Merry Christmas From Rainbow Designs

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my customers, supporters, and fans a Merry Christmas. It has been a year of ups and downs, but it always ends on a high with Christmas and all the other holiday celebrations going on. For that I am grateful.

Thank you for shopping at Rainbow Designs during 2017 and I hope you all enjoy the gift hampers, chocolate hampers and lolly hampers waiting for you under the tree on Christmas morning.

I also hope that next year is filled with lots of adventure, fun, excitement and, of course, chocolate!

Here's to a great 2018!

- Jacqui, Rainbow Designs

Advantages of Online Shopping at Christmas Time

Christmas is just 18 days away and there are only three more weekends to complete that Christmas shopping. Although at this time of year, shopping online is definitely preferential to visiting the malls.

No crowds

As pretty as they look all decked out with their festive decorations, I much prefer to avoid the crowds. Of course, visiting a store or two is a necessity at this time of year, but if I can skip it is as much as possible then all the better.

No Christmas carols

As much as I like to hear the odd Christmas carol, I don’t want to hear them all the time. There is nothing worse than listening to 3 hours of carols only to find that they are stuck in your head, and you cannot get to sleep without humming Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer to lull you to sleep.

No holiday traffic

Online shopping means no traffic jams. As everyone is heading in the direction of the nearest mall or store, I like to go in the opposite direction, away from the gridlocked traffic. I’m all about the peace and quiet at the end of a busy year.

No long checkout queues

You have spent an hour or two picking out the right gift only to find that the checkout is a mile long. Online shopping allows you to view it up close and personal via the images without the queue. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

You can compare prices

You can quickly compare prices when you are shopping online. This is a great way to enable you to save money. Comparing prices at a mall may mean walking from one end to the other and back again, and with all that foot traffic, well let’s just say you want to avoid that as much as possible.

Shop at your convenience

If you want to shop at 3 am in the comfort of your pajamas, then you can. You don’t have to wait until the store opens; you can do it 24/7 at your convenience. And you can do it while sipping a cup of coffee and munching on chocolate. Nothing beats it!

If you are ordering online, then it is best to order earlier rather than later as you want your gifts to arrive in plenty of time. There is nothing worse than ordering something and then finding out it is not going to get there until after the big day! So if you want to order, shop today or tomorrow or as soon as you can. 

All I Want For Christmas...

The Christmas orders have started to come in – both the corporate and the regular gift orders and it is such a fun time for us. And busy – did we mention busy. Here are some other meanings that we connect with this colourful time of year.

C is for Chocolate

And we have lots of it. From hot chocolate hampers to delicious hampers filled with just chocolate, you can definitely cater for all those sweet tooths in your life with our extensive array of chocolate gifts. One of the best things is that we also offer lots of new products around Christmas time to add some variety to your gift giving. So, keep checking back regularly for more ideas.

H is for Hampers

But we don’t just have chocolate hampers. We have wine hampers, cooking hampers, lolly hampers, coffee hampers and more. The variety of our gifts is what makes browsing our gifts so fun. Beer hampers, scotch hampers, port hampers, non-alcoholic hampers – the most challenging thing is deciding on which hamper to buy.

R is for Rosé

Such a lovely drop to consume before and after Christmas. It’s not white, and it’s not red! Rosé is pink in tone, and is great for barbecues and get-togethers. Many of our gift hampers such as our Gourmet Picnic Hamper features a bottle of Rosé and it is ideal for a summertime drop. Especially when it arrives with so many other goodies as well!

I is for Italian food

I love Australia’s multiculturism and the fact that we can enjoy such a variety of food wherever we go. I personally love Italian food and am so glad we have such beautiful gifts in store to represent its culinary influences on our great country. Check out our Italian Homemade Pasta Hamper, Pizza Perfection Hamper and Homemade Pizza Gift Hamper.

S is for Special

This is how our gifts make people feel when they arrive. All of our hampers feature so many wonderful treats that it is hard to contain the glee when they are opened. This is our favourite part of the job – seeing and hearing the reactions when our hampers grace the doorsteps of those all over Australia. We can’t help but feel a bit like the jolly old man himself.

T is for Tea

Christmas is a time for a meetups and what better way to spend it than over a cup of tea. We even have an Afternoon Tea Hamper to honour the early British traditions of afternoon and morning tea. Whether you want to chat with friends and family, there is no better time of year to catch up with those near and dear.

M is for Merry

A merry holiday is guaranteed with many of our champagne, wine and beer hampers. It doesn’t matter whether you are into international beers or cider, or a bottle of red wine or white wine, the choice is yours. Many of our beer and wine gifts also come with a selection of delicious snacks and treat which will ensure they are a guaranteed winner.

A is for Any Time

Online shopping means you can shop any time of the day or night. You can order your Christmas gifts at your convenience, and they can be delivered as close to the 25^th December as possible to ensure they arrive on time. There are no last-minute shopping sprees – you can be as organised as you need to be and find time to relax and hang out with your loved ones.

S is for Sweet

While we do have many savoury gifts, the popular ones tend to be our sweeter gifts. The lolly and chocolate boxes have been shopper favourites ever since we opened our doors all those years ago. Our gifts are still the quirky alternative to flowers, which makes our shoppers come back time and time again. For that, we are incredibly grateful.

What's New On Our Shelves at Rainbow Designs

It's an exciting time of year - the stores are getting busier, summer is almost here and we get new gifts on our shelves to please the Christmas shoppers. So what's new? Are you ready to be wowed!

For starters we have the Festive Treats Gift Hamper. For $90 including postage, your recipient of choice will get brandy glaze, rosemary lavash, plum pudding, chocolate covered macadamia, three berry jam and handmade cookies. This is one of my favourite gifts, particularly the white choc chip macadamia handmade cookies. Delicious!

Next is the Christmas Cheer Gift Hamper which is indeed full of the Christmas spirit. For $190, including postage you get a bottle of Brut, olive and herb antipasto, berry jam, brandy sauce, cookies, apricots in mango liqueur, panaforte, plum pudding, shortbread, lemon butter and more. Imagine their surprise when they open this delightful gift on Christmas morning.

It's definitely not Christmas without the bubbles. The Christmas Bubbles Gift Hamper costs only $50 including postage and features a bottle of Brut, some chocolates and a plum pudding. For those spending Christmas alone or need some cheering up, this gift will do it. Show them you care with this gift hamper wherever in Australia they may be.

For those looking for some wine and treats, this is it! For $125 including postage your loved ones will receive a bottle of red and a bottle of white, lavash, beetroot relish, chocolates, rum balls, quince paste and plums in port. A stylish and deserving gift if ever there was one!

Which one do you like the most?

Slow Sales Before The Christmas Rush

Traditionally, October is a quiet month for Rainbow Designs. There is always a lull in the gift buying department after Father's Day, like everyone is saving their energy for the big Christmas rush. I guess it gives me time to mentally prepare for the seasonal onset of gift buying.

I do love Christmas and the sights and the sounds it brings, but I enjoy owning a gift store even more. Rainbow Designs has been in operation since 2004 - that means that this will be my 14th year selling and sending out gifts of deliciousness all over the country.

I am very grateful for everyone who has placed an order on my little website and for those who have placed orders many times over the years. Even the smallest of comments and likes on the Rainbow Designs' Facebook page always puts a smile on my face.

It is hard to imagine a Christmas without the need to send out lollies and chocolates, but I guess the time will come one day in the future. Perhaps, sooner rather than later! After all, you never know what exciting things lie ahead in the future. :)

I know I have been very fortunate in being able to set up and run a successful business for so long. I have lost count of the number of small businesses I have seen open and close during that time; and these thoughts bring mixed feelings - both happiness and sadness at once. Owning a small business in Australia can be tough, but thankfully I have had the support of my friends and family despite the ups and downs that being a lolly store gift owner brings.

Anyway, enough of that! Let's raise a glass to a wonderful 2017 holiday season and the orders to come. Let's make it a great one!

It's Always Christmas At Rainbow Designs

It may sound odd but it's true. We are always sending out wonderful hampers and delicious gifts, that every day feels like Christmas. We can definitely relate to the joy that St Nick brings to kids all across the world as we too, through our gifts, are putting smiles on many faces.

I mean who wouldn't want to receive a Cream Liqueur and Chocolate Hamper or a Big Chocolate Box delivered to their doorstep? We always have been the quirky alternative to flowers - and are proud of that fact!

And while I don't proclaim to know everything about business and get things wrong along the way, I do love making people happy. That's got to count for a lot, right?

So while it may not be Christmas yet, it isn't that far away - only 95 days in fact. We always keep a few Christmas gifts on our site for those who do like to order early, but will undoubtedly have a few more special gifts to add closer to the date for those last minute shoppers as well.

But between now and then, we appreciate you guys keeping us busy with all your orders and may those special times be celebrated today, tomorrow and in the future.

And as always, I eagerly await to receive that first Christmas order - it is a super exciting time for an online retailer like myself!! I just might have to don that red suit and white beard in honour of the festivities!

xx