's Tannoy system.
However, when the store closes and Buddy adds his own magic touch, decking out the entire shop floor in fairy lights and festive decorations (while re-christening the ‘elf checkouts’), it’s quickly apparent that when it comes to Christmas, Buddy and Asda are a match made in heaven.
He’s got the job,– and to his delight, he can stay! As he dashes, enthusiastically, of course, out of the store, he runs straight into the same shopping trolleys he encountered on his way in, causing a bemused colleague to smile, as the campaign line ‘Have your Elf a Merry Christmas’ flashes up on-screen.
Says Sam Dickson, who is Asda's Acting Chief Customer Officer: “Like Buddy, we absolutely love Christmas, so we’re delighted and thrilled to welcome him to our team.
"We know this has been a tough year for so many people, which is why we want to create some little moments of magic and joy for families this year with our Christmas campaign, and more importantly, our amazing products.
"We hope with a little bit of help from Buddy, our joy-filled Christmas offering will create some festive magic and helps give families a Christmas to remember together.”
Plus. as part of its commitment to spreading Christmas cheer and making brighter moments possible for all this festive season, Asda will be giving a special festive surprise to five different community groups, to give them the chance to celebrate Christmas. That they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do without the retailer’s help.
"Please remember that Asda will also be collecting toys for children’s charities as part of its gift appeal and stores will bring festive cheer to customers with local choirs and bands playing throughout December.
"Also, Asda is introducing several initiatives to help those in need this Christmas, including Asda cafés providing a £1 meal deal for OAPs, continuing its popular kids eat for £1 deal, plus cost-of-living grants to support community groups with increased rent and bills.
Morrisons is bringing back its Farmer Christmas for the second year running as part of its latest Christmas campaign.
The character was so well received by customers last year, that Morrisons is building on last year's success.
Farmer Christmas has been integrated throughout the whole of this year’s campaign to highlight the great quality and value of Morrisons entire festive range, with his ‘seal of approval’ being the common thread throughout.
The 60 second TV advert spot, created with Publicis•Poke showcases the other hero of Christmas as Morrisons once again illustrates the work our British farmers do to help make Christmas so special for everyone.
The spotlight is also on Morrisons own colleagues, many of whom feature in the advert, who are the “real life elves” who help make more than half the fresh food that Morrisons retails.
The advert follows Farmer Christmas, who we hear speak for the first time in his rich Welsh brogue, as he travels across his fields on a tractor to his festive workshop.
There we see Morrisons ‘elves’ hard at work preparing festive dishes made by Morrisons. Farmer Christmas introduces a Morrisons baker creating puff pastry mince pies in “magic ovens” (or normal ovens, as the baker clarifies!), a fishmonger showing off smoked Scottish salmon, and a butcher who passes Farmer Christmas a traditionally glazed gammon joint, which he describes as being “like a big edible Christmas present”.
Viewers will then follow Farmer Christmas as he travels on his tractor to deliver a festive feast to a family, before cheekily inviting himself to sit down and join them!
The advert finishes with Farmer Christmas proudly explaining that Morrisons is the “only supermarket to be officially approved by me” because of its commitment to British farming, its food makers and its great value Christmas products.
The ‘Officially Approved By Farmer Christmas’ stamp will be seen throughout the festive campaign in stores and also across paid media.
While the advert kicks off the festive season for Morrisons, some Christmas products have been on the shelves since mid September to help customers spread the cost of this year’s festivities.
Other recent activities that have been introduced to help customers with the cost of living include reducing and then freezing the prices of 150 of its most popular products, the introduction of exclusive offers to My Morrisons members and the continuation of the Kids Eat Free All Day initiative in Morrisons cafés.
Over the coming days, Morrisons Christmas Collector scheme will go live for eligible My Morrisons members enabling them to receive a significant money-off voucher to spend at Christmas if they meet the criteria and shop in the relevant weeks.
Rachel Eyre, who has the enviable job of being Morrisons Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, said: "We know our customers are having to manage their budgets closely at the moment but they've told us they don’t want to compromise on the Christmas meal.
"We’ve brought Farmer Christmas back this year to show our customers the food and great prices that, thanks to Morrisons foodmakers and farmers, will be available throughout the entire festive period, all stamped with his seal of approval.”
Dave Monk, who is Publicis•Poke's Executive Creative Director, said: “Farmer Christmas is back. This year with a twinkle in his eye and a tractor to match.
"As the authority on Christmas food, with a mouth full of his own wisdom and a sack full of Morrisons mince pies, he’s here to remind us all the most precious moments at Christmas are the ones we spend around the table with our family, and that the presents on our tables make Christmas just as special as the presents under the tree.”
The advert was expertly directed by Frank Todaro of Moxie Pictures and will launch on TV during Good Morning Britain on Monday 7th November, followed by network TV spots that include Coronation Street, Bake Off, I’m a Celebrity and Goggle Box. It will also be shown in cinemas throughout the festive period, too.
The wider campaign will run across radio, press, digital display, social media and out of home bringing Farmer Christmas to streets, as well as screens, across the UK.
This ad is the first in a series of ten Christmas TV ads showcasing Morrisons fresh food and festive deals to tie in with the World Cup as well as the Christmas period.
British artisanal Fudge makers, Fudge Kitchen, completed a rebrand earlier in this year which saw them prioritising ways in which they can minimise their (and their customers) impact on the environment.
They've been making fudge for nearly about four decades and what began as a handful of fudge shops has developed into a thriving online and wholesale business, producing confectionery for some of the UK's most prestigious hotels and top department stores.
Sian Holt, their MD, says: “The rebrand initially came about as we wanted to align the personality of our six high street shops with the premium gifting positioning of our wholesale and ecommerce sides.
"As part of this review, we felt it was the perfect time to explore more sustainable packaging options, introduce more locally sourced ingredients and find ways in which we can give back to our planet.”
The packaging update saw them moving to use only UK printed packaging, dramatically reducing their carbon footprint. They also switched to plant-based inks and water-based glues, and all packaging is FSC certified and is now also fully recyclable.
As a part of the rebrand the manufacturer, which is based in Kent, also switched to a new and more ethical chocolate supplier, Luker Chocolate, which is owned by a Colombian family-owned chocolate manufacturer. They are also beginning to phase out internationally grown cane sugar in favour of beet sugar which is grown in Norfolk.
For Christmas, Fudge Kitchen felt the desire to create a product that replaced something wasteful and unsustainable, so they created their Luxury Christmas Crackers.
You won't find a plastic hopping frog or gimmicky whistle that will no doubt end up in landfill. Instead, each cracker contains three generous squares of butter fudge in their most popular festive flavours, Sea Salted Caramel, Speculoos and Chocolate and Orange.
The stylish crackers are the perfect addition to a Christmas tablescape, stocking filler or popped on the tree for a decoration.
Alongside their Christmas Crackers, Fudge Kitchen also has an extensive range of other gifting products including their compostable confectionery pouches containing handmade Chocolate Coated Honeycomb, Raspberry Coconut Ice, Rock Salted Peanut Brittle, and Sea Salted Caramel Crumbly Fudge.
The pouches are made using renewable resources, including TIPA bio-based film, NatureFlex cellulose and PaperWise paper, and can be composted with your household food waste (subject to local authority arrangements). The compostability is clearly stated on each pack, with instructions on how to dispose of them appropriately.
Their Head of Sales, Rupert Allinson, added: “We feel very strongly that there's a responsibility for all businesses to play their part in tackling the climate emergency. We don't want to just do 'enough' to keep in line with government rules and legislation. Instead, we want to pave our own way, going above and beyond to minimise the impact we have.”
Fudge Kitchen's Luxury Christmas Crackers can be found on the Fudge Kitchen website, in Fudge Kitchen stores, Harvey Nichols, Liberty and Not On The High Street.
