It's Christmas Carol Time

With only two weeks to go until Christmas, I can say without a doubt that the Christmas carol season has started. Wherever you go at this time of year it is inevitable that some store will have the carols playing. And for most towns, the official caroling season has started with "Carols By Candlelight" being held in the majority of towns around Australia.

I certainly don't mind Christmas carols as it is a great way to really get into the festive season and share in the spirit of Christmas.

What is your favourite Christmas carol? Some like the more traditional carols while others opt for the more up-tempo pop versions. CD sales for Michael Buble, Kelly Clarkson and Susan Boyle soar as people are snapping up the albums to impress friends and family.

December is such an enjoyable month especially with the Christmas parties and gift giving involved. We love being part of Christmas as we get to share in the Christmas spirit when we send our delicious gifts all over Australia. Our large Rudolph Gift Box has been sent to Darwin, Hobart and everywhere in between it seems.

Don't forget that we will be closed from Tuesday 17 December until 6 January 2014 so make sure you get your order in before then.

And while many of our gifts have sold out due to their popularity, we still have quite a variety on offer. Choose from a Christmas Lolly Jar for the kids or a Moet Christmas Hamper for mum and dad. And needless to say the Rocky Road Christmas Tin has been snapped up like there has been no tomorrow - what great taste you all seem to have. Yum - rocky road!!

We hope you are making the most of the silliness and fun that December allows and we wish you a delicious and magical Christmas.

December Traditions

I love December for many reasons, not only because of summer and Christmas (although they are both pretty awesome!) but for the traditions which families recreate year after year.

• Do you start decorating on the same day each year or put your tree up on a specific day?
• Do you use specific decorations or have a special way in which you decorate?
• Do you drive around the neighbourhood to view the Christmas lights and decorations?
• Does the elf on the shelf appear to monitor your children's behaviour?
• Do you attend your local "Carols By Candlelight" concert every year?
• Do you use an advent calendar in your house?
• Do you have a Christmas CD which makes an appearance every December?
• Do you leave out milk and cookies for Santa?
• Do you hang stockings in your house?
• Do you donate a gift or your time to a particular charity each year?
• Do you bake traditional Christmas cookies or treats to share with your family?

These are just some of the traditions which families enjoy and experience together each year creating great memories and traditions to pass on to future generations.

And some of you have even added Rainbow Designs into the mix as part of your traditions for which we are very grateful.  We have many customers who order a gift box or two of lollies or chocolates each year as a special way to treat their family and friends.

Do you have any particular traditions which you or your family participate in every December?  Please share as we would love to hear from you.

Don't Forget The Kids

What child doesn't love the anticipation of Christmas? It is full of fun, family, sweet treats and exciting presents and we have a number of gifts at Rainbow Designs which are particularly suitable for our younger fans.

While many of our gifts feature an abundance of candy and chocolate, here are some which include a cuddly toy to accompany the sweets heading their way.

Perfect for Christmas is our Christmas Lolly Jar featuring Santa Claus - once the jar is empty is can be reused for other equally delicious treasures providing fun memories all year round.

Our Reindeer Delivery gift features a cuddly reindeer measuring 30cm as well as a handful of delicious candy canes and chocolate stars. Name him what you will - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer or Vixen!

And let's not forget Santa's Puppy. His spots and soft fur will easily win over any child, as will the scrumptious chocolate Christmas tree and baubles.

Our Rainbow Bear Sweet Tooth Gift is popular all year round making it a great gift for Christmas, a birthday or just for a job well done! Choose the teddy bear of your choice and he will help protect the half kilo of mixed chocolate and lollies. I am talking jelly babies, strawberries and creams, freckles, frogs and snakes to name just a few.

It won't be long before the children will be nestled all snug in their bed while visions of sugar-plums dance in their head, so make sure you order your gift before our Christmas cut-off date of 17 December 2013.

Many of our Christmas gifts have already sold out due to popular demand so we advise you to order sooner rather than later.

Let The Christmas Baking Begin

I confess I am not much of a baker (hmm that might well be an understatement!) but I do love the look of all the yummy recipes which are appearing on my Facebook feed at the moment.  So much so, I might even attempt one or two of them over the Christmas holidays.

I recently posted this Easy Santa Claus Cupcake recipe on our page and it looks like it would be so much fun to make, and a great one to share with the kids.  M&Ms, chocolate chips, coconut, sprinkles and frosting are required to turn the cupcake into Santa.

I also love the look of these Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies which will easily make use of the spare chocolate chips and M&Ms you have leftover from the cupcake recipe

These are made using a peanut butter cookie recipe although this can be adapted if necessary.

And for those who may be baking-challenged like me, these dip sticks look very festive, although in reality you can dip anything from pretzel sticks, mini pretzels, Oreos, wafer cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread or biscotti.  A delicious treat with no baking required.

If however baking is not really for you, then I would recommend popping a tin or two of our delicious fudge on the table as an alternative and watch it disappear.

Fudge seems to be a favourite in every household I come across and these beautiful tins can be used over and over again.  And there is something for everyone - vanilla fudge, chocolate fudge and the ever so delicious rum and raisin.

What are you looking forward to baking or making this Christmas?

The Calm Before The Storm

November for me has always been a strange month; it is the calm before the Christmas storm so to speak.

It is however in reality, a great time for me to get organised and mentally prepare for the busy weeks ahead. I am able to plan, restock and deal with the increased number of customer service enquiries which grace my doorstep.

While orders are still coming in, generally November for retailers is nowhere near as hectic as December - in particular the last couple of weeks prior to Christmas.

For me the last week before Christmas is actually extremely pleasant as I am officially on holiday - Rainbow Designs' Christmas cut-off date is the 17 December.  If we left it any later, there would be a lot of unhappy campers amongst us as the orders would not be guaranteed to arrive before Christmas Day.  As it is, the postal workers and courier companies are already working overtime in preparation for the festive holiday.

So today I thought I would share with you two new products which are available for the Christmas season.

The first is our Nuts About Christmas Hamper.  It comes already packed in a gift box and includes Christmas blend coffee, macadamia nut fudge, honey roasted cashews, a brownie bite and a pack of organic licorice.  Delicious, right?

The second gift is our Santa's Puppy Pack.  It features an adorable Joyce & Co puppy dog, Freckleberry chocolate Christmas tree and 20 chocolate baubles.  Imagine the surprise on Christmas morning when they open that one.  Again it comes already packaged in a lovely gift hamper box for ease.

I hope that this time of year is not proving to be too stressful for you.  We aim to take the stress out of Christmas with our delicious range of gifts and hampers, so if we can help you in way, just give us a shout!