Buy a book for Christmas and show them you care

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365 words, A Word for Every Day of The Year, Adam Kay, Aled Jones, Andrew Ridgeley, Anne Glenconner, apron, bold, book, bottle of wine, but perfectly formed, camp, care, cash, celebrity, celebrity autobiography, chocolate, Christmas, Christmas classic, Christmas must-buy, cooking, cool, cutting, educate, empowering women, extravagant, faint hearted, festive season, film, first book, Fleabag: The Scriptures, fresh new pages, friend, George and Andrew, giving, glass of wine, go, gorgeous scented candle, great stocking filler, health, hearts, hospital success, ideas, illustrated, inspiration, inspire, intrigue, It’s Going to Hurt, Kate Young, knowing your worth, Lady Glenconner, Lady in Waiting, local bookshop, love, love it, lush, Me: Elton John Official Autobiography, mince pies, mouth-watering meals, music, pages, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, practical exercises, Princess Margaret, Raymond Briggs., read, relationships, royal life, seasonal, Secret Santa, self-care, Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, small, Small but mighty, smile, socks, Steven Poole, stunning, success, summer, The Little Library Year, The Nightshift Before Christmas, the person who has everything, The Snowman, tips, TV series, unwrap, Wham! fans, Wham! George & Me, worksheets, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené

You can buy them socks, chocolate or a bottle of wine, but there is something special about giving a book as a gift at Christmas.

Think fresh new pages, lots of ideas and inspiration as well as the chance for them to escape from life for just a little while.

We have some great books to share with you that should be stocked in your local bookshop and will make someone smile this Christmas when they unwrap it.

The Nightshift Before Christmas, Adam Kay
This Is Going to Hurt was Adam’s first book and his bold, poignant look at life inside a hospital was a massive success. His small, but perfectly formed follow-up, The Nightshift Before Christmas is a great stocking filler and while not for the faint hearted, it’s worth a read.

Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
This stunning illustrated book is all about empowering women and with practical exercises, worksheets, and easy to follow tips for success, it’s a Christmas must-buy. It gives readers all they need to get ahead in relationships, looks at how to start a successful side hustle, knowing your worth at work comes into play as well as info on cash, self-care, and good health. Sound good, no?

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography
You might have seen the film, but we think the book is even better. This celebrity autobiography is cool, cutting, camp, extravagant and packed with disco-dancing, football club buying stories intended to make the reader laugh and cry. Go on, they will love it and might let you borrow it too.

The Little Library Year, Kate Young
Food and books, what’s not to like? This gorgeous book takes recipes onto a whole new level as Kate shares seasonal, mouth-watering meals and treats that will make the reader want to put on an apron on and start cooking right away. Oh, and summer might seem a long time away, but she knows how to pack a picnic basket!

Fleabag: The Scriptures, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
If they loved the TV series, they will love this book. We couldn’t put it down and they won’t be able to either. Perfect for reading with a glass of wine, with a gorgeous scented candle burning, so you might want to buy those too?

A Word for Every Day of The Year, Steven Poole
Small but mighty – this is the book for the person who has everything. As the name suggests, inside the cover are 365 words to educate, intrigue and inspire. We will warn you, if you start to read, you won’t want to stop until the end so maybe buy two copies and keep one for yourself.

The Snowman, Raymond Briggs
We can’t leave the kids out, so why not introduce them to this Christmas classic? Yes, you can watch the film on TV and sing along with Aled Jones, but turning the pages of The Snowman is as much a part of the festive season as Secret Santa and mince pies. Go up in your mum’s loft and you never know, you might find an original gathering dust.

Lady in Waiting, Anne Glenconner
Glitz, glamour and drama, no we aren’t talking about the office party but this beauty of a book! Lady Glenconner was Princess Margaret’s lifelong friend and this is a lush, compelling read all about them and a real look at royal life. The rich and posh – it’s all here on these pages to read and we think it’s worth doing exactly that.

Wham! George & Me, Andrew Ridgeley
Before we go, go – sorry, not sorry! This is an emotional read and Wham! fans may well need to get their tissues ready when they dive into this belter of a book. George and Andrew might have met in 1975, but their music lives on in our hearts today, thank goodness.

Got a book you love, let us know, we are ready and waiting to hear from you.

Team Pure Beauty

How to have a very eco-Christmas

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A renewable Christmas tree, a trip to the beach, bean casserole, black bag open, bows, box of chocolates, brand new, brown paper, bubble and squeak, buying, carbon footprint, carnage, check it twice, Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas Day, Christmas tree, Christmas-tree hire service, comfort zone, compost, cuts down, December, do it yourself, e-cards, eco-conscience, environment, fake tree, family and friends, farms, festive season, future generations, garden, garden centres and nurseries, gesture, gift from the heart, glass, glitter, glittery paper, Go meat free, green, happy, hurtle, kinder, leftovers, local farms and butchers, local food bank, local landfill, make a list, millions, money, new trend, nut roast, omelette, organic and free-range options, pair of socks, planet, plant, Plastic, post vans, Recycle gifts, resolutions, ribbons, Santa, shiny, soup kitchen, spicy sweet potato wedges, stop and think, stylish, super simple, supermarket, tat, thrown away, tinsel, trees, vegetarian and vegan recipes, walk in the park, waste, wrapping paper, wrapping up

As we hurtle our way towards the festive season, now is the time to stop and think about what you are buying, and why you are buying it. Yes, we all want to have a great time with family and friends, but to do this there is no need to buy tinsel and tat that will take the local landfill to bursting point.

We have some top tips on how you can be kinder to the planet and look out for future generations while still raising a glass (not a plastic one) with your nearest and dearest this Christmas.

A renewable Christmas tree
You read it right. Millions of Christmas trees are bought every year and that’s a lot of waste! Other options include going for a fake tree – but if you do this, pack it up and keep it for years to come. A new trend being seen in farms, garden centres and nurseries is one where there is a Christmas-tree hire service, so you collect, use and return! Or you can do it yourself and buy a rooted tree that you then plant in the garden after Christmas and bring back out from the cold for the next few weeks.

What about cards?
An unbelievable number of Christmas cards are thrown away each year, so let’s put a stop to that. You can either use ones from years gone by, make your own (leave the glitter out of the equation) or you can send e-cards which cuts down your carbon footprint as well as saving trees and money, oh yes and the fumes of the post vans that deliver them!

Recycle gifts
Years ago, no one would have thought about doing this, but if you have goodies that are brand new that you didn’t want, dust them off and wrap them up for someone else – they will be happy and so will your eco-conscience.

Wrapping paper
Speaking of wrapping up, this is a good one to thing about as all that shiny, glittery paper isn’t up too much for anything other than ripping up come Christmas Day. If you can, save paper each year and bring it out next December, giving it a gentle iron if need be. You can also go for brown paper, draw on bows rather than using ribbon and keep things super simple but stylish and environment loving.

Give away your time
Why spend money if you don’t have to? Instead, give a gift from the heart and do something nice for someone instead of giving them another pair of socks or box of chocolates. You could create some pretty cheques and make them out for something like a walk in the park, a trip to the beach, or an hour of gardening once a week and use this as a lovely gesture of showing how much you care.

Go meat free
This idea seems alien to some, but even if on one day you look at creating vegetarian and vegan recipes, it could make a difference if everyone did the same. We aren’t talking about an omelette or nut roast, but instead look at a tasty bean casserole, spicy sweet potato wedges or bubble and squeak – it might be out of your comfort zone, but it could lead to some pretty special resolutions come 31st December. When you do eat meat, go for organic and free-range options, and if you can, support your local farms and butchers – not just at Christmas, but all year round.

Don’t over buy
You know what we are talking about here. The day before Christmas and the supermarket is carnage as people stock up as if the world is going to end, whereas you’ll find somewhere open on the big day if you run out. Just like Santa, make a list, check it twice and this year, be nice rather than naughty and keep to it! If you have leftovers, see what you can freeze, donate some to an elderly neighbour, local food bank or soup kitchen and then compost any other waste.

Recycle
We know the temptation is to keep a black bag open and on the go come Christmas morning, but rather than chucking everything in the bin, have fun as you open presents and cook dinner, and sort things into recycling as you go to keep things green.

You see, it’s the small things that can really have a big impact, so go forth and enjoy the festivities but keep the planet in mind whenever you can.

Team Pure Beauty

Create less waste this Christmas

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artificial tree, BOGOF, cakes, carbon footprint, cards, Christmas Eve, Christmas trees, cookery classes, cookies, Dec the halls, destroyed, disposable, e-cards, envelopes, experiences, festive season, festve, Flora and fauna, food, friends and family, gig, great time, hand deliver, High Street, holly, home, LED, lights, napkins, natural, panic buy, pine cones, Plastic, plastic fantastic decorations, presents, quick and easy, recycle cards, recycling, riding lessons, roots, Secret Santa, shopping, spa days, tablecloths, temptation, theme, tickets, TLC, tradition, tree, turkey, veggies, vintage shop, wine, wrapping paper

Each year millions of Christmas trees, acres of wrapping paper and a serious number of cards and envelopes are incinerated or dumped into landfill sites once the festive season is over.

While you might think you already do your bit for recycling, we have had a look at how you can produce less waste over Christmas but still have a great time.

The tree
Of course, the most sensible option here is to buy an artificial tree. Yes, it is plastic and it doesn’t smell but it will dramatically cut down (excuse the pun) the number of real trees being destroyed. If you really can’t break with tradition, then buy a real tree with roots that you can plant in the garden and reuse every year.

Real napkins and tablecloths
When you are out shopping keep away from disposable napkins and tablecloths. Yes they are quick and easy but you can pick up reasonable real ones that can be used all year round again and again – you can even dye them another colour if you get bored.

Dec the halls
Have you ever stopped to wonder just how much plastic goes on your tree each year and the damage you might be doing when you chuck them out because you fancy a new theme? We not step away from the plastic fantastic decorations on the High Street and go for natural ones instead? Flora and fauna are the perfect way to make your home feel festive, and with a little TLC you can create pine cones, ivy and holly into something special and unique.

Lights
Go for solar-powered outdoor lights where possible and remember to turn your Christmas lights off when you go out or are asleep.

Cards
Christmas cards are an intrinsic part of the festive season but boy do they create a lot of waste. Consider sending e-cards or if you want to keep things real, recycle cards from last year to make new ones and hand deliver them where you can to keep your carbon footprint down. You can also use old cards to make new tags!

Presents
Rather than buying more ‘stuff’ why not consider giving friends and family experiences this year? From riding lessons and spa days to cookery classes and tickets to a gig so they have something they will remember forever. If you do want to give a real gift, maybe make cookies, cakes or sloe gin or visit an antique or vintage shop and show the ones you love that you have really thought about their gifts rather than opting for the BOGOF offers.

Secret Santa
Another way to keep things sensible is to opt for Secret Santa with family and friends with a set budget and ideas of what people would really like.

Food
There is the temptation to panic buy on Christmas Eve but this means a tonne of food is often wasted. When you go shopping, make a list and stick with it and don’t throw leftovers away as there are so many things you can do with that turkey, those veggies and the last of the wine.

Recycle
We know it can be the list thing you want to do, but make sure you bag up with paper and cardboard, the bottles and cans and recycle as usual – it does make a difference.

Whatever you do this Christmas, think about the bigger picture as you celebrate.

Team Pure-Beauty