Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

If you want to send someone a Xmas gift which helps birds and the environment and lasts for a whole year, then RSPB membership is the perfect gift. The RSPB is the British Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment.

Buy membership online by 14 December and the RSPB say that they will be able to send the welcome pack in time for Christmas.

RSPB adult membership gives free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves around the UK, the acclaimed BIRDS magazine, four times a year and a choice of a great free gift. Membership comes with a welcome pack explaining how to make the most of RSPB membership, including getting the most from RSPB affiliations, such as RSPB Energy and RSPB Leisure.

Children are not forgotten and family membership incorporating children or junior membership, includes a host of benefits plus loads of goodies, that are especialy chosen to suit their age.

Labels: birds, Birdwatching, Christmas, environment, RSPB, Xmas

Look no further if you want Christmas gift ideas for the garden-lovers in your life. The Royal Horticultural Society has a wide selection of books, plants, gardening tools and tickets to their shows but something really special is the RHS Gift Membership. It will give someone a whole year of garden visits and inspiration.

The lucky recipient of an RHS Gift Membership gets unlimited access to the RHS gardens with a family guest, The Garden monthly magazine, which is worth £51 a year, as well as the opportunity to explore more than 140 RHS Recommended Gardens across the UK. The gift even includes a selection of gardening goodies to unwrap so you can choose to give yourself a Christmas treat or the RHS will send it on your behalf with a personal message and really make someone's Christmas.

After Christmas, the RHS show season gets of to an early start with the charming Cardiff show. This show has a real spring festival feel, full of inspirational displays. It runs 16–18 April 2010, in Bute Park with the magnificent backdrop of Cardiff Castle. And remember, RHS members get to enjoy Members’ Days and buy discounted tickets for RHS shows.

Labels: Christmas, gardening, RHS, Xmas

Were moving into the Christmas Party season and the Performing Right Society (PRS) report that they expect Karaoke bars across the UK to be the office party destination of choice, as recession-weary workers search for cheaper parties.

The organisation, which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers, has reported a 10% increase in revenue collected from Karaoke bars across the UK in the past five years.

Robbie William's Angels, is the most popular Karaoke song in the UK, followed by Valerie from the Zutons & Amy Winehouse, ABBA’s Dancing Queen and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline taking the other top spots. Popularity results are based on the most performed Karaoke songs in licensed venues by the Performing Right Society. The PRS collates this data in order to make accurate royalty payments to its 60,000 composer, songwriter and music publisher members, whenever music is publicly performed or broadcast; their survey covered bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants and live music venues.

Top ten most popular Karaoke songs for 2008 are:

1. Angels, artist: Robbie Williams


2. Valerie, artist: The Zutons / Amy Winehouse


3. Dancing Queen, artist: ABBA


4. Sweet Caroline, artist: Neil Diamond


5. Kingston Town, artist: UB40


6. The Wonder of You, artist: Elvis Presley


7. Black Velvet, artist: Alannah Myles


8. My Way, artist: Frank Sinatra


9. Suspicious Minds, artist: Elvis Presley


10. Waterloo, artist: ABBA

Source: PRS, who have also recently compiled the top ten most broadcast Christmas songs

Last Christmas from Wham is at number one, Do They Know It's Christmas? (original 1984 Band Aid recording) is at two and the great Fairytale of New York from The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, comes in third place. Get the full list and interesting background, in the Beeb article that is linked above. All the favourites are their, including the perennial favourites from Wizzard, Slade, and Bing Crosby, but not in the order that most people would expect.

Labels: 2008, Christmas, Karaoke, music, Xmas