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Plan your budget – don’t let Christmas ‘fever’ make you reckless. Be careful you don’t go over any overdraft with your bank – the penalties are expensive! Also, really and truly, beware using credit cards if you can’t pay them off quickly Practical details: Make sure you have in a good stock of coal and...

We send an estimated 900 million to 1 billion Christmas cards in the UK each year. Royal Mail delivers around 150 million. On average, each person in the UK sends and receives about 17 cards. This year the final Royal Mail Christmas posting dates are as follows: Wednesday, December 17th:  2nd Class and 2nd Class...

How about choosing from among the top ten ‘curated list’ of items seen as quintessentially British?  They are: Fine English Tea (No list of British gifts could start anywhere else); quality biscuit; posh marmalade, fine bone china, cashmere scarf or shawl; gin; and traditional British sweets.

As you wait to buy your Christmas presents this month, ever wonder how much the other shoppers in the queue are spending? According to various retail polls, we tend to spend according to the depth of our relationship with the person. And it is estimated that we spend on average: ~ for our friends and...

In recent years a new trend for choosing presents has emerged on blogs and social media platforms. It advises that we should give others only a limited number of gifts, and then, only in specific categories. So, the emphasis has shifted to quality rather than quantity, and to be giving something the person actually wants,...

Older people with depression can see a bigger improvement in their mental health if they start going to church than if they engage in charity work or sport. Research from the London School of Economics found that joining a religious organisation is the best way of combatting depression. It may be both that having a...

If you want your tree to last as long as possible this year, the following should help: Cut off about half an inch from the bottom of the trunk. This opens the pores of the tree. Then place it outside in a cool shaded place, standing in water until required. Once you have brought it...

The temperatures are dropping now, and it is a good idea to nurture your car battery. Cold, damp weather can make it as reluctant as you are to get going in the morning. The RAC recommends the following to take best care of your battery: Before you switch off your engine at the end of...

If you are travelling far this Christmas, pray that your satnav works, or that there is a woman in the car. Research has found that men are so reluctant to ask directions that they waste hours and miles every year. Over a lifetime of travel, it can work out to a wasted journey from Land’s...

Do you expect to like all the presents you will receive this year?  Not if last year was anything to go by… It seems that many of us expect to unwrap at least one item that we do want this Christmas. What do you do with those weird gifts? Some of us admit to dumping...

Bonfire Night – some simple rules for staying safe The best time to plan your funeral is … NOW! Does a dog cut the risk of childhood asthma? For how many minutes can you concentrate? Leaf some green stuff in the garden Help our woodlands Put together a Memory Book ** Editor: Though the dangers...

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has provided the following tips to help families stay safe while they are having Bonfire Night fun… Young people should watch and enjoy fireworks at a safe distance and follow the safety rules for using sparklers. Only adults should deal with firework displays and the lighting of...