Christmas in July with notonthehighstreet.com

Last week I got ridiculously excited for Christmas in the height of summer thanks to notonthehighstreet.com who invited me along to their Christmas press preview. I have used the quirky online store for two years in a row to buy Christmas presents (amongst many other occasions like birthdays and Valentines Day) because I love that you can personalise gifts and find something truly unique that your loved one will love. They also tend to have very 'fashionable' gifts, like beard grooming sets which we all know is currently all the rage for the young male population, and gin varieties of all kinds which I have been seeing a lot more of gin recently in hip bars and restaurants.

Brace yourselves as this is quite a long post and has plenty of photo inspiration, but there was just so much I got excited about that I wanted to share with you and hopefully inspire you with ideas for Christmas. And before you go that it's waaaaaay to early to start thinking about Christmas, this year I want to avoid the last minute rush and lack of funds by buying little bits over the space of a couple of months so I am truly and comfortably prepared for the festive season.

GIFTS FOR HER

I fell in love with this t-shirt because I love the style and the slogan! Liam, take note when shopping for Christmas - or my upcoming birthday! - I need this top in my life. 

I absolutely love the idea that you can personalise a name or a message with these semi precious stones and the jewellery comes in a necklace or bracelet. It's the perfect gift for your girlfriend or best friend! Create your message here.

I have to give a special shout out to this locket which is very petite and classic - no one would ever actually know it's a locket until they opened it. This is a beautiful gift for any occasion and is perfect for all ages. 

Thinking about special Christmas crackers? You can personalise these with a photo of your choice - I can just imagine our little Harvey in his Christmas scarf gracing the crackers on our Christmas dinner table! 

GIFTS FOR HIM

These cute little gold painted dinosaurs hold air plants which is perfect for low maintenance. They look cute around the house and it the perfect stocking filler for any age. The next best thing for a stocking filler is the set of chocolate robots - how cute! 

GIFTS FOR FOODIES

Three words - chocolate cheese board. Whoever thought that creating a chocolate sculpture of a cheese board was a good idea, is a genius. I love cheese, I love chocolate and this is the perfect dessert centrepiece for any party - you don't even have to wait for Christmas to crack this guy out! 

I'd like to bring your attention to the Sloe Chutney in the left corner - this sounds amazing. Sloemotion produce some incredible sloe gin varieties and also this chutney of wonders which will taste just right with some turkey and roast potatoes. 

The teapot you see in this picture isn't your average teapot - it's made of chocolate. Yes, a teapot made of chocolate that actually functions! Of course, it will melt eventually and turn into a chocolate fondue, but what a fantastic idea for a winters night?! 

Spruce up your dinner party with some more edible varieties of sprouts - the chocolate variety. I personally love sprouts and always enjoy them at Christmas, but this is a way for all sprout haters to have one at Christmas dinner. 

GIFTS FOR THE HOME

Advent calendars are getting more creative year by year and this is going to be very popular with tea lovers - each day you get a different flavoured tea bag to indulge in. I really want this advent calendar as I can just imagine opening a bag on a cold winter morning, counting down to Christmas and sipping the hot tea in a chunky sweater and cable knit socks... 

GIFTS FOR THE PETS

These are the pillows we simply must have. Although it's not very often that Harvey gets into bed with us anymore because he has his own bed, or actually two for that matter, but when he does he squeezes his way into the middle of us and takes over the bed. 

I got a couple of treats from the preview event and I was so excited to try some of the fantastic products which I have seen during the day. 

One of them was this adorable dino with a low maintenance air plant - as someone who can easily kill a cactus, I'm always on the lookout for cute green plants which won't need a lot of looking after. These plants don't actually have roots and all you have to do is spray them with water once or twice a week! Perfect and adorable. 

Smith & Sinclair Cocktail Pastilles - magical. I saw these sweets at the event and wondered what they actually tasted like because they are 6% volume of alcohol and with varieties like Gin & Tonic, Whisky Sour and Spiced Rum sound just delicious. I tried one of the pastilles whilst taking these photos which was 10am on a Sunday morning and I have to say they were all and more than expected - delicious, squidgy and alcoholic. Enjoy these pastilles responsibly any time of year, and make someone very happy (and perhaps slightly tipsy) with a stocking filler surprise. 

To finish this mega write up, I wanted to end on a sweet note and Honeywell Bakes cookies are the perfect way to do that. Their cookies come in all shapes and sizes, but what makes them extra special is the absolutely incredibly taste which is very sweet but just perfect with a cup of tea or hot milk.

I know where I'm going to be stocking up on all my Christmas necessities for the third year in a row now - did you see anything you liked? Have you started thinking about Christmas already?