Celebrating Christmas Apart With A Little Help From Moonpig

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This year has been a strange one hasn't it? And I think we would all be a little naïve if we didn't think that Christmas this year is also going to be a little different right?. Whilst none of us know what the future will hold in terms of lockdown & Covid restrictions or even if we will be able to see friends and family this year, but that doesn't mean we can't still show them how much we care by way of beautiful personalised carts and well thought out gifts.

However our Christmas might be effected by the current pandemic it doesn't have to stop us being able to spread a little bit of joy or bring a smile to somebodies face over the festive season.  So whether we are in lockdown or not, whether your family/friends like around the corner or around the globe Moonpig are on hand to help you make sure you can still send all of your loved ones beautiful gifts and thoughtful cards this Christmas without even needing to leave your home.

You might already know Moonpig for their incredible personalised cards that you can personalise with pictures, messages and text with a wide range of designs in their Christmas range of cards. But they also have a fantastic range of gifts that can be sent alongside your cards with something for everyone from kids to grandparents and everyone in between! 

This year with everything going on and things being so uncertain in terms of shops being open etc I have decided to try and be more organised and get everything sorted nice and early. That way come Christmas I can put my feet up and enjoy the time with the kids safe in the knowledge al of my loved ones, family and friends will be sorted in terms of gifts and cards. 

Moonpig has been fantastic for this and I have managed to get all of my cards ordered with plenty of time (you can schedule your cards to be sent on a certain date so you can order ahead of time and schedule to be sent a little closer to Christmas!). Plus I even manged to pick up some great gifts for my mum, sister and some good friends who I won't see over Christmas too. Keep reading below to find out what ordered and who for... 

For My Mum

This beautiful Yankee candle "Magical Christmas Morning" gift set, will make a great gift for my mum this Christmas as she loves candles and Yankee candles always smell amazing for such a long time. The gift set contains 1 x Unwrap The Magic Small Jar Candle, 1 x Singing Carols Votive Candle, 1 x Holiday Hearth Votive Candle, 1 x Surprise Snowfall Votive Candle. It is priced at £15.99 which I think is a great price for 4 festive candles.

For My Sister

On previous Christmas times it has become a bit of a tradition to visit my mum and sister and have a "buffet" style tea with us all bringing some delicious treats to enjoy together. Whilst we may not be able to do that this year, this amazing Nutcracker Treat Tin will make the perfect gift and ensure she still has lots of lovely treats to enjoy over Christmas. My sister works as a carer and will be working Christmas day this year so it will be a nice treat for her to enjoy after a long day at work. 

The Nutcracker treat tin is priced at £30.00 and contains Butlers Vanilla Fudge Bag 125g, CHOC+ Luxury Hot Drinking Chocolate Milk, Chocolate with Salted Caramel 140g, Farmhouse Biscuits Oat Flip Biscuits 200g, Gold Crown Decorative Mini Chocolate Cake, Stars Milk Chocolate Bauble with Salted Caramel Decorations 80g, all inside the Festive Nutcracker Tin.

For My Friends 

Seeing over friends over the Christmas holidays is something me and the kids really look forward to. We often try to plan lots of festive days out and trips to see santa or do Christmas activities which obviously this year won't be going ahead. But that doesnt mean we won't be thinking of them and I think the gifts below will make the perfect gifts for friends this year. 

The Gin House Gift set is a must have for any gin lovers! It contains a selection of miniature premium dry gins from different gin houses, each with their own unique botanical mix and distilling processes as well as a range of 4 different flavour tonics from Fever-Tree. 

And for my friends who aren't huge drinkers or who choose not to drink, these OPI Shine Bright Christmas Cracker Gift Set makes a fantastic gift. The cracker style packaging is a lovely festive touch and inside you will find  4 Mini Nail Lacquers 3.75 mL in size. The shades included are - 1 x Naughty or Ice?, 1 x Red-y For the Holidays, 1x Let’s Take an Elfie, 1x Heart and Coal. Perfect for keeping nails looking perfectly festive throughout the season. 

Don't Forget the Christmas Cards!

With the gifts sorted I could forget the cards to go with them and with the vast choice available at Moonpig I was able to find the perfect card for each family member and close friend. I love that you can personalise these cards including adding names, messages and some cards even allow you to add a family photo or your face onto an elf body (we will definitely be doing this for nanny and grampy this year!). 

If you have an I-phone you can even handwrite a personalised message which can then be printed into your card by taking a picture of your handwritten message and uploading it onto the Moonpig website when personalising your card. There are some great features too such as being able to save addresses, schedule a specific date for your card to be sent and even add a little gift to arrive with your card too. 

As you can see there is a great range of gifts available with everything from food and drink to flowers and homeware and everything in between. I have popped some of my top tips below on how you can still enjoy a socially distanced Christmas or a Christmas away from family and friends. 

- Get Organised - With Moonpig you can use the handy tools they have available such as being able to store addresses and schedule deliveries ahead of time so you can order now and get delivered nearer the time. This way you can relax in the knowledge that all of your loved ones will know you are thinking of them when your gifts and cards land on their doorstep. 

- Use Technology to Connect - We may not be able to physically be with our loved ones this Christmas but that doesn't mean we can't use technology to connect with friends and family over Christmas or even on Christmas day! Over lockdown many people came up with great ideas to utilise apps such as zoom to run quizzes, bingo or just have family get togethers virtually. I even attended a virtual event with Moonpig where we arranged flowers and made cocktails as well as getting the chance to chat to lots of blogging friends too. So the possibilities are huge when it comes to getting together virtually rather than physically this festive season. 

- Try Not to Focus on What we "Can't" Do - After everything that has gone on this year it could be easy to dwell on what we usually have or who we usually see over Christmas. But focusing on those things just won't help even if it is very said. Instead try to enjoy a smaller, less busy Christmas time. Enjoy being able to bring a smile to someone's face from afar after what has been a crazy year for everyone. 

But most importantly... have a lovely Christmas! Yes it may not be the Christmas that we all know or recognise, our tables may be a little emptier for Christmas lunch and our schedules a little less busy BUT Christmas is most definitely not cancelled and when we can't physically be together its even more about the "spirit" of Christmas than ever before. 

So whoever you are buying for this Christmas and however it may play out, get everything "wrapped up" now by ordering directly from Moonpig so you can sit back with your feet up and enjoy the festivities this year. 

xXx

**This is a collaborative post with Moonpig. I received the gifts featured above as well as account credit to enable me to create this post. However all thoughts, opinions and images are my own and I retain full control of this post.**