What’s going to be hot this Christmas?

Today is Thanksgiving in the USA, the unofficial start of the festive season so can we get any indication yet of what is going to be hot this Christmas. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November and, as mentioned last week, is followed by Black Friday a day of special shopping bargains. We all know that Thanksgiving started when the early pilgrims gave thanks for their life in the New World. But interestingly, many of the Pilgrim Fathers had lived in Holland before setting sail on the Mayflower and some suggest the festival is based on an annual October commemoration of the 1574 lifting of the Spanish siege of Leiden. It has now become a time for family reunions with 49 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more. But what’s going to be hot this Christmas for shoppers? Last year, shoppers in the UK spent a staggering £24 billion over Christmas and this year that looks set to increase. Searches on eBay.co.uk soared by 760% on Black Friday yet 6th December was the peak day for Christmas shopping. Website Moneysavingexpert offers a helpful Christmas deals predictor which looks at when you can expect the best discounts based on retailers past promotions. Amazon of course is always a good source of shopping ideas. For example here are their top picks for women’s gifts with make-up and beauty products leading the way. On ebay the best Black Friday deals are mainly tech. or fashion related. If our adult onesies aren’t classy enough you can get help from Vogue’s pick of the best pyjamas for ladies in 2016 but beware some of their choices are around £300 each. But how about this for a novel way of predicting what’s hot this Christmas; Royal Mail deliver all of the letters children write to Santa at the North Pole and they carry all of Santa’s replies back as well, so they are in a pretty good position to know what toys are hot this Christmas. Chief Elf responsible for Santa’s mail said: “We get to see what they really want for Christmas. All the elves at Royal Mail enjoy reading the heart-warming letters from the children all over the UK because of the festive cheer these letters bring. ” The top five bring few surprises: Lego, Scooter, Bike, Mobile phone, Paw Patrol Air Patroller – but don’t kids want a puppy any more?