Candles and Christmas go together like…., well, candles and Christmas.

Perhaps because it is a light that is both alive and natural, a candle in a room or near a window is all it takes to lift the gloom of a winter’s day.

Suddenly, dark December is transformed into jovial Yuletide by the welcoming flicker of candlelight.

Braybrook & Britten make candlesticks and candelabra using sterling silver.

Featured here are the Briar Rose Candlesticks (pair). Silver and gilt candlesticks designed in the Queen’s jubilee year, to match the Briar Rose Bowl; hand pierced, engraved and parcel gilt.  Priced at £2650 Inc. Vat.

From traditional to modern, a good pair of silver candlesticks is one of those rare gifts that are practical, beautiful and totally unisex:

• A centrepiece for dining.

• An example of contemporary British decorative arts.

• A family heirloom.

• A symbol of life!

Braybrook & Britten have Hallmarked British Designer Silver Candlesticks and Holders from £89 to £3,000.

The company’s designs have been exhibited at Goldsmith’s Hall.

Browse their online store, offering over 800 pieces of designer British silverware and Gem Jewellery.

Tel: (0208) 993 7334

If you’ve made it to Christmas Eve and suddenly realised you’re a present down then you do still have a few options.

Interflora’s Christmas Eve flower delivery might just save the day, especially if you’d rather spend your time making last minute Christmas preparations at home, than braving the streets with other panicked shoppers and post-work revellers.

Beautiful flowers and plants can be ordered right up until -

11.00am on Christmas Eve, for guaranteed delivery before Christmas Day.

Whether you need a little something to spoil a loved one or an extra present for an unexpected guest, there are plenty of options.

With everything from a classic candle arrangement in rich-reds to contemporary white hand-tieds, the Christmas flower collection offers options for every taste and pocket.
If you’re looking for an added indulgence, you can include wine, champagne or chocolates to be delivered with your flowers.

To send a stunning seasonal message the Christmas Wish Perfect Gift featured here, comprises of a single large-headed glittered Rose nestled amongst an array of rich red flowers.

Eucalyptus introduces hints of gold and the whole bouquet is already arranged in a beautiful glass vase. vase; and as an extra festive touch, this gift is delivered with a bottle of Chiaro Merlot Red Wine. Priced at £39.95.

To place an order for this year’s Interflora Christmas or Winter Collections, please visit

the Interflora website.

Tel: (0800) 434343.

Christmas may be a time for the children, but there is absolutely no reason why grown-ups should miss out on all of the fun.

This Christmas add a touch of glitz and glamour to your home, with black and gold decorations.

A striking selection of baubles, dark trees and glitter-laden accessories are available at John Lewis, so whether you want to add a touch of class to your own collection of decorations, or go all out for sheer opulence, John Lewis aims to deliver the answer.

The Reversible black Christmas tree (£80) in our picture, makes a stunning focal point; beautiful as a conventional tree, or turned upside down to create a more dramatic look, its full spray of leaves, ensures the perfect backdrop to your chosen theme.

Art Deco inspired diamond and teardrop accessories complete this sophisticated and indulgent scheme.

Also featured in our picture are; the Lucca Snuggler Sofa £875 and the Archive Seaweed rug 180×120cm, from £275.

There is a vast array of sophisticated baubles and accessories, priced from just £2.00 available both in-store and on the John Lewis website.

John Lewis, ‘Britain’s favourite retailer 2008′ typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores.
The website stocks over 70,000 lines focused on the best of fashion, beauty, home and giftware and electrical items, including online exclusives. John Lewis.com is consistently ranked as one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK.
Visit the John Lewis website for your Christmas solutions.

Tel: (08456) 049

It’s December already, and our thoughts drift towards getting the old box of decorations out and doing up the living room.
If your old baubles are looking a bit tired and jaded, why not reinvigorate them with a festive face-lift?

The DotComGiftShop have a truly exquisite selection of beautiful and inspiring adornments, from artificial trees and electric lights to charming wreaths and candles, to help you create a fantasy wonderland this Christmas.

Putting up the Christmas decorations is one of the pleasures of the festive season, and fun for all the family.

Decorating the tree with tinsel and baubles has to be one of the real highlights of the festive season and seeing the smile on the faces of the children brings warmth to the cold season.

So make sure your coniferous stands out from the crowd with the help of DotComGiftShop.

Pictured here are the Snow covered dark red bird house Christmas tree decoration with a robin, berries, pine cone and gingham hanging ribbon and the Snow covered bark bird house with pine cone and gingham hanging ribbon. Priced at £2.95 each.

They have lots more on offer, from elegant white decorations with pearls to colourful vintage Christmas tinsel.

Or perhaps you want your tree to have a Scandinavian feel? No problem, there is a beautiful range of products on offer, like white Scandinavian Christmas stars.

Decorations for the Christmas Table are a fun way to liven up any Christmas meal – how about Christmas tree place settings or beautiful antique looking name settings?

To view the huge selection of Christmas decorations and gift ideas, just log onto the DotComGiftShop website.

There’s no better time to indulge the ones you love than at Christmas - after all, it’s the time of year to ‘eat and be merry’.

Lakeland have a wide selection of hampers to suit all tastes, and the fun of opening a hamper and rummaging through the contents is a joy in itself.

So if you’re looking for that extra special something, or just struggling for a gift idea, look no further - everyone loves to receive a Christmas hamper!

Lakeland’s Luxury Hamper Selection:

St Kew Gourmet Basket Hamper Ref - 40670 (in our picture):
A bumper basket of speciality goodies from the celebrated Cornish company. Nestled in the hand-woven willow basket is a selection of tasty nibbles and treats, and the honey-coloured wickerwork will make a lovely shopper or picnic carrier. £44.99.

• Cherry & Almond Biscuits (250g).
• Strawberry & Champagne Conserve (227g).
• 3-in-1 Clotted Cream Shortbread, Double Choc-Chip Clotted Cream Shortbread, & Clotted Cream Fudge (500g).
• Lemon Shortcake Biscuits (250g).
• Raspberry & Port Coulis (300g).
• Cornish Honeycomb (100g).
• Sugared Almonds (100g).
• Clotted Cream Whisky Fudge (170g).
• Nut Cluster (100g).
• Victorian Kitchen Garden Chutney (200g).

St Kew Christmas Trug Hamper - Ref 40325
Christmas gift hamper in a wooden basket, including fudge, shortbread, biscuits, whiskey marmalade, mustard and more.
Being from St Kew, the quality of this Christmas Trug Hamper speaks for itself. At breakfast, afternoon tea, or a scrumptious treat at any time of day, there’s something to tempt in this handmade wooden basket. £27.99.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil Oatckaes (200g).
• Boxing Day Chutney (200g).
• Clotted Cream Shortbread (200g).
• Choc-Chip & Orange Biscuits (200g).
• Clotted Cream Fudge (200g).Raspberry & Port Coulis (300g).
• Strawberry & Champagne Conserve (227g).

And lots more to choose from………

Lakeland (Home of Creative Kitchenware) is one of the leading kitchenware and homeware companies in the UK.

Visit Lakeland’s website for more Christmas ideas.

Tel: (01539) 488100

This Christmas Fairwind has a stunning range of fair trade Christmas tree decorations; all handmade, ethical and ideal as gifts, or decorations for your own tree.

The Angel decoration pictured here; is a gorgeous Christmas tree decoration, which would make a great, ethical gift. It is a fair trade product that has been handmade using glass and acrylic beads.
£1 from the sale of every angel goes to the Midlands Trauma and Crisis Centre in South Africa. 6cm x 6cm. Available in gold, red and silver. £9.50.

Silk rocking horse; a lovely red silk tree decoration,which is quite different from the usual tree decorations. Handmade by polio and landmine survivors in Cambodia using 100% Cambodian silk.
Hand sewn sequins and detailing make this a gorgeous decoration for your tree. 11cm x 3cm x 11cm. £6.

Traditional Christmas stars for the tree, but handmade using Cambodian silk. They come as a set of six (three of each colour) in a stylish gift box and have hand-sewn sequins and decorative stitching.
Available in cream, gold and cream and red. Each star 7cm x 2cm x 7cm. £12.

Also available from the Cambodian silk range tree decorations range:

• Silk reindeer. £5.

• Silk heart. £2.50.

• Large single silk star. £3.50.

• Santa’s toy box gift box. £15.

Fairwind
This innovative company is owned and run by Teresa Owen and Martin Abel, who are passionate about fair trade and providing affordable, quality fair trade gifts and accessories from around the world.

To see Fairwind’s full range, visit their website.

Tel: (020) 8374 6254.

Remind yourself of days gone by with the ‘Deck The Halls Christmas range from B&Q and welcome family and friends into a home filled with warming colours and enchanting Christmas decorations.

Deck The Halls is a traditional set of Christmas decorations with a twist for 2009:

The collection takes its inspiration from ornate jewellery and 19th century etchings, to create a mood that flirts with both past and present.

The range includes Christmas colours, such as red green and gold, which will render a vintage touch to your home; these are balanced with vibrant blue and moody black, making your Christmas tree look fresh and trendy, as well as traditional and festive.

Surrounded by classic luxury, you will appreciate the decorative detail in this range – the reindeer is the principal character, whilst the glitzy wreaths, feathers and flamboyant birds add a touch of glamour to the scene.
There’s something about traditional Christmas decorations that just makes the winter holidays a little warmer!

The Deck the Halls collection finds a new way of presenting the Christmas theme, with beautiful detailing, glitter and key motifs, providing an experience that is both visual and tactile and all on a shoe-string budget! Prices start at £0.48p

Visit the B&Q website to view the collection.

At Christmas, we all like our Christmas tree to look its best.

For many years, designer silversmiths Braybrook & Britten have produced limited edition hallmarked sterling silver Christmas tree decorations, some incorporating real gems.

‘It all started when I made one for myself’, says jewellery designer Monica Langford. ‘My children were very young and I thought how nice it would be for them to have their own special silver Christmas tree decoration, hallmarked on the year they were born - something that would be brought out year after year for their whole life’.

Over the years the high quality decorations, which are made from a suitably robust gauge of silver, have developed a regular and loyal following by collectors and fans.

‘Every year we get literally dozens of suggestions from our customers for new designs’, says Monica. ‘We have about 10 in this years selection, from stars made out of freshwater pearls, to icicles, where the drop at the end is a spiral briolette of Rock Crystal’.

Pictured here is a pair of Romeo & Juliet Doves, Solid sterling silver and hallmarked in London. Supplied with a soft storage pouch. Priced at: £100.00 (inc.VAT).
However it’s not just a Christmas idea, the sterling silver decorations have also become popular as Christening gifts.

Monica added, ‘As so many people want names engraved on the silver ornaments, we’ve simply included it in the price of many of this year’s designs’.

In the last two years, these British silversmiths have also started to resurrect more traditional Christmas items in hallmarked sterling silver, such as cake decorations and pudding charms (which can also be used as rather posh cracker gifts).
Prices for the sterling silver decorations begin at a very affordable £39.

These are available online via www.braybrook.co.uk .

Tel: (0208) 993 7334

It’s nearly Christmas (well it is creeping up fast) and The Contemporary Home has a huge selection of gifts and decorations that you are going to love - from robins to reindeer and wreaths, baubles to bunting and bells, from stockings to silver and gold, await your choice.

The Wood and Gingham Christmas Garland Decoration is their best seller;
A truly lovely mixture of country chic and Christmas cheer, this handmade gingham and wood garland, brings a contemporary twist to a Christmas essential, and looks wonderful on a fireplace or door. £8.99.

Set of Six Charming Folk Art Baubles. £9.99.

Eucalyptus & Pinecone Wreath.£14.99.

Fabric Christmas Pudding Ball Decoration A pretty Christmas Pudding Decoration, great on the tree, wall hooks, doors, in windows and fireplaces. £4.99.

An unusual gift featured in our picture, is the Nigella Lawson Flameware Medium Tagine.

Nigella’s Tagine can be used to cook meats, poultry, vegetables, fruits and spices, very slowly in the oven, or on the hob so that the finished dish is full of succulence and flavour. The base is both a cooking and serving dish. The capacity of the large tagine is 3 litres; Stoneware £65.

View the whole collection at:
Web: http://www.tch.net

Deck the halls with the latest Christmas collection from B&Q; whatever your style, you’ll be sure to find plenty of inspiration with their exciting new Christmas collection, all at affordable prices.

This year Christmas is part of the B&Q Colours range, so you’ll be able to co-ordinate your decorations to your interior décor easily.

To create ‘the look’ you can choose from five specially designed ranges, one of which is Glamorous Greetings featured here:

The Glamorous Greetings collection is the epitome of grown up glamour, where sumptuous champagne golds and lacquered blacks are accented with tones of cherry and plum.

Glamour and sophistication is achieved with beautiful detailing in the Artificial Rose Wreath (£9.98) and the Gold Effect Embroidered Stocking (£5.98). The range also includes beautiful wrapping paper to provide a glamorous touch to your gifts.

Other items of interest include:
Embossed Cameo tree decoration £1.98 each.
Assorted Glass Glitter Reindeer decorations £2.48 each.
Charming Jewelled Boot decorations £1.98 each.
A superb Gold Tree Topper £1.98.

The range also includes beautiful wrapping paper to provide a glamourous touch to all of your gifts.

Now available at your local store or online at:

Web: http://www.diy.com