With Christmas now just 10 days away I wanted to tell you about a little stat that I read this week. In a YouGov 2018 survey conducted by Aldi they found that 50% of people are ‘Christmas planners’ they start shopping early, budget their money for food, drinks and gifts whereas 20% of people are a ‘Christmas Panicker’ and leave Christmas shopping until the last moment and often run over budget.
I’ll be honest, usually I am the latter, usually it’s Christmas Eve and I’m still buying a few last gifts and attempting to wrap everything just in time. I am lucky enough to have a huge family but that does mean I have a lot of people to buy for
at Christmas and spending Christmas Eve wrapping last minute gifts isn’t the best way to spend the day.
Which is why this year I have started early, I have bought almost all my gifts back in November and I’ve almost finished wrapping. I think this year I’m finally a ‘Christmas Planner’. I even have a spreadsheet.
A lot of my Christmas shopping was done at Aldi this year, I love Aldi, it’s not only an affordable supermarket but they have some real standout quality products.
The first Christmas thing to catch my eye at Aldi this year was their beauty range! They have everything from makeup to skincare and although they are very affordable I have found the quality to not be at all compromised! The pink mask is one of my favourite items from the Aldi beauty range and it’s the perfect stocking filler but I’m still hoping to try the Lacura Broadway Shape & Glow palette, which I have heard rave reviews about.
And for the person that has everything I love their hampers, I have one which I’ll be sharing with my mum but I’m after another one for my aunt who is kind enough to host us every Christmas. I think the hampers are a great gift that the while family can share. They are different hampers filled to the brim with different items; from cakes and cracker to cranberry sauce and wine. There are also different hampers at different price points starting at just £24.99. The one I have is the £59.99 but it feels so much more expensive!
They also have some great pamper hampers that are just £29.99! I’ve unboxed one over on my IGTV, inside there is a hand wash, reed diffuser, hand & body cream, a beautiful two wick candle and- to finish it all off, a bottle of prosecco! Although the whole hamper is cheaper then many luxury candles alone I love everything that is inside, we currently have the hand-wash in the bathroom and the reed diffuser in the entrance of our home. It scents the whole house really well but also looks great. They’re available in Pomegranate and Lime, Basil & Mandarin– I wish I could recommend one but I love them both!
If you’re looking for affordable but luxurious-looking candles then I have just the thing! Aldi’s two wick Luxury Fragranced Candles are best sellers and often hard to get as they’re so popular. I have these scenting my house at the moment but I’ve also got a few wrapped ready to go under the Christmas tree. You can get single ones for just £3.99 and a trio for £11.97.
As a family we love Aldi food but for me their Christmas food really stands out. Personal favourite are slow gin mince pies and their fudge- I’ve stocked up on both and I’ll be giving some away as gifts but also keeping some for myself to eat throughout December. It may only be mid-December but I’ve made my way through a whole box of mince pies- they’re my absolute favourite. I really think Aldi is the place to go for all your Christmas snacks/starters too; we eat their smoked salmon year round but I have my eye on their Scottish Salmon Carpaccio and mushroom arancini. I must admit I know nothing about cooking Turkeys (Aldi have those too) but I do know about all the trimmings and Aldi is the perfect place for them! Everything from stuffing Yule logs to Honey & mustard parsnips and my personal favourite, the giant Pigs in Blankets.
If you have a sweet tooth then they also have some great desserts and treats! I’ve mentioned the mince pies and fudge but they also have some great bits to really dress up any dessert table. Their Panna Cotta Wreath is tasty and beautiful, they have a melt in the middle sponge pudding, which I haven’t tried yet but really need to! However, for the real wow factor have a look for their chocolate carousels, I spotted one in store and they’re beautiful! I even managed to get my hands on some halloumi fries. Not for Christmas but I’ve been dying to try them and I finally found them in stock. They’re so popular and sell out so quick that I was starting to wonder if they’re even real!
How is your Christmas shopping going? Are you a Christmas Panicker or a Christmas Planner?
*Post kindly sponsored by Aldi, as always thoughts are honest & my own. I really do love Aldi!