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Spending Christmas in Exeter

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Christmas is right around the corner, and this year it might be time to visit a criminally underrated and under-visited place in the UK. Full of charm and personality, Exeter is primarily known as a cathedral city in the south west, but it’s also so much more.

Exeter has many attractions, and because of the city’s modest size, they’re all in a moderate walk distance away. Make sure to check out the best Christmas party venues Exeter has to offer, because you’re guaranteed to have a splendid time.

The Exeter Cathedral

Known as one of the oldest and exquisite cathedrals in all of England, it’s located in the centre of the city, and it’s stood there for almost one thousand years. The original Norman Cathedral was replaced in the 13th and 14th century, but the looming towers still remain from the original structure, while the rest of the gothic cathedral has remained mostly unchanged.

The Cathedral is the crown jewel of Devon County, and it’s the seat of the Bishop and the Mother Church of Diocese. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, design, and craftsmanship, and is a history lesson all on its own. It’s served as a pilgrimage spot for centuries, and remains one of the most visited places in the West Country.

Do some Christmas shopping

As it is always the case with Christmas, you might want to do some shopping that goes along with the season. Well, if that’s the case, then Exeter has you covered. There are plenty of shopping venues to choose from, and they often organise dedicated Christmas shopping weekend, and sometimes even full weeks depending on the year. Places like the Fayre and the Christmas Markets offer some fantastic Christmas shopping that can rarely be matched anywhere else. 

Visit a Christmas Event

Every year there are several Christmas events to choose from, and almost all the time they also act as charity fundraisers for various charities and causes. You can attend the many parties that are being thrown all across the city, or if you’re a fan of wrestling, then you see the Christmas wrestling show, or even visit one of the many lively rave parties that regularly happen on and around Christmas. Whatever you choose, you’re bound to have tonnes of fun.

But that’s not all about Exeter, in fact, the city offers plenty of other low-key activities due to its ripe culture and history. It has an amazing library for those that prefer something more academic in nature, but also unique and interesting museums like the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. If you’re a family with kids, then you might want to check out the Crealy Great Adventure Park and its rides – it’s fun for all groups and ages.

But best of all, spending Christmas in Exeter is almost always a trip that’s definitely never going to be forgotten. It’s a place filled with love and warmth that you’ll want to visit over and over again.

Seven Things to Consider Before Sending Your Christmas Cards

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One of the things so many love about the Christmas season is sending and receiving cards. Yes, it is quite easy to text a message, or to e-mail a warm greeting. However, to take that extra effort to put a pretty card into the post is a way to show you care about the people in your life.

Beautiful Christmas cards make people smile with joy when they open them. Here are seven tips on how to make this year’s Christmas cards fun and festive:

Make a list of the people you want to send cards to

This is the first thing you should do. Before you order your cards, count how many people you want to send them to. Be generous with yourself and always add an additional 5 to 10% to that number. During the holidays, you may reconnect with old friends, former co-workers, and people you know. Also, you may want to send them a warm Christmas greeting. By having a few extra cards, it becomes easy for you to accommodate additional people.

Double check mailing addresses

Don’t neglect to take out time to do this. Sometimes, people move, or postal codes get changed. Perhaps you have a friend who has changed jobs frequently and has lived in several different cities or countries with each job. You may want to call them to double check their address before putting the card in the mail. There is nothing more disappointing than receiving a Christmas card, which you mailed, returned to you because it could not reach the recipient.

Get extra postage in advance

Getting extra postage in advance, especially when you are sending out a large mailing such as your Christmas cards, is simply the smart thing to do. Having extra postage on hand will let you breathe a sigh of relief. You won’t have to wait forever at the post office to pick up more stamps. Also, you will not run out of stamps for a few extra cards you might want to send.

Take steps to make your envelopes festive for the season

Now, this is something that baffles many people. They think that they need to be super crafty or creative. What you really need to be is – organised! Start by looking at the colour scheme of your envelopes and the cards. Let’s say, the envelopes are green, and the cards inside have green, red, and silver in them. Then, all the three colours will look perfect to decorate your envelopes. If you have pretty penmanship, consider getting a fancy silver marker to address all of the envelopes with a metallic touch. Or look for stickers that match your Christmas cards, such as snowflake stickers for cards that feature a snowy scene.

Don’t get stressed if you have a big Christmas card list

When you have 50 or more cards to send out, sometimes this seems a bit overwhelming. Because most of us have family obligations, work, and other things to take care of, we recommend that you set the goal of working on your holiday cards for 1 hour each night for several nights. With 50 cards, you will probably complete the list in about 3 days if you are well organised.

Practice the short greeting you’ll write inside your cards

This is a true time saver! Sit down with a notebook and think of a simple, short friendly greeting you can write to friends. Another one would be to write to people with whom you have worked with. You may need another greeting if you are giving Christmas cards to people who have provided services for you such as a doorman, hair stylist, or a dog walker. Creating these greetings and then writing them out means you are not creating individual greetings off the top of your head for everyone.

Always remember that writing holiday cards is a treat to be enjoyed. Put on some of your favourite Christmas music, pour a glass of wine, or have a mug of cocoa, and watch a Christmas movie while you write out your cards. The rest of the year, we write other things to put in the mail. So, this is the special time of year when we send Christmas cards; don’t miss a moment of it.

Bringing The Outside In And Other Great Winter Decorating Tips

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With winter well and truly setting in throughout parts of Ireland and the UK, you will probably find that you keep trying to stay warm, even when indoors. This winter is packing a particularly powerful punch and with it comes dreams of warmer climes and spring weather. But what can you do in the meantime to make sure you create a warm and cosy atmosphere inside? Check out a couple of our top interior design tips for winter, some of which we have borrowed from Chill.ie and their great suggestions on home interior decorating tips for winter.

Bring The Outdoors In

One of the top trends this season is to bring the outdoors inside. This can be done in a number of ways, with small trees in the corners of your living spaces or dining room, pine cone accents on tables as decorative choices or by gathering up long twigs and sticks and propping them up in the corner, tied together with a pretty bow then accented with fairy lights, these are all awesome ways to bring the outdoors indoors and can help create a nature based cosy atmosphere, reminiscent of log cabins in the woods with snow all around.

Colour Blocking

Colour blocking is one of the easiest things you can do in a space to brighten it up and make it more cheery. Colour blocking includes selecting one or two colours and placing bold accents of said colours in places around the room in terms of throw blankets, artwork, cushions and rugs or lampshades. This can help bring some life and warmth into a space that is monochromatic or feeling a bit bland and dull. Which colours will you choose? Remember that cool colours can “cool off” a space while warm colours can “warm it up”. For those who don’t know, cool colours include shades of blues, greens, greys and violets while warm colours are those with red, yellow, orange and neutral tones.

Light Just Right

It’s no secret that lighting can make or break an atmosphere. If you’re going for cosy and warm, having lighting that is next to spotlight level can really take away from the ambience that you’re trying to create. Instead, stick with lower level lighting for those spaces you’re trying to warm up against those cold winter nights. Consider creating some unique decor by filling mason jars of different sizes with wads of battery operated fairy lights. This can create a lovely piece for a mantle or side table and looks fantastic in any space it’s in. Great for bedrooms, living spaces, dining rooms or anywhere that you want to create a feeling of being cosy and at home.

So whether you want to spruce up a space for good, or you’re looking to bring in some bright colours to make it a warmer atmosphere over the winter months, these tips will get your home looking fantastic! Try out some easy to do changes today and revel at how different the space appears when you put in a bit of time and effort. You might be surprised at how little you need to actually do to make a space pop with warmth.

Road Trips With Kids – Tips For A Stress Free Trip

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Road trips are always a family favourite for a number of times of year. Whether it’s Christmas and you’re hitting the road to see family and friends in another town or it’s summertime and you’re looking for that great way to spend the warmer months doing something fun and exciting with the kids. The downside is that road trips aren’t always all fun and games and you can be left pulling your hair out when the kids get grumpy or bored and begin to whine and complain. From making sure your tyres are in good shape with www.tyreplus.co.uk to a must have list for road trips, here are a couple of great tips to keep the kids happy, and you stress free during your upcoming road trips.

Take Appropriate Snacks

Everyone knows that long stretches on the road can be hard on everyone, especially younger kids with tons of pent up energy. Add to that the issue surrounding hunger and you have a recipe for disaster when one of the kids starts going on about how hungry they are. You just know the others will chime in too. Stave off hangry attacks by packing high protein, healthy snacks like peanut butter on celery, cheese and crackers, cut up fruit and vegetables and the like. Cut up fruits and vegetables makes it easy to eat as finger foods meaning you don’t need to do much prep, just whack the food in some ziploc bags or reusable containers and off you go!

Bring Entertainment

Boredom on those long lanes of country road can really take a toll on your children’s attention spans and moods so it’s important to pack enough things for them to do. Consider getting your kids involved in the selection process, letting them pick the specific toys, videos or games they want to bring so they are actively a part of the team in ensuring they stay happy during the trip. Consider getting travel versions of favourite games like Guess Who and Scrabble or Chess. This can help keep kids entertained for hours playing with siblings. You can also think about loading their iPads with a whole variety of games they can enjoy on the road.

Take Frequent Breaks

Taking a lot of breaks to allow for washroom stops and stretching the legs and the like. Taking enough breaks to get everyone out of the car will help keep spirits and moods high and will also help maintain your sanity by getting the kids out of the car to run around for a little while in between legs of the journey. Try taking a break every hundred miles or every two hours or so to ensure you get some stretching and bathroom breaks in. Not only will it make everyone more energised, but it will help keep everyone comfortable and therefore less likely to get grumpy on the road.

So if you’re heading out with the kids this season or any season in the next year, keep it simple and easy and remember lots of breaks, snacks for all and fun and games to make sure everyone gets to your destination happily and in good spirits.

Important Phone Numbers To Have In Your Cell Phone?

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In today’s fast-paced, technologically advanced world, most people will never leave home without their cell phone. Whether they love to check their social media accounts every few minutes, or they just keep it in their purse or pocket and don’t even look at it, the important thing is that it’s there, just in case it is needed. Apart from the phone numbers of friends and family, who else should be in your phone just in case they are needed?

ICE

Your ICE (which stands for ‘in case of emergency’) is an essential number to have in stored in your phone. If anyone needed to get in touch with someone on your behalf, they would immediately know who to call if there was an entry in your phone’s address book under ‘ICE’. If you don’t have that, emergency first responders, hospital staff, or the police won’t know which number to pick from your contacts. You can choose anyone to be your ICE number, such as a spouse, parent, or friend, but it should be someone who is likely to answer the phone, so think carefully.

Home

In the past, pretty much everyone knew their home number by heart, but today, thanks to cell phones and fewer and fewer landlines, it is less likely that you will know it. Having it on your phone means you can get in touch with someone in the household whenever you need to, but it is also useful to have in your contacts for when you are filling in forms or applications that require you to include your home number. You can just look it up, rather than having to remember it, or ask someone what it is.

Police

We’re not talking 911 here, we mean the local police for your area. If you witness something or need to report a crime, having the number in your phone already will make things much quicker than if you must search for it. Not everything is a 911 emergency situation, and by calling your local police instead of the emergency services, you can free up a line for someone who really needs them.

Attorney

Who knows what can happen in the course of a day? Having the phone number of an attorney such as Powers McCartan in your phone and not needing to use it is better than not having it saved but needing it. Attorneys can help with many kinds of situations, so it’s wise to keep the number of a good attorney in your phone at all times.

Motor Club

If you are the member of a motor club, having their number can be a real lifesaver if you break down on the highway or in the middle of nowhere, or if you lock your keys in the car, get a flat tire, or anything else that requires a little help. A quick phone call will mean you can get help and get home again, rather than being stranded or having to walk to the nearest town.