Looking for a gift for a friend who is a dog owner?   How about giving them a dog bowl gift from Emma Bridgewater?  

You can personalise her dog bowls with the pet's name, and the dog (and cat) bowls come in large and small sizes, so you can decide which is right for your furry friend.  They can be used for both wet and dry food as well, which is very handy. 

so they can tuck in to their own bowl...
just like Rupert here...

There's also a rectangular caddy to store biscuits in....
the question is, are they for you or your dog?!

Fetch more information from Emma Bridgewater
on her pet bowls

PS  There's also a gorgeous caddy for cat lovers...
but don't tell the dogs!

The great thing about Afternoon Tea for two is that it gives you time to really be pampered and have a good catch up over some yummy food and cups of tea.

Afternoon Tea gift boxes make great gifts because they enable the recipient to choose when and where they have their tea, and who to take with them. 

So those lovely folk at Red Letter Days have a couple of gift boxes for Afternoon Tea treats... they start at £34.99. 

There's a Tea for Two Gift Box 
for £34.99

This includes over 405 experiences in the UK where you can tuck into afternoon tea delights, so it's great for anyone who loves a good natter over a cuppa.  And the voucher is valid for 24 months, too!

There's a Luxury Afternoon Tea for Two - 
it was £65.00 and is now £59.99!

There are over 70 locations to choose from ranging from establishments in the city to stately homes, and the menus vary - typically they would include a selection of sweet and savoury goodies, with a hot beverage.  And some include a glass of bubbly, too, but that varies.  Find out more about the Luxury Afternoon Tea for Two!

How about Afternoon Tea for Two with a Cocktail or Glass of Prosecco
at Revolution Bars for £39.99?
(Upgrade for £10 and you can share a bottle of Prosecco!)
Choose from either the standard menu, vegetarian menu or vegan menu
There are 46 locations to choose from!

 In London, there's the Traditional Afternoon Tea at Mr White's
 by Marco Pierre White Leicester Square for Two - 
it's on offer for £25.00 instead of £50.00!
Find out more here

There's are plenty of tea experiences for two under £50.00
so there's plenty of choice for every budget.
Don't forget our exclusive code for 5% off
Use RAHW2023 - it's valid until 31.12.23 and site wide, 
apart from excluded products!

Check out more Afternoon Tea experiences with Red Letter Days!

What with postal strikes and posting days before Christmas, a lot of us will be wondering how we can send Christmas wishes to loved ones.

Well, good news!  The charity Free the Bears have a number of Christmas e-cards you can send  and every card will help them care for the bears in their care.  They have lots of bears they've rescued from bear bile farms in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and the bears are in sanctuaries and need looking after.  Free the Bears are doing their best - this year they've rescued 21 gorgeous bears in various conditions and the need all our help to give these bears the best care and all the bear necessities a lovely bear needs.

Help Free the Bears by sending one of their Christmas e-cards

Each card is £6.00 and will help give the rescued bears all the care they need

This is a Seasons Greetings E-card (emailed to a loved one).
Shoelace is grateful for your support and help!

There are other gifts you can give, either for the birds or humans, so take a look at Free the Bears' gifts and see what you can do to support them.   Visit their website here

If you’re a big fan of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, you may want to know that there’s an animated adaptation of the book on BBC1 on Christmas Eve at 4:55!

The book follows the friendship between a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse as they travel along together to find the boy’s home.

The stars in this are Tom Hollander (the mole), Idris Elba (the fox), Gabriel Byrne (the horse) and Jude Coward Nicoll (the boy) and they tell this story of courage, and kindness and friendship. 

At 3:55 on BBC2,  you can see how this best seller book came to life; author Charlie Mackesy reveals everything in a documentary about his life.

I've read the book - in fact I have it by my side as I type - and I just love it!   As the author says in the introductory pages, "This book is for everyone, whether you are eighty or eight - I feel I'm both sometimes."  I know that feeling!

Author Charlie Mackesy says "I hope this book encourages you, perhaps, to live life courageously with more kindness for yourself and for others.  And to ask for help when you need it...which is a very brave thing to do."  

As it happens, I'm also reading a book called "Courage is Calling" by Ryan Holiday at the moment - I've got as far as page 45 so still have some way to go, but one of the things that the book points out is that we will have hard times in life, no doubt about it, "and bruises and scars will be your armour".  Struggles, Holiday says, become experience and make us better.   

There's a wonderful saying from the horse in Mackesy's book, who says "Asking for help isn't giving up.......It's refusing to give up."   And later, "When the dark clouds come...keep going."

"Sometimes", said the horse.
"Sometimes what?" asked the boy.
"Sometimes just getting up and arrying on is brave and magnificent."

The  The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse for me emphasis kindness, to yourself and others, fortitude - keep going - and the importance of love.   The boy, mole, fox and horse all understand that they are there for each other, and accept each other, and are kind. And wherever they are, they are home because of that love, kindness and acceptance.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story
is available from Foyles for £10.00

The book would make a great gift, and you can buy it from Foyles - at the time of writing, it's on a special offer and you can save 50%!

Hamleys toy store is quite amazing to visit but if you can't get to London, the great news is that they have a lovely online toy store and with it, some great soft toys!

I think soft toys are right for any age - soft and fun, and you can build up quite a collection - I have several sitting on my fridge and they do make me smile!

This is Hamley Bear Hoody Panda who is 24cms
and who has the Hamleys® logo emboridery on sole
It's one of Hamleys' top ten toy sellers this Christmas
and who can resist such a soft toy? For £22.00.

Amongst the Hamleys collection are Steiff bears, plus Paddington, Winnie the Pooh, a black grizzly, a koala bear and polar bears of course.

This is the Hamleys® Baby Kady Koala Soft Toy, 
who is full of character!  For £16.20

There's a range of Paddington bear gifts

This gorgeous bear is Hamleys® Bon Bon Bear
for £45.00
His face has been hand embroidered, and he's 
got the signature logo footbed.  He's adorned with an ornate
Hamleys® bow in traditional red with gold trim and lettering.
He measures 28cm when sitting.  
Find out more about this bear

There are also Scottish bears, a Guardsman bear - oh, the choice is endless!

Visit Hamleys' soft toys range here.