Way too early for Christmas! It's only September!!

It is incredible really! Even though we are in retail and we live for the sight of shoppers coming to our site, there is one thing that we just cannot bring ourselves to do.... and that is starting Christmas in late Summer.

A few years ago I went to London for a weekend and decided to go and do a bit of window-shopping in Harrod's famous store in central London. It was early September and the weather was just amazing. It was warm, with blue skies and people wandering around in shorts and t-shirts. We stepped into Harrod's and made our way down to the basement area (I had to have a look at their latest gadgets and electronics) and as we walked down the stairs, the very first thing we saw was a Christmas tree... in September, on a warm day!

Now I love Christmas as much as the next person and we all know that it has become so commercialised now that the original meaning is lost to more and more people every year. Even so, when I see or hear a mention of Christmas or Christmas Shopping in Summer (and yes, to me September is still Summer!), it just makes me a little ill and makes me feel like running away very quickly.

Luckily, I was able to dismiss the unpleasant experience in London and the lack of taste Harrod's demonstrated in having a Christmas feature this early in the year by explaining it away to myself as perhaps being an 'English' thing. I mean every nation has its own quirks and maybe a Summer Christmas is their way or drawing themselves closer to their Australian friends.

So I have to say that I was even more surprised when I walked into Brown Thomas on Dublin's Grafton Street last weekend (again, just window shopping - I don't have a penny to spend and especially not there) to see the same thing all over again. As I climbed (well, I just stood on the escalator actually), the sight of a Christmas tree loomed up in front of me! So it obviously wasn't just a mad English thing then - the madsers are here too now!

Well, here at Pressieport, while we'd love people to shop like maniacs all year long, we feel that there have to be limits to what we do. September and even October are way too early for Christmas-sy behaviour. Rest assured, you won't ever see that on our site before the clocks change back to winter time and that's a promise!

A Bird Feeder with a Difference!

This is the coolest bird feeder we have seen in ages! A bungee jumper made entirely out of bird-seed, hanging out of a tree in your garden or off your patio.

Apart from having the pleasure of seeing the little feathered creatures getting their daily seed, just think about how you'll react when you see a bird with a confused look on its face.

The Bungee Bird Feeder comes in a blister pack and with his own bungee cord. You simply hang it off a tree or somewhere suitable and that's it! It makes a great conversation piece too because very few people will have seen a feeder quite like this one.

Just click here to get your very own Bungee Feeder.

Mother's Day Gifts - and a bit of history!

Mother’s Day Gifts and a bit of history!

Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday as it is known by some, is celebrated in many countries around the world and on many different dates. In Ireland (and indeed the UK) it traditionally falls exactly 3 Sundays before Easter Sunday.

Although there are many different variations and histories behind the idea of this celebration, it is thought that the most likely origin for this event was in the 16^th century when families would gather at their ‘mother church’ on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This became special event in that, for many people, it was an occasion for them to meet and gather with other family members that they would otherwise normally not see, due to work or other reasons.

Today the tradition continues and is mostly a day when children show their love and appreciation for their mothers by giving them gifts, cards, flowers or similar presents.

This year, Mother’s Day, falls on Sunday the 22^nd March (2009).

We've set up a page just to help you get some ideas for Mother's Day this year.

Order your Valentine's Gifts by 4pm Today

Hi everyone,

We wanted to let you know that you have until 4 pm this afternoon to place your orders for Valentine's Day.

We have a wide range of very original gifts - click here.
We can Gift-Wrap all you gifts - click here.
You can even include your Valentine's Card - click here

So don't be caught out - order now and we guarantee delivery anywhere in Ireland by tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Weekend!

Fred

We are back to normal...

The snow appears to have finally cleared and our backlog of orders have now left us for delivery around the country in the morning. Sorry to anyone who was affected by the short delay and thank you for your patience.

All we have to do now is sit back and wait for sunny Spring and the warm BBQ weather that's heading our way.

Christmas and New Year Arrangements

Hi all,

We will be closing our offices for the Christmas and New Year period from

Tuesday 23rd December 2008 at 13.00 and re-opening on the 5th January 2009.

All orders placed during this period will be processed on our return.

May we take this opportunity to wish all our customers a happy and peaceful Christmas and our best wishes for 2009!

Fred

pressieport.ie now accepts 3V

Pressieport is delighted to announce to its shoppers, that we now accept 3V Prepaid Vouchers for purchases on our site. To use 3V as a Payment Method, just select 'Pay By Debit/Credit Card' at the Checkout and fill out the required information as if you were paying by VISA. It's that simple!

Deliveries

Its happened to us quite a few times that our customers put in a shipping or delivery address for their items, but they don't take into account that we need to have someone there to take the delivery.






If you are getting something from us, please don't worry about putting your work address down as the delievery address - we certainly don't mind if your boos doesn't and it will save you having to go hunting around for your parcel afterwards!







And don't forget, if we get your order by 12.00 noon, we'll deliver the next working day, anywhere in Ireland.

You've been framed...

Got some new frames this week. Something a bit different for everyone. Contemporary, classic and even Art Deco styled.

These are all well packaged and boxed and high quality finish. A perfect gift for anyone's home or office.

Magical Floating Bottle Holder

We really like this one! It looks very cool, well made, well boxed and funky.

Although it will only hold the one bottle, its the type of thing you have in your house as a conversation piece or funky objet d'art.

A definite thumbs up!

New Sounds at Pressieport

We have just received a bunch of new iPod accessories from the lovely people at Boynq TM. We have a range of iPod and speaker systems for men and for women in sexy and funky new styles.

Have a look and see what takes your fancy this summer at http://www.pressieport.ie/ !

New Jewellery line arrives in time for Summer!

We’ve been busy working away behing the scenes to bring you some of the finest new arrivals on the fashion market. These pieces are sure to please even the most demanding of tastes.

All silver jewellery are crafted from 100% sterling silver. Many of the items feature semi-precious stone and all of them are frankly stunning. We'll be expanding the range further over the next few weeks - let us know if there specific things you'd like us to get in.

Good music, good friends and good wine - Heaven!

We all work hard and we all deserve to enjoy our free time, the time we spend with our friends and family, or even our time spent alone, relaxing. And nothing makes that time more enjoyable and relaxing than good music.

Finally, we decided to get the first of our CD music collection going with these superb compilations - and no, I'm not just saying that because they're our choice - they really are very good. I'm still working my way through them but the Cubana and Espresso are excellent. I'll let you know about the rest when I get through them. Try them - I know you'll enjoy them.

This will wake you up!

Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock


Ever have any problems getting up in the morning?! Well this may just be what you need then... Its the Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock.... Pretty much guaranteed to get rid of any urge you may have for a lie in. This clock will make sure that you are half-way out of the house and on the bus as soon as it goes off..... Try not to go to bed naked - just in case!

How to tell the car behind what you think!

Its actually surprising to me that this has taken so long to come up with... A simple idea, even obvious some might say, but this is the first time it has appeared on the market.... and pressieport.ie is proud to be the first and probably the only outlet in Ireland to have this little gizmo.

Its called the Drivemocion - it sticks to the back window of you car or SUV or tractor or whatever you drive. On the windscreen, you have the control module with 5 buttons - each of which produces a different result when pressed. You can give the car behind you a Smiley...or, something else... You can even apologise and wink at them if you're feeling frolicky :-)

Each time you press one of the buttons, it wirelessly sends a signal to the rear display unit which then illuminates with a smiley or words. Really quite cool and great fun to play with in traffic.

It needs little or no installation - just 2 suction cups to be stuck on and absolutely no wiring required. It even has a sleep function so that if it detects that your car hasn't been moving for a few minutes, it'll go to standby mode to save on battery life.

Dominoes - You just can't beat the old classics!

Now I am a self-confessed techno freak. I love any new games, gadgets, inventions and what have you that hits the shops. But have you ever noticed the way tastes do a full 360 degree turn every so often? ABBA hit the charts in the 70's and then dissapeared only to hit the charts again every four or five years... Retro is all in again at the moment when it comes to home furnishings, fashion, even Dr Who is back in!

Here is another classic that is making a comeback along with many of the traditional board games - Dominoes.

Isn't it about time you switch off your XBox or Widescreen and spent some time with other humans? Well, this is a good way to start! Try it - I bet you've forgotten how much fun it is.

Its always fun to play with pets...

I like this particular one but I'm definitely going to get a wider variety in because they really have been a favourite with Pressieporters. Its basically a rubber ball with a long red rubber tongue. The dog grabs the ball and ends up looking a bit.... well... I'll let you decide how to describe it :-)

Its called a Humunga Tongue and it doesn't require batteries!

My favourite invention of the year... and its practical!

Not only is it practical, but it looks really sexy and is extremely easy to set up. On the downside, its very likely that you'll find yourself staring at it like a rabbit does at oncoming cars. It will probably shock you as much as it did me, when you see how much electricity you are using at home. This is what it looks like...

Its about 7 inches long and works wireless to read how much electricity your home or business is using. It then display this information in real-time in either Watts or in Euro to show you how much your using. The display works in two parts (both controllable). You can view the information on the top of the unit, but on top of that, the 'mood' lights change depending on how much you're using up. So if you're using a lot of electricity, the lighting underneath glows red to let you know.

You can connect Wattson to your computer also which allows you to download the information to your PC and see how much you've been using, when you were using the most or least and also to compare it to other days or weeks. This is done through Holmes, the application which works alongside Wattson, to help you keep an eye on your usage.

This is how it connects up to your home...

They say solar panels repay their cost over 7-10 years. This little unit repays itself over 2 years! The only downside to having one of these is that you'll find yourself switching off more and more things until eventually, you may end up living in the dark...
It really is very addictive and more to the point, its likely to be one of the best green actions that you're likely to take that will have an immediate impact on what you are doing to the environment and your bank account.
It has won numerous awards in Stuff Magazine and the the Guardian to name just two. You'll be hearing a lot more about this one in the future!

Welcome to the first posting to our new Blog!

Welcome to our first official posting on the new Pressieport Blog!

You'll shortly be seeing updates on products and new gifts appearing on the site together with reviews and other information on what's happening on Pressieport!

All the best,

The Pressieport Team