The 7^th November is National Hug a Bear Day.

The idea is to help us all understand how important hugging is and how it can benefit us all.  This isn’t just about hugging each other – it’s about hugging teddy bears as well!

Of course the idea is not that we should all head out in the hope of finding a real live bear to hug. 

It’s about giving your lovely teddy bears and the people you love a hug!  Show them you care about them and love them.  We can give our pets a hug too, or a special cuddle on National Hug a Bear Day.

So it’s a good chance to raise awareness of the joys a bear can bring us and to raise awareness of bear charities helping bears, be they in the wild or captive.

Give a bear lover a bear calendar to see them through 2024!
Available for £11.00 from Free the Bears

Here’s a list of bear charities – many will have ways you can sort of envelop a wild bear with love and a hug by doing something to help them. Have a look at them and see if you can help.

Why not adopt a bear or become a bear carer with Free the Bears who rescue bears from captivity from bear bile farms?

Why not send a rescue bear at a Free the Bears sanctuary
a pot of honey for £12.00?  Find out more here

You could send a bear a gift – a pot of honey, for instance.  Bears love honey!  See the gifts you can send bears who've been rescued by charity Free the Bears here

Why not send or give someone a teddy bear?  When my aunt was in hospital, I bought her a tiny teddy bear (so it wouldn’t take up much room) to remind her that we all loved her and wanted to help and support her.  She could look at her bear and know that she wasn’t alone.  The bear represented all of us.

Introducting Hamleys® Bon Bon Bear - just look at that face!
Don't you want to hug this bear?
This bear is available through Hamleys, 
and they have lots of special offers on teddy bears at the moment...
and lots of bears - including Paddington, of course!

Or why not just give someone you love a big hug to celebrate National Hug a Bear Day!

Hugging is a very soothing action, if you like a hug – and some people don’t, so you need to bear that in mind.  The verb “to hug” comes from “hugga”, which is an Old Norse word meaning to soothe.  And it’s related to the German word “hegen” which translates into the verb “to cherish”.  So you can see why National Hug a Bear Day was created to show how good it is to hug and to be hugged.

Hello!  I'm little Brother Bear, so cute and cuddly!
I'm from English Heritage
(they've got other bears and soft toys too, but we won't mention them...)

Hugging someone means putting your arms around them and holding them tight.  But the word “hug” an also refer to something that hugs ground or water e.g. the road hugs the coast – so the road stays close to the coast.   

Bear hugs can be quite ferocious, overly enthusiatic and tight, so you may not want to give your loved one a bear hug, but this is a good chance to think about our loved ones and what they mean to us, and the great thing about hugging is that it’s free!

Cardology have some rather amazing 3D pop up cards covering a number of different themes, from animals (some of their cats and dogs cards support Battersea Dogs and Cats Home) to botanicals, food and drink to vehicles.   You can put them on a mantlepiece or shelf to brighten up a room, too!

And at the moment, they've got a great offer on their Christmas bundle, with 20% off!  The 10 Christmas cards include their top ten best selling Christmas cards, with amazing detail - they are a combination of a card and a gift!  And the designs in the bundle will help cover the whole family and close friends, young and old!

Find out more about Cardology's Christmas Bundle pack of 10 cards here.
Normally £100, it's available for £80, saving you 20%!

The pack includes:

• 1 x The Snowman Pop Up Card - Officially Licensed
• 1 x Peter Rabbit Pop Up Card - Officially Licensed
• 1 x Battersea Dogs Pop Up Card - Officially Licensed
• 1 x Winter Woodland Pop Up Card
• 1 x Night Before Christmas Pop Up Card
• 1 x The Nutcracker Pop Up Card
• 1 x Santa Pop Up Card
• 1 x Santa Bear Pop Up Card
• 1 x Robin Pop Up Card
• 1 x Partridge In A Pear Tree Pop Up Card

Mind you, there are all sorts of cards to choose from for all sorts of occasions - they are a bit like between a gift and a card and they're very different!  Visit Cardology here to see their full range! 

Now this seems to be a bit of a strange gift ideas to put here, but with energy prices on the up, up, up, it seems a good time to say that thermal vests can be a great way to help keep warm over winter.

I've always worn them - I find as an asthmatic that they really help keep the chill out and give me an extra layer to protect me from the chill.  I haven't put mine on yet, but I don't think it will be long, the way the nights are drawing in!

Marks & Spencer have got a selection, and you could treat yourself or give one to a friend to give them an extra layer this winter.  We always wore them as kids, and the habit stuck.   I wouldn't be without mine now!

I love these 2pk Pointelle Thermal Long Sleeve Tops - they keep me really warm.
In fact, I practically live in them in winter.  
(Yes, I do change them every day!)
A pack from M&S is £25.00

Take a look at Marks & Spencer's range of thermal vests here
(and socks and leggings to keep you all toasty!)

This is a National Trust Fairisle Knit Hat, Sorn,
made from 100% pure wool.
For £25 from the National Trust Shop

They've also got lots of gloves to keep your hands and fingers warm and toasty!
See them here

Another thing I like to do to keep warm is to put a hot water bottle behind my back, or one under my feet (no shoes on, but I do have my socks on to protect my feet, and I test it before I put my feet on it) - great for when you get in from outside!  Please remember to check your hot water bottle regularly for signs of wear - and make sure you put the top on properly after you've filled it.  But they are great for taking the chill off you! 

These are the Aberdovey Sofa Socks - 
knitted comfy and warm 100% wool socks for lounging
and relaxing in over winter!

 The National Trust for Scotland's online shop has a range of hats and scarves.  Some of their scares are cashmere, whilst others are made of lambswool.  And they've got tweed gloves, as well.  View their range here. 

 Paper High have these very colourful Woollen Rainbow Socks
for £22.95

How about Woollen Fairisle Socks?
There are different patterns available.  £22.95 from Paper High

There are Woollen Fairisle Handwarmer Gloves, 
again with different patterns available, for £19.95, 
from Paper High

There are a fun range of woollen animal hats to keep your head warm!
Leopards, polar bears, giraffes, chickens, owls, cows, 
lions, cat, monkeys and koalas!
Find out more here.

This hot water bottle will keep you warm and cosy!
It's available from Natural Collection for £27.95 

The socks are crafted from 100% wool, so they are comfortable and cosy! Great for those winter nights or long winter walks!  

Keep warm!

Here’s a gift with a bit of a difference for anyone who loves both bears and chocolate.

It’s the opportunity to have a 3D Chocolate Bear Design Experience, created by Chocoholics Retreat.

Located in London’s West End, you can craft a 3D bear with hollow insides.  You’ll need to choose – 54.5% Dark, 33.6% Milk or 28% White Belgian Callebaut chocolate.  You have to choose your chocolate type and colours when you book.

You can hide a secret message and delicious diamond-shaped chocolates filled with a liqueur ganache.

Next, decorate your bear.  Will you share your bear or have a Teddy Bear’s picnic all of your own?!

This gift is available from BuyaGift for £65.00 for one person.  Use the code AHW2023 and you can get 15% off!  (The code is valid until 31 December 2023, and it’s site wide, though some products are excluded.)

Now, this experience is for people minimum age 12 and under 18s must be accompanied with an adult.  It lasts for 90 minutes.

Find out more information and buy this gift here.

For lovers of the natural world, gift experience company Into the Blue now have a BBC Earth Experience available in London.

It gives you entrance to the BBC Earth Experience for two people, with a self-guided tour on a journey through the  natural world, with iconic landscapes to explore and animals from around the world to connect with. 

Emotive music and the tones of Sir David Attenborough’s narration will give you the chance to connect with the natural world – the images are filmed by the BBC Natural History Museum.

There are multiple screens at different angles with images of animals, plants and landscapes – it’s a bit like an XL-sized nature documentary.  You can sit on a bean bag to take it all in, but most people stand and move around.

The BBC Earth Experience Tickets & Lunch for Two is available from £99.00

Then you can tuck into a two or three course pub meal at the Rylston – if you want the ribs, you pay a supplement – and a glass of wine or beer is included. The pub is 10 minutes away.

You need to book 14 days in advance – but this could be a great way to do something different in London!

Find out more here from Into the Blue gift experience company.

Just want tickets?

Now, if you just want tickets, you could get up to 35% off tickets at Picniq.co.uk  until 31 October 2023.  They have lots of discounted deals at venues around the country, including BBC Earth.  Find more from Picniq! 

How about a 2024 Calendar for them, to see them through a wild 2024?!

Take a look at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Calendar for 2024
available from the Natural History Museum's online shop.

The photography is just breathtaking!