ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS….

Christmas is coming, and if you’re anything like us, we wrack our brains every year for Christmas gift ideas! So we asked some lovely locals, what they really want for Christmas this year. …

Sophie Golden, Target Training Club

“All I what for Christmas this year is a day at The Cookery School at Daylesford in the Cotswolds, to do what I love best…. cook, and to get some new inspo and tips in the kitchen!” Louise Webster, Founder of Beyondtheschoolrun.com and author of The Beyond The School Run book, out Summer 2017.

“I have become really interested in natural beauty products and the importance of what we put inside but also on the outside too. For Christmas I would love a voucher for the website www.contentbeautywellbeing.com, which sells a great selection of natural beauty products.”

Jo Saunders, Matters Group.

“Christmas is the time of year I absolutely love, in fact I have been researching my new Christmas Duvet for 2016 only last week! Chiltern Chatter asked me what I would like to receive as a gift this Christmas, that’s a hard question to answer as my brain is far too busy thinking of gifts for everyone else. My true answers aren’t very realistic to be honest like world peace, a holiday in the Bahamas or a family safari adventure! However there are a few items on my list I would absolutely love; Tickets to see Peter Kay, A night at Ronnie Scott’s with a Nina Simone Tribute and a classic Jo Malone scented candle – Lime, Basil & Mandarin.”

Sian Goodspeed, Founder of Flying Start Tuition.

“I love a traditional Christmas, spending time with my family, but I am not a big fan of the cold weather so, once the festivities are over, I would love to have a holiday somewhere nice and warm. I’ve not been abroad for over ten years and our children have never been on a plane so I think a holiday is definitely going to be on my Christmas list!” 

Melissa, Melissa Scott Total Body Training.

“When asked what I want for Christmas, I always draw a blank. Never mind that I see and covert things throughout the year and make a ‘mental note’ to drop a hint to family members. I simply forget what it was and where I saw it! However, thinking hard has paid off, as I have always wanted to have membership of Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. I’m a huge live music fan and this as a gift would be an absolute thrill. Failing that, a beautiful pair of boots by Penelope Chilvers. Oh and always a box of chocolate Brazil nuts…”

Fiona Clark, Career and confidence coach, Inspired Mums.

“All I want for Christmas is a voucher for Lavender and Stone beauty salon in Beaconsfield. Tranquil oasis tucked away off the main street – absolutely idyllic with lovely therapists. I recently had a hot lava shell back massage there and I can highly recommend it for busy mums to de-stress and treat themselves!”

Carolyn Ley – Carolyn offers career coaching services to senior business professionals who want to clarify and progress their career goals. Working with clients in the city and the Bucks area, Carolyn has twenty years’ experience in talent management with leading global corporate and professional services firms and is contactable on caro@carolynley.com.

“With three young kids and my consulting business, I haven’t had much time recently for hobbies. I decided I needed a creative outlet and completed a fantastic sewing machine basics workshop one Saturday morning in Tring. It was run by Mary Anne from Sewing Seams Easy. So top of my Christmas list this year is a Janome sewing machine from John Lewis. I’ll hopefully be upcycling old jeans into handbags for my three year old in no time. ”

Rachel Airey, founder of House of Airey.

“I know this is a total cliché but the only thing I want for Christmas is to spend it at home with the ones I love. Eating copious amounts of food, washed down with a bit of fizz, watching the kids play with their new toys. As a self-employed Mum / work at home Mum / Mumtrepreneur (or whatever it’s called nowadays), my business is always open, and I find it hard to switch off from social media, from the web enquiries & phone-calls. Product design and marketing strategy are pretty much constantly in my mind. At Christmas I’m having some time off. When the last of the Christmas orders goes out (hopefully not too long after the 18th December cut-off) I will turn off my laptop, put my Out of Office on for the very first time and spend time with my family for two WHOLE weeks. I’m really not bothered if I get nothing, my husband and I have decided not to buy each other gifts again this year, as we don’t need anything, or even really have anything specific to ask for. Just quality time.”

Bella is the certified nutritional advisor, founder, food and wellbeing coach at NutriBelle. Find out more about her 4 week healthy Kickstart programme and member’s club at www.nutri-belle.co.uk

“I’d love to have a girly day out – with some serious pampering at Danesfield House Spa. I’m also dying to get my hands on Ottolenghi’s revamped ‘The Cookbook‘ – fresh, flavour-filled foods to provide me with recipe inspiration for my clients. And I definitely wouldn’t say no to a bottle of Harrow and Hope’s Brut Reserve NV to sign off in 2016 and welcome in a new and exciting year!”

Sarah, Beaconsfield Childcare.

“As a busy mum of three, India, 12, Tayte, 7 and Angel, 3, plus running Beaconsfield Childcare, which has two nurseries in Beaconsfield, I’m looking forward to some time off over the festive period. I find myself craving some ‘me’ time; however, I’m sure if it was just me I would only be bored. This Christmas we are looking forward to totally switching off and spending quality time as a family. After such a manic year we will have a lovely quiet family Christmas and venture to the markets at Bristol and enjoy some days out. If I could have one more materialistic thing it would be a Michael Kors bag as I have had my eye on one for a while. Happy Christmas everyone!”

Tanya, Giraffe Coaching. For life coaching and or information on our Positive Women workshops please contact tanja@giraffecoaching.co.uk

“All I want for Christmas is a wine course! How many times have I sat in a restaurant waiting for my husband to order the wine and how many times have I been out with my friends and ordered either a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio without having the confidence to try a new one or even a new blend of grape and this all stems from lack of knowledge. In my book, knowledge equals confidence and confidence comes from actions so please get me that wine course!”

Kate, Giraffe Coaching.

“My perfect present would be a WoodWick fireside candle. I love the scent which fills my kitchen and spreads throughout the house as it burns. I love to have it lit both when I’m working and in the evening but it lasts for ages so I only need one!”

Melissa, Mina Trading.

“All I want for Xmas as a gift is a night away at the Cliveden Hotel…enjoy the day walking the beautiful grounds then having a treatment at the spa and to round it off a beautiful dinner in there a la carte restaurant…. Bliss!”

Debbie Morris, Tent Peg Events & The Todays.

“If I could have a massage and reflexology every day I would(!) so they are my ideal gifts usually but as far as something to open on Xmas day…..maybe music t-shirts? (Though not with my band’s name on them…………or Bucks Fizz). Tickets for Latitude Festival next summer would be great . We all have winter birthdays so a summer gift would be lovely to look forward to.”

Sarah Melvin, PR and Marketing for Thorpe House School.

“With three children, a husband, two sets of parent, seven nieces and nephews, God children, my children’s teachers, work friends and a cat to buy Christmas presents for (yes, we are that family), what I want for myself is not something I have considered until now. If I’m honest, so long as my youngest remembers his Nativity lines, the Christmas dinner is on time and everyone is content with what Father Christmas brought them then I’ll be a happy mummy. Having said that, there is a wonderful shop in Teignmouth, Devon called Brodequin Shoemakers and I have been hankering after a pair of their handmade yellow T-Bar shoes. They are gorgeous and so unusual, but perhaps a little impractical for the school run? So, I might add a pair of green leather gloves for those icy winter mornings defrosting the car and a bottle of my favourite perfume 1881 by Cerruti.”

Niki Hall, The Style Hall.

“All I want for Christmas is …. some time to spend with my family. In our busy lives we never seem to have time. So…. I would like an experience, maybe a helicopter ride over London. It would be great to see London from a different perspective and we would get to spend some quality time together. “

Ashley, Oohlalabel.co.uk

I am expecting my fourth baby just before Christmas so all I really want for Christmas this year is to hold my baby girl in my arms.
But, go on then, this is a nice opportunity to think about pretty things, so, thinking about baby girl first, I’d love one of these gorgeous monogram cushions from Zazzle.co.uk, that would match the Personalised Name Labels I shall make for her:
Then for me, I’ve always found exercise a great way of helping with the exhaustion of a new baby and I’m a fan of Lululemon’s sportswear. I’d love a new sports bag and have my eye on this:

Andrea Ventress, Marketing Co-ordinator, Heatherton House School.

“All I want for Christmas is the ability to bottle the feeling I get every year when I watch Heatherton’s Early Years’ nativity. That heart-warming ‘ahh’ factor of angelic looking stars with tinsel on their heads or shepherd’s complete with tea-towel headdress earnestly belting out Away in A Manger is a feeling I’d love to re-live over and over again.”