Month: November 2018

November 2018 – Parcel Contents

Happy Friday!

We’ve reached the end of November (I can almost smell Christmas!!), so that means it’s time to reveal this month’s parcel contents.

The theme for November was ‘Warm & Cosy’, and they contained lots of lovely products to help make the recipient feel warm, relaxed and cosy, now the colder weather has arrived.

November Contents:

Enamel Mug –

The first item in your parcel this month is a lovely pale green enamel mug, which reads ‘Baby, it’s cold outside’. We loved the design and thought it would be perfect for all the hot drinks and soups we are undoubtedly going to be consuming over the next few months, including…

Hot Chocolate –

We are now well into Autumn, the clocks have gone back, and the colder, darker evenings have arrived. It can be difficult adjusting to the changing seasons, especially when they include shorter days and lowering temperatures. So, it’s even more important to look after ourselves, and try to embrace the chilly nights, starting with a hot chocolate …now all we need is a blanket and some fluffy socks!

Slate Coasters –

This set of slate coasters were a perfect addition for this parcel, each has a cosy quote. Plus, I’m not sure if it is actually possible to have ‘too many’ coasters – well, at least we’ll be ready if any unexpected visitors arrive over the festive period!

Advent Positivity Box –

Now, you need to keep this little box safe for another couple of weeks! Inside you’ll find 24 paper scrolls, each tied with string. There’s one for each day from 1st – 24th December, so on the morning of 1st December, choose one scroll from the box, unfold, and read the message. Life is tough, and sometimes we all need a reminder of how strong we are, along with a little inspiration, to help us through the day.

We decided to leave the box unfinished, so you can decorate it however you wish.

 ‘Shine Bright’ –

This postcard from ‘Katie Abey Design’ is so cute, it just had to be included this month. Remember to always sparkle and shine bright, and if someone tries to dull your sparkle – just shine a little brighter!

Smile Cards

As always, there should be a couple of these little cards in your parcel, I’ve written one for you, and the blank one, is for you to write a short inspirational or positive message, and give to someone you know, or leave somewhere for a complete stranger to find – but this is of course optional, there’s absolutely no pressure to do this if you don’t want to*.

Parcel Assistant

Your *Parcel Assistant this month is Morris…he was trying to climb inside your Advent Positivity Box – so if he is missing – check inside there!

Karen x

*Parcel Assistants are cheeky little pompom chaps who help (or hinder!) us with packing your monthly parcels!

 

Make Yourself Cosy

Hello, it’s time for another positive mental health tip, and this one is perfect for the colder months that are on the way…

Winter will be fully here very soon, and sometimes it can be difficult to adjust to changing seasons, especially when that change includes shorter days, and lower temperatures.

The dark and gloomy weather can easily make us want to hide away, eat unhealthy foods, and be generally unsociable!

But there are things we can do to try to embrace the winter – rather than trying to avoid it.

It’s a great excuse to make ourselves super cosy, and indulge in a little comfort, whether that be wrapping up in chunky knits, gloves, scarves, woolly bobble hats, and heading outside…
Or, if you’d rather stay indoors, snuggle under a blanket, in fluffy socks, in front of your favourite TV box set, sipping a hot chocolate (covered in marsh mallows and sprinkles)…Ooh sounds perfect!

Making some subtle changes to your home can help make it feel relaxed and cosy, like adding a throw to the sofa, and a few logs beside the fire (even if they are just for decoration!).

Stock up on warming soups and crusty bread, as that never fails to make me feel warm and cosy on the inside!

What would you add to the list…?

Karen x

Your Questions Answered!

Hello!

You may have noticed that we have now officially opened on the website for our Christmas parcels – ordering opened on 1st November, and will close on 30th November, or earlier if we sell out!

We’ve received lots of questions and messages regarding these parcels, so I wanted to put together a post of 14 frequently asked questions, so the answers are all in one place. Most of these answers apply to all our parcels, so aren’t only relevant to Christmas.

If I have missed anything out, or you have any other questions, I’d love to hear from you, simply click on the ‘Contact Us’ page on this website, or pop me an email at: karen@thesmileparcel.co.uk

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Can I Order A One-Off Parcel?
Yes! All our parcels are available to order as one-off’s.

What Will Be Inside Christmas Parcels?
As always with our monthly parcels, exact contents are kept a secret until they are received, but what I can tell you about our Christmas parcels is that they will be super festive, but will still contain our usual inspirational gifts, decorations, handmade items, and maybe something to eat too!

Can I Add A Personal Note Inside?
Yes, we can add a note inside any of our parcels.

Can I Have A Parcel Delivered Directly To The Recipient?
Yes, we can post parcels to any residential address within the UK, and some business addresses too, providing there is someone available to sign for them. Sadly, this does mean that we can’t post to PO Box addresses for this reason.

Can I Have A Parcel Posted Outside Of The UK?
No, currently we only post parcels to addresses within the UK.

Can I Order A Christmas Parcel…That Isn’t Christmas Themed?
Yes of course, we also put together one-off gift parcels which we can send at any time during the year or month, these are made up from products we already have in stock, remaining from previous months. We do have limited stock, so let us know if you’re interested in anything from previous parcels.

Is There A Limit To How Many One-Off Parcels I Can Purchase?
No, you can order as many one-off parcels as you wish.

When Is The Last Date I Can Order A Parcel For Christmas Delivery?
We will be taking orders for December Christmas parcels up until 30th November – unless we sell out earlier!

Can I Choose The Contents Of The Parcel?
When purchasing our monthly parcels, the contents are kept as a surprise, however, if you’d like to choose some of the contents, we can show you what we currently have in stock remaining from previous months, and put some of these together, to create a parcel just for you!

Can I Purchase A Subscription As A Gift?
Yes, we love sending subscription parcels as gifts, as it feels like an extra surprise for the recipient when they receive their first parcel. Subscriptions are available for 3, or 6 months, and do not automatically renew, so will end after your chosen subscription length, unless you choose to resubscribe of course!

Can I Pay For A Subscription As A Lump-Sum Payment, Rather Than By Monthly Instalments?
Yes, we recently added this as an option as we often received requests to pay all in one go. Paying as a lump-sum allows you to pay just one payment for all the parcels in your chosen subscription, and not have to think about the payments coming out of your account each month. Lump-sum payments are accepted as an option for all personal subscriptions, as well as gifts.

When Will Christmas Parcels Be Posted?
All Christmas parcels will be posted during the first week of December, hopefully beating the posting rush!

How Much Are They And Do I Have To Pay Postage On Top?
One-off parcels are £19, or you can save a few pennies each month with a subscription. A 3-month subscription is £17.50 a month, or a 6-month subscription is £16 a month. All parcels are free UK delivery, so no postage cost is added.

How Can I Pay?
One-off parcels can be paid using PayPal or a debit or credit card. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can click on the ‘do not have a PayPal account’ option when purchasing through the website, and it will bypass PayPal to take your card details as usual. If you are purchasing a subscription, you can pay in the same way when paying as a lump-sum payment, and we will send you an invoice for the full amount. A PayPal account is required when paying via monthly instalments for a subscription, as PayPal is our chosen secure recurring payment method.

Karen x