Welcome to Modern Etiquette, a brand new series where we ask the pressing questions of 2018.

This week we’re tackling a tricky, and timely question. What do you do when you reckon your OH is going to propose, but you definitely don’t want to get married?

Christmas is coming, and with it waves of proposals. Remember how in January you’d all come into school and talk about what toys you got from Father Christmas? Turns out that doesn’t stop, you just replace school with work and the question ‘what did you get for Christmas?’ with ‘So how did he pop the question?’

Perhaps it’s to save on buying more than one present, or maybe it’s because all the family are assembled, but Christmas is the most popular time to propose. According to Bridebook.co.uk, the highest numbers of proposals happen on 23 December, followed by Christmas Eve.

If you’re ready to get married then your engagement is often one of the happiest days of your life. But one sticky subject we don’t talk about often is what you do when you’re getting proposal vibes from someone you don’t want to get engaged to.

Maybe they’re a wonderful person and you’re not ready yet, or perhaps you don’t like the idea of marriage full stop. Either way, the stress of thinking that someone you love and respect is going to make themselves vulnerable (possibly in front of everyone you love) is scary stuff.

‘I knew my boyfriend was planning to propose three Christmases ago,’ said Kate*, 30, who is now married to the boyfriend in question. ‘I saw the ring payment on his bank statement. It was so stressful. I was terrified he’d do it in front of everyone. I spent all of Christmas worrying about it.’

So, how do you stop someone from popping the question?

As is so often the case (sorry guys) it’s about communication. Your partner shouldn’t be making all the decisions about your life together, and the choice to get married should be a mutual one that you’ve at least discussed a bit.

If you haven’t talked about the future yet, it’s time to start. It’s fine to act like you’ve got no idea they’re planning to propose as long as you’re nice about it.

Ideally you would have an open and honest conversation about how you don’t want to get engaged, and give them a time frame for when you might feel differently. But if you can’t face doing that, saying things like ‘I love things the way that they are’ and ‘I could imagine feeling ready to get engaged in a year or so’ gives all the opportunity they need to put the proposal on the backburner.

Asking your partner not to propose doesn’t mean you have to break up. As long as you’re both honest about your needs and expectations, and willing to compromise it’s perfectly possible to continue your relationship.

‘In the end,’ says Kate, ‘I told my husband that I knew he was going to pop the question and said that I didn’t feel ready. He was upset, I won’t lie. I reassured him that I did want to get engaged, just not yet, and asked him to wait a while. Eventually, a year later, I told him that I felt ready. I admit, it did mean that the way we got engaged was less romantic, but it was the time frame which suited us, and I’m so glad we did it this way.’

Just like Kate found, putting someone off from proposing might come at the expense of a super romantic, dramatic proposal. But then, getting engaged is such an exciting, romantic experience that you might find that doesn’t matter.

As we so often conclude in Modern Etiquette, communication is key here. You should be discussing your respective hopes and plans for the future throughout the relationship, not waiting for the other person to make the decision.

The most important thing is not to bury your head in the sand and then say ‘yes’ to a proposal because you feel obliged to. Planning a wedding is an expensive process and you don’t want to find yourself trying to get out of an engagement several months in because you were too polite to say no.

If you do find yourself in that situation, Metro.co.uk’s Sally Biddall has laid out all the realities of calling off a wedding.

Modern Etiquette is a weekly series. Rather than telling you what to do with a salad crescent or which shoes are most appropriate for Ascot, we’ll be working out how to navigate shared houses, drugs, ex-boyfriends and that moment when you send the screenshot of the person you’re bitching about to them. 

In the festive finale of the first Modern Etiquette series we’ll be addressing all the etiquette issues which come with Christmas, including hating a present, hating your siblings and hating Christmas lunch.

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If we could celebrate our Christmas trees with everything we love then it would be pretty much backed up with cats, pizza, and Justin Trudeau.

While you might have some snacks as part of your pine tree baubles, have you ever thought of adorning it with other edible treats, say Indian food?

That’s exactly what food delivery company Just Eat is doing, creating onion bhaji baubles so you can combine your love of takeaways with the festive period.

After all, what’s more Christmassy than Indian food, eh?

Just Eat is creating what they’re calling the first ever line of bhaji baubles which are made with fresh ingredients, fried in a light batter, and coated in edible gold or silver.

Despite all other festive festive food such as mince pies and yule log, it seems Brits’ enduring love for Indian cuisine stands strong throughout December and into Christmas.

The onion bhaji particularly has been one of the bestselling starters on Just Eat in 2018, giving the takeaway app the idea to create the Christmas decoration.

With news that sales of weird and wonderful baubles such as unicorns, sloths and even aubergine emojis are on the rise, Just Eat decided that the much-loved onion bhaji also deserved a place on the tree.

If you want to make your own at home, the company has created a guide to make the festive decoration, and restaurants on Just Eat can request it ahead of Christmas.

‘Our customers love ordering onion bhajis over the Christmas period. It used to be the tradition to put up chocolates, candy canes, and gingerbread biscuits on the tree, but with the launch of bhaji baubles, we’re moving edible tree decorations into the 21^st century,’ said Graham Corfield, managing director at Just Eat.

‘We hope people can soon grab a bite straight from the tree while showing off their impeccable festive decorations.’

Anyone else suddenly craving Indian now?

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No one looks forward to doing the grocery shopping.

Walking around a supermarket, stretching to reach the long-lasting bread at the back and looking for the ripe fruit is all a bit boring, isn’t it?

With the Christmas rush making shops all the more hectic, Iceland has decided to make shopping fun by changing their shop floor into an ice skating rink.

So grab the kids and turn it into a day out as you do the weekly shop.

Careful with the eggs though.

The budget supermarket’s aisles were transformed in their Stratford branch after a team of 12 ice rink experts worked through the night, refitting the entire store with 250 square metres of synthetic ice.

The rink was installed in response to new research, commissioned by Iceland, which found that four in five parents (83%) wish they had more time to enjoy the run-up to the big day.

A locker room area was installed where shoppers were invited to swap their footwear for skates, meaning they could glide through the aisles as they picked up their essentials ready for Christmas.

With nine in 10 children (89%) finding the Christmas food shop boring, Iceland added some extra fun to the experience with penguin aids to help them skate along between the freezers and shelves.

The in-store skating trial passed the test of two professional skaters who took to the ice, delighting shoppers with a performance.

‘At Iceland we know Christmas is an exciting time, however it can be a struggle for lots of families as there’s so much to do,’ said Neil Hayes, Marketing Director at Iceland.

‘We wanted to add some magic to Christmas food shopping and the in-store skating experience has certainly done that.’

If you are skating around the store then you might want to pick up a few of their Christmas treats.

You can now buy a Greggs festive bake or pine-tree flavoured crisps in-store.

Happy skating, all.

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This might not have been the wedding they had imagined but for cystic fibrosis sufferers Darren Easton and Lauren Pope, it was perfect.

Sixty people – 30 friends and family and the others drawn from medical teams who had treated them down the years – watched this devoted couple become husband and wife, their cheeks smattered with tears of joy and sadness.

For everyone knew this wedding was the 24-year-old groom’s dying wish, following the devastating news in November that he had just weeks to live, after his body rejected the donor lungs he received two years ago and had prayed would significantly lengthen his life.

It had been made possible by a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, which doubled its modest £1,500 target within just two days.

His voice quivering with emotion, speaking from Harefield Hospital in Hillingdon, Greater London, where he was married on 6 December and will stay until he dies, Darren said: ‘Marrying Lauren meant the world to me and I feel completed, as though my life has been worth living.’

Both diagnosed with CF, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, at birth, hospital has been a second home for Darren, of Fulham, south west London, and Lauren, also 24, of Watford, Hertfordshire, who have grown-up knowing only around half of sufferers live beyond 40, according to the NHS.

But without CF this couple would never have met – they were first introduced in March 2015 at the funeral of a mutual friend and fellow CF sufferer, Ben Fidelia.

Chatting later over drinks at the wake, they gradually twigged that they had seen each other before – two years earlier, in October 2013, in a corridor of the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, south west London, where, since turning 16, they had both regularly received in-patient treatment for CF.

Lauren recalled: ‘I was walking along back to my ward, with a cup of tea in one hand and my phone in the other talking to my mum, and I saw these three six-foot blokes with their hoods up, coming towards me.

‘I’m quite dinky so it was a little bit intimidating and as we got nearer to each other it didn’t look like they were going to let me through.

‘Then, suddenly, one of them put his hand out and pulled his mate to the side, saying, “Let the lady through!”‘

Of course, that had been Darren, which gave them a talking point, as they chatted late into the night, bonding instantly and promising to stay in touch and look out for each other on the wards, despite Lauren’s then boyfriend being with her at the funeral.

Just a few weeks later, they met again, in the Brompton, when Darren – a perpetual tease – walked in and seeing her black hair extensions lying on the floor joked: ‘What are those rats doing there?’

After that, their friendship blossomed and, during hospital stays for intravenous therapy – used to combat infections more effectively – often staying in rooms next to each other, Darren would bang on Lauren’s wall in the morning to wake her up for physiotherapy.

But their growing intimacy concerned nurses, according to Lauren, as CF patients were not meant to mix, because of the risk of cross-infection.

She said: ‘We really weren’t supposed to mix and they used to tell us off for it.

‘One day, we sneaked off to the pub around the corner and a doctor saw us. After that they tried to have us moved further apart, but we protested singing “We shall not, we shall not be moved!” until they let us stay.

‘We really were inseparable.’

As Christmas 2015 arrived, again, they were in the Brompton together, but this time, Darren’s condition was far worse.

Still, they celebrated New Year’s Eve by sharing a Chinese takeaway together, while watching the fireworks on TV.

Knowing Lauren was, by then single, Darren recalled: ‘We were both having a really nice time so I said to her, “What would you do if I gave you a kiss,” expecting she’d say something like, “I’d give you a slap”.

‘But she didn’t, she just said, “I probably wouldn’t do anything”. And that was it. from that moment on – we were boyfriend and girlfriend.’

No one was surprised. The nurses had even been placing bets on who would ask who first.

Sadly, though, their spirits were dampened when Darren deteriorated drastically, and – on the transplant list since January 2016 – was expected to die within months unless donor lungs were found.

‘I knew that I was ill and that I might not make it,’ he explained. ‘But with CF you can be the healthiest person in the world and then one day get an infection that kills you the next day.

‘So I thought what’s the point in not asking Lauren to be mine? She’s made me happier than anyone else in the world and we’re both going to die anyway – so we might as well be together and be happy.’

A major scare in March 2016 delayed his proposal, when Darren suddenly went into cardiac arrest, resulting in his family and Lauren being told he would probably die within 24 hours.

Incredibly, as loved ones including Darren’s parents, Lisa, 52, and Darren Sr., 50, and Lauren’s mum Samantha, 49, dad Tony, 62, and stepdad Phil, 49, gathered to say goodbye, a pair of donor lungs that were a match for Darren became available.

And, after an eight-hour operation at the Royal Brompton, he was given a new lease of life.

‘When I woke up, I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t move, but I knew I had survived and had been given another shot at life,’ he said.

‘The first thing that came into my head was Lauren. She was all that seemed to matter to me, so, before I saw my family or anyone, I asked for her.’

Holding a felt-tip pen in his hand, Darren wrote on a scrap of paper, ‘Will you marry me Lauren?’

The note – which she keeps in her purse and takes everywhere – was barely legible, but Lauren understood and immediately agreed.

Weak but stable, Darren returned home after a month – soon moving into Lauren’s Watford flat , despite the risk, as the lovebirds planned for the wedding they wanted once they had saved enough, a tough call as CF made working impossible.

Still, both in better health than they had been for ages, Darren said: ‘Living together was such an amazing time.

‘Whereas most couples argue over what to watch on telly, we were arguing about space in the fridge for each of our medicines.’

Sadly, their love nest was broken up last month, when Darren’s health nosedived – soon making him worse than he had been before the transplant.

Admitted to Harefield Hospital on 10 November, he was told his body had rejected his new lungs, meaning his care would only be palliative.

Lauren recalled: ‘That was the most horrendous day. Having thought that his new lungs would give him a new lease of life, to then be told that it hadn’t worked was unbearable.’

Though the lungs had functioned for nearly two years, a severe infection early in 2018 had caused them to start failing and, in turn, his body rejected them

Now desperately ill, his initial six month life expectancy was reduced to just a few weeks, after doctors realised his infection was worse than initially thought.

Ever the gentleman, this made Darren even more determined to keep his promise to Lauren – to make her his wife.

So, with the help of Antoinette Holden, 46, the mum of one of Lauren’s friends, they launched a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise a modest £1,500 to fund their wedding.

Within just two days, they had doubled their target and felt ‘eternally grateful” to the hundreds of friends and strangers who had donated money, as well as the bride’s dress, food and flowers for the wedding.

While their big day was not quite what they had imagined, they shared it with loved ones and other significant family and friends.

And, despite having to rest before going to the reception, decked out like a winter wonderland, at Black Jack’s Mill – a nearby private home donated by the owners for the occasion – Darren says it was the best day of his life.

He said: ‘It was the greatest day ever. We’d been looking forward to it for so long, but I’d never expected to be as good as it was.’

Whether Darren has just days or weeks to share with his new bride, he would never have it any other way.

Explaining what making her his wife means to him, he said: ‘It’s amazing. It is the best feeling in the world, to be married to the person you love most.

‘I have come to terms with the fact that I am going to die, and now my only concern is that Lauren will be stable and that she’ll be able to live comfortably.

‘I have put away some money for her as well as a box of my things for her to keep.

‘But more than anything else I want her to be able to be happy – and to know that even after I’m gone I’ll always be with her.’

And, although “till death us do part,” had a particular poignancy when they said their vows, Lauren will treasure their words forever.

‘I know it says till death do us part in the vows, but it’s not for us,’ she said. ‘Our love goes beyond that and will last long after both of us have gone.’

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The transformative power of winter sun shouldn’t be understated.

Think about it. It’s the bleakest midwinter. The days are impossibly short. The cold is getting into your bones. Spring is literally a lifetime away.

What you need at this point is a break – a break from the dark mornings, the freezing rain, the manic, endless shopping.

You need a beach, you need sunshine, you need questionable cocktails – and you need it way more than you ever would in summer.

Saving your annual leave for a Christmas or New Year’s break could be the best decision you ever make – and it could do wonders for your mind, body and soul.

Health

A week in the sun isn’t going to cure your seasonal (or non-seasonal) depression. No one’s suggesting that. But there’s strong evidence that an intense blast of Vitamin D can help improve your mood, lower your blood pressure and even boost your immune system.

That’s music to our ears. With every other person in your office sniffling into tissues and getting sneezed on on your commute, winter is the perfect time to give your immune system a helping hand.

Lowering the old blood pressure is also good at this time of year. If you’re worried about family feuds this Christmas, your drunk uncle will be much easier to handle if you’re feeling totally zen.

Just take a deep breath and picture the beach.

Vitamin D is your friend. Maybe your best friend. And in winter you need to do everything in your power to get more of it – heading somewhere sunny will certainly help with this.

Make sure you’re being sun-safe though. Slather on the sun cream and avoid the hottest times of the day – your sun-starved winter skin will be more prone to burning.

Escapism

The run-up to Christmas is undoubtedly fun. Parties, drinks, wrapping presents, finding a tree – it’s exciting and get’s us feeling all tingly and festive. But it can be a lot.

By mid-December you’re probably suffering from party fatigue, stressing about finding the perfect presents and worrying if your paycheck will stretch to the end of the month.

And it’s pretty inescapable. Every group message, every advert on TV, every song on the radio reminds you of looming deadlines and things you need to add to your to-do list.

But getting on a plane and turning off your data is the perfect opt-out. Disconnect for a few days – focus on nothing but sun, sea and sand. When you get home you’ll be energised, ready to hit the shops and face the family on the big day.

Adventure

When you’re on the hunt for sunshine in winter, you have to look a bit further afield. Your go-to summer jaunt to Spain isn’t going to cut it – not if you really want to feel the heat.

This opens up a world of new possibilities and forces you to consider different options, places that would never have occurred to you if Europe was still on the table.

Going further means a more expensive flight, so you’ll have to keep that in mind. But there are loads of places that are really affordable once you get there.

Take Sri Lanka for example – flights can sting you for around £600, but once you’re there the food and apartment options are dirt cheap. You wouldn’t need more than £300 for a 10-day trip. And it will be at least 30 degrees. Ideal.

The smug factor

It’s a revelation to feel radiant, sunkissed and relaxed in the depths of winter. Dull, weather-beaten skin is transformed, outfits feel better, you ooze with a certain sun-drenched confidence – it’s a good look, and you can’t help but feel smug.

If you wait until January, the smugness is intensified.

January sucks, no one’s drinking, everyone’s skint, it’s cold in a non-festive kind of way. Sack off the dreariness for a sunlit adventure and lord it over your gloomy pals when you return, safe in the knowledge that you’re now two weeks closer to spring.

Winter vs summer

The whole concept of a summer holiday makes sense on paper – but when you take a closer look at it, maybe we’ve all been doing it wrong.

Summer in the UK can be pretty great, actually. We get some decent stretches of sunshine these days (thank you global warming), and there are beautiful beaches for weekend escapes.

Maybe we shouldn’t be flocking to the easyJet departure gates every July.

With carnivals, BBQs and endless rooftop drinks – you’d be mad to miss out on the British summertime.

At the faintest glimmer of a hot day, we spill out of work at 4pm and head to the beer garden, we take long lunch breaks in the park, our weekends are spent drinking Pimms in the garden – It’s really not a bad time to be at home.

Winter is when you want to make your escape. The bone-chilling, endlessly freezing months of darkness – the perfect time to decide to go explore southern Asia, the Caribbean or South America.

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A terminally ill mother has died just days after her friend organised her dream wedding in just 36 hours.

36-year-old Tasha Burton was admitted to a hospice on 27 November at 10am and at 1pm on 28 November she and her fiance, Daniel Corley, walked down the aisle together.

The couple got together three years ago and have a 19-month-old son. They were building a life when Tasha was diagnosed with bowel cancer in October 2017.

After a year of battling the disease, a recent scan revealed that the tumours had spread to her lungs, liver and lymph nodes and doctors said she only had two weeks to live.

Tasha’s best friend, Kat Leyden, decided to arrange a dream wedding for the couple.

She put an urgent request on Facebook through the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, and was overwhelmed when friends, family and big-hearted businesses wanted to help.

Sadly, one week after the wedding, the mother-of-one passed away.

Her husband, Daniel, said in a Facebook post: ‘I am truly sorry to have to tell you that my beautiful wife sadly lost her fight tonight at 5.30pm.

‘She passed away peacefully surrounded by love.

‘I am absolutely devastated but know that she will live on through our beautiful son Alaric.

‘Tasha was surrounded by family and friends and fought to stay with us for as long as she could.

‘She was a truly special person and will be missed by many people, especially her husband, son and family.’

The wedding was organised by The Hospice of St Francis, in Berkhamsted, Herts., in just 36 hours and the team managed to organise Tasha’s dream wedding.

Kat said: ‘Without the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, we would have been completely lost but the Hospice has put all the pieces of the jigsaw together.

‘The Hospice’s mantra is all about helping people to live their precious lives well and this is that ethos inaction.’

Tasha and Daniel got engaged in 2016 and Tasha gave birth to their son, Alaric, shortly after.

But when he was just six months old, a scan revealed that Tasha had bowel cancer.

The couple walked down the aisle to James Arthur’s ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ and Tasha was given away by her father, David, and her son.

After the couple walked out to John Legend’s ‘All of Me’, Tasha said: ‘It was just lovely, absolutely amazing.

‘Peoples’ generosity was absolutely stunning and getting it all organised in 36 hours was just incredible. I was so happy.

‘We got together in July on my birthday and six months later we were engaged. We knew it was love.

‘Getting married is something we’ve always wanted to do so today really is the fulfilment of a dream and we can’t thank everyone enough.’

Daniel added: ‘It’s been the most amazing day – I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tash look so beautiful.’

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You’ve definitely heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday but there’s another lesser known bargain day that’s happening now.

Green Monday is all about discount prices in the panicky run up to Christmas when people realise how close the big day is.

The concept is only a year old and was started by eBay to celebrate their best sales day in the year.

Soon other major brands like Amazon and Target in the U.S decided to join in and now you can get your hands on some pretty neat bargains online.

This year, Green Monday falls on 10 December so the deals are already active online.

Though you won’t find a dedicated page to Green Monday as you would Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the deals have gone up on eBay and Amazon already.

On eBay you’ll find best promotions of the week plus a furniture clearance sale with up to 20% off. This includes 50% off TVs and great savings on Dyson Vacuum top sellers.

Similarly, Amazon also has last-minute Christmas deals which began on 6 December and will run through 21 December. You can bag home gadgets such as Xbox consoles, cameras and televisions.

Some of their categories include lightening deals, deals under £5 and a Christmas shop.

American photo and video equipment store B&H Photo is also offering a whopping $300 discount on a 15-inch MacBook Pro, available exclusively to AppleInsider readers in honour of Green Monday.

Getting in on the act, Debenhams is offering up to 15% off beauty, skincare, and fragrance plus up to 50% off women’s designer clothing as well as three-for-two offers on a range of gifts.

Another department store, John Lewis, is also offering some nifty bargains across their fashion, home, and electricals range. You can get up to 50% off womenswear and 20% off selected toys.

There’s also plenty of other discounts across the web with sections specifically tailored to Green Monday.

So stock up on all your Christmas prezzies or just treat yo’ self.

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Walkers has responded to an online campaign that asked for their crisp packets to become recyclable.

Dog survived huge wildfire then protected owner's home for a month until she returned

Anti-plastic campaigners had started putting their crisp packets in postboxes and addressing them to Walkers earlier this year, as well as posting pictures online with the hashtag #PacketInWalkers.

It caused big problems for the Royal Mail who were unable to process the crisp packets but the plan seems to have worked.

The company has now announcws plans to make all of its packaging ‘100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025’.

It has also teamed up with the recycling company Terracycle to help customers to recycle their crisp packets in the meantime and reduce the impact on the environment.

How to recycle your Walkers crisp packets

Firstly you will need to set up a free account with Terracycle, which is a company that specialises in recycling waste that is often difficult tor recycle.

You will then need to make sure that your crisp packets are clean and then you can put them together ready to take to a collection point to be recycled.

Walkers has a map on its website of all of the locations across the UK that you can use to drop off your crisp packets.

If you are unable to get to a collection point, they have said that a courier can be arranged to collect your packets for free.

Ian Ellington, PepsiCo UK’s general manager, said: ‘This is the first crisp packet recycling scheme in the UK and it will only work if everyone gets collecting and sending in, which is why we’ve made the scheme as simple as possible.’

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A midwife makes an extra £8,500 per year on top of her salary by selling homemade placenta products, including face creams and smoothies.

Ciara Noble has been collecting fresh placentas for the last two years.

She takes them from new mothers – at their request – and transforms them into capsules, essences, face creams, creative keepsakes and raw smoothies.

The 23-year-old from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, became a certified Placenta Remedies Specialist two years ago after researching the benefits new mothers may experience from consuming their placenta.

And after launching her business Kindred Postnatal Products in January 2017, Ciara has started raking in an extra £8,500 per year selling her placenta products to hundreds of different women.

Ciara, who works full-time as a midwife, runs her business on the side – with the extra income even helping her fund a dream holiday to New York City earlier this year.

Ciara said: ‘I first heard about the possible benefits of placenta encapsulation which turns the placenta into pills to swallow after I graduated from university.

‘I’ve provided my services to over 100 women so far and have had nothing but positive feedback. It’s an amazing to feeling to know I’ve helped in some little way.

‘Some people might be turned off by it, but it’s such a natural and beautiful thing.

‘You have this organ that has kept your baby alive for nine months. It’s so important and so special.

‘There are so many women that just don’t want to see it or know about it and just throw it away. But why wouldn’t you want that back inside you.

‘There is this constant pressure for women to be flawless mothers and bounce back straight after birth, which just isn’t realistic, and this can cause lots of stress for new mums.

‘My role as a midwife is to make women’s transition into motherhood as smooth as possible. This is my passion, and so my decision to launch my business came naturally to me.’

Ciara says her most popular service is placenta encapsulation – which is believed to help with energy levels, hormone imbalances, reducing post-natal bleeding and increasing milk production.

Although less common, another method of placenta consumption which the midwife offers is to whip up a smoothie made from fruit, coconut water and fresh raw slices of placenta – which is said to provide an ‘instant’ energy hit.

Ciara said: ‘Once I get the placenta I cut it into thin slices, and I pop it into the dehydrator for 15 hours, the same as if you were making beef jerky or dried fruits.

‘Then I’ll put all the slices in a blender and whizz it up into a powder. I have a pill making machine that makes it all into little capsules.

‘Some women are a bit concerned about an after taste, so I can add flavours such as bubblegum, lime or strawberry which helps mask it.

‘The placenta smoothies are meant to be very potent and full of nutrients, as it’s done raw. You don’t kill any of it from the dehydration, and you’re putting back what you just birthed.

‘I will either go to the hospital or their homes and make it for them within 12 hours of labour.

‘I’ll put fresh frozen oranges, bananas, strawberries, coconut water and a walnut-sized piece of placenta. It is just like a regular smoothie, but of course it’s red due to the placenta blood.’

Ciara also exerts her creativity in making artistic placenta keepsakes such as placenta-blood prints and little ornaments made from the umbilical cord which she fashions into different shapes.

She said: ‘I absolutely love doing the little keepsakes as an extra thing. I don’t charge for them, I just think it’s really nice to give it to the new mothers as an extra surprise.

‘I also have a no-waste policy. I don’t want to throw anything in the bin, I want to give it all back to the mothers.

‘The very first thing I do when I get the placenta is make the prints. You just need to lay a piece of paper on top of it and press it down, and it creates these beautiful paintings.

‘Most of them are natural prints, which is made just with the blood of the placenta. But if I’m feeling creative I’ll try and do rainbow ones too.

‘I also love the little keepsake ornaments. The umbilical cord is so beautiful.

‘You can see the veins, and those are the lifelines that keep your baby alive. It depends how long the cord is as to what I can make.

‘If a cord is only short I’ll just do a love heart, but if it’s longer I can make words like ‘love’. But not many people get that.’

Ciara said she never actually meets the mothers who buy her products, but rather simply collects the placenta from the hospital and then returns within 48 hours with the finished goods.

And despite having no children herself yet, Ciara said she would ‘definitely’ get the whole works done with her placenta when she becomes a mother one day.

She said: ‘I really love what I do and it means the world to me to know I’m making some small different in these women’s lives.

‘Even if it’s just in a little way, if I can aid just one person through their postnatal recovery, it’s all worth it and I’ll know I’ve done my job.’

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Jaffa Cake fans rejoice – your prayers have been answered.

We’re assuming that you were praying for a delightful twist on the classic Jaffa Cake in bite-sized form? Because that’s exactly what McVities is about to give you.

Take the orangey, chocolatey goodness of a Jaffa Cake and roll it up into a tiny ball – and you’ve got a nibble.

Whether you eat them one-by-one, or stuff your face with a handful – we’re pretty sure they’re going to be a hit.

The nibbles are essentially chocolate balls, filled with the classic orange jelly found in normal Jaffa Cakes.

But some purists might take issue.

There is an art to eating a Jaffa Cake, and everyone has their own style. Nibbling off the chocolate first, saving the jelly til the end, or the iconic ‘full-moon, half-moon, total eclipse’ technique.

Does changing the shape of the Jaffa take away half of the fun?

We’re not sure – but however you eat them, we’re pretty certain they’re going to taste great.

McVitie’s has also said they will be letting customers recycle the packaging via Terracycle, which is a global recycling initiative focusing on typically hard-to-recycle rubbish.

The treats will be on shelves on January 7th, shattering any attempt at a New Year’s chocolate ban. They will cost £1.50 for a 100g bag or 69p for a 39g bag.

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You know something’s become a fashion staple when it’s all over your Instagram.

Just in time for the office Christmas party or for other festivities, sequin skirts have been doing the rounds on social media lately.

And Zara is selling these three shiny new numbers.

The discoball-inspired midi skirts come in three different styles, depending on how bold you’re feeling.

Fashion bloggers are also loving the sparkly look and sharing it on their social channels.

While Instagram is full of bright, long, short, multicoloured layers of sequin, Zara’s styles include an animal print, oversized individual red sequin, and checkered sequin which we’re not used to seeing.

They will set you back a bit though, priced higher than your average skirt. The printed knit skirt is £49.99 while the red one is £69.99. You can get the limited edition check skirt for slightly more at £95.99.

Fashion forward bloggers like Laura Jackson and Ada Oguntodu have been bossing the looks, pairing the shiny stuff with oversized knitted jumpers, perfect for mixing comfort with style.

Laura’s followers have been loving the look she’s put together saying: ‘Love this skirt, stunning on you and just how I’d style it, not overdone, just perfect.’

While another wrote: ‘So stylish and cosy’.

Meanwhile, Ada’s followers said her look was ‘powerful’ and ‘beautiful’, tagging Zara to credit them for their sartorial creations.

If you love the sparkly attire but don’t want to fork out lots of your hard earned cash, there are cheaper alternatives. H&M, Topshop, and Miss Selfridge are offering similar skirts for between £25 and £38.

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A furry ferret is the star of his very own super cute calendar, and has already been paid $3000 ahead of the holidays.

Moose, a four-year-old ferret, is the face of the Modern Ferret, an annual calendar which was founded by his owners Haley Pearson and Channing Shattuck.

He poses in photos with his siblings Newt and Albert, two, wearing adorable pint-sized outfits including football jerseys and Christmas sweaters to represent every month.

Haley and Channing, who are both industrial designers, kick-started the calendar after adopting Moos in 2014, to change the public’s negative perceptions of ferrets.

The couple, of Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, have already raked in $2,932 in calendar sales this year which sell online for $34 a pop or $52 for an enormous 19 inch by 27 inch version.

Take a look at the absolutely adorable calendar below.

January

February

March

April

July

August

September

December

Haley, 26, said: ‘We got the idea to do the calendar because we were having such a positive response to our Instagram page and we saw the demand.

‘We take the bulk of the photos in the space of a few weeks.

‘Our calendars are themed, for instance Valentine’s day is pink and two of our ferrets are hugging. That’s a favourite.

‘For the Christmas shoot, we dress the ferrets up in Christmas sweaters.

‘I make them berets and sports gear at the beginning of football season. It’s really fun.

‘We started our Instagram page a couple of years ago to change people’s perceptions of ferrets.

‘There are a lot of misconceptions out there about ferrets. People think that they bite, or that they smell.

‘There’s also this perception that ferrets are like rats or that they’re rodents which isn’t true.

‘In fact they are predatory animals. Their closest wild relative is actually the European Pole Cat. They make such sweet pets.’

This year, the proceeds of the calendar will help Moose meet his biggest fan Ellen Telostrom, 14, a ferret fan who lives almost 700 miles away in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Ellen was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome at age ten, a group of disorders that affect the body’s connective tissues.

The teenager, who first connected with Haley and Moose on Instagram three years ago, was heartbroken when her own beloved ferret Noodles, seven, died in November.

Haley said: ‘We are going to use all of the proceeds to visit a girl in Wisconsin who is living with a chronic disease.

‘She lost her ferret earlier this year and is a big fan of Moose so we’re going to use the money to visit in the Spring.

‘We were fully funded in 36 hours after people connected with her story.’

Ellen’s mum Kathy Telostrom, 55, said the visit is much anticipated by her daughter, who has found comfort in animals through the course of her chronic illness.

Kathy said: ‘While we were at a pediatric pain convention, Ellen’s ferret Noodles passed away.

‘Ellen’s illness has meant that she has not been in school consistently for a number of years so animals have been a really important part of her life.

‘Ellen has followed Moose’s Instagram page for years and her relationship with Haley and Moose has provided a distraction from her illness.

‘It will be wonderful for Ellen and Moose to meet in person next year. The calendar is so much fun and it portrays ferrets in such an appealing way.

‘We love the calendar and Haley’s wonderful photos.’

Haley and Channing are setting out on a new photo challenge in 2019 and are currently planning their ferret-themed wedding snaps.

Haley said: ‘Maybe Moose will be a ring bearer or I could carry a ferret instead of a bouquet.’

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Remember Buddy the dog who was called too ugly to love? The nation sighed in relief when the white lurcher found what he thought was a forever home some years ago.

Unfortunately though the deaf dog with two different coloured eyes has found himself once more looking for a new home as his owner has passed away.

Now Dogs Trust are looking for new owners for Buddy who has been without a home for most of his life.

Buddy came to Dogs Trust as a stray in 2014 and spent two years with the charity, overlooked by potential new owners because of his unconventional appearance and deafness.

But his luck changed in 2016 when he was adopted by widower Chalmers Moffatt who was looking for company after his wife died.

Buddy and Chalmers got along like a house on fire, going on long walks together and snoozing on the sofa.

After Chalmers’ death, Buddy has been returned to the charity where he now waits for new owners.

‘We are so sorry to see Buddy back with us, especially in such tragic circumstances, but we are so grateful that he has such a wonderful couple of years with Mr Moffat,’ said Dogs Trust West Calder manager Susan Tonner.

‘Eight-year-old Buddy is now in his twilight years, having spent the majority of his life without a family, so we do worry that he may end up being with us for a while again and adopters may over look him in favour of more conventional-looking dogs.

‘He struggles going up stairs and hills due to mild arthritis in his elbows and would prefer a quiet rural home with patient owners who will help him settle in.’

In his about section on the charity’s web page, it says: ‘Buddy is a happy boy who is lots of fun to be around. He loves to play catch or run around with his favourite squeeky toy. Buddy loves people and gives the best cuddles. He is very affectionate and would let you pet him all day.

‘Buddy is super friendly and adores his owners. Buddy loves his home comforts, he is at his happiest when he can curl up beside you and cosy in on the couch for snuggles and cuddle time.’

It also states Buddy would enjoy a home with his own garden so he can play around. He is currently living in a foster residence.

If you think you can give Buddy the final forever home he deserves, please get in touch with the charity.

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Ferrero Rocher chocolates are the epitome of Christmas party elegance.

Only to be served in the form of overwhelmingly enormous pyramids, the gold-wrapped chocolates scream class, and assure your party guests that you are, in fact, a grown up.

Now you can enjoy these nutty treats in an even more festive form – a giant, golden cracker. Because they just weren’t Christmassy enough already.

Sainsbury’s and Debenhams are both selling the Ferrero Rocher crackers – and they will look perfect as table decorations, even before you decide to pull them.

Debenhams’ table decorations contain four packs each, and they all include three Ferrero Rochers at a total of 37.5g – meaning you end up with a huge 150g of chocolate in total.

They also include a foil hat and trivia card – because otherwise it’s not Christmas.

The Sainsbury’s option contain just one per pack, but they’re quite a bit bigger, and you get more chocolate – 210g in total.

But they’re not cheap – Sainsbury’s charges £10 for each cracker, and Debenhams basic price for a pack is £15.

True elegance never comes cheap. And if you’re nuts about Ferrero Rocher then you probably think it’s a small price to pay.

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From skincare gift sets and gadgets, to highlighters, body creams and palettes – whatever her beauty preference, there’s a beauty product set to impress Christmas day.

This year the high street is booming with lust-worthy beauty gift sets, comprising the best-selling products from our favourite brands including the likes of Charlotte Tilbury and Drunk Elephant.

But if you really want to surprise her this year and gain a few brownie points, we’ve narrowed down 15 beauty buys we guarantee she’ll squeal over.

Here are all the beauty gifts she’ll want this Christmas…

ghd Platinum+ Styler

If you know someone in need of a hair styler upgrade, ghd have got it covered.

The brand’s new release, the Platinum+ Styler is seriously intelligent as it boasts predictive technology that can sense the thickness of your hair, how you section it during styling and the speed at which you style.

And this Christmas it also comes in a limited edition ice blue hue, that’s so gorgeous it gives us goosebumps.

ghd Platinum+ Styler, £175, ghdhair.com

Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Palette

Charlotte Tilbury does beaut gifting.

And seeing as Christmas is the perfect time to shine, Charlotte’s Bar of Gold Palette is the ideal gift.

The palette contains a trio of metallic highlighters, including Charlotte’s best-selling gold shade, a rose gold highlight and a bronze golden shade for an out-of-this-world glow.

Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Palette, £49, cultbeauty.co.uk

Dyson Supersonic™ Hair Dryer in 23.75K gold

Any beauty lover would gush over a Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer under the Christmas tree, especially a 23.75-karat gold version.

Yes, really.

The Dyson Hair Dryer known best for being seriously quite, fast and ultra light has been gold leafed and all wrapped up in a stylish red case to reflect the same red ‘Gesso’ primer used at the start of the gilding process.

It’s certainly pricey, but who wouldn’t go for gold?

Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer, £399.99, dyson.co.uk

Jo by Jo Loves Eau de Toilette

Dressed all in red, this luxury fragrance from Jo Loves (aka perfumer Jo Malone) is a great pick for a perfume enthusiast.

Jo by Jo Loves Eau de Toilette is bright and sophisticated with scent notes of grapefruit, lime, black pepper and cedarwood.

And it comes beautifully boxed, so there’s no need to get stressed over wrapping up this gift before the big day.

Jo by Jo Loves Eau de Toilette, £70 – £115, spacenk.com

The Party Kit from Liberty London

Liberty London has collaborated with Scamp & Dude on a limited-edition lightning and leopard-print Swag Bag and filled it to the brim with beauty products for looking Christmas party ready.

Inside you’ll find cosmetics from Hourglass, Cover FX and Bobbi Brown, alongside hero hair care from Hair by Sam McKnight and a statement nail polish.

The Party Kit from Liberty London, £65, libertylondon.com

Molton Brown Muddled Plum Single Wick Candle

This year Molton Brown have outdone themselves with their Christmas Muddled Plum candle.

This beauty burns a luxurious plum and sandalwood fragrance, which creates the perfect ambiance for any Christmas do.

In short it smells utterly divine.

Molton Brown Muddled Plum Single Wick Candle, £42, lookfantastic.com

ZOEVA Complete Professional Brush Set

Give the gift of good brushes with this Zoeva brush set.

The set features 15 brushes from the brand including all the essential brushes needed for a beautifully buffed makeup look.

ZOEVA Complete Professional Brush Set, £95, cultbeauty.co.uk

FOREO UFO Smart Mask Treatment Device

Does the beauty fan in your life love a facial?

Well this deluxe skincare device warms, cools, pulsates and emits LED light delivering an at-home treatment in just a minute and a half.

It’s simply one of the best new beauty-tech devices to hit the shelves this year – we’re obsessed.

FOREO UFO Smart Mask Treatment Device, £249, lookfantastic.com

Drunk Elephant Inspector Drunk Kit

This one is sure to please any true skincare junkie.

From cleanser to night serum, the Drunk Elephant Inspector Drunk Kit contains everything they’ll need to create their perfect nighttime skincare ‘smoothie’ – and their packaging is pretty cute too.

Drunk Elephant Inspector Drunk Kit, £82, spacenk.com

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4

Treat your giftee to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4.

Featuring four bestselling and two new exclusive finishing powders, it’s *THE* palette to add gift the Christmas.

Beautifully encased in a pretty purple chrome compact, they’ll have everything they need to highlight, blush, and bronze.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4, £69, cultbeauty.co.uk

Huda Beauty The New Nude Eye Shadow Palette

Add some sparkle to their stocking with the beautiful New Nude Eye Shadow Palette from Huda Beauty.

For makeup buffs who like anything shiny and new, this palette is hot off the press and includes two game-changing glitter formulas in varying shades of brown, burgundy, and bronze.

Huda Beauty The New Nude Eye Shadow Palette, £56, cultbeauty.co.uk

Laura Mercier Luxe Indulgences Almond Coconut Milk Body Collection

The Laura Mercier Luxe Indulgences Almond Coconut Milk Body Collection is the ultimate festive treat, with four products fit to pamper and polish.

This set smells so good you’ll want to keep it for yourself.

Laura Mercier Luxe Indulgences Almond Coconut Milk Body Collection, £58, spacenk.com

Slip Silk Sleep Mask in Pink

Do you know someone who struggles to get a good night’s sleep?

Slip’s eye mask is set to ensure a night of uninterrupted beauty sleep. It’s luxurious and crafted from the brand’s signature Slipsilk™ – the highest grade mulberry silk.

It’s a small-but-mighty stocking stuffer gift.

Slip Silk Sleep Mask in Pink, £45, lookfantastic.com

Sol de Janeiro Limited Holiday Edition Biggie Biggie Bum Bum Cream

Sol de Janeiro has launched a super-size version of its best-selling Bum Bum Cream called Biggie Biggie Bum Bum Cream just in time for Christmas.

Twice the size of the original, this skin-loving body cream is formulated with Cupuacu Butter, Acai and Coconut Oil and also comes fully equipped with a surfboard spatula so you can soak up every last drop.

Sol de Janeiro Limited Holiday Edition Biggie Biggie Bum Bum Cream, £72, cultbeauty.co.uk

Diptyque Holiday Set of 12 Candles

Know a candle collector?

Diptique have gone all out this year and released a deluxe set of 12 votive candles, each enriched with a classic scent.

It’s a generous gifting option but it’s worth every penny as they’ll be able to indulge in atmospheric candlelight during every month of 2019.

Diptyque Holiday Set of 12 Candles, £120, spacenk.com

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We’ve put together a list of the top New Year’s Eve clubbing events so you can start 2019 with a bang.

The end of the year can easily end in disappointment if you don’t find the right place to party.

We can all remember a time when we have been denied entry into a club or have been forced to choose somewhere that wasn’t that good.

That’s why we’ve come up with this list.

December

Junction 2 Festival launch party @ Tobacco Dock – Dec 29th

Following the announcement of their expansion to two days, Junction 2 will be bringing some of their biggest names to Tobacco Dock for a celebratory launch party.

Acts: Adam Beyer, B2B by Âme and Rødhåd, Dixon, LWE and more.

But tickets here.

Elrow Chinese Row Year @ Studio 338 – 28th, 29th and 30th December

Elrow announce the return to their spiritual London home at Studio338. The festive party theme will be the UK debut of Chinese Row Year, a kaleidoscopic journey of Eastern wonder.

Buy tickets here.

New Year’s Eve

SW4 presents NYE at o2 Academy Brixton – London

Following a milestone year for the London festival which saw them celebrate their 15th anniversary, South West Four are set to cap-off 2018 with a huge New Year’s Eve party at O2 Academy Brixton.

The bill sees UK garage collective So Solid Crew mark 20 years in the game, whilst other acts include My Nu Leng, Redlight & Noisia.

Acts: So Solid Crew, Noisia, My Nu Leng, Redlight, Matt Jam Lamont, Dimension and more.

Buy tickets here.

New Year’s Eve at Egg – London

New Year’s Eve 2018 will be the culmination of a strong year of venue developments and musical progression. Be sure not to miss it.

Acts: Charlotte de Witte, Luigi Madonna, Regal, Tobi Neumann, Manu Gonzalez, Residents

Buy tickets here.

Fabric NYE – London

For their final night of 2018, fabric invites a host of esteemed party specialists to round out the year. Leading the proceedings in Room One is Patrick Topping, whose distinctive style of floor-inclined house has brought him huge success in recent years.

Acts: Patric Topping, Waff, Alex Virgo, Anastasia Krisensen, Jay Clarke and more.

Buy tickets here.

Defected NYE at Printworks – London

‘Defected NYE will celebrate everything there is to love about house music as it kicks off its 20th anniversary year – inclusivity, togetherness and escapism on the dancefloor, on the biggest raving night in the calendar.’

Acts: MK, Special Guest, Purple Disco Machine, Low Steppa, Simon Dunmore, David Penn, Jess Bay.

Buy tickets here.

NYE at Ministry of Sound – London

New Year’s Eve at Ministry of Sound is set to be another memorable one after a hugely strong year that has confirmed the club’s status as the best in the country.

Acts: Hannah Wants, Paul Woolford, Todd Edwards, Marquis Hawkes, Will Saul, The Reflex, James From Accounts and more.

Buy tickets here.

Night Vision Edinburgh NYE – Edinburgh

‘There will be two simultaneous events in different parts of the Liquid Rooms. The first features Mr Scruff serving up one of his languid, deep cut sets of anything goes beats, and the second has Domino’s bass house innovator George Fitzgerald as well as Fort Romeau.’

Buy tickets here.

Motion NYE and NYD – Manchester

‘After a momentous 2018 season across 13 weeks and 35 shows, In:Motion is reuniting with The Blast on NYE to usher in the new year in spectacular style.’

Acts: Hannah Wants, Redlight, Todd Edwards, Madam X and DJ Klose One.

Motion NYD

In:Motion reaches a crescendo on New Years Day with a marathon house and techno all-day session. Bringing the feel-good, loved up house energy to Motion will be The Black Madonna, Palms Trax, Jayda G and Hunee, while Call Super, Saoirse and Batu offer up heavier strains of boundary pushing electronics in the Old Marble Factory.

Buy tickets here for NYE, click here for NYD.

NYE/ NYD at Canal Mills – Leeds

After a hugely influential few years of setting new party benchmarks in the north of England, cavernous warehouse space Canal Mills is hosting two fantastic final parties at the end of the year.

Acts: Disciples, Danny Howard, Waze & Odyssey, Maceo Plex, Hot Chip, Daniel Avery, Fort Romeau and more.

Buy tickets here.

New Year’s Day

Field Day Presents New Year’s Day at Printworks

After another year of headline-making and sold out shows, Printworks London start 2019 as they mean to go on, together with Field Day they curate another impressive day and night party for their New Year’s Day show.

Acts: DJ Koze, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Artwork, Red Axes b2b Erol Alkan and Trudy Knight.

Buy tickets here.

Looking to next year

Spring Season at Printworks London

Acts: Annie Mac, Eats Everything, Ghostface Killah, Joy Orbison, Skream and many more.

For more info click here.

A seaside property that used to be a WWII gun emplacement is now on the market for £1.25 million.

The three-bedroom home was built in 1941 as part of Britain’s sea defences, but was never required and the guns were removed after the war.

It was then converted into a unique beachfront house in 1985, but has recently been transformed again by a property developer.

The property is located in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and is being sold by Henry Adams.

A spokesman for the firm says they have already experienced interest in the property with more expected to follow.

On the first floor of the house is a kitchen and dining room along with a cloakroom and steps leading up to a spacious sitting room.

The room has stunning sea views and also benefits from a log burning stove and doors opening onto a large terrace.

On the top floor is the master suite, which includes a walk-in dressing room with sea views, an ensuite, an upper viewing gallery and access to a large balcony with views along the coast.

There are two further double bedrooms on the the ground floor, as well as a shower room, a utility room and a large mezzanine reception room.

Outside, the property is accessed via remote controlled electronic gates, which open into a landscaped courtyard, driveway and garage.

The building measures around 2,500 square feet and also has a small ‘low maintenance’ garden.

Richard Longhurst, of Henry Adams, says the house is in ‘mint condition’ and offers a unique opportunity to potential buyers.

He said: ‘The building itself was actually built in 1941 as part of the sea defence but it never actually saw action and the guns were eventually removed.

‘In 1985 it was converted into a three-bed house but I think it’s fair to say it’s now been completely modernised and done up to a very high standard.

‘We’ve had quite a few interested parties and would expect more after Christmas and the new year.

‘It’s possibly not the best time of year to be selling a seaside property like this one but when it starts warming up we wouldn’t anticipate it being on the market for long.’

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It’s secret Santa season.

Otherwise known as ‘panic over what that coworker you’ve spoken to once would like before giving up and just getting them another mug’ season.

Buying a gift for someone you don’t know that well can be tricky – even if you’re sure your terrible gift won’t be traced back to you.

But there are some present ideas that are nearly always winners, and some that you should stay far, far away from.

Research from Citation asked businesses women of the worst secret Santa presents they’ve seen handed out.

The general theme: Insensitive or inappropriate gifts, or presents that were meant as a joke.

The list of the worst secret Santa fails includes deodorant (implying the recipient needs a wash), a diet cookbook, and a mug with a religious reference.

In general, it’s best to steer clear of gifts that are sexual or too cheeky (you never know if someone’s a bit more sensitive than you are), personal hygiene products, anything personal to someone’s religion, or gifts related to diets.

Instantprint also did some research on the secret Santa tradition, and declared that the worst gifts to buy a woman are anti-wrinkle cream, toiletries, underwear, and pottery. For men, ‘how to’ books, Lynx Africa, an empty box, and a funny/insulting T-shirt are ideas to be avoided.

So what should you grab on your lunch break for the unlucky coworker whose name you picked out of a hat?

Another survey, this time by Wilko (there are a LOT of surveys going around about secret Santa gifts right now), asked 2,000 adults what they’d actually appreciate receiving for a secret Santa gift.

Booze (just make sure the person you’re giving to drinks alcohol), chocolates, books, candles, and gift cards top the list.

Perfume and bubble bath are in the top 40 too, but we’d advise proceeding with caution. Only get someone a perfume if you know what they like, and choose toiletries that are designed to be relaxing, rather than getting someone some standard shower gel.

Of course, the best way to get someone a gift they’ll like is to find out their interests. Feel free to ask around your office to see what treats someone always nabs from the biscuit tin or find out if they love a fancy notebook.

On an entirely unrelated note, I like green tea, milk chocolate, and book vouchers.

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‘Once a bear tastes the blood, he will always come back,’ says park ranger Gavrilas Benone.

‘It’s the same thing with honey – if someone has hives, he will come and he will repeatedly come until he is chased away.’

We are driving up a bumpy, spruce-lined road, the ground between the trees bright with moss and ferns, and talk has turned to the creatures that call Suceava their home.

This is Calimani National Park in northern Romania, home to 60 brown bears, 40 wolves and seven lynx.

There’s no fence to keep them in, and last year, 20 cows were eaten by bears alone.

We drive further up Mount Retitis and snow starts swirling around us.

We stop to look at a huge chunk cut out of the hillside – an old sulphur mine – before continuing up to rockier ground, where snowflakes start to whirl among the mist.

At the top, the snow is thick and we make out footprints left by rabbits and mountain roosters, but the bears and the wolves are asleep.

‘Two weeks ago, we saw two little wolf cubs,’ says Gavrilas – a man so into nature his whole left arm is tattooed with ferns, a wild pig, a deer and a beetle.

‘It was about 10 or 11pm. They don’t like to come out in the daytime. At night time it’s quiet, with no one around, so it’s easier for them to come out.’

When they do, the wolves hunt in packs of five and they feed on the roe deer and red deer also in the park – or, sometimes, villagers’ sheep on the hills below.

‘It’s very hard to see them,’ he adds, ‘You have to be in the field all day and probably all night too.’

It’s more likely you will hear them – howling to warn others off their turf, find their pack, or to chat – there’s different types, if you understand wolf.

The next morning, I’m up at 5am with local hunters in their camo and caps to hopefully spot Carpathian deer frolicking.

I’m still holding my breath in the hope of seeing a bear, lynx or wolf, all of which are now protected species.

The hunters tell me about the years before – trophy hunting was only banned here in 2016.

They laugh when I ask if the animals are ever a threat to humans – they see them more as a pest to the farmers or, in the case of the bears, to people whose rubbish bins are plundered. It reminds me of the way many Brits regard foxes.

‘Wolves and bears don’t take humans – they run away. It’s only occasionally if an animal feels threatened there could be trouble,’ they tell me.

We drive up Mount Usuru. I’m wearing thick layers but it’s still freezing and, as much as I’d love to see a wolf, the idea of sitting here for days and nights is growing less appealing by the minute.

Dawn breaks and we walk across the cow pat-spattered hillside – pines above us and wooden shacks, ribbons of mist, orange-pink light and more pines below.

We listen for the stags’ mating calls. I hear a few – something between a grunt and a cough.

A thick fog descends and we can’t see more than a few yards in front of us.

‘Now it’s like England, right?’ they joke.

As we drive back down the mountain it finally happens – we spot a lonely stag with one antler. He looks straight at, or through, us.

We continue and see does in groups of two or three, then another lone stag, then another group of does, the latter in a field beside our track.

In the end, the closest I come to their predators is pictures of a mother bear with her cubs taken from a night vision camera on a tree and my companions’ shots with a wolf before the ban.

For all their tracking techniques, they admit getting near a wolf, for whatever reason, is usually a result of patience and luck.

The animal is huge. It is not like a big dog, as I’d imagined. If it gets into a sheep yard, the men say, it will kill them all – sometimes hundreds – only eating a few.

I don’t like hunting. I’m glad wolves are protected by law and their elusive natures but I see why they’re the fairytale villain. My, what big teeth.

Other stuff to do in Suceava County:

Visit Voronet Monastery

This painted monastery was opened in 1488, commissioned by Stephen the Great, a Moldavian prince who marked his victories in battle with new churches.

It’s been branded the Sistine Chapel of the East for its artwork – depictions of biblical stories cover every inch inside and out.

You don’t need any interest in religion to appreciate its colours – including a unique Voronet blue – or cartoonish saints, sinners and demons.

There’s also a tiny gift shop manned by nuns – about 30 ladies live in the monastery and you’ll also see them inside, chanting prayers, or outside bashing a plank with a mallet (called a semantron or toaca) as a call to prayer.

Fall in love with the food and drink

Menu highlights here are borscht, stuffed cabbage leaves, springy mounds of polenta and all things pork.

For dessert, try warm Romanian doughnuts with jam and cream.

Direct from the wild hills I’ve been trekking on comes Aqua Carpatica water (whose springs and factory I also visited).

It comes from the protected Bajenaru and Paltinis springs – the former still, the latter sparkling.

Water sommelier Martin Riese is a fan and it’s won three gold stars at this and last year’s Superior Taste Awards.

It tastes pretty good to me too but then I’m already a weirdo who prefers drinking water to almost everything else.

If booze is your thing, try Romanian rose Domeniile Samburesti and palinca – a plum brandy so powerful it may singe your eyebrows off.

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Any parent will know that the process of dropping your kids off at school can be hectic.

The mad rush to get there on time is usually dedicated to hastily making some toast and checking small children have both shoes on. There’s not much time for personal care.

And yet, there are some people who expect a certain standard of grooming for the school drop-off… from the parents.

One anonymous mum took to her Facebook to lament the appearance of other parents arriving at school in the morning.

She urged parents to ‘try a little’ and ‘take some pride’, asking mums what their husbands must be thinking. Lovely.

‘I know this is stirring up some haters so whatever,’ wrote the mum on Facebook. ‘Sorry if this hits close to home.

‘Ladies, even if you aren’t getting out of the car at drop off can you try a little.

‘I look around as I’m walking my daughter to the front door and all we see is rat nest hair, no makeup, eyebags out to wherever and I’m not [100 emoji] but I think I smell morning breath coming from these cars. Damn.’

The mum then goes on to share a definitely real comment her daughter definitely made.

She wrote: ‘My daughter said to me, “mommy you are so pretty. My friends mommies all look so old. I’m so proud of you and that you are my mommie”.

‘On the real, if my seven year old daughter can see you aren’t even trying what is your husband thinking?

‘Take some pride.’

Whew.

The post got shared by Sanctimommy, where it was quickly flooded with comments from parents thanking the mum for her helpful advice.

Just kidding.

One commenter wrote: ‘Today my 4 year old asked me, “Mommy, why do people go online and lie about things their child said? Don’t they realize that children do not speak in the complex structure they want us to believe?”

‘I was so proud of him.’

‘I drove my kid to the bus stop in a sloth onesie with nothing underneath several days in a row,’ wrote another.

But hey, perhaps we could all do with making a bit of effort in the morning.

Or we could just accept that everyone’s doing the best they can, early school drop-offs suck, and if someone rolls up wearing pyjamas they need a sympathetic nod, not judgement shared on Facebook.

That seems like a better option.

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