Christmas Countdown – 7 Non-Chocolate Advent Calendars

December is rapidly approaching, and if you can’t wait for Christmas Day before treating yourself to gifts, you’re going to need an advent calendar. I remember as a child being happy enough with a simple bit of cardboard and finding a picture behind it, even if it was just a badly-drawn donkey. Then I discovered chocolate. And it’s been chocolate every year since, even though I’m now well into adulthood. As in, I’ve been an adult for almost as long as I was technically a minor. I regret nothing. Not even the 3 fillings. Anyway, here are 7 advent calendars that don’t just rely on the magic of chocolate or tiny works of art:

1 Tea – VADHAM Christmas Tea Advent Calendar (£7.99)

If you’re a tea fan like me, you could experiment in the run-up to Santa’s arrival with this selection of 24 different teas from Indian supplier VADHAM. 

The teas come in four categories – herbal (9 teas included), green (8), chai (4) and black (3) – and feature intriguing choices like “Cookies & Cream”, “Sweet Cinnamon”, “Earl Grey Citrus” and several turmeric teas.

2 Sweets – Swizzels Sweet Factory Advent Calendar (£8)

OK, I said no chocolate, but I didn’t say no sweets.

Let’s face it, most advent calendars are enjoyed by children and if you want to spend a similar amount as you would on the average chocolate calendar, this option from Swizzels might keep your little ones (and their dentists) occupied. 

Not only does it feature favourites like Refreshers, Love Hearts and Fizzers, but it also includes classics Parma Violets and Banana Skids, plus a bag of Drumstick Squashies.

 

3 Cheese – I’m Dreaming of a Cheddar Cheesemas! Advent Calendar (£29.99)

 

If you don’t have a sweet tooth and prefer something savoury, The Chuckling Cheese Company have a solution for you. 

Comprising 12 cheeses, 6 mini jars of chutney, and 6 packs of biscuits (presumably crackers as opposed to custard creams), you might need to clear out some space in your fridge for this advent calendar, as it needs to be stored below 5 degrees Celsius. 

Many of the cheese flavours are suitably festive, with offerings such as Christmas Pudding Cheese, Orange & Whisky Cheddar, Pigs in Blankets Cheese, and Sunday Roast Cheddar.
 

4 Crisps – Pringles 24 Days Advent Calendar (£29.99)

If you’d prefer to have a salty snack each day as Christmas nears, look no further than the best thing to come out of a tube since toothpaste – the Pringle.

Containing 24 servings of 40g tubes, you could possibly stock a flight to the Mediterranean or at least keep a supply for a several trips to the cinema. Alternatively, just scoff them in front of the latest hit series on Netflix (Cowboy Bebop or Tiger King 2) or Disney+ (Hawkeye or Dopesick). 

The calendar contains Pringles in four classic flavours – Original, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, and – my personal favourite – Texas BBQ Sauce.

5 Personal Care – 24 Days of Discovery Advent Calendar (£20)

For those who enjoy a pampering, or if you just want to stock up on travel-sized toiletries ahead of next year’s holiday abroad (covid permitting), these calendars are ideal. 

There are two options, marketed to women (pictured) and men, both featuring a range of personal care items like shower gels, soaps and deodorants. 

They also include a few curveballs such as socks (men), a hair scrunchie (women) and a multi-charging cable (both). 

Brands include Dove, Vaseline, Radox, Tresemme, Lynx, and Toni & Guy. This product is available as a Black Friday deal on Amazon.   

6 Booze – Baileys 12 Day Christmas Advent Calendar (£17)
 

Fancy a tipple? Alcoholic advent calendars have become increasingly popular over recent years, but many come with hefty price tags.

You can pay anything from around £45 for a beer advent calendar to well over £100 for one featuring 24 whiskeys. 

Assuming you’ve got less cash to splash, Baileys offer a selection comprised of 5cl/50ml bottles, in Original Irish Cream, Salted Caramel, and Espresso Crème flavours. 

The only drawback is that the calendar only contains enough for 12 days, so you could start early or late, only open the calendar on odd or even days, or perhaps buy two calendars?

 
7 Seeds – Gardening Gifts Advent Calendar (£24.99)
 

Anyone fortunate enough to have a garden might enjoy putting it to use with this growing kit for vegetables and herbs from The Little Trees Bees & Seeds Co. 

Unlike the other advent calendars on this list, this one is less about instant gratification and more about patience and enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour at a later date. Green-fingered folks can turn their hands to growing carrots, fennel, chard, cabbage, basil, tomatoes and many more. 

Let’s face it, you can’t do much worse than Jeremy Clarkson did in the first series of his farming show. Besides, buying this particular advent calendar should more than make up for all the years you chose chocolate.

 
All information correct at time of publication. Prices quoted are taken from amazon.co.uk on 21/11/2021 and are subject to change. Always check the contents and age restrictions of any product before purchase.

8 Great Halloween Drink and Treat Ideas

1 Bird & Blend’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie Tea 

Buy Online from Bird & Blend

From £6.10 for 50g of loose leaf tea.

If tea is your thing, you really should check out the fantastic array of flavours on offer at Bird & Blend. For Halloween, their clever mixologists have come up with a Spiced Pumpkin Pie version that can be enjoyed as a regular cup of tea or made into a milky chai latte. This particular tea has won a Great Taste Award and this year is available in a specially designed tin (150g).

2 M&S’s Colin the Caterpillar Halloween Spooky Festival Gift Bag

Buy Online from Marks and Spencer 

From £22.50. Party choice.

If you’re hosting a children’s party or want a bit of fun for the big kids in your office, look no further than Marks and Spencer’s Halloween Spooky Festival Gift Bag. Featuring the often imitated but never bettered Colin the Caterpillar, this is a feast of sweet treats and chocolate cakes. More cute than scary, but guaranteed to put smiles on faces.

3 Whittard’s Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffee

Buy Online from Whittard 

From £7 for 200g (approx. 13 cups).

More famous for its tea, Whittard has stepped up its coffee game in recent years and is now offering its own take on the pumpkin spice trend. Available in boxes that evoke Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”, celebrated on 1st and 2nd November, you’ll probably be drinking this long after Halloween has finished. The product uses ground Arabica beans and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  

4 Hotel Chocolat’s Cryptopher the Vampire Caramel Milk Chocolate

Buy Online from Hotel Chocolat

£8 for a box of 16 chocolates; 2 boxes for £14.

If you like chocolate, you’ll love Hotel Chocolat and its Halloween offering made from caramel milk chocolate. The Cryptopher the Vampire collection includes sixteen individually-wrapped chocolates with six different designs – a bat, a cat, a skull, a ghost, a gravestone, and a witch’s finger. These are ideal to give to trick or treaters, or to gobble up all for yourself.

5 Slattery’s Halloween Hot Chocolate Bombs 

Buy Online from Slattery

£9.95 for a pack of 3 bombs.

Sticking with the chocolate theme, north Manchester-based baker and chocolatier Slattery has released a unique take on hot chocolate – the bomb. Don’t worry, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds. The only explosion will be in your mouth when you taste the winning combination of orange chocolate and marshmallows. Enjoy around a bonfire or in the comfort of your own home.

6 Haribo Trick or Treat 

Buy Online from Waitrose

£3 for 32 mini bags. Budget option.

It wouldn’t be Halloween without kids enjoying a few sugar highs and legendary confectioner Haribo is always prepared for the occasion. You could go for old favourite Tangfastics, with their frightening mix of sweet and sour flavours, but if you want to hand out a lot of treats without breaking the bank, plump for the Trick or Treat mini bags and you’ll never again fear the doorbell on the last day October.

7 Wrekin Spirit Pumpkin Spice Gin

Buy Online from Wrekin Spirit

£18 for 350ml, £35 for 700ml (+ £3.50 postage); 38% vol. Adults’ favourite.

Halloween isn’t just about the kids having fun. There are many complex cocktail recipes out there, but a quick and easy alcoholic drink can be made using this flavoured spirit featuring autumnal spices, pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves. Just add tonic and enjoy.   

8 Halloween Cupcakes from Rachael’s Kitchen

Buy Online from Rachael's Kitchen

From £22 for a box of 6, to £35 for a box of 12.

If you love cake (who doesn’t!) and have a bit more cash to spend, you might consider this gourmet option. Impress your friends with these Halloween-themed cupcakes, which come in three different designs (Ghosts, Bats and Pumpkins; Spooky Sprinkles; Halloween Eyes), two of which can be bought gluten-free. 

All prices and quantities are correct at the time of writing. Some products may incur additional delivery charges. You should always check product details and allergen information before purchasing. 

Happy Halloween!

5 Mental Health Tips for World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day. As someone who has struggled with my mental health since my teens – especially with depression and anxiety – I wanted to make a short list of the things I do to try to keep myself mentally healthy. Sometimes things beyond our control overwhelm us, but there are things within our control that we can do to sustain our emotional wellbeing.
 
Tip 1 – Take regular exercise
 
One of the best ways I’ve found to boost my mental health is through taking regular exercise. In my case, I took up running a few years ago and it has been a real help to me. I started off barely being able to run a kilometre without having to stop due to shortness of breath and aching legs. Now I’m able to run at a steady pace for over an hour. Yes, my legs still ache after such exertions, but the combination of getting the blood pumping and being out in the open air (see Tip 2) releases endorphins, which are natural chemicals that make you feel happier.
 
If you think running might be the exercise for you but don’t know where to begin, try the Couch to 5K programme, or just grab a pair of shoes (they don’t need to be fancy, as long as they fit) and give it a go. Run for as long as you can and/or walk between bursts of jogging. Even 15 minutes of combined walking and running is a start. At first, I’d recommend running maybe twice or three times a week, leaving recovery days between runs, then increasing the frequency, distance and speed (least important) as you feel able. Be careful not to overdo it.
 
Another great option is the weekly parkrun at various locations around the UK. This free event offers the opportunity to run with other people of all abilities and many people really benefit from the social aspect of it. Volunteering is also an option and giving our time to help others can make us feel good about ourselves. Some people like to go around the country exploring different parkrun courses and making new friends.
 
Running isn’t for everyone. Before the pandemic, I used to swim once a week. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise as it not only builds stamina but also suppleness and strength. It’s a great option for people who want something a little easier on the joints. Other people will prefer different types of exercise. Even walking counts as exercise. The trick is to find something that you enjoy. That way, you’re more likely to stick with it.
 
Tip 2 – Get out into nature
 
An underrated and often overlooked mental health aid is nature. Getting out into green spaces can have a profound and positive impact on the mind. Taking ourselves away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and into areas without concrete and vehicle fumes can have a soothing effect.
 
I realise that this is easier for some than others. However, if you take a little time to explore your local area, even the big cities have plenty of green and blue spaces to explore. I’ve highlighted some of my favourite nature areas in my city of Manchester on the map below.
 

 
There is a stretch of the River Mersey in the south of the city that runs for several miles and offers a great walking or running route. Plus, like London but on a smaller scale, the city is blessed with a number of attractive parks, including Heaton Park (north), Wythenshawe Park (southwest) and Platt Fields Park (south). Even a wander along the canal can bring you into contact with nature, which is brilliant as long as you don’t get too near the geese during breeding season!
 
Indeed, while bird spotting might sound like something for old men in anoraks, it’s actually an easy way to help us rediscover our connectedness to nature and remind us that we are just living creatures. Experiencing nature can be a form of mindfulness, or living in the moment, which helps us to focus without letting our worries overwhelm us.
 
Tip 3 – Limit alcohol intake
 
There’s a plethora of reasons to reduce alcohol, from saving money to keeping your liver and other internal organs healthy, as well as reducing your chances of doing or saying something stupid or dangerous. In terms of improving my mental health, lowering my alcohol intake has been one of the most positively impactful actions I’ve taken.
 
While one possible downside has been that I do now socialise less than I did previously (this was true even before the pandemic), reducing my alcohol intake means I’m more likely to choose social events that don’t just revolve around drinking. Undoubtedly one of the big plusses has been not waking up on a weekend morning hungover, which can be a contributor to depression as it leaves you tired and less motivated to be active. I would much rather be clear-headed and only aching from the gym or dancing than feeling like death.
 
Alcohol is also empty calories, with many alcoholic drinks either containing high amounts of sugar or mixed with sugary drinks. As well as feeling perkier, I’ve also lost my beer belly since I stopped drinking alcohol to excess (although running has helped too). For some people the best approach is to go teetotal, for others it’s to set a limit on how many units of alcohol they’ll consume in a day. I find that not drinking at all tends to be better as old habits die hard and once you’ve had two drinks you might “get the taste for it” and – thanks to the combination of peer pressure and lowered inhibitions – end up drinking more than you planned.
 
Sometimes I’ve seen advice for caffeine intake to be limited also. In my personal opinion, this is less important than reducing your alcohol consumption, as fewer health issues are linked to caffeine. If you have trouble sleeping, caffeine may be something to consider. But generally, as long as you’re not imbibing ridiculous amounts like a litre of Red Bull a day, you should be fine. I’ve found that drinking tea can have a calming effect, which is positive for my mental health. Plus, there are many low-caffeine and no-caffeine options such as decaf, rooibos, mint, chamomile or fruit teas to choose from.
 
Tip 4 – Eat fresh fruit and vegetables
 
We all know that the recommendation for eating fresh fruit and vegetables is five portions a day, but how many of us actually make sure we get these every day? Part of the problem is that many people don’t like the taste. Another issue is that not everybody knows how to cook, and pre-prepared food is very often short of fruit and vegetables, and certainly lacks fresh ones.
 
However, while the 5-a-day target is probably too low and should be closer to 10, scientists say that even just 2.5 portions a day can make a difference. This refers to physical health, but the mind is part of the body and eating an unhealthy diet can have a negative impact on our moods.
 
In my experience, I tend to feel more energetic and happier on days when I eat more good foods than junk food. I do like fast food occasionally as a treat, but fatty and processed foods shouldn’t form the basis of your diet if you want to look after your physical and mental health.
 
For people who don’t particularly enjoy eating fruit and vegetables, there are a few tricks, such as drinking smoothies (make sure there’s no added sugar) or sneaking them into other foods. I like to start my day by mashing a banana in with my Weetabix (other cereal brands are available) and adding a sprinkling of blueberries or dried fruit (e.g. raisins, papaya). Unsure about carrots? Try root vegetable mash. Not keen on tomatoes? Try a tomato-based pasta sauce. Peas, beans or lentils can be mixed into curries or pies too.
 
Another tactic is to think about swapping items. For example, if you like a bag of crisps as a snack, switch to (unsalted) mixed nuts every so often. Choose a handful of grapes instead of a chocolate bar. Have a bowl of strawberries instead of a slice of cake. You don’t have to make those swaps every day or for every treat but changing a few can make a difference and you’ll feel better for it.
 
Tip 5 – Set yourself goals
 
Most of the above tips for mental health focus on physical or bodily things that can help boost the mood. These things only go so far. Feeling mentally well relies on being able to stay on top of your thoughts. It’s OK to have negative thoughts. We all have them, even the most positive people in the world. The difference often lies in how we process our thoughts.
 
I know from experience how difficult it can be to override negative thoughts, especially when you’re feeling low and lacking energy. Sometimes I just want to lie in bed all day and I’ve spent too many days doing this. Each of us has various reasons for why we feel down and not all of them can be fixed, just like not all physical health conditions have a cure. For conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), we might need sunlight or other treatments such as talking therapies or antidepressants to help us to feel better. And that’s OK.
 
Many people feel more motivated when working towards set goals. The beauty of setting personal goals is that we can choose them ourselves. That means we can choose to discard any ambitions which become counterproductive. The goals we set can cover various timeframes and can be as grand or as simplistic as we desire.
 
For example, I could set myself a long-term goal of trying to run 1000Km in a year. I would then break this down into needing to run approximately 84Km per month, or around 20Km per week. Therefore, I know that if I do 3 x 7K runs, or 4 x 5K runs per week, I will be on track to achieve my overall goal.
 
Of course, your goals don’t have to apply to running or exercise. They could be professional goals, such as wanting to achieve a certain position in your company or to complete a project by a particular date, or personal goals, like saving enough money to buy a new pair of shoes, holiday or even a house. Sometimes it helps to set a deadline, although if you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it if you don’t meet this, as you can always adjust it depending on your circumstances.
 
As someone with depression, I believe that even setting little goals each day can be helpful. Getting out of bed is a goal. Reading a chapter of a book, watching one more TV show in the series, and going outside for a 30-minute stroll are all goals. Sometimes those things are all we feel able to manage. But setting ourselves realistic goals can give our minds something to focus on and help us to overcome the darker days.
 
Most of all, we don’t have to suffer alone. It helps to talk and share things with friends. You don’t have to tell them everything. A good friend will respect how much you wish to disclose. A better friend will help you not only to make goals but to achieve them too. Even if all that means is accompanying you on that half-hour walk that makes you feel that little bit brighter.

___

 
 
Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional or expert. All advice in this blog is based on my personal experience of suffering from mental health difficulties. My suggestions are intended to help others going through similar difficulties, but unfortunately the advice may not work for everyone.
 
For the Mental Health Foundation’s guide to mental health click here.
 
If you are struggling right now or wish to find out more about mental health, you might consider using these organisations (UK):
 
NHS Mental Health  
Samaritans  Call free on 116 123
Mind
Anxiety UK
Sane
CALM
Young Minds