Hello lovelies!
Is it close enough for me to be able to say the dreaded C word? Can you believe we are so close to Christmas already? I am point blank refusing to countdown to Christmas as that signifies the, almost, end of my maternity leave and spending all of my days with my little bean. But in the spirit of keeping you all on track, it is 4 weeks and 4 days until Christmas Day - that means you only have 4 weeks(ish) to get your skates on and get Christmas presents sorted.
As always, I am on hand to help you all out with thoughtful present suggestions and showcase some great brands to help make Christmas shopping easier. Any PR items will be marked with an * - these are items I have been sent, but all opinions and reviews remain 100% my own. Due to the cost of living crisis I have covered a range of presents in different price ranges (we are also cutting back this Christmas) and I am very conscious of using my blog to get the message across that Christmas is about the time spent with family and not the cost of the presents under the tree - keep tuned for more posts about this in December!
Lets get into the gift guide:
Wine, cheese and crackers - varying prices:
We are cheese fanatics in our house and love a good cheese, wine, crackers and crisps night. Now what I love about this gift idea is that you really can tailor it to the individual and also to your budget. Cheese at Christmas can be found in the little truckles for usually a £1 a pop and normally in Christmas shapes which is fun. ASDA currently have some options for £1.10 a go for 90g of cheese, which is quite good value. Crackers can be found for around 90p in most shops or some unusual root veg crisps for around £1.20ish. If you do not fancy truckles, you can usually find a selection of cheeses for around £6 (as pictured above) and you could wrap these up to make them more of a gift. Wine can be found for a range of prices and even mead can be found for under £10 online. We picked our mead up in Conwy at a little shop next to the castle. This is a really simple yet effective gift and one that I use regularly in our house for cheap, but thoughtful date nights.
Storyteller Flagmate* - starter kits from £25.99 and individual flags £4.99:
If you have a travel lover in your life or simply want to commemorate your trips away like me, then Storyteller's Flagmate is the perfect gift. Mine is currently clipped onto my house keys and every time I need to use them I am reminded of the lovely holidays we have been on this year. We headed to Scotland for our first holiday as a family in June and then headed to Portugal for Steve's friend's wedding in the August, which was our first holiday abroad as a couple (cheers COVID). Earlier this year I noticed a lot of people sharing their Flagmates on Instagram and a lot of travel bloggers who I admire raving about them. I love everything about the concept and the option to personalise the back of the flags is just the cutest idea. Our Scottish flag is engraved with 'Tori, Steve and Alex's Adventures' which made me a teeny bit emotional when I opened it. The Flagmate comes in a lovely gift box as well, which is perfect for gifting.
You can view at the Flagmate bundles here. You can also purchase additional individual flags or bundles of flags if you have a lot of trips to commemorate. I will be making a purchase of Welsh and English flags for Christmas as Wales was Steve and I's first holiday together and England is, of course, where we have built our life together.
Erin & Peony dried flower bouquet - £15 (various prices on website for different pieces):
I love flowers, but really hate when they start to die and I lose them. I discovered Erin & Peony earlier this year after a fellow blogger shared her dried flower wedding bouquet. I instantly fell in love and quickly found this beautiful bouquet on her Etsy Page. This bouquet has had many places in our home since January. It has been in our bedroom, on our landing, in the kitchen, in the hallway and now finally takes pride of place on the corner of our mantle piece.
Dried flowers are a perfect Christmas gift and something that can be cherished for years to come. There are also bouquets of varying prices on Erin & Peony's Etsy page or you can send her a message and see if she can create something bespoke to you within your price range.
Dalek Teapot - purchased from HMV for £19.99 (you can actually find this online for around £12-£15):
I stumbled upon this beauty whilst shopping in Scotland in June. We took a little nosey in HMV and as a massive Whovian I instantly headed to the Dr Who section. They had several teapots, but none really took my fancy, not even the Tardis one, until I stumbled upon this magnificent beauty. I would be lying if I said I was not 100% instantly in love and quickly ran over to Steve to show him my newest prized possession. She has pride of place next to our coffee machine and gets used during the weekend for our family breakfasts. I am obsessed with her and how she looks in our kitchen. A 10/10 purchase for any Dr Who lover and they have lots of designs available too.
Diplodocus Dinosaur Bottle Stopper - £3.95 (From Lisa Angel, but can be purchased in gift shops. Mine was purchased from Gift + Home in Altrincham. Best £3.95 I have spent all year):
I again managed to stumble upon this beauty whilst perusing the shops of Altrincham last week. I have been looking for the right wine cork / bottle stopper, but never liked any of the designs or the clunkiness of the metal ones. I used to just stick a spoon in the bottle of Prosecco and hope for the best with white and red wines. As you can see we have gone up in the World with our Dippy, which is what we have affectionately called our bottle stopper. This is kind of a special 'in' joke with Steve and I, hence why I purchased it. We visited the National History Museum after I graduated in May and Dippy, their huge Diplodocus skeleton, was not there as he was off on his jollies. Anyway, I got shafted out of £18 for a Diplodocus cuddly toy for Alex (which we have called Donald) and since then we love a good Diplodocus so this bottle stopper was perfect. Definitely a sweet gift for anyone who has moved into their own home or those who love wine and / or dinosaurs!
Hairflair Curlformers and Softhood* - £23.95 & £14.95 (currently on sale for £14.37 at the time of writing):
If you follow my Instagram page you will already know that I am a huge fan of my curlformers. I first used them in June this year and I am obsessed with the curls they create. There are two ways to use your curlformers, either sleeping in them overnight, which was actually quite comfortable, or using the softhood to dry your hair and curl your hair. You are instructed to use the curlformers with damp hair and then place the hood over and dry your curls. The curling is very easy to do as you have a long stick to thread through your hair. From my experience if it is not really easy to pull your hair through, you have not threaded it properly so do not just yank like I did, simply reverse your threading and start again. I have medium length hair and it took me about 30 minutes to thread all the curlers and then around 15 minutes to dry the curls in with the hood. Next time it will probably take me less time as I now know what I am doing. The curls look really natural and lasted all day, despite me not using any hairspray or curl cream. I know other people have had curls last for days with proper care, which is great. Definitely a great present for those who like mixing up their hairstyles and are conscious about using too much heat on them.
Makeup Revolution Satin Curling Ribbon - £6 (I am informed Home Bargains currently have a dupe for £1.99):
As you can tell I have been big on finding ways to curl my hair without using any heat this year. Everyone went crazy for these heatless curling ribbons and I saw reel after reel on Instagram of people showing their amazing results. I tried this out earlier last week and ended up with a loose curl, which looked like I had used a blowdryer to add flicks to my hair. If you have a hair lover in your life, this would certainly be a great present and even better if you can get your hands on the Home Bargains dupe!
MVMT watch & bracelet* - Watch £119 & Bracelet £49:
I am in love with my MVMT Monroe watch and minimal cuff bracelet. I love the classic design and style, which is perfect for work and social events. Over the last 6 months I have religiously wore my watch and it is still in perfect condition. It has experienced Alex trying to rip it off my wrist, Alex smacking his wooden car into my wrist, Alex biting it whilst he was teething and it is still alive and as new as it was when I opened it. I would say it is child proof, or so far anyway. This gift is perfect for friends and family who need a new watch or just fancy upgrading their wrist wear. If you shop with MVMT they have kindly offered you 15% off with the code OHSOT15.
Zooki Liquid Collagen* - £43.74 per 30 day bundle:
Since having Alex my poor body has taken a battering. The lack of sleep, time to properly nourish my body with good food (we are getting better at this one) and lack of time for a consistent skin care routine has really taken its toll. I feel I have aged about 20 years since having Alex and I started to look into supplements to help my skin. Liquid collagen really burst onto the scene, or from what I could see anyway, earlier this year with a lot of bloggers who I trust sharing their experience and results so I was sold. I did my research, but felt quite overwhelmed by the choice.
I tried Zooki out and was really pleasantly surprised by the taste as it was really nice! I also felt my skin felt brighter and I looked less haggard. It was really easy to incorporate into my daily routine as well as I just made it up whilst making my morning cup of tea and made sure to take it with my apple cider vinegar gummies and probiotic capsules. I felt Zooki made a real difference to my skin and is certainly worth a try - a 14 day trial is £24.49 and again would make a great gift for the health conscious / skin care enthusiast in your life.
Edifier TWS1 Pro True Wireless earbuds* - £49.99 :
Whilst being on maternity leave I have loved going on walks with Alex and listening to a good podcast. I find wireless headphones much easier and better to use in comparison to headphones, especially when needing to tend to a baby who enjoys pulling wires!
How to Reset Book - Varying prices £4.00 (the works), £6 (online google search) & £10.11 WH Smith:
I have been on a whole 'organising my life and sorting it out whilst on maternity leave' hype and honestly, my mental health is in such a great space since decluttering my life. It is so crazy to me how much mess and disorganisation affects my mental health. If you have been following along on TikTok you will know we are very very close to finishing the series and I have started on my 'resetting my life' era. As the heavy organisation is almost done, this is literally reseting your spaces at the end of the day or week. This book has been a great guiding light during this process and I am majorly thankful to my bestie for getting me this as a gift. Certainly a great present for a new Mum or someone in your life who is trying to get their life together.
Less mess, Less Stress* - Varying prices £7.39 Blackwells & £9.19 WHSmith:
This book was the catalyst for my 'organise and declutter my life' era. I have spent the last few weeks during Alex's nap times taking apart cupboards and getting rid of clutter and stuff we no longer use. I have cleared out the entire house, under the beds, you name it and I have probably cleared and cleaned it out. This has been life changing. Everything in our house now has a home, so I am no longer moving mess from one area to another, because once it is to be tidied away I tidy it away. This just completely helps my mind relax as mess is quite triggering for my anxiety. I am by no means a Mum who doesn't like their child live - Alex has everything and anything out in the house all day long - it just means that when it is time for Alex to go to bed, everything is put back in its home or I can quickly reset some things whilst he is napping. It has really been life changing and I am recommending anyone and everyone who will listen to have a read.
No-one can change your life except for you book - Various prices (£5.00ish pre-owned & £7.00ish Amazon):
Sorry for the book heavy guide this year, but I have really found my love of reading again. Laura Whitmore's book is brilliant for self confidence and honestly just a lovely, funny read with lots of advice on becoming a more confidence and better version of yourself. The becoming a hero of your own life is really a huge theme of the book and I loved the style of the writing and how honest yet brilliant her writing style is. Definitely a great read on a Friday evening, curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a book I am recommending to all my gal pals.
The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes - £5.00 The Works:
I was SHOOK when I found this in The Works three weeks ago. If you love the Hunger Games book and / or films then this is a book recommendation for you. This is the tale of how President Snow became involved in the Hunger Games and I am refusing to give away the story at all, but it is good. This was released in 2021 and I had NO idea it had been released at all! So I am so happy to have found it and am not recommending it to all my fellow Hunger Games fans! For the bargain price of £5.00 as well, you cannot go wrong with this little gift.
Self-Care Kit by Me Time Therapies* - £20.00 (Available at Amazon & the Me Time Therapies Website):
I am a huge lover of anything that can try and grab me precious minutes of 'me time' as those moments are few and far between these days. This kit is perfect for busy mums or if you have a busy lifestyle, because you can either use all the treatments in one go for a full pamper session or you can use the treatments individually for a few moments of you time spread out over the week.
As I rarely get longer than 30 minutes to myself I chose to try the treatments separately. First up I tried the rejuvenate facial - a french green clay face mask was applied and I relaxed. I then removed the face mask and applied the orange blossom water (which smells divine). The organic muslin face cloth is very soft, soothing for the skin and a product that can be used time and time again.
I then moved onto the rebalance element of the self-care kit, which was a 15 minute hand reflexology treatment. You follow a video tutorial and the hand chart whilst using the began body butter. I found this a really relaxing treatment and it was not too complicated for me to follow despite having zero experience with hand reflexology. I loved this treatment so much that it will be something I incorporate into my regular routine.
The last treatment in the self-care kit is a 10 minute resting the mind mindfulness mediation or the body scan mindfulness meditation. If you are feeling adventurous you can also do both. I use meditation quite a lot as a way to help my brain relax. I struggle to switch off and have found it to be a really useful technique for quietening my brain. Both of these meditations were well done and relaxing. Certainly meditations I will be coming back to time and time again.
This kit is an absolute bargain. Three great treatments to enable that special person in your life some 'me time'. Definitely a kit I will be purchasing for family members as its a great little gift set and carving out that time for yourself is so important.
Tea Pro Black and Yellow Tea Box with Tea Infuser Glass* - £34.50 available at Tea Pro's website:
If you have followed my blog and Instagram for a while you will 100% know that I am obsessed with tea. I am willing to try any kind of tea and I love testing out new teas and brewing methods. Tea Pro have a range of teas and we are talking a vast range of fruitiness, green teas, matcha and black teas. That is literally a drop in the ocean of what Tea Pro offer - I could write an entire post on this Black and Yellow Tea Box alone never mind all the teas they actually sell.
For eagle eyed readers you will be thinking "but Tori, the teas aren't even opened in the shot above" - well eagle eyed reader you are absolutely right as I did all the photography before trying the teas and then later went "ahh that is going to cause me some issues", but Alex woke up from his nap and he has refused to allow me anytime to re-take the shot since. Therefore, we are working with what we have, but rest assured you will see these teas featured a lot over on my Instagram page.
You have the option of purchasing the Black and Yellow Tea Box on its own for £19.50 or you can also purchase this beautiful three piece tea diffuser for an additional £15.00 (absolutely worth the additional cost and I will no longer steep tea or drink tea in any other fashion). It is a stunning double walled glass and sturdy (yes, clumsy me has already accidentally tested out its durability). I am not claiming it would survive numerous breaks, but it did survive a little trip off the kitchen counter onto our lino floor.
Onto the teas - You get four types of tea with the tea kit. Perfect for a tea lover who enjoys testing out different teas. The first tea was the Gold Dian Hong Pagoda Black Tea - yes they really are hand tied into mini pagodas, which look like Christmas Trees, and had a wonderful hint of honey taste that was sweet and just good for the soul. The second tea was the OP1 Rukeri Rwanda Black Tea - this tea came as little leaves and had a real full nutty after flavour to it. The third tea was the High Mountain Wuyi Wild Black Tea. This tea was a really interesting flavour and I cannot find the words to explain the taste, because it tasted really good but unlike anything I have tried before. I have had three cups and still cannot pinpoint the exact flavour other than it tastes very nice. Finally, we are onto the last tea and the star of the show the rare Supreme Meng Ding Yellow Buds Tea. This tea was my favourite and had a very floral taste to it. The website describes the tea as a floral, sweet and nutty flavour, but my tastebuds could not identify the nuttiness to this tea. I am blaming COVID for this travesty!
I thoroughly enjoyed my taste experience of all the teas and got to enjoy a different flavour during Alex's naps over a few days, which I loved. Just 30 minutes of me time with a good brew were very revitalising and if you are a tea lover this is certainly a gift for you! I also highly recommend the infuser tea glasses as well. They are the perfect accompaniment to any tea lovers utensils and just look how pretty they are.
There we have our 2022 Christmas Gift Guide - it is not quite as niche as last year's guide (if you have pregnant family members I recommend you check out last year's guide here), but it still has an array of wonderful gifts and some gifts you may not have thought of or brands you may not have considered before.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this year's gift guide and as always if you would like to know more about any of the products featured please drop me a message on any of my socials and don't forget to follow to be kept up to date with all our posts and goings on over the festive period - we are hosting this year!
Until Next Time
T
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