Not satisfied with bringing you my gift guide for foodies, mums and Christmas preparations I'm today bringing you my biggest ever Christmas gift guide. You'll find everything from food, stocking fillers, presents for mums, dads, teens and even a couple of things for your four-pawed best friends.  Let's not delay any further and head straight into my biggest ever Christmas gift guide for 2017.

Hofmeister is an essential Christmas party ingredient. Perfect for all lovers of premium lager, this wondrous golden lager recently won Best Lager at the World Beer Awards (I bet that was a fun night out) and you can get your mitts on a case or two for your Christmas celebrations, Hofmeister, this year's go-to Christmas lager.  Hofmeister is also available in gift packs to give that man (or woman) a special kind of treat this Christmas, available on Moonpig you'll find a fabulous Hofmeister 2 pack with glass or if you are feeling extra generous there's the Hofmeister 5 pack with glass. The perfect gift for friends and family who enjoy a quality, delicious lager.  

An essential for teens who like lovely nails but want a quick easy fix which won't wreck their real nails, this one step gel press on manicure from Kiss comes in an array of marvellous sparkly designs.  My girls might just have to stop me from pinching theirs, and you can purchase them here. A perfect stocking filler idea for teens. 

It's no secret that I love candles and I'm forever using so many matches. I have the answer though, this year for those candle lovers this stylish multipurpose zippo lighter is definitely a way to make sure your house is twinkling with candles, lit with the most stylish candle lighter I've ever seen. If you're giving candles as gifts this year, why not add this lighter in and create a mini candle hamper? 

Speaking of hampers, if your foodie friends are anything like me they'll adore a Hamper from Lunya this Christmas. Lunya offers the biggest selection of Catalan and Spanish food anywhere in the UK and if you are lucky enough to live in either Liverpool or Manchester you can visit their Deli, Bar and Restaurant. I just hope they'll open their next branch in Newcastle. Now go buy a hamper and whilst you are there, I'll have the Boqueria hamper! 

I love travel and I'm a bit of a geek, so what do you get when you put the two things together?The Geeks Guide to Britain of Course. Inside you'll find places of invention, creation and technological wonder all over our cherished isle. Perfect days ideas out for the geeks amongst us and they're sure to fascinate the kids too. This would make a great gift for a friend or stocking filler. 

Hunter Wellies are synonymous with style and fashion as much as they are with being outdoors in the coldest month of the year. Wear them on your tootsies and cut a dash whilst walking the dog or going to a fashionable event. You'll find these yellow wonders on one of my favourite outdoor websites, Tiso, Scotland's original outdoor store, and would make a lovely gift for someone special. 

If you are looking for a talking point as well as a stocking filler, do check out these Jelly Beans Mixed Emotions. Who knew that sibling rivalry had a flavour or new puppy? We've had many hilarious conversations and let me just say now, anger tastes of cinnamon! Something fun for everyone while they're opening presents on Christmas morning. 

You just have to look at my desk to know that Lonely Planet publications are my very favourite. I have more books than I've been to countries and I'm constantly planning my next adventure, so it feels only right that I should spread a little Christmas cheer by gifting Lonely Planet 2018 diaries around in the hopes of inspiring my fellow travel junkies to take an extra trip or two away next year. Maybe if I'm very lucky they'll plan one with me! Perfect for friends who are just starting to travel or seasoned travelers. 

A good hairbrush is essential for good hair. Our hair is so precious, don't we owe it a decent brush to tame our manes in the mornings? Rock and Ruddle produce glorious brushes of the highest quality, so put one in your teen's Christmas stocking this festive season and say hello to wonderful hair.

When thinking about our four-pawed best friends this Christmas you kind of owe it to them to bathe them in the best product. I have to declare that Doctor Bronners 18 in 1 hemp pure castille soap is not only perfect for Holly Bobbins, it's also amazing for humans and not only that, I mean this stuff is crazy good, you can use it for everything from washing your face right through to cleaning your make-up brushes and even drains, I don't think there's anything else out there like this. A wonderful and useful gift for dog or cat owners or beauty enthusiasts alike. 

The RCA 2 in 1 Saturn Pro 10.1 inch android tablet is perfect for those pesky teens who need to be constantly connected at all times. I gave this to Looby to test for just a few days to get the teenage low down and she loved it. It has a detachable keyboard with trackpad and she found she could do everything she needed to whether it was checking on her latest Insta or watching her favourite Youtubers. If you have a teen who wants a tablet, we'd both recommend this, and this one, well it's become apparent that dad needs a new tablet and so the girls are gifting him one of these.

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a tub of Haribo. The best thing is they also do a range of Veggie sweets, this year it's Haribo giant trees, perfect to keep even the peskiest teenage daughter a very happy girl. Add a few packs of Haribo to kids' or teens' stockings for something sweet. 

As many people may know, Holly Bobbins is my favourite beagle in the whole wide world so when I found out that my favourites Biscuiteers also did tasty dog treats I was more than a little excited, that was before I found out they have a beagle on the tin. You can guess who's going to be a very happy beagle this Christmas. 

A little Christmas stocking filler you'll be thrilled to find on Christmas morning, these dead sea soaps are essential for keeping you festively sparkling. The Dead Sea has for years been known for its amazing beauty secrets and now you can purchase some of those essential minerals so you'll be beautified and relaxed this Christmas.

Whilst on the subject of stocking fillers, wouldn't you like to find some Moroccan hair oil hanging from the branch of your Christmas tree on Christmas morning. It comes in formulas for blondes and another which any colour hair will benefit from, I know what I'm hoping to find in my Christmas stocking this year.

Christmas can leave you feeling a little battered and bruised so take some time out to relax when you find some Nelson's Arnicare in your Christmas stocking. Nip off to the bath whilst everyone is playing with their gifts and when you emerge, you'll be rested, relaxed and your muscles will thank you.

Impulse Body Sprays may well have been around since the days when I was a teen but now I can pass on some new Impulse smells to my own teens. Tropical beach with espresso anyone? These would be great in a stocking or as part of a homemade beauty hamper gift. 

For your photographer friends this Christmas, Bob Ryan wants to reprogramme your brain so that you become more successful and crucially, it's going to help you make your business more profitable. Check out The Master Photographer, this is not a book for beginners, but it would be perfect for professional photographers. 

If you are a home educator and looking to jazz up your home economics why not gift a sushi kit for 2 and then you can have your very own Japanese cookery lesson. You know the best thing about teaching kids to cook? They'll make you sushi!

We all crave for simpler times and this is definitely one of those products from yesteryear that will delight the kids and geeks of the now. Retro pocket games are all the rage as we remember the games we played with much nostalgia, it might just be me but I think somewhat the high tech now kind of games are filled with violence and often incredibly complicated so I'll be delighted to gift my geeky teen this at Christmas and you can too, they're available at findmeagift.co.uk

Oh Stollen, you old firm Christmas favourite, I love to eat you and gift you but wait, what happens if the person you want to gift to is gluten-free? Well, worry no more because Elizabeth D Bakes does a gluten free stollen everyone can enjoy!

I'm already readying myself for Looby skateboarding past me as she goes from the front door to the back gate on this Enuff Skateboard on Christmas Day and if you have teens who have asked for any kind of wheeled thing this Christmas you would be advised to head over to Skates, just don't forget the protective headgear!

Star Wars fan in the house? I love this Stormtrooper Bluetooth speaker, it's cute, quirky and handy for connecting at any given point to your mobile phone or computer, just remember to play the main theme to Star Wars loudly when it first arrives! A great gift for Star Wars fans. 

This may well not have made it into anyone's Christmas gift because I've been using it for weeks and the Harley Street Skincare 24-7 set is simply amazing. I love the serum, I adore the anytime moisturiser with spf20 and when I used the exfoliating cleaners my skin was sparkly after removing all of the dead skin cells. I am a total convert to this stuff. Why not treat the one you love this Christmas or simply treat yourself instead.

It's almost painful to admit but I'll be 44 in February so I definitely need all the help I can get. Vogue actually recommends Anew Reversalist night treatment cream from Avon and if it's good enough for Vogue, it's good enough for me to gift to my friends who are of a certain age.

Christmas and Port go together like Turkey and Cranberry, or in my case a good cheeseboard would not be the same without a glass of port and there's none better than Grahams Tawny port which has been aged for 20 years. You can guess this didn't make it into anyone's stocking other than mine, but it would make a lovely gift for friends and family. 

I'm gifting this stuff to all of my hard working friends this Christmas, and I'm keeping the lip balm for myself. The lip balm's an essential especially if, like me, you have to work outdoors in all seasons. You can treat yourself to a gift pack this Christmas or pop them in a loved one's stocking, make sure you check out the full range of O'Keefes this Christmas.

Fancy giving yourself a natural little boost this Christmas? Vivid Matcha is a concentrated form of green tea, you can have it in shots or sprinkle it on ice-cream, and it also comes in satchets for a potent brew. This would be great in a hamper this Christmas or as a stocking filler. 

Fancy popping some cute little gingerbread houses on your mugs of festive hot chocolate this Christmas? Well search no more because I've found the perfect product, this mini house cutter from Ruby Lou's treats will produce the perfect little gingerbread houses which hang on your mug.

If you have a giant iPhone like me then you need both of the above products from Tech 21. The impact shield self-healing screen protector along with the funky and gorgeous phone case will make your phone not only safe to carry around even if you are accident prone like me and it'll also make your phone look devilishly fashionably attractive too! If you have any tech lovers in the family this would make a great gift, as it would for any accident-prone teen too. 

Finding gifts for Iain is always the hardest thing, what do you purchase for a 21-year-old who has Aspergers, doesn't do Christmas and has just started an apprenticeship in IT? Well this year I have found at least one thing he loves, this Star Wars Sheaffer pen set. It's stylish, great for geeks and I won't have to worry about him losing his pen anytime soon! The perfect gift for any Star Wars fan. 

And finally, we're back to my beloved beagle. Hemp by Hownd skin, nose and paw balm is essential for making sure her little paws are cared for. Containing hemp it means I can use it for all kinds of things and after a long walk, I'm sure she'll love a little of this massaged into her paws, she does love Doga does Holly Bobbins. It also contains sun protection to make sure that she doesn't get burnt in the sunshine.

I want to personally thank all of the companies who've helped compile this year's bumper Christmas gift guide, I could not have done this without them and whilst this article may contain affiliate links and products gifted to me, I haven't featured anything I wouldn't personally recommend.

If you loved this gift guide you might also like my gift guide for foodies or gift guide for mums. 

10 ways to survive Christmas

Christmas may be my favourite time of year but it's also stressful, busy, full of anxiety and my bipolar doesn't react well to it meaning a lot less sleep and me constantly being a little too high followed by an enormous slump afterwards where I start sleeping for 14 hours a day and don't want to leave the house.

In general over the years though I have become much better at self-care and I've come up with my own list of survival tips for the whole festive season. You know, most of us are struggling with one thing or another, whether that be a mental health issue or being self employed or single parenting, and it's easier to think that everyone else is having a way better time that you. Maybe they are, or maybe they're just posting selective tidbits on social media whilst they're secretly fed up or dying inside.

I don't know if this list is exhaustive but it's my attempt to glide through the season without falling off my proverbial ice-skates. Without further ado, here's 10 ways to survive Christmas.

1. Remember that Christmas isn't just one day

We often get wrapped up thinking that Christmas is all about those 24 hours on the 25th of December and because we're so focused on that we miss out on enjoying the build up and Twixtmas afterwards. I used to be exactly like this and sometime between Christmas night and Boxing Day I would have the biggest come down, I'd be so depressed. If you can focus on making each day special you're less likely to have that Christmas night darkness which can overwhelm the rest of the season.

2. Enjoy the lull of Twixtmas

In case you didn't know, Twixtmas is the series of days betwixt Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. They're the days of lull and quiet and calm, enjoy reading books, eating cheese, drinking glasses of hot chocolate or mulled wine. Try to take time for yourself, don't rush to the sales, we should be using this time to renew, refresh, recover, lets kick real life into touch for as long as we possibly can. How about trying a week of minimal spending too, and enjoying the things and people you have in your life without dashing out and buying more.

3. Don't Overdo It! 

I can't stress this highly enough. A large proportion of the population will get the Boxing Day cold because they've drank for the whole of Christmas Day, suppressing their immune system and no wonder Boxing Day is a miserable existence. I've never been one for alcohol, I'm mostly allergic to it, sulphite free alcohol should stop the hangovers at least but also remember that alcohol is a depressant and if you have any kind of mental health issue, it's probably not a good idea to spend Christmas Day caning it! If you're looking for a treat, try my list of Christmas preparation savers for some food and drink inspiration.

4. Try Not To Overspend

I'd like to hold my hand up and say, guilty, guilty and more guilty. I do it mostly every year and being self employed I tend not to work for around three weeks over Christmas and it's really late February/early March by the time my income bounces back.  This year I have things in place to make sure this doesn't happen. Do you know I don't keep any money in my current account now?  I keep it all in my savings account and it helps me to spend less as I have to think about each transfer I make.  I've also set budgets of £150 spend for each of my children, it's plenty enough for a pile of presents they want and they already get spoiled by their grandparents. They won't miss my extraneous pile of crap I usually purchase at the last minute in guilt because I feel I'm not a good enough parent. If you're looking for any gift inspiration, try my biggest ever Christmas gift guide.

5. Take time for yourself every day

A few weeks ago when I was out on the hunt for products to go into my gift guides, a lovely lady got in touch about Olverum, a bath oil which actually helps with anxiety. She recommended I try it and said she'd used it for the same purpose, and you know what?  It actually works. It's not a cure all and I'm not likely to be cancelling CBT but I lie in the bath for 20 minutes and I can breathe. This stuff is Amazing with a capital A, so if you want the best, most relaxing bath, I urge you to give it a try or you could even purchase it as a gift for someone this Christmas.

6. Don't get stressed about things beyond your control

We all encounter difficulties at Christmas, whether it be a troublesome family member, breaking down in the snow or a delivery not reaching you in time for Christmas Day. These are all things which you can't control and by working yourself into a mad frenzy you are just going to make yourself feel worse. Even if you have made some foolish mistake, just remember, when doctors make mistakes they kill people, the chances are you haven't done anything which is going to lead to someone's death. Sometimes surviving Christmas is about remembering that there are events outside your control and celebrating the imperfect.

7. Don't worry about not feeling festive

Now I could never be accused of this but for some people, for very many reasons, they don't want to celebrate or they just don't feel festive at all and that's okay. You can spend the Christmas holidays however you want to and if that means watching a Harry Potter box set, then do it, no one is going to judge you.

8. Don't be alone and lonely

There's a huge problem in our country with people feeling lonely and alone at Christmas. Maybe they don't have family or they feel isolated, you know what, no one should be alone at Christmas and whilst I can't invite you all for dinner this year I will be home for most of the festive season and even on Christmas evening so please, it's open house and I promise to help you feel festive and cheery.

9. Remember to breathe

Well this seems obvious right?  The issue is that if you have anxiety it affects the way you breathe, it then gives you pains in your shoulders, neck and head because you're so tense and there's no oxygen flow. I have a simple exercise for this. I lie on my bed with my head hanging off it and then I breathe in for 4, hold for 7 and exhale for 8, just five minutes can make such a big difference. Just remember not to get up too quickly or you'll be dizzy and fall over. Relax, breathe, and be one step closer to surviving Christmas and having the holiday you want.

10. You don't have to do everything

Christmas will still happen if you don't go to every party, if you don't prepare a dinner for 32 people. Sometimes it's okay to say no to invites and if friends are coming to your annual Christmas party it's okay to ask them to bring something or to help with the dishes.

I really hope these tips help just a little. The last couple of years I've actually had brilliant Christmases but every year there's a new challenge. This year, Abigail isn't coming for Christmas so we're having our Christmas on Boxing Day and for the first time I'm going out for Christmas Dinner. It's certainly going to be a Christmas like never before and you know what, I'm going to embrace that and you should too.

Christmas 2017 - The day, I took an extra day off

Today I took some extra time off, I'm trying so hard to spend as much time with Looby during the week, I've mentioned 347 billion times that I home educate during the week but it's November and people are panicking about Christmas already, it's always the same, I wish I could edit every single image I take at a weekend by a Monday and sometimes I do, I never take longer than 7 days for portraits and 4 weeks for weddings. I wish that I could clone myself and have more availability, I wish that I had the ability to magically appear on everyone's desk to tell them "It's December, your voucher you bought 12 months ago which expires soon, it's 12 months later"  My health and parenting Looby is paramount, they're the most important things and today I just needed time to be, time to put down my phone, put my iMac to sleep and festively decorate our house, research shows that people who put up their Christmas trees earlier are happier and maybe that should be the lesson of the day, put up your Christmas trees, admire the twinkly lights, open up a bottle of Baileys or in my case, break into the Amaretti biscuits and Turrone early whilst everyone is in bed.

I've always loved Christmas, it's the season of Joy and overwhelmingly people are nicer to each other, at least in the Christmas period when everyone stops and doesn't have to think about life, work or their problems for a couple of weeks.  There's something about sitting with tree lights festively twinkling which makes the world seem better, our house was made for Christmas, I love cosy and I hate my lounge in summer because with one wall being a giant window, it gets to be like a greenhouse, also cosy doesn't work so much in summer so I wait all year for autumn and winter when my house comes into its own and that's never more so than during the festive season, for me, Christmas really is a season.

As you might have worked out thus far, I don't do Christmas decor by halves, it's my time to shine, it's my time to light up the world with my interior decorating skills, each paper snowflake, each bauble must be in exactly the right place, I'm a little anal about it all which is weird because for most of the year I seem to live in disorganised chaos, maybe we should just keep our trees up all year around?

If you came here for photographs then you are in luck, they're all pretty low light and taken with my iPhone 8Plus which is actually astonishing, of course, yes it's about the person using it but they really have got better and better.  Now if you'd like to see my home in previous years there's Christmas 2016 and Christmas 2015 to start, I'm pretty sure you'll find 10 years or more if you just search it.  I think though, (after just scanning back) I've really nailed it this year, everything is a little more sparkly and we even have outdoor lights courtesy of a very cool laser thing which cost all of £20 from Home Bargains.

My downstairs tree from the last couple of years has now made it into the garden and I've replaced it with a rather snazzy snowy half Christmas tree from Argos which cost £49.99 and then a few pounds for the lights, we didn't put any decorations on it as it looks so real and beautiful and our kitchen always has a snowy Narnia theme.

There's something special this year about my lounge, it's the same Christmas tree as last year and the year before but I paid around £150 for it, again, it's got a really high needle count so looks like a real tree, something which I almost demand in a Christmas tree.  I found an amazing set of Christmas tree lights in Fenwick and it's almost like a curtain, it's joined at the top, you put it over the tree and you get 680 lights all perfectly falling over the tree, amazing, no random wires with up to 6 sets, just 1 set which will come off as easily as this went on, I can't recommend them enough.

The next thing is to make sure my bedroom has some festive touches, Looby has had a forest of trees in her bedroom for a couple of weeks, I've ordered a festive duvet set featuring a beagle, I realise it's a bit cheesier than usual but hey, it's Christmas, I also said to Looby we need to sort out our hallway and hopefully everything will be fabulous and as near to perfect as we can get just in time for our Christmas party which is a week on Friday.

I hope you all enjoy festively decorating your houses, do you do the whole house, and more importantly, how many Christmas trees?  If I could find space, I'd have even more!

Bluestone Resort, A Beautiful Break in West Wales

A couple of weeks ago when I was beaten and broken and didn't know if I could go on, I received an invitation for Looby and I to go and stay at Bluestone in Wales for a midweek Christmas break and though it meant an 18 hour round trip on several terrible trains it was 110% worth it.

Looby and I stayed in a Tenby Lodge which was bigger than our house. We finally had a bathroom each, a shower each, (we have no shower at home) and more room than the two of us could ever possibly hope for.  I don't think we got under each others feet even once!

For three glorious days (5 day break but we spent two days travelling) we laughed more than I can remember laughing in ages, we went swimming more times than I've been in the whole of this year and we fully embraced the festive winter wonderland that is Bluestone Wales.

On Tuesday we flew with Elf Airways to Elftopia, a memorable almost hallucinogenic experience in which I laughed so much that I could barely stand up. Along the journey we met Judy Free, Dave, Biggles, and Pat Sharpe in his fun house where I played the spaghetti string noodle. Lt's just say, I really got into the experience. I got to be the fun parent, my anxiety subsided completely for just a few days and I could breathe with the whole of my lungs.  That welsh air is good for the constitution and even better when the sun shines and you can get outdoors.

On Wednesday the weather Gods did not smile upon us, but, undeterred, we went to visit Santa in his workshop whereupon Looby asked for a horse. She always asks for a horse, one day when I win the lottery I shall buy her one.  Seeing Santa was a really special experience. He came down into his workshop via the chimney, boot first and I felt a lump in my throat, the nostalgia of seeing Santa warmed my heart, seeing all of the small people, eyes wide open with wonderment, and that included Looby. Santa at places, I've found can often not spend as much time with older children and concentrates on the smallest but not real Santa. Santa at Bluestone had a huge chat with Looby and made sure she felt just as included as the smaller ones.

On Thursday Looby wanted to go on the Zipwire course, a paid activity which cost £35 but I didn't mind, it's all part of her outdoor home education experience. In the morning she'd done the climbing wall and indoor high wires four times, thankfully a combination ticket which costs £23 is available.  The Zipwires though, I'm not really sure how she could go on a 100ft zip wire without any fear at all but she did. She was so fast as she zipped over my head. What was nice was that I also got to go along and I waited down below with a good view of what she was up to as two expert tutors helped her master the 5 different zip wires.

We packed so much into three days that on Thursday afternoon when the sunshine finally came out all we wanted to do was go for a wander in the outdoors instead of going swimming once again. I have to mention the Blue Lagoon though, I'm quite frankly amazed that you get free entry into a water park included in your accommodation price. It's epic, I went on two out of the three water slides several times, as well as enjoying several swims around the lazy river which takes you outdoors.  We even went to Frost Lagoon on Wednesday afternoon where Jack Frost electronically DJ'd and the whole place became more frosty and festive, it was packed at that point and both Looby and I wondered where all of the people had suddenly come from.

At no point during our stay did we feel the need to leave the resort, at Bluestone every thing you could possibly need is provided. The Newton Stores stocks a range of gourmet, locally sourced products, as well as pretty much all of the groceries you'll need for a stay. The shop next door sells gifts and clothing and the restaurants are good - the Farmhouse Grill was fabulous and the Knights Tafarn provides traditional pub fare in a very busy atmosphere.  We loved Ty Coffi the most though, the little coffee shop with the friendliest staff and the best ice-creams and milkshakes, more Welshbucks than Starbucks!

When we left on Friday I felt ready to make it to Christmas. It didn't happen and I broke again on Sunday but at least I delayed the inevitable and in truth, I would go back to Bluestone next week. In fact, if they have a lodge Looby and I could take up residence in for the foreseeable I would have been very grateful. Well, maybe, Bluestone is a no dog zone and that's perhaps the only sad thing for us. We would have loved to take Holly Bobbins but she enjoyed a holiday in Yorkshire so all was well in the end.

I want to say a huge thank you to Bluestone for inviting us to spend the week with them. Whilst they provided our accommodation I paid for everything else and this review of Bluestone Resort in Wales is honest, I don't think it'll be the last time we visit the land where Welsh cakes are better than Scones!

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