I love Marks and Spencer BUT.....

I love Marks and Spencer I really do. Their fantastic range of products, their emphasis on Plan A for sustainability and let's not forget their food halls YUM! Just to highlight how much I love their products today I am rocking a pair of their ankle boots, a handbag from their Limited Collection range, socks and undies obviously come from there (whose don't!) and a scarf....I feel I should be a typical target customer for Marks and Spencer - young (ahem go with it), disposable income, likes to purchase classic clothing with a nod to the trends (sometimes, usually just a classic frankly I'm a bit risk adverse in the clothing department) surely I should be in their cross hairs this Christmas?

But frankly I feel a bit let down by their Christmas advertising campaign this year! Their advert is the same style of advert we've seen from them for years. There's no Christmas feeling, no real sense of anticipation or excitement. Where's the magic Marks and Spencer?

We are in the midst of a massive recession, things are frankly a bit grim so I think Christmas is about finding that sparkle to maybe spend a day enjoying being with family and remembering all the fun we had as kids to pass on to our kids, if you have any, me I'll be trying to instill Christmas cheer in Boots the kitten's first Christmas!

I'm not talking about spending a ton of money none of us have either, but focusing on the essence of the season - goodwill to all men, love, family, thankfulness.....

Now I know this is difficult to convey in a 30 second commercial but come on this is the biggest and most important sales period for retailers of the whole year. If you can't make money at Christmas you really are in trouble and as we can see in the UK we are loosing retailers left right and centre off of our high streets. Therefore this Christmas, competing for the limited budgets available needs a new strategy not a rehash of the same old campaign rocked out for the past few years.

Cue the the John Lewis Snowman advert. This is an exceptionally well timed advert in my opinion - it pulls on all the heartstrings, it establishes John Lewis (again) as the destination for Christmas and makes me want to shop there. Cleverly though it doesn't actually show any products. No chance for me to dismiss their product range (sorry Marks and Spencers but that's exactly what I did with the products you featured) it just evokes the essence of Christmas and darn it I want to go and shop there purely because of that!

So Marks and Spencer you can take your tired, cliched jumping lingerie dressed models I'm off to John Lewis to feel the Christmas Spirit and no doubt spend far more than I meant to but at least I'll feel good for it!

How are you all facing the Christmas shopping this year? Am I alone in wanting it to be a nicer expeience than just a standard days shopping?

Lx

Christmas Roundup or who's been a spoilt young lady this year then....

So I love Christmas - all the panicking over presents, the stress and spending and most of all the food mmmm. And this year is no exception just with the added stress of having the snow hamper journeys and plans.

Thankfully we managed to make it down to Cornwall for our planned getaway to Mr P's lovely family ( and the "spare" turkey I'd purchased will be a New Year feast instead). Anyway I digress, we finally arrived down in Cornwall about teatime on Christmas Eve - the fact we made it a miracle seeing as I was driving (with satnav navigation) as Mr P was a little fragile after his works do the night before and the heavy snow and ice still ever present all the way down.

But made it we did with the most treacherous part of the journey being the slide down their driveway to get to the house as with temperatures constantly below freezing the ice wasn't going anywhere but as it was dark we couldn't see how bad it was.

And after a delicious curry and evening with the family it was bedtime and that pang of wishing I was still a little un when Christmas Eve was the most exciting and magical night of the year....however this year waking up and seeing the thick snow outside for the first time more than made my day...







The frozen pond - here's hoping the fish are ok :(


And so it's the big day and Santa has been very busy dropping off lots of chocolate, biscuits, socks (him) and multiple coloured erasable pens (me) that it is a wonder he managed to fit in the rest of the UK! And how much do I love my Pilot erasable pens? Lots and lots and lots...as I can have the satisfaction of writing in my Filofax with a pen but with the flexibility of using a pencil with the ability to erase events and dates that change - genius. And now as well as the fabulous blue, pink and red ones I have an orange one - AMAZIN!! I didn't even know that orange pens existed, let alone erasable ones!! Using it on my new yellow Filofax paper (also courtesy of Santa) will probably cause headaches but will certainly brighten up work meetings in the new year.

And then everything wizzes by in a whir - The Santa Clause 3 on tv, an amazing turkey dinner followed by a yummy christmas pudding and apart from Mr P whining about the long wait to open his presents while his ickle brother went to collect his girlfriend it was a serene and picture perfect Christmas afternoon spent sat in front of the fire.

But back to the point of this post - despite being an undeserving recipient I was a very lucky girl and received a haul of presents that made me blush. With lots of lovely toiletries, books, mugs, bowls and a jewellery box I was just so excited with every unwrapping and then there was THE present. The one that Mr P said I had to leave until last and the one that contained a sleek and sexy white appliance - and not one for the kitchen!

So I am now the proud owner of a matt white DSi which came with the latest Professor Layton game. And it is just fabulous and I do have to admit I am a little in love with Professor Layton and his magnificent top hat....Mr P and I (when I can drag him away from Angry Birds) have been solving puzzles for the past 2 days and it's been lush :)

But tomorrow brings a journey back to my mother land of Somerset to visit my side of the family where hopefully we get to do it all again with lots more eating, drinking and presents. Mmmm wine and cheese..... You just have to love the holiday season with it's justified excesses on the consumption front (I just won't think about the new year diet resolutions until after January 3rd)

So wherever you are and whatever you are doing wishing you all the best for the holidays x


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Being Prepared (or how to have a snow plan)

So unless you are living under a rock you will have heard about the current wintery conditions affecting the UK at present. Even Weymouth, the only place not to be affected usually has been struck down by the snow and ice this time around. Although we are now clear after a lovely spell of torrential rain this morning, the whole of the surrounding area is struck down under several inches of snow.

This is a major issue and I'll tell you for why:

1. Lack of post/couriers - I like thousands of others am stuck waiting for presents to arrive therefore leaving in "do I buy again" limbo. I mean do we court the Law of Sod and re-purchase those key gifts (assuming we can a) get to the shops and b) they have the bits we need) or do we hang on and pray to the god of Postal services?

2. Getting about - going to work should not involve dicing with death on icy roads, it is simply not fair. Now I am lucky that I can access email etc and work from home but I have realised I'm just not cut out for that. I am getting lots done but I'm LONELY!! So National Rail here I come tomorrow don't let me down pretty please as I have presents to drop off, shopping to do and I guess some work to do!!

3. Cancellations - I was supposed to be at a very, very important meeting today which got cancelled due to the weather. Everything else I can live with but when vital appointments are affected it becomes a more serious issue. This is the same for thousands who cannot make hospital appointments, family events, social engagements and let's not get started on the flight debacle currently happening all over the UK. I really feel for those people trapped in limbo at the airports just having to wait....

4. Christmas dinner - the lovely Mr P and I have plans to travel and visit his family in Cornwall for the festivities. But with their village currently snowed in and even my family trapped in their village in Somerset I've been forced to take emergency measures. Cue one turkey crown in the fridge with a "cook in case of emergency" sticker on it should we not be able to leave our lovely little home. I also have the must buy Christmas food list all prepped and ready in my trusty Filofax ready for any supermarket I can make it to this week!!








So here is to being prepared and having a plan but most of all here is to spending this evening dancing around the lounge in a sun dance praying for the thaw!

P.S. Apologies for the poor quality of the photo: a mix of crappy phone camera and dark lounge combined with my appalling photographic skills..I feel a New Year's Resolution to develop my camera skills coming on...

Christmas Shopping, the parental way

So it is barely 10 days until the big event and currently I'm sitting pretty as I've nearly completed all the present shopping. I do however reek of cheese. Today we received a very lovely gift from a supplier at work consisting of Prosecco, Chutney, Crackers and the stinkiest French cheese that you could possibly imagine. While managing to offload the cheese but hang onto the Prosecco (win!!) I received a helpful email from my Mother about some Christmas gift suggestions for her and me Dad. Or at least it was helpful until I read it...

It started innocently enough with a standard (if slightly boring selection of gifts) of slippers, socks and similar until the fifth bullet point "CD (have to get back to you on name)". Now while I'm all up for a treasure hunt challenge to find the perfect gift when out shopping  and despite the fact that when given a hint I do feel find it necessary to follow it for fear of disappointing the potential recipient I am not a mind reader (contrary to popular belief). But even with my massive powers of deduction (Sherlock Holmes has nothing on me) the limited information on this suggestion means it needs shelving for now. So with further information hopefully looming on the CD I moved on.

So next on the list were more standard Christmas items perfect for the father figure in your life (jogging bottoms, hankies, socks.....my family really aren't as boring as these gift ideas suggest I promise) and I find this suggestion lurking mid way on the page "DVD - something funny (can't think of his name but they're advertising it on the TV)" So this could range from box sets to Sex and The City????

So lets recap after socks and slippers I'm hunting around in the high street for a CD artist unknown (male/female/band/Mr Blobby??) and a DVD being advertised on the TV - at Christmas - that narrows it down then!

My only conclusion is that it would appear thinking of your own Christmas list is just as difficult and stressful as thinking of what to buy other people...unless you decide to leave hints instead of clues. In which case the obligatory toiletries and chocolates come out to play. Well it may help disguise the Eau Du Fromage at any case!