With less than two months to go until Christmas, now is the time to get shopping. Kids across the country have already written their Christmas lists, which are probably as long as their arms; shops are awash with Christmas gift ideas, fancy packaging, decorations and two-for-one and buy-three-get-the-cheapest-free deals.

Although women don’t tend to writing shopping lists, it’s actually not too difficult to come up with a selection of Christmas gift ideas for your leading ladies; mum, sister, girlfriend or wife. However with so much choice on the market, combined with the fact you want to buy her something special, you might need more than just a smidgen of help find the right gift. We have put together this Christmas gift guide including a whole range of alternative Christmas gifts for women available from House of Fraser.

A watch instead of jewellery

Watches are very much en-vogue at the moment especially with people such as Cindy Crawford and Scarlett Johansson endorsing some of the leading brands. Watches can be dainty of bold, matt or shiny, bright or sleek, whatever style your wife/girlfriend/sister/mother is there is a watch for her. Diesel and Emporio Armani’s have some new styles to look out for.

Cashmere instead of lingerie

How many times have you bought the wrong size underwear? It doesn’t make any difference whether it’s too big or too small it’s still embarrassing for you and her. Avoid ending up red faced and invest in a cashmere jumper instead. Cashmere is the ultimate in luxurious materials and woollens are particularly fashionable this season. A classic round-neck sweater is perfect; it will go with anything and is sure to last the test of time. Whistles have a particularly adorable range of cashmere sweaters this season, available from House of Fraser.

A Michelin-Star dinner instead of Christmas leftovers in front of the TV

OK, so you wouldn’t give your special lady leftovers as a Christmas present, but you most certainly give her a Michelin-Star dining experience, available through House of Fraser. The Smartbox Lifestyle Gift Sets are perfect for the people who have everything and/or prefer experiences to material goods. Your wife/girlfriend will be able to choose from 200 different restaurant experiences in locations across the country. The set includes a 3- or 4-course meal or tasting menu, with or without drinks in one of 30 Michelin-started British restaurants.

Nowadays, you have many holidays or special days: mother’s day, father’s day, valentine’s day… but at the end of the day nothing will replace Christmas. Christmas is a moment when you gather with your family, you offer gifts to remind your relatives that you love them and also a moment a peace! Many different religious organizations (Catholics, People United for Christ Reverend Peter Popoff, …) feel that Christmas is special and I agree with them. Sometimes, it’s great to remember that we have those moments where we can share with people that we love and we enjoy having some good times with. We need these symbols because it’s a great opportunity for us to bond with each other!

The power of symbol is really important these days and I have to say that Christmas is a good time for that! Enjoy Christmas, spend some time with your family and friends and enjoy it to the fullest!

Where did you do your Christmas shopping this year? Your favourite high street shops perhaps, or maybe a department store such as John Lewis or House of Frasier? You might have opted for a shopping trip to London, Birmingham or Manchester, the country’s shopping hot spots complete with designer shopping, trendy boutiques and humungous malls. But it is also likely that you spent a good deal of money and time shopping online, or at least purchasing your goodies there. One great site is Express Gifts, who offer a range of Christmas gifts that can be delivered to locations across the globe.

According to the Office of National Statistics, internet sales reached a record high in November. Shopping online accounted for 10.5% of all retail sales in the month, a rise from 7.9% the same time last year. This could be from an increase in the number of high-ticket items bought online rather in than in store, or simply that more people are choosing the virtual over the real high street.

The ONS also stated that many shoppers are probably browsing in store, maybe even obtaining information from shop assistants and trying out items and clothes, but then they are heading home, jumping on the computer and shopping from the comfort of their living room or kitchen table.

The bad weather also meant many people couldn’t get to the shops; therefore internet shopping was the only option. Convenience is one of the main benefits to shopping online. You can sit in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and browse at your leisure. No need to pay parking charges, stand in long queues and fight between being too hot inside and too cold outside.

But convenience isn’t the only reason many shoppers turned to the virtual world of online shopping at Christmas 2010. The recession and the proceeding slow economic recovery has meant many people, particularly families, have a lot less cash to spend on presents than they did a few years ago. But, children still have the same demands, and there is still the pressure to buy gifts for everyone even relatives you only see at Christmas and ‘put on a good spread’ including a huge turkey with all the trimmings. All this costs money and shopping online – in most cases – is cheaper than shopping in store.

You also get far more variety, you can search for specific key words for things that would be almost impossible to find on the high street and you can order presents from the US, India and Australia.

There are tons of deals on the market for Christmas but it’s that simple to find out great offers on Christmas gifts!

Browsing on the internet is a good way to start. You have tons of websites like Amazon, Google or Best Buy where you can check what is a reasonable price for a specific item. First, you might have to find out what christmas gift you want to offer though

When you have found the right article, then it’s time to go shopping!

Here are a few tricks to consider:

- Browse online to get a benchmark for the right price

- Check if there are specific discounts for a specific item

- Negotiate negotiate negotiate: talk directly to the retailer and ask for a specific price. You never know! There is always something you can get…

Good luck and don’t forget to be tough when you negotiate! Enjoy!

http://www.Very.co.uk/

Birmingham is England’s second city and is home to thousands of companies so come Christmas time it is no surprise that demand is high for corporate Christmas parties.

This is the number one place in the Midlands to host large scale Xmas events as it has the infrastructure and venues to cope, but nonetheless the best venues sell out well before the majority of us are even considering mince pies and mulled wine.

Birmingham Christmas parties are held in large town halls, hotels, sport stadiums and many other locations, while the themes of the party bashes vary wildly so there is always a party suitable for your needs, no matter how wacky they are.

Birmingham is such a large city with a central hub of activity but you do not need to hold your Christmas party here as there are party nights in the surrounding towns and in countryside manor houses off the beaten track.

This is a vibrant and multi-cultural area and is an area that firmly embraces festivities so party on in Birmingham.