Celebrate

Are you fed up of chocolates? Christmas was only 10 weeks away and I am still working off the tins of Quality Street and After Eights! I am sure most other people feel the same way, but are just too polite to say it. So why not buy some non-chocolate gifts this Easter instead?

Read on to see my hand-picked selection

Easter is one of those strange times of year that falls in a different place each year, known as a movable feast. It doesn’t seem to follow the gregorian calendar, but the lunisolar one instead.

It is a Christian religious festival and falls on a sunday, 40 days after the start of Lent – the fasting season.

Last year we indulged in over 80 million chocolate easter eggs. The total cost came to around £336 million.

Just think what could be achieved if we spent just half of this on chocolate eggs, and the other half on an alternative to the sugary sweets and chocolates that have become associated with Easter.

Chocolate Easter Eggs are now the most popular way to celebrate Easter. There is such a huge variety of different chocolate it can make it hard to choose which ones to go for.

Do you choose from creamy white chocolate, smooth milk or divine dark. The choice doesn’t stop there though. Now you can get handmade chocolate, fairtrade chocolate eggs, not to mention organic, lactose-free and vegan. In fact chocolate eggs to cater for any food intolerance or preference.

St Patrick is well known as the Patron Saint of Ireland. Come the 17th of March thousands of people all over the world, whether Irish or not, celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style. Usually with lots of dressing up and plenty of drinking.

However, this year St Patrick’s Day has been moved to the 15th March, to avoid falling on the holy Easter week, with Easter being so incredibly early this year.

Kiss Chase Gifts

Website: www.kisschasegifts.com

Kiss Chase is one of the latest gift experience websites online at the moment.

They have created an exclusive online gift voucher website, which partners up with several top of the range hotels across the UK to provide a great opportunity for you to buy someone you know and love, an amazing treat.

Oddbins

Website: www.oddbins.com

You may have thought Oddbins was just a high street off licence. Think again. They have a brilliant website that has some great offers on wine, spirits and drinks for all occasions. And not just any bottles of plonk. They have a range of champagnes, cognacs, fine wines and aperitifs to suit every taste (however weird).

Their gift drinks come in collectable boxes – the kinds of boxes that all mums love to keep – just in case! Make Mother’s Day for your mum by getting her some lovely bubbly.

£70 at BuyAGift

Aahh. Love is in the air and what better way to spend Valentine’s night than floating up in the air with the love of your life. Just make sure neither of you suffer from vertigo.

If you’ve never been up in the London Eye you really must go and enjoy the amazing views they offer over London. If you’ve already done it, chances are you’ve never done it this way – it’ll be a night to remember.

Roses By Design

Website: www.rosesbydesign.co.uk

Fresh from the TV studios of ’This Morning’, comes a website destined to be very popular coming up to Valentine’s Day. If you are stuck for gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, this site may just be the inspiration you need.

The premise is simple. Send any message to anyone by having it written on rose petals. For a gift that’s just that little bit different.

Gift A Plant

Website: www.giftaplant.com

Sending flowers and plants is a very traditional way of giving presents or commemorating a special occasion. However what would happen if that traditional concept was given a unique twist? You would get a fantastic new way of giving presents, and that is just what Gift A Plant have created.

£19 at Bizzy Balloons

I have never thought of buying a balloon as a present or gift before now. After all, your bog standard balloons can be quite boring.

Well not anymore, now I have discovered Bizzy Balloons who have the ultimate choice of gift balloons.