First stop is a visit to Bicester Village, less than an hour from London this retail park offers 160 international designers at stunning discount prices. Bicester Village is laid out like a charming High Street just under a mile long, it is open from 8am till late; each store is packed with wonderful merchandise for giving at Christmas. Everything from coats, handbags, shoes, sportswear, jewellery and everything in-between and underneath; some brands, Prada, Gucci, Moncler and Pandora are so popular there might be a small queue outside the shop, but it is worth the wait. Once inside it is uncrowded and unhurried with prices up to 60% less than the recommended retail prices. Apart from ready-to-wear there are homewares, perfumerie-cosmetic outlets and various festive events are planned; if shoppers get peckish there are kitchens, cafés and fine dining for the most discerning pallets. The Café Wolseley, is offering exclusive Christmas Hampers with some of their most popular items. There are eleven Bicester Villages worldwide from Barcelona to Shanghai, all offer a range of VIP services for an effortless shopping experience.
Next book a refreshing Yuva facial under the skilled healing hands of Lucinda Wallop, operating out of a town house in Chelsea or in the west country. The Yuva massage is performed without oil or cream, learned from an Ayurvedic practitioner from Goa, the treatment focusses on the power and movement of touch, carefully choreographed upward strokes release restrictions and tensions in the muscles and connective tissue of the face, boosting collagen and elastin production, this reenergises the lymphatic system to lift and tone the skin and reduce wrinkles. The massage is deeply relaxing and uplifting, the skin appears more radiant; Yuva recommend a daily morning ritual with the Hayo’u Beauty Restorer, a flat heart shape slice of rose quartz with which to stroke the facial contours in an upwardly motion, this is believed to be good for both the complexion and spirit. The massage gives a tremendous sense of wellbeing and Yuva’s clients are coming back for more.
Third but by no means least find a local course to learn how to decorate for Christmas, how to make festive table decorations and a welcoming wreath for the front door, folks are enjoying making their own adding individuality with dried fruit and spices or brightened up with twinkly LED lights. Morning or day courses seem to be the thing this year, most provide the plastic-free wreath structure usually made from willow and all the necessary materials plus seasonal foliage/berries, but one’s own secateurs are usually required. Country Living magazine, The National Trust and floral celebrity Sarah Raven are just some running worthwhile workshops around the country.